The Hindu Business Line : Train through a sprain

I’m 37 years old, 5 ft tall and weigh 68 kg. Ever since I joined a gym two months ago, I’ve sprained my ankle twice in the same spot! As a result, I’ve barely exercised for a few days. What would you suggest I do? My friend says I have an unconscious resistance to exercising. I hope not as I have exercised and dieted and lost 12 kg about two years ago.

Suchi Maladi

Your friend is obviously pulling your leg. I feel you are a strong and positive person who wants to work out despite this setback. A sprained foot need not stop you from exercising. You can do a cardiovascular exercise by working out with your arms continuously. This would strengthen your heart and burn fat.

There are three cardio exercises possible, depending on how your gym is equipped:

■ Arm-cycling — If your gym has a mini-cycle, you could pedal with your arms. Make sure your back is straight and well-supported. Initially, pedal slowly, continuously for 10 minutes. The next day, pedal faster. Then, in the following days, increase to 15 minutes… 20… 25… 30.

■ Arm-pulleys — Stay with light weights of two pounds initially. Pull slowly at first, then increase your speed. Start at 10 minutes then build up to 30 in the weeks to come.

■ Speed-punching — Punch a speed bag for 10 minutes while sitting on a chair. Make sure it is adjusted to your height. Position it so that you can punch it continuously without it rebounding on your face.

Additionally, there are at least five toning exercises you can do. Repeat each 20 times:

■ Abdominal crunches — Lie on a floor-mat, knees bent, feet flat on floor. Place your palms behind your head. Now, raise your shoulders using your stomach muscles as levers. Lower your shoulders back to the mat.

■ Abdominal hyperextensions — Lie on a floor-mat, legs folded, dumbbells in both hands. With arms straight, hold dumbbells up toward ceiling as your starting position. Now, move your arms backward in an arc until they are parallel to your ears, dumbbells just inches above the floor. Bounce twice gently. You’ll feel a stretch on your abs.

■ Shoulder shrugs — Sit on a bench, hold dumbbells and shrug both shoulders up and down.

■ Raisers — Sit on a bench, back straight. Grasp dumbbells, bend elbows inwards so that dumbbells are in line with your shoulders, your palms facing one another. Now, straighten your arms fully upwards so that you hold the dumbbells toward the ceiling. Lower your arms back to shoulder-position.

■ Bicep curlers — Sit on a bench, back straight. Raise your dumbbells towards your shoulders by bending your elbows. Lower. Remember to keep your sprained foot snugly bandaged at all times. Drink 10-12 glasses of water to keep your muscles well-hydrated so that they don’t ache. I wish you a quick recovery and happy exercising!

I’ve recovered from ulcers. What I want to know is: can exercising prevent my ulcers from recurring?

Paresh Dalal

Yes, exercise would help because it de-stresses. And, as you must already know, ulcers are caused by a mind constantly under stress. I suggest you use the time and space to exercise to get away from the myriad things life crowds you with. Go for a regular walk. Walk at least 30 minutes every day. While walking, you need to keep your mind occupied. You could chant silently under your breath a word such as ‘Peace’. Instead of thinking anxious, stressful thoughts, keep chanting. You will reach a point where, suddenly, the mind relaxes and clears. You feel everything is good, as it should be, with no pressures, just peace. Your body feels the rhythm, gets into the rhythm. Your breath too becomes rhythmic and regular. The entire rhythmic movement causes the brain’s happy hormones (norepinephrine) to rise and spread this beautiful feeling of wellbeing. Carry this calmness beyond your walk to your workplace, interactions, relationships, attitude.

Some tips:

■ Until more anchored in your calmness, avoid stressful, complaining, hostile people.

■ Don’t strive for perfection in everything. Some tasks can even be neglected.

■ If your hackles rise, consider whether it is worth getting angry about. Most things aren’t.

■ Look consciously at the pleasant side of life, at the hundreds of things that are going right.

■ Revel in simple little joys — the dawning of the sun, the gurgle of a baby, the fragrance of coffee… Bombastic postures, driving competitiveness are the attitudes that attract ulcers.

When something upsets you, chant “Peace, peace, peace…” Before eating, chant, “Peace, peace, peace…” This helps digestion. The calmer you become, the further you push away the possibility of ulcer-recurrence. To invite peace into your life is to invite good health.

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’.