The "I'm Not a Wimp" complex:
I gotta be tough.
I can't be seen as weak.
I don't want them to think I'm weak.
I'm not weak.
I don't want them to think less of me.
No pain, no gain.
I can push through this.
I'm not a wimp.
I'm not a wuss.
I'm a pansy.
ETC.
All thoughts that I have either had, or felt myself thinking in response to a vocal or perceived attitude from someone I've been working out with or someone I train with.
Here's the point: It is OK to give yourself a day off, to give yourself permission to sit out, to heal, to recover, to NOT injury yourself or to FULLY RECOVER from an injury you DO receive.
Very, VERY often I forget this. I tend to push myself very hard, sometimes because I feel like I have something to prove, sometimes because I don't want to be thought of as weak, and sometimes just because I like to jump in with both feet and give it all I've got.
This is my reminder to myself that it's in my head, and no one thinks I'm weak if I have to take time out to heal. If I take care of myself, then I can continue to practice Martial Arts and Exercise for the rest of my life. And if they do, then they either don't know or they're a jack ass.
I would encourage you to do the same. Give yourself time to recover. Take a day off. See a a Doctor, a Massage Therapist or a Chiropractor or all of the above if you have injuries. Don't let people talk you into more than you can do. More importantly, don't let yourself talk you into more than you can do.
I am notoriously bad at jumping back in before I should, or overdoing it when I'm already sore. Which is why I keep having shoulder problems. If you don't allow yourself to heal COMPLETELY before returning to your activities, the injury will just keep coming up and you will be in pain perpetually and begin to do very serious and irreversible damage.
Anyway, I just have to remind myself sometimes to slow down and take care of my body. If I forget, or feel like I can't because I have to maintain a "tough girl" image, then other's might need a reminder as well. And if anyone gives you shit for it, you tell them I said to bugger off.
Samurai Girl says:
Take care of your body! You are NOT weak, you are NOT a wimp, you are NOT a pansy. You are a self respecting individual with enough strength to do what is needed for the long term. It takes more courage to step down then it does to keep going when you can seriously mess your body up for life.
Showing posts with label injuries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injuries. Show all posts
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sitting Out
Today, I went to Kempo, but I did not attend class. This was VERY difficult for me. The reason I sat out was because of a shoulder injury, I strained my rotator cuff some time last month and have been trying to take it easy on my shoulder. If it feels good, I will work out or attend class, if it doesn't I usually still do these things, but I stay off my shoulder as much as possible because I want it to heal. I don't want to do any permanent damage to it. According to the doc a small amount of exercise is good for my shoulder, and I can work back up to normal activities, but I should be careful with it till all soreness goes away and even after continue to do my exercises for it etc. Yesterday and today my shoulder were REALLY bothering, but I desperately wanted to go to Kempo, so I took the advice found in the injury chapter of "Way to Black Belt" and went to OBSERVE a class.
I think my instructors were a little confused, but they politely agreed to let me sit in the lobby and watch. I tried to pay attention to how the instructor was teaching (as I would like to be a teacher some day myself) and also what the students were doing. How they were standing, how they were moving, etc. I tried pick one student and watch her, as is recommended. She just got her black belt on Sunday and she's one the students I respect the most in the dojo.
I found this exercise incredibly difficult. Not only because it was killing me to sit out, but I found myself paying more attention to the other students and things that I could see that I knew were wrong, trying to re-inforce or remind myself not to do them. Bend your knees more, widen your stance, drop you weight, basic things that I always find myself reminding me to do anyway.
I also think it would helpful for instructors to give more feedback. I don't know how everyone feels about this, but I like it when my instructor gives me a reminder, or pointers, or advice. I find it useful, but our instructors are often pretty quiet. : /
However, I still think it was useful, it is a pretty different experience to sit and watch instead of participating. I would like to come back and watch a class full of high ranking students, but I can't wait to get back on the floor.
Don't let injury keep you out of the dojo or from doing what you love. There is always a way to train around an injury.
I think my instructors were a little confused, but they politely agreed to let me sit in the lobby and watch. I tried to pay attention to how the instructor was teaching (as I would like to be a teacher some day myself) and also what the students were doing. How they were standing, how they were moving, etc. I tried pick one student and watch her, as is recommended. She just got her black belt on Sunday and she's one the students I respect the most in the dojo.
I found this exercise incredibly difficult. Not only because it was killing me to sit out, but I found myself paying more attention to the other students and things that I could see that I knew were wrong, trying to re-inforce or remind myself not to do them. Bend your knees more, widen your stance, drop you weight, basic things that I always find myself reminding me to do anyway.
I also think it would helpful for instructors to give more feedback. I don't know how everyone feels about this, but I like it when my instructor gives me a reminder, or pointers, or advice. I find it useful, but our instructors are often pretty quiet. : /
However, I still think it was useful, it is a pretty different experience to sit and watch instead of participating. I would like to come back and watch a class full of high ranking students, but I can't wait to get back on the floor.
Don't let injury keep you out of the dojo or from doing what you love. There is always a way to train around an injury.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Do It Till You Vomit!
Ok, not really. No one really wants to work out till they vomit. But I thought I'd make a quick mid week post in lieu of my work out this evening in which I DID almost do it till I vomited!
When you start training, it is pretty normal to feel horrible, out of breath, tired, weak, sick, nauseous, etc. I know the first time I trained with my trainer, I felt like I was going to puke, it was horrible. But, I went back for more! The trick is not to give up, the feeling will eventually go away as you get into better shape.
HOWEVER.
Sometimes, when you're working out really hard, you can push yourself so hard you can feel sick. In my case, it seems every time I do a particular exercise, High Knees, I feel like I'm gonna barf. Feeling exhausted, sore, sweaty, tired, these are all pretty typical when you're working out really hard, at least in my experience.
Pushing yourself till you really can't go anymore is fine, but at the same time be sure to listen to your body. My trainer told me what to do if you get sick today, because I definitely almost hurled!
If you really feel like you're going to hurl, then stop and walk it off. The worst thing you can do if you feel like you're going to barf is sit down because then it settles in your stomach and when you get back up and start to work out again you'll feel even worse.
If you are dizzy or light headed, then you need to sit down and take slow deep breathes. Breath slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth. To help control your exhale, you can make your lips into an O shape, kind of like you're puckering up to give a big smooch, and breath out through your lips.
To be honest, I felt pretty silly today, having to stop and walk through a gym full of people into the cardio room to get on a tread mill and walk a little bit because I thought I was going to puke. But my trainer assured me, this happens to a lot of people. She said she's even thrown up before. Do not be embarrassed! You're just pushing yourself to epic awesomeness! But on your way to epic awesome bad ass-ness, take time to take care of your body. No one really WANTS to throw up, so if you really feel like you're gonna puke, go walk for a few minutes till the feeling goes away, it shouldn't take long. If you're dizzy and light headed, sit down for a bit, drink some water and take some deep breaths.
Finally, to help prevent feeling sick, weak and tired during your workout, remember: Consume those complex carbs within an hour before you work out! Between an hour to half an hour before is best. That will help provide you with the energy needed to make it through.
Have a great week, no barfing! ^.~
~Samurai Girl Sahara
When you start training, it is pretty normal to feel horrible, out of breath, tired, weak, sick, nauseous, etc. I know the first time I trained with my trainer, I felt like I was going to puke, it was horrible. But, I went back for more! The trick is not to give up, the feeling will eventually go away as you get into better shape.
HOWEVER.
Sometimes, when you're working out really hard, you can push yourself so hard you can feel sick. In my case, it seems every time I do a particular exercise, High Knees, I feel like I'm gonna barf. Feeling exhausted, sore, sweaty, tired, these are all pretty typical when you're working out really hard, at least in my experience.
Pushing yourself till you really can't go anymore is fine, but at the same time be sure to listen to your body. My trainer told me what to do if you get sick today, because I definitely almost hurled!
If you really feel like you're going to hurl, then stop and walk it off. The worst thing you can do if you feel like you're going to barf is sit down because then it settles in your stomach and when you get back up and start to work out again you'll feel even worse.
If you are dizzy or light headed, then you need to sit down and take slow deep breathes. Breath slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth. To help control your exhale, you can make your lips into an O shape, kind of like you're puckering up to give a big smooch, and breath out through your lips.
To be honest, I felt pretty silly today, having to stop and walk through a gym full of people into the cardio room to get on a tread mill and walk a little bit because I thought I was going to puke. But my trainer assured me, this happens to a lot of people. She said she's even thrown up before. Do not be embarrassed! You're just pushing yourself to epic awesomeness! But on your way to epic awesome bad ass-ness, take time to take care of your body. No one really WANTS to throw up, so if you really feel like you're gonna puke, go walk for a few minutes till the feeling goes away, it shouldn't take long. If you're dizzy and light headed, sit down for a bit, drink some water and take some deep breaths.
Finally, to help prevent feeling sick, weak and tired during your workout, remember: Consume those complex carbs within an hour before you work out! Between an hour to half an hour before is best. That will help provide you with the energy needed to make it through.
Have a great week, no barfing! ^.~
~Samurai Girl Sahara
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Some very basic injury tips
This first week I was going talk about goal setting, but in light of a shoulder injury, I thought I would take a moment to talk about what do to if you get hurt. Obviously its best to stretch and warm up properly before you exercise so you can avoid getting hurt because, well, it hurts. But, in the event that you do get hurt, its important to take care of it right away.
First and foremost, I'm not a doctor, and if you get hurt, you probably want to go see one. Just to check it out and make sure you're not seriously injured. Your doctor can diagnose exactly what the problem entails and how best to treat it.
However, should you pull a muscle, sprain an ankle, strain your rotator cuff, etc. Here are some tips that should tide you over till you can get in to see a doc.
For Wrists, Knees, Ankles, first and foremost, when you feel the pain, stop and rest! Take some anti-inflammatory meds (ibuprofen) and put some ice on that injury. Keep ice on it as much as you can, taking anti-inflammatory every 4 to 6 hours. Keep your knee or ankle elevated if possible and stay off it as much as you can till you get in to the doc. Wrapping the sprain tightly is a great
For a shoulder injury, the first step is the same. Stop doing whatever caused the pain. Again, best first practice is to go see a doctor first. I have strained my rotator cuff before, so I know thats what I have this time. For a rotator cuff strain, be gentle with your shoulder. Rest, take the anti-inflamatory meds, alternate between ice and heat. Keep this routine up till you shoulder heals, this could take up to 2 weeks. My doc suggested a week of not lifting anything over ten pounds and taking two Aleve in the morning and two at night. Stretching is key. Be gentle, but do not put your shoulder in a sling or stop using it all together. This can cause Frozen Shoulder. Just be gentle, try not to lift anything with your injured side till it heals. Your doctor can tell you about what weight limits you should apply and such. When you do start to use your shoulder again, build up strength slowly. Your doc can give you some good exercises and stretches to do.
And thats all I have for you today! To sum it up when dealing with an injury, use RICE!
Rest
Ice
Compression (except on shoulders)
Elevation
First and foremost, I'm not a doctor, and if you get hurt, you probably want to go see one. Just to check it out and make sure you're not seriously injured. Your doctor can diagnose exactly what the problem entails and how best to treat it.
However, should you pull a muscle, sprain an ankle, strain your rotator cuff, etc. Here are some tips that should tide you over till you can get in to see a doc.
For Wrists, Knees, Ankles, first and foremost, when you feel the pain, stop and rest! Take some anti-inflammatory meds (ibuprofen) and put some ice on that injury. Keep ice on it as much as you can, taking anti-inflammatory every 4 to 6 hours. Keep your knee or ankle elevated if possible and stay off it as much as you can till you get in to the doc. Wrapping the sprain tightly is a great
For a shoulder injury, the first step is the same. Stop doing whatever caused the pain. Again, best first practice is to go see a doctor first. I have strained my rotator cuff before, so I know thats what I have this time. For a rotator cuff strain, be gentle with your shoulder. Rest, take the anti-inflamatory meds, alternate between ice and heat. Keep this routine up till you shoulder heals, this could take up to 2 weeks. My doc suggested a week of not lifting anything over ten pounds and taking two Aleve in the morning and two at night. Stretching is key. Be gentle, but do not put your shoulder in a sling or stop using it all together. This can cause Frozen Shoulder. Just be gentle, try not to lift anything with your injured side till it heals. Your doctor can tell you about what weight limits you should apply and such. When you do start to use your shoulder again, build up strength slowly. Your doc can give you some good exercises and stretches to do.
And thats all I have for you today! To sum it up when dealing with an injury, use RICE!
Rest
Ice
Compression (except on shoulders)
Elevation
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