Last month I shared about looking forward to getting back to my training and competition schedule. I felt like I was back on track until I broke my toe. Even though it is the least painful injury I’ve experienced, I was extremely frustrated about having another setback. I was still considering doing the jiu jitsu tournament I had entered, but I thought about it and reminded myself to take my own advice that I give others in similar situations.
I believe that if the competition is not an important one or that there are other options later in the year, then you should take the time off to heal properly. All too often I see people return to training too soon after an injury and re-injure it again or have constant problems with that body part due to it never healing properly. Usually, if you add up the time off from training every time it’s re-injured or bothering you, then it ends up being the same or more time than if you had just taken time off right when you injured it. The end result is proper healing and less total time away from training.
I also believe that things happen for a reason and aim to be healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually. I had more time off than I expected, but I had to accept that is how it worked regardless of what I wanted. In the past, I would force things to happen and now looking back I have realized it wasn’t the best decision for me. I enjoy competing often, so my present circumstances are not what I’d ideally like. I realized that my current lapse from competitions is the longest time away from them since I started 10 years ago. That is why I was having such a difficult time with this latest injury.
I also realized that the emotional exhaustion takes more of a toll on my body than mental or physical ever does. It’s been many years since I grieved the death of a family member, so I forgot how tiring it can be. My mind is always saying go, which is good most of the time but not recently. I have still been very consistent with my training, yet have not been at my full capacity in about six months. Any active competitor knows how difficult this situation can be. All I want to do is do what I love in my full capacity. I work to stay positive and remind myself that it’s just a matter of time. I’m trying to wait until I get back to my usual regimen before I plan my next tournament. I often get ahead of myself because I’m so excited to get back out there and compete.
My toe is feeling better and I just started rolling this week for the first time since it happened. I started drills two weeks ago to determine the progress of my toe. I’ve been wearing wrestling shoes to protect it while it is still healing. It was a great feeling to be grappling and feeling like myself again. I also started doing some light plyos this week for my strength and conditioning. Now I just need to gradually increase the intensity of everything to get back into the shape I was prior to my injuries. I know I will be getting back to my normal training intensity quicker by supplementing with BetaTOR and HMB! They are always a part of my speedy recovery from training and injuries. In the meantime, check out my five fave video for triceps and look out for my new one for biceps! Happy training!
-Jennifer Dietrick