About 8 weeks ago I realized that I am officially a 40 year old. I finally get to use the line, "That time I threw my back out." I wish I could tell you it was doing something amazing.
Like deadlifting a bunch of weight.
Or skiing down a black diamond slope.
Or cliff-diving into the Caribbean sea.
I plugged in my phone. That's right, you heard me. Grandma Deb bent over to plug in her phone and froze. The pain I felt made me stop mid-sentence and whisper, "I am in pain" to my husband.
Long, boring story short, I used stick-on heating pads and muscle relaxers like it was my job. And I made sure to remind my family of my ailments regularly. Hey, it got me out of doing a lot of chores, so there's that!
The good news is, I got a lot of relief pretty quickly.
The bad news is, I haven't healed yet.
In case you're nursing a nagging injury as well, here are some tips on coping:
* Rest. Yes, it's hard to be forced into the sedentary lifestyle, but remember it's just for a bit. You want to be careful and not aggravate the problem. Go ahead and turn on Netflix.
* Modify. Stay active in new ways. If your ankle hurts, sit in a chair for your workout. If your wrist bothers you, do leg workouts with ankle weights. If your back hurts, do exercise moves where you are lying on the floor.
* Get a massage (or foam roll) or do gentle stretching: if your body is up for it, consider some TLC in the form of massage.
* See a pro. Decide if you need to call a therapist or doctor to get real relief for good. It's not cheap or fun, but feeling good is important.
* Eat clean. This is your time to really improve your nutrition, which is the biggest part of body change anyway. Remove processed carbs, sugars, and dairy from your diet.
* Sleep. Sleep aids the recovery process. And when you're unconscious you don't think about the pain. Oh, and sleep burns fat and assists weight loss.
Let's hear what YOU do when injured yet want to be active!