Three Types of Exercises Suitable for Patients in Recovery

Have you recently injured yourself and were thereby forced to take a break from your everyday activities in order to slow down and heal?

Maybe it’s not an injury. Rather, you are recovering from some sort of illness, disease, or treatment that forced you to slow down and take a break.

Obviously, you want to be sure that you’re doing all you can to stay fit and healthy, but at the same time, any recovery process tends to be delicate and needs to be taken seriously so as not to result in setbacks.

With that in mind, we’ve gone ahead and put together a list of three exercises that are suitable for patients who are in recovery.

Keep in mind it’s always wise to speak to your doctor before beginning any exercise program, just to be sure it’s safe for your particular recovery process.

Light Stretches – An Excellent Place to Start

It really doesn’t matter what kind of recovery you are in, light stretches tend to be the best place to start when you are getting back to exercise.

They are gentle, you go about them at your own pace, and you can make adjustments whenever necessary. It’s all about loosening up and warming up your muscles so that you can handle more intense activity.

Get Walking

Another excellent way to get moving again is to walk. That can mean walking outdoors or indoors on a treadmill.

Walking is able to strengthen your bones, boost your cardiovascular health, help you reduce body fat, build endurance, gain flexibility and stability, and build muscle. It also helps to ward off a number of different diseases.

It’s wise to start out slow and then you can increase your pace as you build your strength and endurance. Ideally, you want to build up to about 30 minutes of walking per day, each day of the week.

Don’t Forget the Strength Training Exercises

While walking is great for your cardiovascular system, you also want to be sure you’re building muscle with strength training exercises.

This doesn’t mean you should hit the gym and start lifting heavyweights.

Instead use small weights at home, resistance bands, and even your own body weight to get started. You can work your way up as you build muscle, strength, and your recovery also moves along.

Staying Safe While Working Out

Of course, all of these exercises while gentle still will require effort on your part.

Because you aren’t entirely sure of how strong and physically able you are as you work your way back from an injury, it’s wise to have an emergency plan in place should you slip, fall, or injure yourself. Medical alert devices are an option, with systems such as Get Safe offering hands-free voice-activated functionality. 

Post-Workout Tips

Now before you finish up your exercises and call it a day, it’s important to note that your exercise routine should be followed up by a few post-workout strategies.

These include a cool-down period of stretches, making sure you re-hydrate yourself, and that you fuel your body with food within four hours of completing your exercise. These tips will just help to fight off muscle fatigue and ensure you bounce back faster.

Making Your Health a Priority

It can be difficult for patients going through a recovery process to get back to feeling normal, energized, and at their optimal health. You want to be careful not to speed through the recovery too fast, but at the same time, you want to challenge yourself as much as the doctor sees fit.

These exercises tend to be safe for those in recovery and can help you to get on the road to healing much faster.