4 Types of Low-Impact Exercises for Your Ankle This Summer

Ankle

Most of us have hurt an ankle at least once. Whether you twisted it while playing basketball or broke it stepping in a hole in your yard. The hardest part is that it limits your ability to move around. The day to day tasks that require mobility is likely to take a little longer. 

Once you have been given clearance to start exercising again, you will want to work into it slowly. Many people injure their ankles during the summer. You can chalk this up to more time outside, more impactful use than in the winter, and maybe a little extra winter weight causing issues. 

There are some great, low-impact exercises that can help you go easy on those ankles, whether you are recovering from injury or just need an easier starting place, that will get you fit and in shape.

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Swimming

Swimming is a super popular thing to do in the summer. It helps you cool down and have a ton of fun. While simply being in the water and moving around can do you some good, it is really easy to add some real exercise into swimming.

Swim a couple of laps. It is a great cardio workout and could still be appealing. Try racing someone to see who is the fastest swimmer. Utilize different strokes. Do diving competitions. These will help add some great exercise while still maintaining the fun of swimming.

Weights

Weightlifting is a great way to build some muscle. If you are looking to prevent injury focus the weightlifting on your upper body and core. Please don’t use it as an excuse to skip leg day though…

Any sort of curls, bench-press, seated presses, sit-ups, etc. are all good lifts to do when trying to avoid hurting the ankle. These will help you build muscle and avoid gaining bad weight while still not risking an injury.

If you are trying to rehab your ankle from injury, work with a physical therapist to see what exercises and lifts would be best. It will likely start with you doing stretches and exercise to ensure that you won’t lose mobility or flexibility. It could then move to resistance bands and other low-risk exercises. Once you are in a good spot, the physical therapist will probably slowly allow you to start working out your legs again. 

Stationary Biking

This may seem like it would not be good on your ankles, but it actually is. The stationary bike offers low resistance, meaning you don’t have to push your ankle too hard to use the bike.

This offers a great cardio workout that will help you shed or keep the pounds off while also being nice to your ankles. If it ever did hurt your ankle, give it a break. If you are rehabbing, consult with your physical therapist to see what should be done. 

Walking

Typically, the idea behind these exercises is to avoid using the ankles so they don’t get hurt or reaggravate a previous injury. 

Walking is great because it is fairly low-impact. While there is some impact involved every time you step, your body is designed to absorb the impact. This shouldn’t be done immediately after injuring your ankle, but it is a good mid-range exercise. It can help get some cardio in and it will keep you in the habit of exercising. 

Conclusion

If you want to exercise and avoid hurting your ankle, you aren’t alone. Ankle injuries are common. Take precautions, like stretching and using proper exercise attire and equipment. If you do happen to hurt your ankle, a simple Google search to find an ankle doctor near you will get you on the right path to getting better; a healthy life is what this is all about, after all.

 

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4 Types of Low-Impact Exercises for Your Ankle This Summer
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