Breaking the Injury Cycle
If your body has started to feel like it injures more easily, constantly recovering from one setback only to sustain another, this checklist is for you. The research is clear: what helps most is adapting movement and exercise so you're building strength and muscle, while also resting and resourcing your body sufficiently, especially as we age, and giving it the stimulus it needs to build and maintain muscle and tissue health.
1. Watch the story you're telling yourself
What you believe about an injury is also important to consider here. Stress about your body releases more cortisol and creates more inflammation, both of which have a catabolic effect and break down soft tissue. It also increases histamine release, which can further irritate the musculoskeletal system. Try not to buy into the story that this is just what happens in midlife, perimenopause or menopause. Your body is able to heal, as long as you give it the resources it needs.
PRACTICAL TIP
When anxiety around pain and injury arise say out loud: “This is just a story. I'm going to focus on what I can do, and trust my body's ability to recover and heal.”
2. Learn from your injuries
A common pattern we see is that injuries are caused by overuse, and by programmes and repetitive exercises that overly strengthen and favour dominant muscle groups, while allowing others to weaken and atrophy. It's really important to seek professional advice around injury and injury rehab, and then train in a way, on a weekly basis, that prevents the injury recurring.
PRACTICAL TIP
I highly recommend Matt Whitmore (info@fitterfood.com) as someone to reach out to if you're struggling with repetitive injuries. He's helped me immensely with knee and hip problems, strengthening the weaker tendons, ligaments and muscles that weren't firing, but also building this into a realistic plan so I'm not doing hours and hours of boring remedial exercises in the gym that I'd just end up skipping because I don't have time.
3. Eat Enough Protein
Protein is the building block of the body, including bone, and matters far more than the collagen supplements so many people reach for after an injury. Aim for 1.2 to 1.5g of protein per kilo of bodyweight.
PRACTICAL TIP: Easy high protein meals
Breakfast (aim for ~25g protein):
200g Greek yogurt with berries and mixed nuts
4–5 egg or egg white omelette with spinach and tomatoes
Overnight oats made with 25g protein powder or 150g Greek yogurt
A protein smoothie
Lunch (aim for ~25g protein) - Homemade or shop brought adapted is best to get enough protein
A salad with a protein source (chicken, tofu, tinned fish)
Shop brought fresh soup with added tofu, beans, prawn, chicken and yoghurt dessert
Wrap with protein and salad
Dinner: (aim for ~25g protein)
Stir frys
Burgers with salad and or rice
Bolognese
Tofu or tempeh based dishes for vegans
Omelettes
4. Cover your vitamins and minerals
Vitamins and minerals are what allow the body to renew and repair the musculoskeletal system. Focus on a nutrient dense diet first, then check in on the specifics below.
350–400mg magnesium citrate or glycinate
1000–2000 IU vitamin D with around 100mcg vitamin K2
Check your calcium intake using an online calculator
If you don’t eat 2-3 servings of oil fish a high quality omega 3 supplement may be necessary with around 500mg DHA and 700mg EPA.
Consider a multivitamin/mineral from a certified brand geared towards your gender and life stage, that includes important micronutrients like silica, boron and manganese for joint health
5. Prioritise deep rest and sleep
You don't need to obsess over hitting eight hours, but if your sleep is out of whack, it's worth paying attention to. One of the most helpful things is keeping some regularity in your sleep schedule where you can.
A short reset or a longer nidra practice in the evening or before bed can bring the body into a deep state of relaxation, and can even help compensate for disrupted or broken sleep.
PRACTICAL TIP: Try these Nidra and guided meditations
