When you’re used to be active, and your movement slams to a sudden halt due to some blasted injury, healing becomes even harder. Being sedentery is healthy for no one yet there are times when we simply cannot move around. If that ever happens to you or a loved one, here is some excellent advice.
Have you not been able to attend your favorite exercise class or lace up your running shoes due to an injury? Back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and many other injuries are often the reason many of us give up on pushing our bodies. If you’re like me, an injury can turn into a great “excuse” to take months off from working out. The bad news? It’s more painful to get started again once we have taken all of that time off. The good news? If you are injured, there are things that you can do to keep up your exercise routine!
We have come up with the 5 steps to take when you find yourself injured.
Cross train. Cross training means finding another activity to do that doesn’t bother your current injury. For example, if you like to run for exercise, but find you have knee pain, take a break from running and start to do some swimming or water jogging. You never know, you might discover a new love of exercise.
Find a healthcare provider. A good rule of thumb to follow for injuries is if you have had an injury for 2 weeks and thing are not getting better, it’s time to talk to a qualified healthcare provider.
Ask yourself how this injury occurred in the first place. Granted, some injuries occur and you have no idea why or how! Some happen because we increased the amount or intensity of exercise too quickly. It also could be that we have tight or weak muscles and our body was trying to overcompensate for that. Start the discovery process so that you can prevent injuries in the future.
Make sure you are wearing supportive shoes. No joke, old shoes can lead to injuries because the supportive material will break down over time. Have you had those shoes that past 3 years? It might be time to buy some new ones.
Be kind to yourself. Remember, it might take a massage to help with loosening those tight muscles so that you can start running. You might need to buy a new pair of shoes or even pay for a gym membership. By investing in your health, you’ll realize that the benefits of exercise far outweigh the initial costs. You’ll not only feel better, but in the long term, you will save a lot of money in healthcare costs.
None of us want to be sidelined by a sport injury. Instead, we want to be able to take care of our bodies so that we can not only burn off some stress, but also stay healthy for our families. If you are experiencing an injury, we encourage you to consider these 5 tips, so that you can get back to doing the things you enjoy.
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