Setbacks

Congratulations! You have done it. You have made a decision, marched forward, and changed your lifestyle for the healthier. You are eating right, exercising, seeing progress, meeting goals, and loving the new, healthier you. Life is great. You look awesome. You feel amazing. then !BANG! it happens. Injury, illness, family emergency, work obligations. A boulder has fallen into the way of your fitness journey, and you tripped on it. What do you do now?????

Some helpful hints for getting back on track:

1. ACCEPT THAT CHANGE IS CONSTANT First and foremost, fitness is a journey with many destinations. Actually, you never really "get there." The human body is constantly changing. Cells are dividing, remodeling, aging, and dying and new cells are replacing them. In such a dynamic organism, maintaining a static existence is nearly impossible. With increased load, muscles grow. With increased nutrients, storage occurs. With increased activity, calories are burned. No human is going to intake and expend the exact same amount of energy two days in a row. Like it or not, we are all aging by the minute. This causes change in our cellular makeup. So it is important to look at your health as dynamic and to make your goal a range, not an end point. If you are shooting for a number on the scale STOP! Because the factors that make up that number are much more important. When you begin to understand that you will never stand still in this journey, it is easier to accept the fact that ultimately every human alive will take a step backward before they move on. It doesn't matter what causes the set back. In the end, its the overall direction that counts, even if there are a few roadblocks along the way.

2. LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR, YOUR INTUITION, AND YOUR BODY 6-12 weeks can seem like a lifetime. The physician telling a girl who brags about her 225 pound max squat that she is going to have to walk the track slowly for 6 weeks, then do barely more than that for the next 6, is akin to torture. Telling a swimmer to stay out of water for a couple of months is dreadful. Telling a runner to let that tendon heal for weeks, just as bad. Hard as it may be to accept, the physician really does have your long term best interest at heart. Injuries take TIME to heal. Muscle cells repair well, but not as rapidly as we would often like. Fascia, the connective tissue that binds us together, heals even more slowly. Cut through both, and it can take quite a while. After abdominal surgery, premature loading can cause rupture of the incised area, leading to a hernia. Nobody wants to deal with their guts poking out a hole. Its gross. Tendons that are re-torn can take twice as long to heal. Nerve damage from re-injury is nothing to laugh at. So, as bad as it sucks, walk when they say walk. Nothing more. In the end you will be glad. If you feel like it is too soon, it probably is. Pace yourself, if you are tired, rest. If you are hungry, eat. Your number one goal during injury should be recovery. There will be plenty of time for advancement later.

3. BEGIN SLOWLY, HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS, AND SET NEW GOALS So, you sat out the dreadful 6-12 weeks, or days, or years. No matter what the cause, the time has come for you to stand up and start moving forward again. The goals you had before may need to be reexamined. Your new goals need to be realistic, attainable, and healthy. Begin slowly, carefully, and with a positive outlook. Understand that overdoing it at first may set you back again. Baby steps can lead to leaps and bounds if taken carefully. The body is going to be most vulnerable to injury after an extended period of inactivity. Start slowly, for shorter distances, lighter weights, and easier moves. Build gradually upon these first steps. Do not be afraid to slow down during this re-entry period. The body may need an adjustment period at increased activity before you move forward again.

4. DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF. You are going to need energy to repair and rebuild muscle tissue. If you don't eat enough healthy nutrients along the way then you will end up losing muscle not building it. Understand that losing the excess weight you stored during your time off has to be done responsibly. Eat enough protein!

5. *so important* DON'T LISTEN TO NEGATIVITY "Are you ever going back to the gym?" "Looks like you decided you like eating better than squatting" "Gave up on that whole workout thing didn't ya?" People seriously said those things. Your fitness journey is YOURS. What happens to your body does not concern anyone else. That is not going to keep others from sarcastic remarks. Choose not to listen and get discouraged. Understand that when the time comes, you will dust off your knees, get up, and move on. And leave the opinions of those people that doubt you behind you. Use it as inspiration if you want, but don't let it drag you down. -- See ya in the gym, when it's time!