Oh My Knee!!!

In case you haven't seen me mention it before, I kind of messed up my right knee at 19. It was a very simple injury that left its impression on me for life. I was working at the Chicago Board Options Exchange at the time and needed to get down into the center of the Index Pit. Someone had removed my seat, which had a weighted base. I went up the stairs to get it and carried it back down. Somehow I stepped down wrong and sprained my knee. It was no biggie at the time, I felt a little uncomfortable but it didn't stop me from doing anything.  The pain would leave, only to return when it felt like it, over the years. Problem is that, as I got older, I would feel the pain a little more often than like once every 4-6 months or so.

 

As a result of this, I was sooo nervous during both my pregnancies. I felt that the weight gain would hurt me. Fortunately, the knee pain stayed away completely during the times I was pregnant.  Fast forward to 2012, the nervousness (?) about engaging in certain activities is still present. I'm always hesitant or question my ability to do some things because I don't want to exasperate my knee. Any activity that involves jumping, making quick pivots, or lots of running makes me a little nervous honestly. 

I remember a doctor telling me with exercise, I would get stronger but at the time it seemed that I could probably only get into something low impact.

Here is what has helped me.

1. Exercise. Studies are showing that exercise boosts blood flow to joint tissues and help to repair damage. It also helps to flushout pain-triggering hormones. Studies are also showing that 30 minutes of daily exercise will improve knee flexibility and stimulate the growth of shock absorbing cartilage.

For Me: I am so excited about my improved knee flexibility. After getting thru 3 months of Insanity, I can do many of the exercises I avoided because the jumping would bother my knee.

2.  Olive Oil-- It is said that substituting Olive oil for cooking oils reduces pain because the oil contains a natural anti-inflammatory that stops immune cells from attacking kneww cartilage.

For Me- I have been using Olive Oil more often. I can't say persay that it has been a life saver but I am Not experiencing the pain that I did a year ago.

3.  Drink Tea- Antioxidants help to shield the joints from free radicals.

For Me-  I'm a tea drinker so this was not hard for me to incorporate.

If you have any tips on how to keep healthy and flexible knees let me know.

Recover From a Cheat Meal, Day, or Weekend

I love cake. Sometimes I love it so much that if I have access to a really good freshly baked cake, I may go bizerk and eat too much of it. Then afterwards when its too late of course, my mind kicks in and Im like, “I should not have eaten that much.”  Im sure that lots of people go through the same feelings and we shouldnt get too down about it.

How do you make a healthy comeback??

 

 

 

Here is a list of my top 5 Dos and 5 Donts.

Starting with the donts, I like to end positively.

 

Don't Dos

1.   Dont Panic. Indulging once in a while in our favorite treat is completely healthy and normal. Stop feeling like you blew your whole diet. This is not a failure. Even if we are all healthy and fit, we still want to enjoy things that we like. So a treat every once in a while is good for the soul. Deprivation can be detrimental.  

2.   Dont weigh yourself. This is something you dont want to do. You already know you have done some damage, don’t torture yourself. If you must, wait a few days. When you overeat, its usually something high in sodium or sugar, which could cause you to retain fluids. Plus, you also are carrying the actual weight of the meal. So give your body a few days to eliminate.

3.   Dont Punish yourself and eat too little. May sound like a good initial idea, but NO. You cannot make up for overeating by not eating. When you don’t eat enough you are going to be hungry and put yourself at risk to go overboard again. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs and will keep your energy consistent.

4.   Dont OVER exercise to makeup for the bad weekend. Well, typically when you OVER do it, you end up too exhausted or too sore. You may pull a muscle or put stress on your joints. Then guess what, your exercise routine gets compromised. Then you have to take a break because you can't workout.

5.   Dont give up. You haven’t ruined your entire weight loss plan in one or two days. Feeling too guilty can make it difficult for you to get back on track.

 

To Dos

1.     Stick to your normal exercise routines.  No explanation needed. If you normally workout for 30 minutes a day. Keep doing it.

2.   Accept the setback and get back to healthy eating immediately. Mindfully track what you eat. Its not the time to just throw in the towel and eat crazy the whole holiday season. Then you will really see a gain. Set a calorie, fruit/veges/fiber/lean protein goal and record what you eat to accomplish your daily goal. There are a few mobile tracking apps to try. I like to use myfitnesspal to track. Some foods may not be totally accurate but its in the ballpark.

3.   Drink lots of water. Water is going to help flush your system and keep you from getting dehydrated.  When you are hydrated, you keep things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevent consitpation.

4.   Plan ahead. Take some time to put together your healthy meals and activity for the week. Even if its tenative. Its better to plan to succeed. Plan a simple meal plan.

Breakfast - Yogurt and berries

Snack-  Fruit and Almonds

Lunch - Salad with fish/chicken

Snack-  Boiled Egg with Hummus

Dinner-  Chicken/Turkey/Fish and vegetables
 

5.   Remove the temptations. Get rid of the cake or other foods that could potentially sabatoge you again. In fact, when offered a take home plate, just politely refuse. That way you wont have to go thru this again so soon. BUT, if you just cannot refuse your favorite aunts request, bring it home and put it in the trash. Better there then around your midsection.
 

Its common to feel as if you have blown all of your hard work, when you overeat. But keep in mind that your hard work was not in vain. Continue your normal routine and you will soon be right back on track!