Walking/pilates & not doing the gym: How much fitness can you achieve?

[dalhousie]

(From my signature you can see I had ADR 19 months ago. I overdid things in the summer & have struggled to get active again since, trying to do something in the gym).

Hope this doesn't sound a daft question but I was wondering how much fitness can you get back just sticking to walking & doing core strengthening?

(In the past I don't seem to have got a huge amount of fitness back just with walking but the gym has paid dividends). I know some spine patients don't bother with formal exercise (gym/swimming) & seem to manage. I'm a bit worried about venturing to the gym again even in the not so near future.

With my past medical history I seem to have as many problems with my back muscles as I do with my spine. Recently I got up to walking about 1 mile & ventured to the gym yesterday just to do 1 minute on the cross trainer & my back muscles are really sore today. (This strategy worked when I was 3 months post ADR so I thought it would be OK now at 19 months post op).

I'm going to see my family doctor on Monday as I find NSAID's help to keep my muscles calm but I can't find one that doesn't aggravate my IBS. I've tried Arcoxia & Naproxen but they make me really bloated. I may suggest trying Diclofenac/Voltarol as that was one of the ones that was suggested the last time I saw him but I do know other people with IBS who can't tolerate that.

Needless to say for the forseeable future I'm sticking to walking & slowly increasing the distance & doing my pilates.

This recovery is sooooooo different from my 1st spinal op (fusion). I feel like I will still be doing rehab for many years to come at this rate.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[ajj1001]

Whilst walking and core strengthening are good for muscle tone the only way I have been able to improve my fitness is by swimming. Its the only thing where I get to my aerobic/fat burning heart rate. I can't move my legs fast enough to do this walking. My arms are capable of pulling me through the water that I get out of breath and I can swim for 20 minutes so am staying at that rate for enough time to improve my fitness.

[KanRunMo]

Your pilates and walking will get you back to full strength eventually. I also do aqua aerobics (swimming with foam belt and foam bar bells in a swimming aerobics class) at the Y. You get as much aerobics as you want depending on how fast you do the exercises. I do it in deep water so that my legs can hang down and stretch my back. It does help. I also walk 1 or 2 miles a day. I used to run but now I walk and a fast walk is considered about half the aerobics a run is, i.e. if you run 1 mile you need to walk fast for 2 miles. Even slow walking helps. You may need to get some easy exercises to strengthen your abdomen so it doesn't pull on your back. The Pilates you're doing should be great but take it easy.

[JK2234]

KanRunMo I take that same deep water class at the YMCA at least 4 days a week.

[Hooch]

Whilst walking and core strengthening are good for muscle tone the only way I have been able to improve my fitness is by swimming. Its the only thing where I get to my aerobic/fat burning heart rate. I can't move my legs fast enough to do this walking. My arms are capable of pulling me through the water that I get out of breath and I can swim for 20 minutes so am staying at that rate for enough time to improve my fitness.

Alison I swim too with slower kicking at a slower pace for about 1\2 hour until the pain levels ramp up too much. I think you said you use a float? I'd like to get one to see if I can go a bit longer. Is it like a ring that goes around your waist, or a plastic pad that fits under your pelvis?

I'm not sure what I'm trying to buy.

edit - here we go, it must be something like this yeah? Ima get one.

http://www.physiosupplies.com.au/aca...Aqua_Belt.html

[ajj1001]

I'm not sure what I'm trying to buy.

edit - here we go, it must be something like this yeah? Ima get one.

Aqua Belt, swimming belt, Large, Regular, hydro belt, hydrotherapy

Thats my belt!! (only mines red), I used it starting off with a rubber loop round my ankles to stop me moving my legs. (Decathlon - SWIMMING - POOL exercise - propulsion elastic NABAIJI - Training strap NABAIJI - swimming TRAINING. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use.)
If my legs sagged I used a pull buoy between my knees. I have managed to build my core up so I can support myself in the water now. I swim without kicking as moving my arms and legs together sets off my nerve pain.

This time last year I couldn't swim a length without floats so am pleased that I can manage a few and am definitely building some aerobic fitness again and my core stability has improved. I go three times a week and do my stretching exercises in the warm shower afterwards and get a couple more degrees on most things post swim.

[Cindylou]

I have that same aqua belt too. It's up at the cabin tho, because I used it during the summer, right off our dock, in the lake. I don't belong to a work-out club anymore. When we moved closer into the city in April, I canceled my single membership, as the place was only a mile from our former house, but way too far from our current home. So, I don't have a place to swim during the winter, nor a proper work-out facility. I did, however, get my treadmill set up in the basement for the winter, but still need my husband to install my small flatscreen TV, as that really helps me stay on the boring treadmill for longer periods. CL

(Oh, I also bought the snow-trax at Costco and definitely have them on my boots for the winter, as I already took my first fall 2 weeks ago, attempting to shovel with that first 9 inch snowstorm we got. I had forgotten about the snow-trax initially, marched outside to try and get some shoveling done...as I was tired of waiting all day for the service crew we hired to get here and do it. As I was carefully stepping to the side to start shoveling the steps, I immediately lost my balance, flew up in the air, landed on my butt with my body still twisted with the shovel up in the air, and slid all the way down the hill of our front lawn to the sidewalk. My shoulder area and collar bone are still real painful to the touch, making me wonder if I should still consider an x-ray. I either badly bruised or God forbid, fractured my collar bone, for it to still be so painful. Just wanted to kick myself and move to Florida! It was after this first fall I remembered my newly purchased snow-trax in the closet, so now I don't leave the house without them. They are amazing. Everyone who lives in snowy conditions should have a pair.)

[dalhousie]

Thanks for all the replies I was feeling so despairing & wondering how I could get more active when I couldn't tolerate the NSAID's. I tried increasing the walking but my back muscles got sore again. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable today as I've taken one of the NSAID's that work but bloat me up - I got an email from someone on the UK site who has similar issues & she suggested taking charcoal tabs to try & reduce the bloating so I bought some. I had been taking quite a few other anti-bloating remedies but maybe an extra one might tip the balance & make things more tolerable.

I don't do the swimming thing (only on holiday in the sea) as the chlorine in the pool aggravates my sinuses which I've had surgery on twice. There were some interesting tips though in the posts. BTW on that subject is breast stroke so bad for fusion/ADR & spine health - I'm pretty hopeless at crawl but maybe Alison's tip of a training strap might help as it's co-ordinating my legs & moving them fast enough that has been the problem when I've tried in the past.

CL - you reminded me to buy some snow trax for my feet this winter as there is already snow in some parts of the UK & last year when the snow hit us badly I couldn't get hold of any for love nor money! Hope the after effects of your fall settle down - it sounds nasty.

[ajj1001]

CL - you reminded me to buy some snow trax for my feet this winter as there is already snow in some parts of the UK & last year when the snow hit us badly I couldn't get hold of any for love nor money! Hope the after effects of your fall settle down - it sounds nasty.

Let me know where you get them from as its just gone a bit skiddy here and I'm not getting stuck inside again if it gets really bad.

To avoid your sinuses being affected could you try just water "walking" or does it even affect you being near the chlorine?

[dalhousie]

I bought mine online from a walking shop in Keswick in the Lake District:

Yaktrax WALKER Ice Grips - The Keswick Boot Company

I also saw these on Amazon (but I figured they might be better quality from a walking/hiking shop):

Get a Grip before you Slip! Due North Everyday Traction Aid Fits Shoes and Ski Boots: Amazon.co.uk: Shoes & Accessories

I haven't tried the walking in water. I hurt my knee pre-fusion & I managed to swim x3/week for 6 weeks 'till my sinuses blocked up but I've not tried the walking in water - it might be all right as there's no contact with the water.