It only takes one wrong move to suffer a slight or more severe joint injury. Sometimes we might push our physical limits too much, and other times we might forget how important it is to warm up before jumping into a workout routine.
Warm up and cool down.
" You should spend roughly 5 or 10 minutes warming up before you exercise. At the end of each workout, you should spend another 5 to 10 minutes cooling down with stretches," says Huntington Orthopedics, Pasadena’s premiere orthopedic clinic. And I know they're right, as I experienced a slight joint injury to my right wrist because I hit a heavy bag too hard and way too soon before I was ready since I got back to exercising after a very long break of over 17 years. Lesson learned! Taking it slowly, listening to your body, pushing your limits cautiously, and always warming up first is a must-do, not negotiable, especially if you're over 40 like me.
Did I stop working out after I hurt my wrist? No! This is how I did it.
When it comes to medical conditions, everyone should seek medical advice first! So, first, I talked to a doctor and asked for his advice. Since it wasn't a severe injury, I had a green light to continue exercising but respecting a few "golden rules": warming up well, taking it slowly and every routine, avoiding any exercise that would bring pain to the injured wrist, stretching and massaging that area with a mix of essential oils (30 ml of coconut oil mixed with ten drops of black pepper essential oil, ten drops of rosemary oil, ten drops of lavender oil and ten drops of mint oil - make sure you are not allergic to any of this oils first) at least twice a day, one time with half an hour before working out and one more time before going to bed. Other than that, I adjusted my workout routine to protect and help that joint heal faster. That meant doing exercises that wouldn't put too much pressure on the problematic wrist, lifting lighter weights, and doing special exercises to help me recover.
