Have you ever been injured? In a way that keeps you from doing the activities you love? If not, you’re one of the lucky (and probably smart) ones - keep doing what keeps you healthy! But if you’re anything like me, and have a tendency to constantly push your body’s limits, chances are you’ve scored yourself an injury that, regardless of severity, has affected your ability to perform the everyday tasks or exercise-related activities that you enjoy.

Here I am a couple years ago, fresh out of the operating room after getting my shoulder injury fixed, stoked to be on the road to recovery!

However, getting over an injury is almost always tough and can be a long journey. Being sidelined in that way not only impacts your health and fitness on a physical level in addition to the injury itself, but it can also be incredibly emotionally taxing as well. All things considered, it’s not a great situation for any of us. Staying healthy and injury-free myself, and helping my clients to do the same, is my number one priority, because when you’re hurt it’s tough to make the same progress that you can when you’re working at 100%.

BUT, if you do find yourself injured, I do have a few suggestions that I hope will help you make it through to the other side healthier and happier than when you began.

Of course, it’s a huge bummer to get hurt and not be able to do what’s important to you. Whether that’s furthering your fitness, being able to play with your kids, taking your dog on a run, or just living life without pain, it’s tough to have to take a break from the activities that keep you healthy, sane, and enrich your life.

As a lifelong athlete, I’ve learned from experience how difficult it is to overcome injuries more than once - and let me tell you, I did not always handle my situation with the strength or grace I wish I’d had. Especially when I was injured during, or just prior to, important competitive events in my life, I did my best to recover but only learned in hindsight some of the techniques that would help me to persevere in the future.

The first thing I learned was that just because one thing was hurting, it didn’t mean I couldn't do anything at all. Usually, if one part of your body is hurt, you can safely and effectively work something else while that part heals. Instead of treating your injury as a reason to stop moving completely, think of it as an opportunity to get ahead in other ways.

I tore my labrum in my shoulder a couple of years back (see photo above) that required a surgery to repair, which left me in a sling for weeks and with a very controlled physical therapy protocol that was painful and difficult. But, in my mind, I still had one good arm and two legs that worked, so why not make those as strong as I could until I got cleared to let the other arm catch up?

The first thing I was allowed to do to get my blood pumping was run, and though I naturally don’t enjoy running, I went out and covered some mileage every day and really began to appreciate it. Next came squats, lunges, and other exercises for my legs, glutes and abs - I was still able to get my exercise-induced rush of happy brain chemicals despite my limitation, and I took what I could get!

I also ran a lotttttt of steps around that time :)

When you’re injured, it’s natural to feel kind of helpless and out of control, since something other than your own drive is dictating what you can and cannot do. My next suggestion is to control what you can that makes you feel healthy and good in other ways, and an easy one to target is your diet.

Giving your body as many healthy, nutritious, and recovery-promoting foods as possible can really make you feel like you’re helping the process, and assisting your body in getting back up to speed as quickly as possible. Also, if your activity level has decreased from what you’re used to out of necessity during your recovery, keeping your diet in check will help to maintain the progress you’ve made and keep you from unraveling mentally by feeling like your fitness is slipping away.

When I was recovering from surgery, I tried to incorporate as many of the most nutrient-dense foods I could find into my daily diet, making it a game to see how many so-called “superfoods” I could fit into my meals. I also made sure my portions were appropriate considering my activity level, which helped me to stay feeling healthy and fit even when my exercise level was at nearly zero in the weeks immediately following my surgery. I actually ended up losing fat and slimming down a little surrounding my surgery, which was helpful for me mentally during a time when I was really missing my usual activities.

Though I was doing whatever exercise I could as well as keeping close tabs on my diet, I still regularly struggled with not being able to do everything I wanted to. At the time I was competing at a fairly high level in Crossfit, and it made me feel pretty down to watch all of my friends and clients doing everything I wanted to be doing, having so much fun, and making progress while I felt stagnant and left behind. I definitely had my moments where I let those feelings get the best of me, but I also tried to actively redirect my thoughts to a place of gratitude for the things I still could do, and what my body was still capable of - and would be again in the future.

By focusing on the other things in life that you ARE able to do, the things and people you love, and finding the beauty in the process, your injury can become an opportunity for growth. My best suggestions of all would be to remember how lucky you are to be able to do the activities you can, be proactive and do everything in your power to heal yourself as fast as possible, and believe that you will come back stronger than ever if you want to badly enough. And make sure to love and appreciate the people who show up to support you - having people in your life that are there for you in tough times is the greatest blessing of all!

If you’re able to stay positive and optimistic, and smile even when times get rough, you will keep the power of your mind focused on healing what ails you and strengthening the rest, and give yourself the best chance for success. Maintaining an “attitude of gratitude,” if you will, also ensures that you can stay motivated to do what you can while you’re limited, and when you are able to return to your usual activities, you will enjoy them that much more and won’t take them for granted.

An injury can be a blessing in disguise if you let it be - keep your chin up and charge toward recovery with full force and you’ll be back on your feet in no time!

Like Vince Lombardi said,

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

If injury strikes, know that you have the power to overcome it. I hope you never get hurt, but if you do, I hope these techniques can be of help! :)

Are you struggling with an injury? Need some assistance or support? Reach out to me!

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