I have just started to walk again without crutches for the first time in almost four months. I still can’t walk long distances and it’ll be at least another couple of weeks before I’m able to properly get my heart rate up and get some endorphins flowing. Even then, it’ll still be cycling and low impact stuff. Running I may be able to do, but it’s honestly not worth the possible damage to my joints. Having lived with a screwed up joint for years now, I know the downside and running is not worth it.
One thing that has happened that I find worth noting is that since I haven’t been exercising, I haven’t put on any weight. In fact, at first the weight fell off me (that was my muscles dying) but then it kind of plateaued and I’m just staying the same.
This lead me to believe that friends of mine who focus on binge exercising that they cannot maintain are wasting their time, because not only is it completely unsustainable, and not something they enjoy, it doesn’t help them lose weight. In my case anyway, it is almost exclusively diet. And when I exercise, my appetite gets out of control. Literally: Out. Of. Control.
So - from my study of one and more as a note to my future self - I want to exercise only because I enjoy it and it makes me healthy, not as a weight loss tool. In moderation and not excess, in a sustainable way. At the same time, if I keep my diet and outrageous appetite in check, I should be able to stay at what I am for a fair while.
The other thing I should mention is that I cannot wait to get back to cycling. Am working towards next week.
