Bounce Back – Oh She Glows

Good evening! I hope you had a great start to your week.

I don’t want to jinx it, but my groin feels almost back to normal. I am going to take it slow tomorrow and see how it feels. Time heals all wounds…

This week also marks the beginning of our TRY-A-TRI training! I will be blogging about it soon and telling you our plans. :)

I got a call from Ambrosia this morning (the health food store carrying my Glo Bars) and they doubled their order from last week. They were pleased with how quickly the bars sold out! Thank you to everyone who dropped in and bought some Glo Bars! :) Your support has been nothing short of amazing. The bars should be re-stocked in the store by Wednesday or Thursday.

My food highlight today was C-R-E-A-M-Y!

1 Minute Coconut Banana Cream

Ingredients:

1 small banana, peeled (see note)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 heaping tablespoon coconut butter, softened
1-2 teaspoons almond milk

Directions: Place banana, vanilla, milk, and softened coconut butter in a food processor and process until smooth. Serve over fruit and enjoy!

Note: You can use a cold/frozen banana if you want the cream cold or just a room-temp. banana if you don’t mind the cream warm. The heated coconut butter will make the cream warm, so adjust recipe to your liking!

Or you can just eat the cream straight up. :) It was heavenly.

Next time I think I might use this cream over something savoury, like oatmeal or pancakes. This was good, but it was a bit too sweet.

Since I am working tonight (two words: Business taxes…blech!), I thought this was the perfect time for another Health News Round Up…

Health News Round Up:

The Block: Do you have it? – Huffington Post
Run your route backwards to vary training– Fit Sugat
Almost Vegan Sloppy Joes – Leftovers For Lunch
Is there a multi-vitamin and breast cancer link? – Huffington Post

~~~

Tonight’s question:

Have you ever had an injury that side-lined your exercise/training plans? How did you cope with the injury and bounce back? Do you have to train differently now?

It is no secret that I had a pelvic muscle pull last January 2009 that put me out of exercise for 2 months. Aside from that, I have been lucky. I have had knee pain and wore knee sleeves all last summer, but I have been able to rid myself of the sleeves this year after extensive strength training with Booty Camp Fitness. I definitely train smarter now than I used to. I used to ignore my body’s signals of pain, but now I am a good listener. If I feel an unusual pain that is out of the ordinary, I will stop the exercise until it goes away. It took me a long time to be able to do that! Some people say it takes discipline to workout, but I say it also takes discipline to workout SMART.

I appreciate you sharing your stories. I get emails every week from women who are dealing with an injury and looking for some encouragement.

Sleep tight!

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jenn

15 years ago

I hurt my shoulder last year doing Turkish Get Ups incorrectly. I rested it for a few weeks and then returned to light weight while it finished healing. Hasn’t given me a second of trouble since.

Ariana

I broke my toe 2.5 months ago. There are people that train with a broken toe but I have not been able to do anything for 10 weeks now. This week I started with weight training because it’s still not possible to run or to jump etc. At the beginning I was very sad because I wanted to be in a really good shape this summer and I just planned to buy new running shoes and then nothing was possible anymore.
Well I had to accept it and I guess I learnt to live more slowly and enjoy the little things.

And congratulations to your glo bars – sounds great!

Alexandra

This is unrelated to your post but I figured you would have advice! Did you see/hear about the Doctor OZ show from last week where he discussed the dangers of mineral makeup? See: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/price-beauty. I really don’t know what to think now? I thought mineral makeup was the best most natural option available. What now? Can you do another Project Natural Glo post?

Jenny

Besides the typical knee injuries and such, I had my gall bladder removed about 4 weeks ago. It has been harder on me than I thought! Not being able to run (which is my main form of exercise and the thing that keeps me sane all day) or even lift anything over 5 pounds was so hard! Now I have a new respect for walking, playing in the backyard with my dog, and loving my body no matter how much exercise it gets.
The biggest thing I ever did for myself was to stop exercising so hard. I went from having to box, weight train, and run every single day to learning I could do just one or two types of exercises a day. It means I can fit more time in with my loved ones :)

Kristin (Cook, Bake and Nibble)

Congrats at selling out at Ambrosia! I will be there to help, soon, lol :)

I have knee pains every so often, which I ice and go, and I hurt my ankle pretty badly last year- I tried to use a wrap for it, but eventually I had to take a couple days off because it was so bad. I hated it, but it made it sooo much better! Luckily nothing worse than that!

xo
K

Paige @ Running Around Normal

Last year I had tendonitis, but started wearing orthodics, and took about a week off of running, and then got new running shoes. I was good as new!

Rachel

Last June I had plantar fasciitis – well, I still have it, but it got incredibly painful around then, to the point where I couldn’t even walk or stand. So I spent 3 months doing absolutely nothing, other than icing and stretching my foot – no running, no gym, no dancing (I was taking a few bellydance classes a week at the time). Not even any walking, other than to get around.

I think I’m mostly better, although the pain came back around Christmas. But I’m having a hard time getting myself to be active again. It’s something I’m working on.

Ez Dav

Reply to Rachel

Hi
I have plantar fasciitis myself for a few months now. My podiatrist prescribed me with Custom made orthotics which did not work at all. I understood that treatment efficiency is very individual. If something works for one it may not work for the other. There are many treatment techniques that you can try. There are Taping techniques that I find very useful. There are a few more self-care techniques that I got from this informative website-http://www.plantar-fasciitis-elrofeet.com/How_is_Plantar_Fasciitis_Treated
Take care & Good luck

Keri@unlazykeri

I broke my kneecap in college. I had to have surgery to pin it back together, so I was out of exercise for a couple months. Strangely, I lost weight when I wasn’t exercising (although it was all muscle). I still haven’t gained back all the quad muscle I lost!

Natalie

I have been sidelined with a back injury off and on for over 4 years. I couldn’t agree with you more that it takes discipline to workout smart. I am a reformed, chronic over-exerciser.

I herniated my lower back in 2006 from over-exercising and spent a year in doctors’ offices, physical therapy and the chiropractor. I finally got better but went back to my old ways of overdoing it. I was at the height of my exercising craze about three months before my wedding. I was working out sometimes 3 times a day. For example, I would walk to work, complete a strength workout during lunch, and then do a Bikram yoga session after work. WAY TOO MUCH! Adrenaline and nerves pushed me through the pain before my wedding but, after it was all over, my body just shut down. My back, neck and shoulders were a mess but I still kept at it, fearing to gain back the weight I lost for my wedding.

After a few months, I could not take the pain so I went to the doctors again. My x-rays showed that I have beginning stages of osteoarthritis in my back and neck. This was a wake-up call, especially since my husband and I are thinking about starting a family. I thought how could I carry a child with all of these issues and be in pain? Further, my obgyn stated that over exercising can reduce your fertility.

I finally realized this is not just a physical issue but my injuries stem from deeper emotional issues—the need to look a certain way and feel a certain way after intense exercise. I am/was addicted to exercise. The past six months have been tough to accept my limitations and give up some of the things I loved to do. However, like other comments state, I don’t want to feel sorry for myself but work to feel better inside and out. I really beat up my body and now it’s time to show it the love and respect my body deserves.

Heather @ Side of Sneakers

Training differently because of an injury is the story of my life!! The quick run down: I have chronic pain of unknown cause in my hands & feet that had me sidelined for about a year. There was no improvement with resting, so I decided to learn how to deal with it- I’ve changed how I run, what I do to workout, and how I take care of myself after a workout. I try not to limit my running because it causes the most impact- ~3 days/week (while training for a half!)- and compensate for the lack of running by adding in other training like biking & swimming.
The injury is actually what made me try a triathlon in the first place- I was such a “runner-only” that I couldn’t get myself to fall in love with other cardio- until I made a tri my goal. Then I fell in love & learned how to make swimming & biking give me a similar rush to swimming.
I can’t wait to hear about your tri training- hopefully the change in activity will keep your groin in good shape! (That sounded awkward…haha you know what I mean!)

Christina

I hurt my knee last June from overexercising. I wasn’t giving my body enough time to rest. I was just able to start running again last month. I never knew what the injury was because I had no insurance to go to a doctor, but I just stopped exercising for a month and then began biking, rather than running. It actually wasn’t too bad, because I discovered I really like biking!

I can’t wait to hear about your tri training. I really want to train for one too!

Lauren (Health on the Run)

Seems like so many people struggle with injuries!! :( Since I ran competitively in H.S/College, I’ve had pretty much every injury under the sun — shin splints, stress fractures, tendonitis, pinched nerves, etc etc etc. It can be extremely frustrating to be sidelined because of an injury. I’ve found that the times I CAN’T run are the times I want to the most!! (funny how that happens). And since (like many) I use exercise as a form of stress release, not being able to work out can lead to emotional issues, more stress, and problems sleeping.

But I echo what you said in your post — the key is to listen to your body. Pushing through the injury can only make it worse…and then leave you sidelined for a few months instead of a few days/weeks. Also, it’s important to look at your decision to rest as a healthy one. Yes, you may gain a few pounds now, but taking time off when you’re injured is extremely important to a healthy lifestyle — and will allow you to stay active for years to come.

Katie

In October 2008 (on my birthday, actually) I stress-fractured my femur due to “overuse,” and I was on crutches for 6 weeks and couldn’t exercise for 3 months. It was stressful navigating crutches, and hard not to work out, but it showed me how hard I was working my body. Now, over a year later, I’m struggling with ITBS (iliotibial band syndrome) and although I pushed through the pain to run a half-marathon, am going to back off and just do what feels comfortable for the next few months.

Diana @ frontyardfoodie

Congrats on getting a bigger order! That’s awesome!

Hmm, injuries. I’ve been lucky to not have any serious ones except in December my hip was killing me and I was running alot but didn’t want to stop. I was forced to take a couple days hiatus while stuck at my family’s in the country during a blizzard but other than that I didn’t rest at all. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but mentally I couldn’t stop.

Then I became pregnant. Well that was pretty much a sideline and so for nearly three months I didn’t run. Now that I’ve picked it up again (granted, slower and shorter distances) my hip feels great and I’m really glad I was forced to rest.

Take care of yourself!

Grace aka Triathlonbabe

That banana cream stuff looks really good, would’ve needed that for my jewelry party last Sat. Oh well….:)

I have tackled with injuries and surgeries on and off over the years of my running and triathlons. The worst injury I had that put me back almost a year from running was 2 bulging discs and severe sciatica. I’ve since recovered from the bulging discs or at least have held them at bay because I’m trying really hard to run on soft ground as often as I can. I suffered with it for a long time without medical attention because I thought I was wonder woman and stubborn.

You are right Angela, we really have to program ourselves to listen to our bodies and when they say slow down or stop, we need to pay attention.

Allison

When I was training for a half-marathon last fall, I knew I had to take things easy because I was coming back from a knee injury, but I was confident and determined to run the half. I was so upset and bummed when I started feeling an annoying ache in my hip a few weeks into my training plan. I (very reluctantly) backed off from running, and ramped up my cross-training and stretching plans.

As the half got closer, I re-wrote my training schedule and gave myself a deadline–I think I said something like “if I can’t finish a long run (over 6 miles) without pain by whatever date, I’ll pull out of the race.” And I swore to myself I’d take it easy for at least a month following the race. I’m all about stretching and recovery now, as well as strength-training for my lower body and core. The way I see it, strong muscles = more support for my joints = pain-free running!

Mary @ What's Cookin' with Mary

As I get older, it seems like injuries occur more often if I’m not careful. Usually how this goes for me is like this…

Some part of my body doesn’t feel like it should during a workout… I think to myself, it’s nothing, keep going. After said work out, body part X hurts even more so I ice it and rest it for a few days. When it starts to feel just a little bit better, I use said body part again and remember how long it takes for muscles to heal… I always bitch and complain about how annoying it is to deal with injury and take days off… I wait till it stops hurting and then wait an additional week, and if its still not hurting, start excersizing again slowly…

Sometimes I wish I could just recognize I’m hurt and start the healing process right away instead of trying to push it again after only a few days rest… Maybe in time I’ll learn. ;)

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1 Minute Coconut Banana Cream

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