Hello;

Ive been doing jump rope exercises for several months now with great results and recently my left foot has started to ache. This is probably due the the fact that I'm unfamiliar with how to completely stretch all the muscles in my foot. So while stretching my foot I would still like to do some sort of a cardio workout. Are there any heart-pumping exercises that do not involve your feet or legs? Is there a workout I can do that will get my heart pumping that doesn't involve legs or weights or as little impact on feet and toes as possible?

thx

That's a pretty tall order.

I can't really think of a decent cardio workout that you can do long enough to actually get a benefit without the use of your bottom half. Nor do I really think you need to eliminate the bottom half from your thinking, even with your current issue.
Have you tried an elliptical with arm functions? Impact is non-existant, and you really don't have the stresses on your ankles the way you do running or jumping. Ramp up the resistance and go HIIT, and you'll find you can get the heart rate up just fine. It might take 10 minutes to get there, or even 15 if you are in great condition, but once you start the intervals, you can see from the heart monitor on the machine that the heart will be pumping pretty hard if you want it to.

When your injury is better, try ultimate burpees...they will kill, especially if done in a Tabata routine.

1. As to your foot problems, take them seriously... if your foot is bothering you, stay off it for a couple of days and see if it gets better. As there is really no good way to stretch your foot, ask someone to give you some foot massages (and essentially stretch it manually). Wrap the foot in a warm cloth for 10-15 minutes beforehand. During the massages, as the person to work the foot lengthwise from the ball of the foot to the heel, digging into the heel with a knuckle. Then work the ball of the foot from the center to the sides, and then from the ball of the foot out each tow (gently). Finish on the top of the foot working from the base of the shin down to the toes. If it doesn't get better get it looked at. Sometimes your body can mask some pretty serious foot injuries until they require surgery.

2. Swimming is an excellent low impact alternative, as is underwater (waist-deep) running. You might also want to look into a gym that has a hand cycle.

Hi illiniphase4

Thanks for your response. I give good foot massages so I guess I'll have to go to town on my own two feet. I was trying to avoid the use of a gym, race track or swimming pool in my exercise routines. The reason being is that I can invent more excuses and reasons *NOT* to go than I can for going. For example, I prefer jogging around a track found at most schools and public areas. These tracks aren't always lit (aka: unsafe), there may be a sporting event, or some other excuse for not going and exercising. As an alternative I've started to jump rope with great results. All I need is a space with a tall enough ceiling and I'm good to go. And if my jump rope breaks (another excuse), there's jumping jacks. So there is *NO* excuse for not getting a good cardio workout. Now I have this stupid foot injury. So I'm back to the drawing board. This is why I'm curious about alternative cardio workouts that don't involve my feet, and other elaborate equipment which may result in an excuse for not working out. Perhaps this is the wrong attitude to have, but I want to eliminate every possible excuse for not being able to workout. This foot injury included!

Thanks
-cosmic