Injury doesn’t mean the end

Some injuries, if severe enough, can limit movement and deter from continuing a fitness routine. Over the course of an injury, motivation decreases, and so does your progress. What’s known as the ‘deconditioning phase’ can put you back to square one of your fitness journey. To prevent this, you’ll need to stay committed to health and fitness***, even through your injury.

***IMPORTANT: ALWAYS seek a second opinion from a licensed physician or physical therapist to determine how much exercise your body can handle in its injured state. Never attempt anything that could potentially cause more damage without doing so first.

Mental roadblocks can be just as difficult to overcome as physical

The mentality of staying fit through an injury is just as important as the physical work. Overcoming your mental roadblock caused by injury can lead to managing stress better, higher confidence levels, and a more focused mindset for creativity. When you’re dealing with a debilitating injury, maintaining a steady fitness routine can help maintain your mentality, as well.

The first step to staying fit through an injury is to understand the difference between not doing a workout because you don’t feel like it and not doing a workout because you physically can’t. For a lot of injuries, rest is the best medicine, and if your doctor tells you to rest, then you rest.

Once you’ve accepted your injury and have decided to maintain your health and fitness as much as you can***, you’re ready to start your modified training routine. Depending on your injury, there’s almost always a way you can stay fit without aggravating your injury. For example, focusing on flexibility, range of motion, and basic movement integrity work can be just as beneficial to take time to improve as your regular strength or cardio training.

Another thing to keep in mind during your injury is your diet and eating habits. If you continue to eat a balanced, healthy diet, you will probably see little to no difference in your body during your injury.

It’s important to understand that injuries can happen at any time. Recovering from injury can cause setbacks on your fitness journey- but it doesn’t have to! Keep a positive mindset about the situation, maintain a healthy diet, and continue to work out in ways that won’t affect your injury.

Personal trainers can be essential during an injury. Here at Anytime Fitness Lake Geneva, we have two Wellness Physicians that are professionally licensed to help with functional movements, nutritional support, and mental wellness. COR Wellness at Anytime Fitness Lake Geneva offers unlimited visits for nutritional advice and meal plans, chiropractic services, and overall mental wellness. For more information, call us at (262) 248-2422 or email us at lakegenevawi@anytimefitness.com Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more health and fitness advice!

***Again, ALWAYS seek a second opinion from a licensed physician or physical therapist to determine how much exercise your body can handle in its injured state. Never attempt anything that could potentially cause more damage without doing so first.