Injury setback, be more careful.

Recently I joined a soccer team. Many of the players were 20+ years younger than me. However, having lived in England and feeling that through soccer osmosis, that gives me special soccer skills. Coupled with the fact I see my self as JTN (Johnny Tough Nuts), I felt I could compete. In my first game I did fine, even scoring a goal. However, towards the end of my first game, while passing the ball (which resulted in a goal, I might add modestly), my cleat (studs as we say in UK) got caught in the artificial turf. I felt an obnoxious noise and a pain in my groin. The following morning I had more sever pain in my hamstring and a huge brusie down my leg. I found out later that i had pulled the groin and torn the hamstring. So what does this have to do withe weight loss you might ask. Well basically I am out of excercise action for 5 weeks. So will I baloon up to my old weight or get depressed and eat like a hog?

I took a week of icing, elevating and resting, except for the 8 hrs a day at a trade show. A week later I began to walk each a.m. slowly, very short distances. I went to gym to walk on the track and did situps and upper body stuff, just to keep up the habit. Today I used the spinning bike with no resistance. (This is all under the PT guys advice).

Perhaps more importantly I went back to keeping a food diary. After a day of wallowing in self pity and driving wifey mad, I decided to take action. So, I have been eating very carefully, depriving myself of anything remotely good. Is this a good long term plan? Probbaly not, it would just lead to binging. However, it seemed like a smart strategy during this non excercise period.

The strictness of the food diary and the choices I have made in the last 2 weeks, food wise have really made me feel better and in more control of both my injury and weight. I have not balooned up and I am thrilled. I am now seeing this injury as a minor setback, a time to rejuviante and an opportunity to start running again in a very gradual way.

So injuries, don't need to be all bad. In my case, its a pain, but by having some control over my intake and being super strict has turned it ito a relatively positive experience. Albeit an experience I hope never to repeat.