Training while recovering from surgery
I'm having open inguinal hernia surgery on November 19th. Just thought I cap this shit year with some more medical issues. 
Doc said that normal couch potato recovery time would be in the 4-6 week range but advised me (the very active and workout obsessed person) that in no uncertain terms am I to do any swimming, biking, or running for six weeks. Kind of a "I know how you people are so just chill out for six weeks and allow a full recovery" type of thing. 
I basically have not worked out since Ironman Canada due to all the medical concerns with my heart. I was clear to commence working out a couple of weeks back but have just been doing very light stuff and digging out of the fatigue rut I was in.
Six weeks puts me at the first of the year before I'll be able to train. I am registered for three 70.3's (NOLA, TX, Syracuse) with the thought I'd also do Puerto Rico. I'm not going to do PR now since that will only be ~8 weeks after the commencement of training.
Given that I will be coming off a layoff of about five months, what can I do to stay active... let's say... two weeks post surgery?
Obviously:
- Pay attention to my diet. I don't really gain much weight anyhow. My out of shape weight is usually only 10-12 pounds above my race weight. I will lose that in <8 weeks.</li>
- Listen to my body.
I just want to do something, anything to stay active while I recover. I can only play so much Xbox. I can't lift anything over 15 pounds or do anything that pounds the body or stresses the core. Is walking my only alternative?
Comments
@Bob - Man, what a shitty 2014! Good news is, we're almost done with the year and hopefully your problems will be behind you. I know for me, things tend to come in waves, so hopefully you've been through the worst and now you're moving on.
A couple years back i broke my hip and was in a similar situation where i was very limited for 7-10wks. During that time i did a couple things given my reduced ability to do anything physical. You mentioned body comp and i think that's important. I also took the down time to work on my mental game. I read a couple books on mental toughness and it made me feel like i was in some small way continuing to move forward. You can also take this time to assess things like bike setup.
In terms of anything physical i know for me i did some upper body work like pushups and chair lifts, but i think you're going to really need to assess what you can and cannot do as you start your recovery process. So many exercises and activities utilize your core in one way or the other. Walking may end up being your best option.
Check!