Injuries are always an unfortunate part of life. But what’s even more unfortunate is when an injury sidelines you from continuing your workouts. If you’re struggling to maintain your workout routine while dealing with an injury, don’t worry. Here are a few tips that can help.
Consult With a Physical Therapist or Doctor to Come Up With a Plan
One of the first steps you’ll want to take is consulting with a physical therapist or doctor. You can explain your dilemma, and they’ll develop an action plan for you. If you don’t know where to start looking for a good physical therapist, try asking your friends which one they use. This way, you can avoid the first step of trying to make an appointment with a physical therapist only to find out they’re not accepting new patients.
Find Activities That Aren’t Aggravating Your Injury
When coming up with your workout plan, don’t think about what’s hurting you. Instead, figure out what’s not affecting your injury. For example, if you’re dealing with a muscle strain, focus on low-impact exercises like swimming or cycling. Not only is this good for your workout routine, but it’s also great for helping you recover faster.
Create a Workout Routine That Focuses on Your Problem Areas
Suppose the injury is in an area that can’t be avoided. In that case, you’ll want to develop a workout routine that focuses on other areas, which will eventually help strengthen your problem area. You can create a circuit and perform the exercises back to back without resting between them. If you’re feeling ambitious, try doing two workouts per day: one in the morning and another at night.
Find Creative Ways to Work Around Your Injury
There may be exercises you can still do even if you’re injured. It’s just about being creative and modifying the exercises as needed. For example, if you’re dealing with a muscle strain or sprain in your wrist, try using dumbbells instead of weights. And as for working around an injury to the lower extremities, you can find low-impact cardio workouts online.
Stay Disciplined and Don’t Give Up
The key to maintaining a successful workout routine is to stay disciplined even when you’re injured. Don’t let an injury make you quit! If you can get through the first two weeks of your injury, chances are it won’t last that long. And even if it does sideline you for a few months, there’s no excuse not to come back stronger than ever once you’ve fully recovered. Also, be positive. It will help you stay motivated. Tell yourself that the injury is only temporary, and you’re going to be able to come back stronger than before!
Injuries are an unfortunate part of life, but they don’t have to sideline you from working out. By consulting a physical therapist or doctor, finding activities that aren’t aggravating your injury, creating a workout routine that focuses on the problem areas, finding creative ways to work around your injury, maintaining a healthy diet, and staying disciplined. You’ll be able to maintain your workout routine, even with an injury.
