Aches & Injury: How to Heal from almost anything Quickly!

As you know from this post, I’m an avid exerciser and as many avid exerciser’s can attest, that usually means you are no stranger to injuries.  Plantar Fasciitis, Bursitis in my Hip, IT Band syndrome, “tweaky”(very serious medical term) knees, are a few of the things I’ve worked through over the years.

            No “body”(see what I did there) likes to be sidelined by an injury. It’s a pain…literally! You just want to be active, do your thing and live your life to the full. Over the years, I’ve gotten much better at listening to my body if it’s trying to tell me something.  I’ve also discovered some great things along the way the help me heal up fast if I feel something coming on.

            So, if your muscle or joint pain is interfering with your life, lets redeem some of this info I’ve learned along the way to help you out.

            First off, something I love…foam rolling. Have you ever tried it? As John Mellencamp would say, it’s one of those things that “hurts so good.” Know what I mean?

You can pick up a foam roller at any sporting goods store, on your next inevitable trip to Target, and I’ve even seen them at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. You can use this little baby to roll out just about every knotted up muscle in your body. My back always snaps crackles and pops!  I’ve also found that rolling out tight leg muscles has been HUGE for preventing any possible re-occurring injuries. YouTube is filled to the brim with helpful tutorials.

            Then there’s the foam roller’s baby cousin, the foot roller. Here’s mine

and here’s one I just saw at, you guessed it, Target.

Using this not only feels great, BUT has really helped me recover from Plantar Fasciitis much faster.

            Next off is a topical gel that I discovered last year. Arnica gel.

If you haven’t heard of it, it needs to live in your medicine cabinet, I promise. Arnica Gel is a natural anti-inflammatory made from the extracts of Arnica flower petals. Its odorless (and everyone who has ever used BENGAY just did a happy dance) and BONUS, there’s no sensation on your skin like Icy Hot gives you. It’s a quick and effective way to speed healing to the injured area, by stimulating blood flow. It can be used for swelling, bruising, muscle and joint pain, sore muscles, soft-tissue injuries, thickening spaghetti sauce. Nope, that’s going too far. BUT SERIOUSLY this stuff will change your life.

            Another lifesaver I use whilst exercising is a Patella Band. This is so helpful if you have, like I said earlier, “tweaky knees.” Warning, the only downside to wearing a Patella Band is you MUST let go of the fear of people assuming you’re wearing Men’s Sock Garters.

The similarity is frightening.

            Last but not least in fighting the battle of injury, tweaks, and soreness are supplements & foods. I’ve experimented with a few over the years and here’s what’s helped me:

            L-Glutamine Powder:

                        While it seems that everyone has an opinion on this stuff, for me, it helps. Here’s the gist from WebMD: L-Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acids (building block of protein) in the body.  It’s made in the muscles and especially during times of stress or injury delivers Nitrogen to wounds and/or Organs. And since Nitrogen is necessary to repair wounds, I take L-Glutamine. The End. Did I lose you? 😉 It has many other functions as well that you can check out here. This supplement will also work for you double time if you have any stomach issues by helping to repair your digestive organs.

            Ultimate Gold Joint Care:

                        I stumbled upon this little all-in-one gem while researching everything I could find on speeding healing after I injured my hip running. It contains the mainstays of joint and cartilage maintenance-Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM. BUT it also goes a step further to provide Curcumin, Boswellia, Vitamin D3. Check out all the goodness here.

            Ginger & Turmeric:

                        You can take this is pill form or use them to season your food. I’m a big fan of turmeric as you’ll remember from this post AND love cooking with ginger too, like in this smoothie. Both are delicious, both are easily accessible and both help with inflammation.

            AND last but not least….

            Chia Seeds:

                        Love me some Ch..Ch..Chia! And YES, these are the same Chia Seeds you might remember from the  weird Eighties Statue Pets, BUT they have amazing health benefits. (Check out a few here. ) They’re a great source of Omega-3’s to help keep your joints nice and “bendy” and are so versatile! I use them in smoothies, Oatmeal, Salads, chia “pudding,” and even crusted an Ahi Tuna steak with them. Amazing!  AND they’re a great cereal substitute too…a few blueberries, some almond milk #nomnom.

            Needless to say, I’m no doctor (I know, try and contain your shock) and this info should not replace any professional medical advice. BUT I do know what it’s like being frustrated by an injury and hate that it can make you feel small. Sooo, if this girl can help you with the knowledge she’s learned over the years, she is more than happy to do it. (Hmmm, first person writing, sorta weird, I don’t think that’s my thing.)

            Wishing you a quick road to recovery and a little preventative medicine! 😉

            Meg

And for more fitness posts click here & here

*This is NOT a sponsored post, just a means of passing along helpful information 🙂