Staying in Motion

An object in motion stays in motion, right? Right up until that object is stopped in its track with an injury, that is. Few things are as certain as scientific law, so once you’ve been stopped, there are a few ways to proceed. You can stay in motion, despite the discomfort. Or you can stay at rest, which in my opinion is the worst way to treat most injuries. When you stop moving, your muscles heal in a contracted state, and it becomes harder and harder to bounce back. We see it in South Florida all the time: weathered old runners that look like they are chugging along in slow-motion. But they are running; they may not be going as fast as they used to, but they are still using their hearts, lungs, core and lower body muscles. They are still enjoying the sun and breeze, still feeling a surge of endorphins. We also see the flip side, people that are so crinkled and debilitated that they can barely shuffle back and forth from their visits to the orthopedic Docs and their P.T appointments. These people are not enjoying life, at least not to the extent that they could be. Injuries are par for the course when you exercise. Some can be limited, or prevented, with careful attention to form, but others might happen no matter how careful you are. I’ve treated injuries fearfully, hobbling back and forth to my Doctor’s appointments, too scared to exercise. That’s what I was told to do, and I complied out of fear. I’ve also gotten fed up with being an invalid, taken matters in my own hands, and gotten better as a result. I have some spinal injuries that just aren’t going to heal. When they act up I have to modify almost everything, but they heal faster and are less debilitating when I keep moving than they ever did by staying still. The bulk of my training is done in metabolic fashion, and plyometric moves become somewhat difficult when you can’t stand up straight. So I walk, hop on the elliptical, do light stretching and core work. It doesn’t pump me full of endorphins, but it keeps the fluid moving around my joints and ligaments, and prevents them from stiffening up in one spot and getting stuck there. I’m not a doctor, and I realize that this is pretty unorthodox practice in the medical community. But I write to tell you guys about my experience, and what’s worked and not worked for me. I spent long months at rest at the stern advice of medical doctors, and my injuries and morale continued to spiral down. I’ve also suffered through some painful workouts. It’s a blow to my ego, to pick up a weight that normally would be used for a warm-up and struggle with it. But when I do that the pain fades faster, 100% of the time. Id rather be an object in motion, albeit sometimes slow motion, than one that stays at rest. I have to say as a disclaimer that I am in no way qualified to give medical advice. I haven’t seen your injuries, and I wouldn’t know what I was looking for if I had. All I can say is that my quality of life, my strength, and the time it takes me to bounce back all dramatically improved when I tuned out the medical chatter and started listening to my body. My injuries serve as a reminder that I’m not invincible, but also as an opportunity to test my own strength. And as long as I stay in motion, they don’t have to stop me in my tracks.   Erin stays busy pursuing her own fitness goals, and helping to educate and inspire those she loves to live healthier lives.  A hair stylist by trade, she manages a salon, and is chipping away at a degree, ultimately in dietetics and kinesiology.  She lives in South Florida with her husband and a “pound puppy” named Pedro.