How to Get Back in Shape After a Serious Injury

How to Get Back in Shape After a Serious Injury

Nov 20, 2024 mindpump

We often feel like we took too many steps back when getting injured. Some may find it hard to find the motivation to mentally get back into their old routine. If you take the right approach, you can create a system that makes the process of returning from injury less alarming, and have you feeling confident in getting back to where you were.

Know Your Limits

First, we need to establish what type of injury it is, what the recovery time normally is, and what your limitations are. This will be the foundation of knowing what is realistic towards getting back to 100%. Keep in mind any movements you should be staying away from as you rehabilitate that injury. Speak to a doctor as needed.

Mental Resilience

I feel this doesn’t get addressed often enough. In order to keep our mindset correct during this process we want to be aware of our situation, but remain optimistic about where we are headed. While the big picture may be months long, it helps to break it up into weekly and daily goals that you can check off the list. Find metrics you can track to keep yourself motivated along the way. If you find you are getting a lot of anxiety, practicing meditation, or stress reducing techniques can help mitigate that. Create a group that can keep you stay accountable as you start this journey. I often like to talk to my friends who I can check in with to show them the progress I’ve made. I often need that third party perspective to show me how far I’ve come, especially the deeper I go into getting healthier.

Ease Back In

As you start to implement your program remember to start slow and low. The last thing we need is for you to think you are back at 100%, and crank the intensity up too high only to injure yourself again. Create a program that fits your current intensity level, or hire a trainer who can help you figure out what that looks like. Make sure they are gentle movements that allow you to get the reps in with not much resistance or weight. Only progress towards heavier movements if the body allows. You may find you are better off doing more reps first over adding weight.

Nutrition

Because your body is in repair mode, now more than ever we want our nutrition dialed in. Make sure you are eating enough protein (1 gram per pound of bodyweight) to help your muscles and injury heal faster. Consume anti-inflammatory foods (fatty-fish like salmon, nuts, etc.) as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables to provide the antioxidants and nutrients needed to heal quicker. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water so that your body can effectively shuttle nutrients in and out of the cells that are injured.

Getting Back Into the Routine

As you start to get stronger and heal up, the big thing to keep in mind is not to rush the pace. The most pivotal moment is that gray area where you are almost healed up, but still need more time. Listen to your body, and pay attention to how the injured area feels after your workouts. If you sense any sort of stress or pain, back off. Make sure to work the injured area in a variety of ways so that it can go through a range of movements that allow for the best recovery. This will prepare the injury to be strong in all ranges and planes of motion and not just one. The most important tip here is consistency. Sticking to a decent plan week to week will always outperform the perfect plan you barely follow because it’s too daunting.