Ideas to keep healthy when you’re out of the game.
Lots of people deal with injuries—whether it’s related to working out, an accident, or the pains and strains that come naturally with age. Dealing with an injury can be tough mentally and physically, but in most cases, you can still maintain healthy habits, including some physical exercise
If you’re injured, be sure to check with your health care professional before starting or maintaining any sort of fitness routine. It’s important to get medical advice on what’s a safe type and amount of exercise to take on, based on your injury.
With the go-ahead from your doctor, consider these ideas for staying healthy when you’re injured:
Give yourself the room to cope
Losing the ability to maintain your favorite physical activities can be a real challenge on the mental front, too. To handle the psychological pain that can accompany an injury it’s important to recognize the emotions you might be feeling—sad, frustrated, angry, or others. When you’re ready to dig into the recovery process, set new and realistic goals for yourself that can keep you focused on healing.
Cross training
If you’re a runner, and an overuse injury keeps you from getting your miles in on the treadmill or pavement, you might stay active with an alternative workout such as Pilates and Yoga, or a lower-impact elliptical machine or cycle. In fact, you might even end up integrating more cross training into your routine post-injury, which can often get you in better shape than just running alone.
Head to the pool
Working out in the water provides a no-impact environment that’s suited for Water Exercise like pool running, aerobics, and swimming drills.
Pick up a new habit
If working out isn’t advised while you heal, resolve to pick up a new healthy habit like getting better sleep, eating less processed food, or volunteering for a cause that’s important to you. It can be tough to stay motivated and positive when you’re sidelined, and a new healthy habit might be just the thing to help you power through your downtime.