Getting injured can be a slippery slope that may lead to a rapid downward spiral. I have had my share of injuries and some of them took forever to heal. Last week I was worried when I felt a twinge in my back and woke up with a stiff neck. I was in a lot of pain for a few days, but I made sure that I attended to my injuries and now the pain is gone!
Here is what I did to keep my injury from getting worse:
- I applied ice. Ice helps reduce inflammation and aids healing and recovery. I made sure that I iced my injury every day.
- I rested. I was running myself a little ragged for the past few weeks so I backed off on the extra activities and made sure that I was getting more sleep at night.
- I listened to my body. This is an ongoing work in progress. The body has the ability to heal itself if we allow it to.
- I leaned in to the pain and gave it some extra love. By this, I mean that I made sure that I gently stretched the area. I also got a lacrosse ball and a spiky foam roller. These two were game-changers in my healing process.
- I avoided movements, activities, and positions that caused pain. I took a break from yoga for a few days.
- I did what I could. I was sad that I could not continue with the strenuous routine I was following before, but I made it a point to do what I could. I started my week with a lower body workout and some cardio since my upper body was giving me grief. I actually think that exercising helped me to heal.
I think this is the quickest that I have ever been able to recover from a painful injury and thank goodness because that sh*t hurt! Last month I did daily pilates and yoga. It was a strenuous schedule and often tricky to fit in to my work schedule and balance with my personal life too. I got a little nervous at the thought of adding the gym to my routine. I initially planned on doing pilates too, but on my 1st day (last Monday) I noticed that I was stressing hard about fitting in pilates. So… I dropped pilates and decided to just focus on Yoga, Weight-lifting, and Cardio and it made all the difference in the world. This little drop in activity kept me from over-exerting myself and burning out.
Remember that it is okay to back off on activity just as long as you do something!
If you are nursing an injury I am sorry and I am sending you great, big, *hugs* Hang in there. Things will get better.
Love, Joy, and Blessings Always,
❤ Alana Xoxoxo
