2827: On Injuries: 5 Reasons Strength Training is the Best Pre-Scription by Stella Kaufman with Mark Fisher Fitness

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[00:01:04] This is Optimal Health Daily, on injuries.

[00:01:07] Five reasons strength training is the best prescription.

[00:01:10] By Stella Kaufman, with markfisherfitness.com.

[00:01:13] And I'm Dr. Neil.

[00:01:15] Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I act as your narrator of the best health and fitness blogs covering fitness, nutrition, stress management, weight management, and lots more.

[00:01:24] And then on Fridays, I do something a little different.

[00:01:27] I answer your questions right here on the show.

[00:01:29] And tomorrow is already Friday, so be sure to come back and tune in for tomorrow's Q&A.

[00:01:34] But right now, I'm going to keep this intro nice and short so we can get right to today's post and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:45] On injuries.

[00:01:46] Five reasons strength training is the best prescription.

[00:01:50] By Stella Kaufman, with markfisherfitness.com.

[00:01:54] When I have thought about why I train, I have had different answers at different places in my journey.

[00:01:59] All obvious health and hotness benefits aside, the one I've landed on is simple.

[00:02:04] To be strong.

[00:02:06] To be able to live life as strongly as possible.

[00:02:09] The effects of working out translate into everyday life.

[00:02:12] As we carry bags, lift children, we push, we reach.

[00:02:16] Well, you get it.

[00:02:17] But here's one I never thought of before.

[00:02:19] Train for when you're injured.

[00:02:21] What?

[00:02:22] Recipe for disaster.

[00:02:24] While preparing Rice Krispies treats in preparation for having friends over to watch the debates,

[00:02:29] I dropped a kitchen knife on my foot, severing a tendon.

[00:02:33] I required surgery to repair the tendon, which had me in a splint, then a cast, for a total of five weeks.

[00:02:39] While I know there are some ironic and humorous puns in all of this, it's too soon.

[00:02:44] Post-surgery physical therapy prescription.

[00:02:47] Walker plus opioids.

[00:02:49] The surgery appeared to be successful, and as an outpatient, I was released a couple of hours later with my leg in a splint.

[00:02:55] The physical therapist at the hospital decided that a walker would be the best choice over crutches,

[00:03:00] because, quote,

[00:03:01] Crutches are fine when you're 30, and, quote,

[00:03:04] They require upper body strength, end quote.

[00:03:07] I am available to rant about my exchange with that physical therapist at any time,

[00:03:12] and will likely be ranting about it for years to come.

[00:03:15] Feel free to contact me privately if you want to hear it.

[00:03:17] So, I went home with Percocet and a walker,

[00:03:20] and clear instructions to not bear any weight on the foot,

[00:03:23] and to sit down to get up the two steps to the living room.

[00:03:28] The real prescription.

[00:03:30] I was never so grateful for my workouts as during this time.

[00:03:33] As it turns out, the real prescription involved getting strong pre-injury.

[00:03:38] Here are five ways my consistent practice of strength training has aided me since my injury.

[00:03:43] One, upper body strength.

[00:03:46] Who would have guessed, but swimming and lifting weights gave me upper body strength.

[00:03:50] Newsflash, when you're using a walker as crutches, it helps to have upper body strength.

[00:03:55] In fact, I suggest that you need even more upper body strength using a walker,

[00:03:59] because you don't have your armpits to help distribute the load like you would with crutches.

[00:04:02] I definitely used the strength in my back and my arms to get around,

[00:04:06] and the lack of armpit irritation made the walker an okay choice.

[00:04:10] Two, legs.

[00:04:12] Remember my instructions to get up the steps by sitting down and then using a chair to hoist myself up?

[00:04:18] Well, it was awkward and weird, and I ended up with my other knee being bruised.

[00:04:23] My son-in-law came up with a solution.

[00:04:25] Why don't you just hop up?

[00:04:27] So, I did.

[00:04:28] Working out meant that my legs and ankles were strong,

[00:04:31] and this made my recovery with my two stairs much smoother.

[00:04:35] Three, glutes.

[00:04:37] My guard dog needed to eat twice a day.

[00:04:40] When my son-in-law watched me put her food bowl down, he said,

[00:04:43] Nice single deadlift.

[00:04:45] That's right.

[00:04:46] Being able to do a single leg deadlift on the uninjured leg was the way to go.

[00:04:50] Who knew?

[00:04:51] Four, core.

[00:04:53] Sitting all the time with your leg elevated may not be the best thing for your back.

[00:04:57] To counter that, I did dead bug exercises every day.

[00:05:01] This kept my core strong, and it kept my back from becoming sore from all the sitting.

[00:05:06] Five, patience.

[00:05:08] My patience muscle is weak, but to recover, it's a good idea to have that muscle more developed.

[00:05:14] My suggestion?

[00:05:15] The same way we are reminded that training is like farming,

[00:05:18] it helps to remember that recovery is the same way.

[00:05:21] It just doesn't happen overnight.

[00:05:23] Knife drop.

[00:05:24] You know when you're not committed to something, you say,

[00:05:27] I'm not married to it.

[00:05:28] After all these years, my body and I are pretty much married.

[00:05:31] We have taken vows, in sickness and in health.

[00:05:35] At Mark Fisher Fitness, we have an amazing training team to remind us that

[00:05:38] proper form helps prevent injury.

[00:05:40] But what if you're injured outside the gym?

[00:05:43] So am I saying to train for when you're injured?

[00:05:45] Third, that's way too pessimistic.

[00:05:47] How about training for everything?

[00:05:49] For sickness and health.

[00:05:51] For all the times of our lives when being physically strong is the best prescription.

[00:06:00] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:02] On Injuries, Five Reasons Strength Training is the Best Prescription.

[00:06:06] By Stella Kaufman with markfisherfitness.com.

[00:06:09] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:06:12] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:06:14] Now, I spend a lot of time on this podcast and, when teaching my students,

[00:06:19] discussing how regular physical exercise prevents all sorts of disease.

[00:06:24] But rarely do I mention how it can help us recover.

[00:06:27] Reading about Stella's recovery was such a welcome reminder.

[00:06:30] I often tell my students that exercise benefits every cell in the body from head to toe.

[00:06:36] But I should add that being active also prepares the body for unforeseen events.

[00:06:40] It can help the body become more adaptable and possibly aid in the healing process.

[00:06:46] We talk about food as medicine all the time.

[00:06:48] Well, guess what?

[00:06:50] Exercise is medicine too.

[00:06:53] All right, that'll do it from me for today.

[00:06:54] I hope you have a great rest of your Thursday.

[00:06:56] And I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Friday Q&A

[00:06:59] and where your optimal life awaits.