Even the most active athletes have trouble getting back on the horse once they succumb to an injury that lays them up for awhile. All the progress they made basically resets to zero, and the thought of getting back into the shape the person was in prior to the damage is daunting.
However, there are certain ways to get yourself back into a healthy exercise regimen once the doctor gives you the go-ahead. Doing so might not be easy, and yes, it does require essentially starting from scratch in terms of how much you’re able to push yourself, but the tips included in a new report out of Colorado can help you get your body into the best post-injury shape possible.
As the author notes, one of the best ways to set yourself up for long term health is to visit with a physical therapist. Relying on the assistance of advice you find online may be fine for generalities, but it takes an expert to really take your specific situation into account to figure out how to get you active again in a safe manner.
When you visit a physical therapist, make sure you’re listening to what they have to say. You may want to return to the previous exercises you used to engage in, but if a physical therapist says that this could do more harm than good, you should heed their advice. Instead, focus on the exercises they tell you, not just during your visits but on your own time as well. And since you likely won’t be meeting with this person for the rest of your life, you’ll want to pick their brain for exercises to take part in long into the future.
This also comes with the caveat that you need to stay within the bounds of what’s healthy. You might feel great after a few days or weeks and think you can push yourself further than what’s recommended, but recommendations are issued for a reason. Again, this is one of those things that a physical therapist should be relied on for; if you exercise too much, you may actually set yourself back weeks in terms of recovery.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise if a physical therapist asks you to alter your diet or take part in exercises that are somewhat low impact compared to running. Swimming is great for a recovering body, for instance, because it doesn’t place unnecessary strain or pain on your body the way that jogging would. Weightlifting might also be called for in small doses so that you can build strength without unnecessarily burdening your body.
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