Injuries can take a toll on your life, affecting your daily activities and sports. It may have been a few weeks, or even a few months since your injury and you may not have made as much progress as you would have hoped. You may be thinking, “It shouldn’t take this long to get better!” Here are some ways to help your body help itself.
Take an honest look at how you got here!
Injuries usually happen for a reason. For some people, there is an obvious accident or trauma that caused the injury. For others, cumulative overuse from a job, sport, or hobby causes a more gradual onset of pain. The quality of your diet and lifestyle can either help or hurt you depending on how you take care of yourself. An injury gives you the opportunity to take inventory of your life to remove risk and improve your health to better heal yourself and prevent reinjury.
Think positive!
Having a healthy attitude is instrumental in your recovery. Even when the healing process is progressing slowly, look carefully for signs of progress. Enjoying each victory along the way will motivate you to eat healthier and work harder towards getting back to normal.
Follow your doctor’s instructions.
Your doctor is your advocate, not your adversary. If your doctor recommends that you take a break, do not defy instructions just to prove you can stay active while injured. Being stubborn can prolong or worsen your injury with devastating results. Don’t give up too soon on doctor-prescribed interventions like physical therapy, acupuncture, etc. that may take a few weeks to show a benefit.
Learn to love yourself.
An injury should serve as a perfect reminder to take care of yourself to the best of your ability. Eat healthier, sleep better, and avoid toxins like tobacco and alcohol, to give your body the perfect environment for healing. Nurture yourself to make you better faster, and will also pay dividends in the long run.
Stay active.
It takes a lot of effort to get and stay fit. The last thing you need is for an injury to halt your progress and momentum. For many people, physical activity provides a work-life balance. Rather than stop your activity completely, if your injury allows it, try to shorten your workout under the threshold of pain. Exercising for as little as 5 minutes pain-free will give you benefits towards keeping you happy and healthy. Otherwise, find alternative, low-impact ways to stay physically active to salvage your fitness, and also for your general well-being.