Spring Running Is a No Go

As Spring and summer are quickly approaching, I am usually very excited to begin going on long runs outside. To me, pushing myself to keep running along side with my brother-in-law in the nice fresh air is the best. As winter comes to a close, or hopefully, I become excited to stop running on the awful treadmill. However, this year is a bit different. This year I do not get to look forward to running outside because I am having hip surgery. Not only is the timing not so great, but neither is the recovery. For this surgery, the doctor will be shaving off part of my femoral head. In addition to this, he will also have to fix a labrum tear and cartilage tears. I have to go to Tennessee for this because this doctor helped in creating this surgery and because if a doctor is not careful, a slight misjudgement can fracture my whole hip and result in needing a replacement. After surgery I cannot walk or run for a good amount of time and physical therapy takes an eternity. Because of my limitations, I obviously cannot run or work out like I usually do. Although I will have severe restrictions, I still do not want to get fat. I will crutch  my happy self into the gym with  my restrictions paper and make someone help me. I cannot bear weight and my waist or hip area cannot be bent more than 90 degrees. With this being said, I would love to know what I can do to try to stay in shape at least a bit. I know I will not be running four miles on crutches, but I am still currently researching what people with this surgery do to not lose all muscle. Any help would be fabulous!