So I feel pretty qualified for this topic.
We all trip over ourselves, or lift things wrong, or sleep weird and end up giving ourselves a nice little injury. Typically the best thing to do for that would be RICE (rest - ice - compression - elevation) right?
Well what if you're trying to stay active, and you can't be flat on your back for too long?
I'm gonna tell you something you don't wanna hear... You're going to lose a little progress. It's just a fact. BUT if you push through your injury, you most likely are going to make it worse.
You CAN however prevent yourself from losing too much progress.
Let's go over some common injuries, and ways to work in cardio and weight lifting while still nurturing these boo boos back to health.
Sprained Ankle
What your ankle needs:
Rest, Treatment for swelling (we use ibuprofen and Ease), Ice/Heat, Compression
You will recover more quickly if you are consistent with treatment.
What you can focus on:
- For Cardio: Upper body cardio such as rope pulling or an Arm Crank machine, Swimming
- For Weights: Work on your core, your butt, your back and your arms! You can still build muscle which in turn will continue to amp up your metabolism.
- Here's one of my favorite leg free workouts from FITNESS BLENDER
- Eventually.... work on strengthening those muscles around your ankle to ensure you are less likely to re-sprain it in the future.
Bad Knee
What your knee needs:
Rest, Treatment for swelling (we use ibuprofen and Ease), Ice/Heat, Compression
You will recover more quickly if you are consistent with treatment.
What you can focus on:
- For Cardio: Upper body cardio such as rope pulling or an Arm Crank machine, Swimming
- For Weights: Work on your core, your back and your arms. Forcing yourself to be creative with how you are challenging your upper body can help you discover new strength!
- This is a great AT HOME SEATED WORKOUT
- Eventually... work on mobility so that your muscles do not stiffen, maybe see if you can get in for a massage to keep the lactic acid from building up.
Tweaked Neck
Rest, Treatment for swelling (Ibuprofen and Ease), Ice/Heat, and massage! Loosen those muscles up!
Keep in mind it's easy to re-injure your neck if you sleep on your side or your stomach. Try to sleep on your back if you can!
What you can focus on:
- For Cardio: Lower body cardio, such as spinning or cycling (try reclined bikes if needed)
- For Weights: Work on your butt, legs, and core! This is a great time to focus on that leg press, or on really zoning in on your upper and lower core muscles.
- Pilates really burns those muscles without a ton of movement as shown by FITNESS BLENDER
- Eventually... Start working on mobilizing the muscles around your neck. Roll your shoulders, slowly roll your head right to left, take it easy and pay attention to more painful areas.
Bad Back
What your back needs:
Rest, Treatment for swelling (Ibuprofen and Ease), Ice/Heat, and massage! Loosen those muscles up!
If your low back is bothering you, you can still do some leg work. However, if your upper body is bothering you, you're a bit more limited in your options.
What you can focus on:
This one is tricky... It's hard to do much cardio when your back is in pain, since your back is involved with most exercise.
- For Cardio: Try a reclined bike to keep your back upright, work on intervals of higher resistance to get your heart rate up.
- For Weights: Pilates is a great thing to focus on, especially since it is so heavy on strengthening core (which you need to support your back while it's healing)
- Have I mentioned I love Pilates? Here's another Pilates workout that is all about STRETCHING AND STRENGTHENING
These are just a few examples of how you can stay active even if you can't do your normal routine. Remember, if you need help with this, we are here for you!
You can also consult a physical therapist for more serious injuries to help you find ways to work towards recovery.
As always, be safe, stay active, and be well!
Best,
Megan
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