There is no worse feeling than being injured and out of action from your normal exercise routine. Whether you hurt yourself in the gym, playing a sport or in a non-sport related accident it is important to pace yourself before you get back on the workout wagon. You don’t want to worsen your situation, so there are a number of things you need to consider before hitting the gym again. Seek the relevant medical advice, allow your body to heal and don’t jump straight back into your old routines like nothing happened.

Professional Pain Relief

When you’re suffering from an injury, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact issue without proper care. Seek out the relevant advice from your doctor and make sure you have had examinations and X-Rays in order to diagnose the problem. Once your doctor has explained your injury in detail, you should look into regular physical therapy sessions to build up your strength and mobility again. You won’t be able to get back onto the gym floor until you have slowly rehabilitated your muscles, so make sure you have a professional on hand to help you through the process.

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Slow and Steady

You won’t recover overnight, so make sure you remain patient during your recovery period. If you start to feel a little better, there is nothing stopping you from doing some light exercise in order to assess how your body copes with the movement. Don’t rush back into your usual weight training sessions or run for miles in the attempt to push through the pain. Your body is extremely clever and intricate, so listen to what it is saying to you. Know the warning signs for when you need to stop working out and make sure you pay attention to your doctor’s advice.

Rest and Recuperate

When you are getting over an injury, you need to spend more time resting in between your trips to the gym. Bear in mind that your body is not at its peak strength at the moment, so it will take longer for your muscles to heal. You want to be eating high protein foods to speed up the recovery of your muscles; drinking a protein shake for breakfast is a good way of increasing your protein intake. Make sure you’re getting adequate sleep too, as this will help your body to get over the injury much more quickly. Don’t overexert yourself in any social activities too, stay clear of alcohol whilst your body is getting over its aches and pains, as that will only slow the process down even more.

Your body needs time to recover after an injury; as frustrating as it is to have to take time out of your normal regime you need to be patient. Your aches and pains won’t vanish overnight, so try to be persistent during your recuperation period. Whatever you do, try not to give up completely. It can be daunting heading back to your workout sessions after a long time out, but remain positive and you’ll be back to your normal self in no time.