How to Heal an Injury Faster

Ok, honestly, I don't have a magic pill to heal you faster, but DON'T GO...I think I can help you.

Anyone else scour the internet for how to heal an injury faster? …..Lol multiple times? Oh man, too much self disclosure. But, hey, I think they call this a coping mechanism.

Well, maybe you will find this blog offering some advice- based on my own journey through sport -with lots of highs: fast times, records, olympic marathon trials appearances, and mountain climbs- AAAND then some LOWS. Afterall, life is an undulating, evolving masterpiece.

But,

What to Do While Healing an Injury?

The answer is probably nothing with a side of PT, but we are athletes, control freaks, and tend to be the excited type with lots of GOALS! Eager little beavers.

This is the blog I need to happen upon while I am in one of my google spirals - yah I probably will need to read my own blog later. AND, I know I should be consulting peer reviewed articles from educational databases, but come on…I'm not actually in my right mind when googling this statement.lol..and neither are you!

So, if YOU happened to find ME-I hope I can help you or anyone like me- if you ever get or are currently injured- take some, all, or none of it.

How do I know I’m not completely mental?

5 weeks sans my sport: no running/limited progressive weight bearing just last week, and some short but effective core and mobility work…

AAAANNNNNDDD

I am still breathing, smiling, laughing, learning, LIVING, growing in other ways.

That being said, I am ABSOLUTELY clear that running, challenging my physical and mental limits, and consistently meeting my female friends for early morning runs is essential for my long term health and quality of life.

Injury does not mean sport is not good for you. It means you need a reset and progressive restart. Get the pendulum back to the middle with some periodized training. I've done it many times. I know.

If you are struggling with an injury: KNOW for sure, that it is not your fault and it's just a chapter in your story.

You can choose to either learn and grow or shut down.

My doctors always say: “yah you're injured, but you heal faster than anyone I know!” It's true, I've had several serious injuries. Let’s get this conversation out of the way NOW:

I’m a risk taker- which has awarded me LOTS of FUN FUN Success over the past 30 years, but sometimes I miscalculate, get overzealous and go over that edge considering my life physical responsibilities outside of running- can you say PE teacher! ha!.

But, with patience and some life adjustments (cause life changes all the time!) I healed and am currently healing QUICK QUICK!

Injured? If you can identify with me, DECIDE to Learn and Grow. Follow my advice below:

1. SLEEP a consistent 8 hours every night. We heal and grow while we sleep. In order to fall asleep and stay asleep you need to be INTENTIONAL at training your body to go to bed and wake up around the same time. Put your phone across the room to charge. Read an actual book instead of TV or the phone to fall asleep faster. Don't stay up late or worse, have an erratic sleep schedule. This SLEEP thing is my number ONE - obviously a night out with friends every once in a while is healthy as you don't want to isolate while injured, but be ok to avoid too late of nights so you can stay close on your sleep schedule. There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep due to unplanned naps or erratic schedules. STAY CONSISTENT MOST NIGHTS! Be assertive and say no to late nights while injured and try to stay on YOUR schedule; You're FRIENDS and FAMILY will understand. If they don't? Well…. That's another blog ha!

2. FUEL NUTRITIOUSLY AND ENOUGH- Fuel your injury and brain with quality nutrition - don't skimp because you are not running or lifting X amount of miles/weight- that's not the SEASON you are in. Your “workout” is healing and living well. Don't get weird with your eating: The last thing your injury needs is restriction and unhealthy binge sessions that wreak havoc on your health, mind, and future training.

3. For me, it helped my mind and body to cut out some of the empty calories (processed sugar) that my body NEEDS and uses when I am endurance training. That said, if my family goes out for ice cream, I will partak, BUT, I do aim to fill my daily 2,000 plus calorie bucket with lots of quality protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs,including fruits and veggies. Your body needs this energy to heal. People always ask for examples, but lots most food is nourishing in the right amounts at the right times. These suggestions are what I enjoy, currenlty.lol (Protein) salmon, eggs, shrimp, tempeh, protein smoothies with cherries, blueberries, greens, chocolate muscle milk and No Cow Bars for convenience; My fats come from avocado, natural peanut butter, almonds, olive oil for cooking veggies (healthy fat enhances absorption of your greens), MCT oil and half and half in my coffee are my go tos. My Carbs are multi grain bread, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, milk, greek yogurt. Again, this changes day to day.

4. Don't rely on supplements for your nutrients, EAT THEM- they are digested differently and more efficiently- I've made this mistake; Save the money and enjoy the chew and gulp...ha!

5. WORK ON YOU DEEP CORE MUSCLES! Learn how to activate your TVA, practice diaphragmatic breathing, understand what core exercises to do and which to avoid. Work on your kinetic chain, get tall, and have excellent posture. Contact a great Physical Therapist and Certified Personal Trainer-CALL ME if you need support with this.

ALRIGHT NOW FOR THE MENTAL STUFF!

1. Redirect your energies you used for running to work on projects that may have been overlooked. For me right now in my life- reading, writing, listening, talking lol, working on important relationships, cooking, loving on my doggies, and creating passion projects are all filling up ALL of my extra time and energy. BUT, I will be ready to start running again when it's time!

2. Perspective: Look at this time - not as a curse- but as a TRUE blessing: you are now forced to find out about other parts of yourself you may have never allowed for with your previous routine. What else do you like? What else are you good at? What have you always wanted to improve upon or do but didn't have enough emotional energy to tackle. HEY, NOW IS THE TIME!!!! CARPE DIEM!

3. Squash the ANTS (automatic negative thoughts): Like, I am losing all my fitness or my body composition is changing or I might never get the motivation to start again- these are all lies and the more you allow your brain to play on this dark playground, the more energy your are wasting finding out about other wonderful parts about yourself and robbing positive energy that could be healing your injury! Don't sabotage yourself!

4. Trust that you will get your sport back, your life back, if you stay patient and happy in the interim. Don't blame, feel guilt, or shame. Embrace. Your journey is special. Its a work of art. AND, when you get it back - understand that it will be a process. But, hey, us athletes like goals and process- just embrace the climb!!!! This is what we do!

Injured? It’s not time to sulk and lie down. It’s time to fly - in other directions. Think: What can I do to heal myself and live purposefully while I heal…NOT, I am weak, miserable, and disappearing..lol

Remember who you are: a motivated, talented athlete- whatever level you are at- you ARE AN ATHLETE- improving on yourself with every season.

Whether that season is base training and strength, race specific training, recovery training, or injury training. You can live, discover, and even grow during all these moments. I think this is called periodization…ha!

Happy Running; Happy Living!

*If you need a PT, Chiro, CPT, MT- I have lots of smart, talented experts I can refer you to! Also, Check out EMERGE FITNESS TRAINING- where I train with Keelin Russell and I train and teach too!