Carrying an injury is not a reason to stop training. In fact, anyone who has trained with me knows that I will tell you that it’s not about what you can’t do, rather, what you can do.  Just because you have a sore knee, elbow, back, little finger, your physical fitness doesn’t need to take a back seat.  So how do you manage injury and exercise?

1.       Check in with your medical professional

Depending on your injury, you should get sign off from the appropriate medical or allied health professional. If, for example, you have high blood pressure or some form of heart disease concern, then you should be talking to your GP or cardiac specialist to determine what you can and can’t do.  Same goes for bone or soft tissue injuries – check in with your orthopaedic specialist, physio podiatrist, GP or whichever recognised professional is supporting you with your recovery.

It comes as a surprise to many that even when injured, the response from medical professionals is to keep moving in many cases. Exercise can be a key element to rehabilitation so check out what you can do, what to avoid and how hard you can push yourself. It may be that you are limited to very gentle movement at first, but this is still going to be better for you than sitting on the couch and letting your strength and fitness waste away.

2.       Talk to your personal trainer

One of the best reasons to work with a trainer is that they know what you can do, when and how to push you harder and what to modify or leave out of your program.  Even in a group fitness session, a knowledgeable trainer will know that one person has knee issues so no lunges for them, another has a shoulder injury which means a lower weight and no rotational movement, and the third person has just returned to training post-surgery and needs to rebuild strength and fitness gently.

The thing is though, this knowledge does not come from mind reading, you need to speak with your trainer and update them on your medical advice and keep them informed of your progress as you heal, or you will face setbacks.  Working together will ensure your trainer has you focussed on exercise that will support your recovery and avoiding movement that will aggravate your injury.

3.       What’s the alternative?

As I’ve discussed before, exercise supports your mental well being so being told to stop doing what you love can be really difficult.  Your medical practitioner has told you that your regular program – even if adapted - is off limits for a period but this doesn’t mean you plonk on the couch with a family size bag of potato chips and binge watch all seasons of Stranger Things.  Instead, ask what is allowed as you may be able to swim, walk or even have a crack at yoga and any of these options is going to help you feel better mentally and physically until you can get back to the exercise you really enjoy.

4.       Listen to hear

Listening to your body while exercising is important whether injured or not as you need to feel and understand your limitations to avoid creating or exacerbating injuries. When injured though, you really need to switch on and be careful about any signals your body is sending or you can really do a number on yourself. Don’t push through pain as it’s your body’s way of saying enough – keep going and you may just put your recovery right back or do more damage than the initial injury.  Remember, there’s a difference in the way a hard or challenging exercise feels to something that is going to aggravate a weakened area.  Take it slowly and remind yourself that it was the slow, calm tortoise who won the race and not the excitable and speedy hare!

5.       Eat Right, Sleep Well

Returning to preinjury levels takes effort in multiple areas. Above I’ve talked about maintaining movement at whatever capacity you are able and that meets with medical approval.  Staying active will help you preserve muscle and will support your mental health during your recovery period. The two additional pieces of the puzzle that will support your efforts are good nutrition and good quality sleep.

Good nutrition is easier than you think – stick to good quality, whole foods and you can’t go wrong.  Think in season fruit and vegetables and proteins like red meat, seafood, legumes or eggs and you are on the right path. Restrict processed or sugary foods and you are kicking goals. Work with your dietary preferences (vegetarian, low-carb, FODMOP) and choose things you enjoy but will deliver the nutrients your body needs to heal from within.

As to sleep, let’s be honest, no one ever gets enough of the good stuff when it comes to the land of nod.  Vital to cellular level healing though, sleep is essential so put down that device or turn off the TV and send yourself to bed for a night of rest and repair. Make it a habit and your body will thank you!

Humans are very good at finding reasons not to exercise but don’t let an injury be the excuse you give yourself to mooch around doing nothing.  You know you will feel better with some light exercise in your day so get medical approval and get moving. As always, I’m here to support you and make sure you get moving in a safe and fun way.