As we continue to work on the topic of healing, I want to expand more on healing through functional health. Especially when dealing with a nagging injury, the healing process can be frustrating as you are deal with pain, inability to perform like you want, and taking the time to rest.
Dealing with a daily reminder of an injury through pain and inability to perform like you want can take a major toll on your mental state. It can be very hard to take time to rest or to allow yourself to miss workouts. A very important thing to consider when healing, there is pain for a reason. Pain tends to be one of the last symptoms to show up and one of the first to go away in the healing process, but that doesn't mean that your body doesn't need more help!
As you heal, it is imperative that you continue to provide your body with the proper nutrition. You want to make sure that you are providing your body with enough calories and nutrition to not only provide you with your day to day functions, but to also help heal. Some great options for added nutrition while healing includes bone broth, green leafy vegetables and legumes. These options provide great, dense nutrients that will assist the body in the healing process.
Now during the healing process, it becomes very difficult to "shut down" or allow yourself a break. This becomes especially difficult if you are training for something specific and have that end goal. But remember, the body can't heal without proper rest! Sleep is so important and needs to be a priority all the time, but it becomes even more important while healing. You want to aim for 8-10 hours of sleep per night depending on age.
A major consequence that can occur if you don't make nutrition and rest a priority is not only longer healing time, but it can also cause more injury. A weakened tissue will only become weaker if stressed too much without the proper time and care it deserves.
If you want to learn more about how you can assist your body in the best way possible through the healing process, please do not hesitate to reach out!
