It's really frustrating when an injury sidelines you, especially a chronic injury that flares up every time you try to exercise. It's easy to feel like you won't ever be able to get into shape, lose weight, or be healthy again. You might feel like you are resigned to being a couch potato, even though really you would LOVE to work out. You just can't do it without a lot of discomfort.
I get it. I've been there. There was a 2-year period where my hip caused me so much pain, I could barely walk around the block without limping, not to mention do the trail running I loved to do. And it didn't even get better after surgery -- then I had complications and inflammation, which led to ongoing hip pain even a year or so afterward. Despite doing physical therapy exactly as prescribed, taking all the anti-inflammatories they told me to, and seeing my orthopedic surgeon for cortisone injections.
During that time, I was not only frustrated by my physical limitations, I experienced a lot of mental anguish as well. For me, working out has always been a great stress reliever and anxiety-reducing tool. Just when I had the MOST stress in my life, I had the LEAST opportunity to "manage" it with my usual tool -- exercise. Here is what I ended up doing instead, in case it helps you too:
I found new stress management tools.
For me, it was breathing techniques, Yoga Nidra, mindfulness meditations, and bodywork. Being forced to quit the gym temporarily meant I had the freedom (and time) to explore new avenues of healing. It also meant I had more time to spend with friends and connect with others, which was also great for stress relief.
These turned out to be very helpful strategies I still continue even to this day. They helped me be more well-rounded, and I turned to them after each C-section during those months when I couldn't work out the way I wanted to.
I did what I could, physically.
Just because my hip wasn't working well, didn't mean my upper body couldn't. Falling into "all-or-nothing" thinking with fitness does not serve anyone well. After a brief pity party, I began focusing on core and upper body stuff that I COULD do, making sure to avoid anything that might aggravate my hip.
I started doing pool exercises, swimming with my arms and putting a kickboard between my knees to take the leg motion out of it. I tried those spinning hand-cycle machines and looked like an absolute character doing that. I worked on my pull-ups. I did lots of rows and cable pulldowns. Moral of the story:
Find what you CAN do (without pain) and learn to embrace it, even if it's not your "top choice" for exercise.
I remembered the 80/20 rule.
If you want to stay lean, nutrition is 80% of the puzzle, and fitness is 20%. That's why you can see women who are absolute couch potatoes and still have a lean, "toned" physique. Aside from genetics, it's also quite likely that they just don't eat a lot of food.
Now, I am by NO MEANS saying that you should not work out, and that you should be sedentary and rely on Slim-Fast shakes to keep your body fat in check. Absolutely not, especially if you want to stay healthy and strong as you age.
What I am saying is, you don't have to worry about gaining weight if you are sidelined by an injury, as long as you eat sensibly, adjust your portion sizes downward (temporarily) if you used to do a lot more activity than you currently can do, and continue to be mindful of your body's hunger signals.
And you should also continue to prioritize protein, even if you aren't exercising heavily, because
a) it will give your body essential building blocks to complete necessary repair processes, b) it is more filling, so you are less likely to overeat while you are less active, and
c) it will help prevent muscle loss-- absolutely critical if you don't want your metabolism to decrease, or all your hard work at the gym to be wiped out.
I reframed my comeback in a positive light.
Once I was able to start exercising again, it was very clear that I was starting from scratch, especially with running. Instead of moaning about the fact that I had lost all my cardiovascular fitness and strength while I was injured, I tried to reframe the situation in an empowering way.
I told myself that it was AWESOME to be a "beginner" again, because that meant I could get a kick-a$$ workout with very little effort on my part. I didn't need to run 5 miles to strengthen my heart. I could run 5 minutes and feel like that was plenty.
Instead of allowing myself to be frustrated by how much I had lost, I tried to remind myself how much progress I had the opportunity to make, since I got to start from zero.
If you are in a similar boat and having trouble feeling motivated or empowered to live a healthy lifestyle, try to figure out one small thing you CAN do. Sometimes getting the ball rolling is enough to start to build momentum.
And as always, if you need help with this or anything else health-wise, feel free to schedule a call with me. I'd love to help you on your journey!
Cheering for you always,
Nicole
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