One body. Listen to it.

At this stage in my life, my body is the one body I have and it’s mine to make or break and I take that shit seriously.

“Listen to your body”!  I’ve heard it, said it, listened to it and taken the advice but also ignored it, defied it and pushed it way past it’s limits.  Whatever your choice of discipline it is important to not only listen to your body when it’s in distress but in turn you have to continuously fuel it and feed it.

One of my morning go-to super food protein bowls!

PS:  There are times in competition or even in training when you must push yourself harder, dig a little deeper and find that last punch even when you think you’re done.  This post though, is not about that but, could be another piece in the making.

This is about listening when something doesn’t feel right.  Something hurts but not the good kind of hurt (yes, that is a thing).  As an athlete I have become very in tune with my body and how it should feel and, in talking to other athletes and my team mates they too “just know”.  And for me at least, when I actually stop training or get out of the ring or take a few consecutive days off to heal, it sucks but it means it’s bad and it’s time.  I remember in the past just carrying on because I didn’t want to miss any drills or sparring that can help me learn and then dealing with some kind of aftermath or extensive time off to heal later on.  Waking up not being able to move your lower body because you have sciatica and piriformis syndrome at the same time is worse than getting punched.  Having twisted muscles from too many unsupervised pull ups is worse than a body shot.  I use these analogies because I can defend/control getting hit but bad injuries, you have limited control over.

Differentiating from being sore from pushing a little harder or from working different muscle groups to knowing that if you don’t stop or don’t rest because there’s a cramp, pinch or sprain that doesn’t feel right is something I learnt over time.  Not listening will probably result in longer recovery time, period.  Making sure you take care of your body needs to be consistent as well.  Simple tips like staying nourished and hydrated are two key pieces.  Hunger and dehydration take away your focus and in turn makes you vulnerable and susceptible to injury.  Sleep – even I can get better at getting enough and I’m sure we all can with the busy lives we lead but, it’s so important.  Personally, I don’t go lower than 7hrs and while 8 full hours is bonus I do about 7.5 hours on average.  Warming up the body before training and stretching/cooling off after is a must.  Yes, extra time but build it into your routine so the more you do it, the more you can’t do without it.  Build good habits.

My go to’s when injured or even just when the body needs a little extra love:

1. Massage/Physio: 

   • Find a good RMT and/or physio to work the problem areas for you.  They will help loosen up what’s tight and help to calm what has flared up and listen to what they prescribe as “homework”.

2. Stretch: 

   • I must move each and every day and those times when things feel a little “off” I take 20-30 mins of mostly stretching and I will throw in some abs if the body is feeling it.  Yoga is awesome as well for recovery and letting the yogi know you have problem areas will help your practice.  I recommend!

3. Extra day off:

   • One rest day per week is more than enough for me but take the extra day or two if you need to.  Sometimes you simply need extra recovery time.  It’s okay.

4. Epsom salt soak: 

   • Twenty minutes of magic.  That is all.

Moral of this story – listen to your body.