Pain. It is a factor in your journey that will provide a frustrating stumbling block you will feel helpless to overcome. When you are in chronic or severe pain from an injury, you may want to literally feed that pain. They call this “maladaptive pain-related coping”. The term “maladaptive” refers to behaviors or actions that hinder an individual’s ability to adapt or adjust to different situations differently. ( I hope we have BOTH learned something new today!)
Overeating in response to pain is basically just a coping mechanism. It makes you temporarily feel better. Psychologically, deep down, there is this primitive need to fuel up to replace the energies you are exerting as your body attempts to heal the injury.
This leads, obviously, to over-eating, knocking you off the journey you’ve worked so hard on, landing on a plateau and falling back into a sea of frustration. It can be a dangerous time for you as you risk falling back into old habits since your resolve is distracted by the pain.
There are some things you can do to help.
1. Be careful and don’t hurt yourself. I know, great wisdom coming from the Queen of Klutz. If I am not injured then something is certainly wrong!
2. Don’t suffer through the pain. Get to a medical professional and get the help you need.
4. Bulk up on the antioxidants. Fresh, leaf vegetables and fruits with complex carbs are much better than simple sugars.
5. Keep moving as much as you can. Depending on the injury of course. Take frequent breaks.
6. Get plenty of sleep. Your body repairs itself quite a bit during those hours.
Ice is your friend when it comes to injuries. Inflammation is what is causing most of that pain and ice packs greatly alleviate the discomfort.
Here are some foods you can partake of , that also reduce inflammation :
Whole Grains : whole grain bread, oats, brown rice, barly, quinoa, couscous, polenta, bulgur, and rye bread. Also stick with multi-grain or wheat pasta.
Beans,nuts, seeds, pod foods : peas, edamame, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, white beans, hummus, walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pinenuts etc. :
Fruits : berries, pomegranates, cherries. Darker colored fruits are especially good. Avoid fruit juices.
Vegetables : yellow, orange and red peppers and tomatoes, Spinach, chard, kale, leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, arugula, mixed greens (focus on dark leafy greens) Purple and green cabbage, onions, garlic, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, radishes, cucumbers, green beans and green onions.
Olive Oil: replace butter and other oils with this for cooking.
Fish : Go for cold water fish like salmon, herring, anchovies, sardines and mackerel.
White Meat ; chicken, turkey and other birds. No frying or deep frying.
Dairy: Eggs, natural cheese ( not processed ), low-fat milk, yogurt.
Herbs ; cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, garlic, rosemary, cayenne, pepper, black pepper.
Honestly, looking at the list of “anti-inflammatory” foods, it is not much different than how you should be customizing your diet on a regular basis when you are not in pain.
Above all, know that an injury does not mean your journey has come to an end. This is just a setback. The hard work is not in the physical, its in the mental. You are going to have to mentally pick yourself up and get yourself back into the driver’s seat and start walking again. How long will you sit on the side of the road using your pain as the reason you have failed?
Day five – My Journey Phase 2
MY ADIPOSE & ME 