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[DawnKestrel]

Alright, I've read the sticky threads that talk about exercises, and I'm ok with that. BUT.

I have pronation, which basically looks like flat feet but isn't. It's where your feet twist towards the ground, and in my case, the muscles are all the wrong strengths around that area and my legs. I happen to have a bad case - worse than most I presume, since this is a pretty common thing. And for me, it can get to the stage where it is extremely painful to walk without anti-inflammatories and paracetamol, especially in cold weather.

So~ Are there any cardio exercises that don't involve walking/running? Swimming is the only thing I can think of, but it's something I might only be able to do once a week. Any ideas?

EDIT

Here are the current suggestions from the thread:

- regular exercise; crunches, push ups, the like, on hardcore mode
- experiment using different strides and different speeds for running
- biking [suggested quite a lot]
- elliptical machines
- Bellydancing
- rowing on the ergs
- invest in some custom orthotics
- dancing [Zumba videos, games etc]
- Kinect for the Xbox

[LT. Sarcastic]

Oh dear. I would love to help you but everything I can think of would probably hurt your poor feet or be really expensive

The only other thing might be regular exercise; crunches, push ups, the like, on hardcore mode. I am not a PT but I would imagine that doing the exercises rapidly and long enough would work out your heart.

Sorry I'm not too helpful Try calling your doctor!

[HomeDepot]

I am a mild pronator, so with good shoes I don't have any problems, but I'm assuming you have already tried shoes that correct for pronation right?

I don't think running has to be impossible for you if that is what you want to do. I would experiment using different strides and different speeds to see if something works.

There is always biking and elliptical machines. Personally using the elliptical bothers me more than running, but it is worth trying to see how you like it.

[DawnKestrel]

@HomeDepot yeah, I've got insoles but they aren't working that well (after 3 trips to the podiatrist xD)

Thanks! I'll try that ^^ I had completely forgotten about elliptical machines, so that'd probably work for me, since it's easier to take breaks on them.

@LT. Sarcastic thank you :3 I'll see how those go~

[Asa Gohan]

Have to tried to look at Bellydancing?

[MiniCooper]

You every try rowing on the ergs? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_rower

They are great cardio and should be easy on your feet.

[DawnKestrel]

@Asa I'll look into it, thanks~

@MiniCooper ah yes, I've tried those, and they're wonderful, I just don't have access to one.

[whoa melly]

Another idea is to save and invest in some custom orthotics for your feet. I have overpronation myself, but the orthotics I got from a chiropractor help a lot when I do cardio. It doesn't fix the problem permanently, but it'll help relieve the pain that pronation can cause(I used to get back pain and even more painful shin splints before getting the orthotics). They can be expensive, but if you do get them and take care of them, they last a long time and may end up being worth it for you.

[RedRobin]

I have something similar in that the spurs of my heels bend out, stretching tendons and such on the underside of my feet. So far I've found biking to be pretty effective. No weight on the feet, but it's still a really good cardio workout.

[alliebeth]

I've got really bad ankle tendon injuries that never healed properly on both feet, so I know what you mean about too much walking being painful. I've really started to enjoy dancing as a good workout. Either just putting some music on or doing Zumba videos, or playing Just Dance or Dance Central have really helped.

[Aurum]

Are you able to cycle without pain? Stationary biking is a really good way to get in cardio.

[KBChan]

I have a simular problem, i have poor circulation in my feet and arthritis, making it hard for me to work out all the time without hurting myself over long periods of time.

I actually bought a Kinect for the Xbox, and the excersise aren't too bad if you moderate~

[DawnKestrel]

@Aurum for about 10 minutes usually, so cycling's good for short bursts.

@Melly I've tried that ^^; For the past year I've been getting customised orthotics (I'm on my third or fourth pair at the moment), but they can't get it quite right for me... which is why I'm starting to look for ways of dealing with it.

Thank you everyone else for the suggestions! I'm going to summarize them all on the first post, so other people with similar problems can see~

[Armored Burai]

+1 for cycling. Have you considered barefoot/minimalist running/walking?