Injured? Ways To Keep Your Head In The Game

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Let’s say you’ve been going to the gym and everything has been going great. You’ve made some gains and are happy with your results, then something unexpected happens: You get injured and all of your fitness goals are suddenly derailed. Simply put, some injuries are hard to avoid. We are all built anatomically different and unfortunately, we may be predisposed to injury based on our anatomical makeup. Being injured is never fun and it can certainly take a toll on your mental status, especially if you are very driven towards your fitness goal. If you are injured, there are ways of focusing on different fitness aspects so that you can focus on the positive.

One: Focus on your nutrition and eating habits. If you are forced to take a temporary break from the gym, take the opportunity to examine your diet. Making this effort outside of the gym will certainly help when you return to your normal fitness routine. Take time to discover new foods or recipes that you can easily incorporate into your daily meals. It is also a good idea to read articles about nutritional tactics such as nutritional timing and different supplements that you could be taking. Focusing on the discipline of eating well can help distract you from the immediate circumstance and help you bust out of a rut.

Two: Focus on what you can do not what you can’t do. Not all injuries will restrict all physical activity. The simple truth is that there are many modifications that can be done to existing exercises to accommodate your injury. If you have a knee injury for example, you can focus on upper body movements. Rather than perform movements in a standing position, you can perform them in a seated position. Remember: any physical activity however modified or limited is better than no physical activity at all.

Three : Find new activities related to your fitness that you enjoy. If some movements are posing a problem, find alternative movements or exercises that accomplish the same goal. If running on a treadmill, for instance, causes undue discomfort try riding a stationary bicycle. Your work out may not be as intense as before. The key takeaway however, is that continuing exercise will cement the good fitness habits that you currently have.

As a final note: Be sure to consult with your doctor regarding the management of your care (there are many qualified medical professionals in Marlborough). They play an integral role in keeping you pain and injury free after you have fully recovered. Always keep appropriate precautions in mind when returning to exercise and be sure to get your doctors blessing prior to resuming any kind of fitness regimen. Yes, the best laid plans can go awry, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take effective steps towards achieving your goal in the interim following an injury.