What to do when you're injured.

Just recently I penned a post reflecting on my previous state of alllllways being injured, and I spoke about how through this time, I developed the Not Really Yoga system, which has seen me injury free for some time, despite my crappy history.... 

Enter, daddy teaching daughter how to skateboard.

Now, I sit here, one-finger-typing with a cast on my wrist, recalling my previous skills to adapt and deal with injury. This is a well worn path for me, and I've picked up some wisdoms along the way. Below are many of the things I find myself repeating to injured athletes, and hopefully there are some take aways for you in there too.

1. Adapt. 

If you have just sustained an injury, then this is a period of forced, and experimental adaptation. whether you are having to change the way you brush your teeth, or getting dressed takes a little longer, you're abut to learn what it is like to feel like a beginner again. Find a way to enjoy the beginners mind and set goals and challenges for yourself. See if you can find a way to get close to the exercise / sport you want to do. How else can you lift weights and get exercise in?

Life changing surgery saw me forced to stop fighting, and I was even told I wasn't to surf anymore, amongst many other changes. A few days out of hospital, I took up Filipino stick fighting,  just to use some skills that I had acquired in the past, and put them towards new challenges. I turned to stand up paddle boarding to stay in the water as well as many other changes. There is always something you can do

2. Explore new opportunities

A couple of years ago I had just paid for an international triathlon. The following day I jumped from a rope swing, and ended up suspended by my ankle, upside down Sylvester Stallone Cliffhanger style. It sucked. I immediately saw the following 10 weeks of training flash before my eyes.

Running, and other planned training, was out of the equation. But swimming was something I could kind of do.

Swimming has always been my weakest leg, and I've never particularly enjoyed it. I set myself the goal to become the best swimmer I could in that time.

Although i was unable to kick, I swam laps with a pull buoy, arms only, and soon could swim 100m with just my arms as fast as i could with kicking as well. I spent 2 months pushing everything I knew about rehab in to my hammered ankle, and at the same time became the best swimmer I could. In the triathlon i came out of the water with the lead pack, and also came 2nd in a 400m swim. 

3. Don't stress

In the above scenario I also managed to run the triathlon, despite all my naysaying peers, and also managed to stay under 4min kms. I add this for you to remember, fitness doesn't disappear as quickly as you think, and certainly not if you find ways to adapt.

The best fitness training will always be a strategy to better your weaknesses. Do you need to work on aerobic fitness or top end efforts? Figure this out, and find a way to work on these things around your injury. As I write this, I have already scheduled in a few bike sessions this week to work on my anaerobic efforts; something I haven't done for a long time, and an opportunity to give some other muscles a rest

4. Find the silver lining

This can be hard.

Maybe it isn't so much a silver lining as it is a way just to pull your head out of the dumps, but mindset is integral to your recovery. Even in the point above, you can see how my mind is working to reframe my situation, looking at the positives of working on things I haven't for some time, and resting overused muscles. The bike isn't something i enjoy or want to do. but i'lll set myself some targets on it, and i'll fid a way to enjoy it.

Think about what you can do, not what you can't

5. Eat well

The first week of an injury is tough, particularly if you haven't put any of the above steps into place. It is easy to turn to Netflix and binge through a bucket of chicken and donuts (what an odd combo), but staying on top of your diet will not just help your fitness, it will help you avoid a defeatist mindset, and also help with the healing process on a tissue level.

6. Plan your return

Sometimes this isn't always possible. Maybe your injury has put you out of your sport for good.

It happens, and it sucks.

But what's next? What are you going to put your head and talents to, to ensure that the skills you have acquired don't go wasted.

6. Rehab

Probably an obvious one, but not so fast on your assumptions. Everyday I see people post injury who after a period of rehab, manage to get to the point of being able to most of what they could do before.

This is where true rehab starts, not finishes.

Read this next point carefully.

The body heals for efficiency, not perfection.

Repeat it in your head a couple of times.

Just because you can do most of what you need, it doesn't mean the body has healed back to where it was. This is where the hard work kicks in. Correcting altered gait patterns, muscle imbalances and other compensatory mechanisms. At this point you may well return to sport, but if you want to be at, or excel your previous level, and don't want to be injured again in the near future, you need to approach training with the mindset that you are still fixing stuff. So fix it, and listen to your therapist!

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Injury sucks, but it doesn't have to suck as much as it often does. Get your head around these points above, and hopefully you'll be back to what you need to do in no time, maybe even better than before.

Would you like access to my complete battle-tested system to treat and prevent injury, and reach your goals in the best shape possible. Then click here and check out my Not Really Yoga virtual studio. Special pricing ends soon!! https://www.notreallyyoga.com/nry-virtual-studio