I’ve been searching for some cardio exercises that I could do instead of running. It’s not that I don’t like running —I like it a lot— but due to an inguinal hernia (not a severe one for now), I can’t go running without feeling some pressure where I have the rupture. I tried more intense cycling with an old bike, but I never got into it that much, so I was left with mostly just walking. I like walking, and it’s a good way of staying decently fit, especially since I have some very steep roads nearby. However, I still wanted something more intense.
I found an old speed rope from my brother when I stayed at my parents’ place and started to use it — and it was fun. Initially, I was barely able to skip for more than a minute without making a mistake (and after almost two weeks, I am still by no means good at it!), but it’s so much fun and apparently, judging from some articles and videos I’ve found, a great way to improve your cardiovascular system with relatively short training sessions.
I’ve been mixing skipping sessions with some light footwork exercises I found on YouTube for HEMA since I plan to eventually get into that sport, and with these ~30ish minute session I feel like I’m improving my endurance ever so slightly while feeling absolutely no pain. It’s been barely two weeks since I started doing that, so it’s difficult to judge, but at least I’m happy that I can do proper cardio again on my rest days.
I’ll start running again once I’ve had my surgery, but I’ll definitely pick up the jump rope once or twice a week for some sessions.