Injury Prevention Basics
As I think more and more about my own recovery, and see the recovery of people in my life, I am continuously reminded how we are not always taught or told how important it is to take care of our body BEFORE something happens. We live in a society that likes to bandaid once the problem has occurred. And though I am grateful for modern medicine and the health support that we have, there certainly is a lot that can be done before something occurs. But I also notice that a lot of you don’t know where (or how) to start. Maybe you have tried all the diets, all the workout plans, all the “quick fixes”. But this is the problem- you don’t need the quick fix. You need the long term health span. You need preventative measures that serve you and create a lifestyle. And before you get overwhelmed and skip reading, I have good news: it is not as complicated as it needs to be. Certainly there are times when specificity is needed, but the more research that gets done, the more we are brought back to the BASICS.
These basics include: sleep, hydration, movement, nutrition, and ultimately connection. The advice that I hear, receive, and give, is that you need to be looking at these ESSENTIAL needs, and have good habits surrounding them before you dive deep into the nitty gritty in something. Yes it's boring, it’s not the flashy fix or the spicy workout plan, or even the step by step plan. But it keeps popping up over and over and over. You need to be looking at these key elements to really start crushing your health and wellness goals.
If you are stuck in a cycle of low energy, not being able to lose weight, constant pain/ achiness, start with the simple stuff. There’s no need to over complicate it. You just need to get honest with yourself about how you TRULY are doing in all of these categories. And if one of these elements is out of your control right now due to life circumstances, than how can you make up for it in another area? Can you work some compensation to your benefit?
One of these key elements of health and function is SLEEP. Sleep plays a role in everything from hormone regulation, to pain control, cravings you might have, to how much energy and patience you can bring into your day. Getting good quality and quantity sleep is essential for all functioning. Sleep is when your muscles, joints, organs, hormones, digestion, and just your whole body get the chance to rest and restore. Without adequate rest and digest, your body continues to work in this high functioning manner, without a break. If you ran the engine in your car 24/7, at some point something would break down (and likely faster than if you stopped and gave it a scheduled tune up). Your body is similar, it needs to stop and have a tune up, and one of the main ways is through sleep and rest. But I know from personal experience, and in my practice that sleep isn’t always easy. So here are a few of my learned tips:
Adequate magnesium and potassium- this can be from supplementation and whole food sources, but they are essential minerals for muscle contraction and relaxation, allowing the body to rest and get into relaxation and sleep more easily
Getting sunlight upon waking- this is tricky, especially this time of year, but if you can get sunlight on your face in the morning it sets your circadian rhythm and better supports your body knowing when it is day and night. I might suggest a happy light for our gray rainy days, sit in front of that in the morning for 20 mins to get your body up
Dim the lights and stop your screen time before bed- as the evening and bedtime approaches, start to dim and minimize your lights, and drop your screen time. These artificial lights can trick the brain into thinking it still needs to be awake and active.
There are many more ways to support your body on a basic level to help reduce/ prevent injury. You will see these in a few other posts to follow. But do remember, that health CAN be simple- but that doesn’t always mean it’s EASY.