What do you do when your excuses not to exercise are coming fast and furiously this winter, and suddenly there’s a legitimate niggle that may stop you in your tracks?
Firstly don’t panic
Getting physical can be difficult in an already busy life and often winter can open up a whole new bag of worms when various body aches, pains and other niggles start to surface. The first step is to assess whether it is an old or new injury and get professional help and advice as soon as possible.
Cut back but don’t stop
While you may find some activities too hard or simply undesirable while rehabilitating an injury, remember you can probably continue most others but just at a lesser pace.
Don’t get down on yourself
It’s not your fault. Stay in control. Remember how you felt before starting to exercise. Yes, maybe you were not injured but didn’t exercising make you feel better mentally as well as physically? Keep positive. All athletes, even recreational ones, are likely to face coping with injury at some time.
Manage your injury
Keep up your rehabilitation until the pain has gone completely, the flexibility has returned fully and the strength has built up again. Other issues such as sense of balance in knee and ankle injuries have to be kept in mind.
Remember cross-training
If you cannot run, maybe you can keep your aerobic fitness up by cycling. If you cannot cycle how about a swim or some boxercise? If you cannot do weights with your upper body because of a shoulder injury for example, keep pumping with your legs. If your legs are the problem, work your arms. Getting that blood flowing through the body is the goal, one way or another.
Prevention
Finally, remember that prevention is better than a cure. Always make sure you warm up well, stretch slowly and deliberately, train at whatever you have decided to do, then warm down. If you don’t feel right, get professional help. Don’t give up. Even two steps forward and one step back is better than no steps at all.
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