How to cope with sports injuries
It is no secret that fitness can bring us great health and mental benefits leading up to longevity and great sense of achievement. We all know it requires consistency and dedication in order to reach desired results. But what happens when you take a step too far too quick? Injuries are unfortunately the inevitable side of the fitness world and coping with one is sometimes harder than anyone can imagine.
Anybody who has suffered from an injury that set you back, know that there is more to it than just physical pain. Suddenly everything changes: the routine you kept, the daily movement quality and self esteem goes down because you feel like everything you have worked for suddenly lost it's value and purpose.
The mental and physical struggles that come after the injuries will test you each day and it is up to you to decide how you deal with every single one of them:
1) Rest and recovery period (in other words, healing). This is the most underestimated part during Post-injury recovery. People need sufficient amount of time to heal and body needs to restore damaged tissue inside of your body which requires people to stop exercising for a while. At the same time many require physiotherapist and rehabilitation regimen to be able to recover fully yet individuals rarely seek such help causing themselves long term discomfort and in many cases - permanent damage..
2) Nutrition during inactive/recovery period. Let's face it, when you are benched from your training and your routine, keeping a healthy and clean nutrition seems like a double punishment on it's own. Especially since we lose the source of endorphins, the sweets and pastries seem like a good substitute to get some sort of comfort, unfortunately that can end up being a cycle of bad nutrition leading to even greater pressure mentally as well as physically. The constant comparison between of where you have been and where you are now suddenly hits you, getting you even more depressed and desperate to come back in action even though your body might not be ready yet.
3) Suddenly the activity that brings you sense of purpose and joy is out of reach, leaving you with a dull routine without an outlet for it. Every day can easily become the same cycle of home-work-home- relationship which we all know with time will make you lose your mind.
So how should one cope with sports injuries?
How to keep your mind on track and have the perfect recovery plan in action?
1) Enjoy the rest time and focus on the things that you never had the time for: reading a book, finishing your studies, writing a blog, watching Netflix series that you kept putting off, meeting a friend that you haven't seen in ages or simply decluttering your space to make you feel better. There are so many little things in life that we keep putting off for various reasons, so why not take a chance to finally get them done?
2) Plan a different nutrition approach, as you don't need the food to supply your sports performance and recovery needs, you have a chance to enjoy various dishes and kitchens that might not be your usual regimen, however they all can hold nutritious and healthy options without munching on fast food and empty calories.
Visit: https://www.bhf.org.uk/ for various healthy recipes to start with!
3) Book that physiotherapist appointment. I think that is more than self explanatory, none of us are in a position to judge how severe our own injury is, us wishing it away will not fix the problem, but a good physiotherapist can. With correct rehabilitation plan there is more than a great chance of getting full recovery regardless of the injury, stop trying to save money for the cost of your long term health.
4) Plan your come back! After the healing is done, having a solid come back plan is vital for getting back to the top. Motivation might not even be there at the beginning, but if you set a clear plan and keep yourself disciplined in keeping it, you will gradually get your skills and strength back.
If you fear that you can't keep yourself motivated enough or simply need some guidance in recovery and the training after it, reach out to a Personal Trainer who will help you with motivation, drive and the correct planning that will save you from causing yourself a relapse injury or another set back on top.
So if you are currently suffering from an injury or are at the end of your recovery phase, get that plan in place, get your mind set and go get it back!