SLEEP!
No ifs or buts! Sleep is imperative (I tried to think of a very stern word there). But honestly, its so true! We need sleep because this is exactly where the majority of our healing and recovery occurs! As adults we need 7-8 hours sleep, quality sleep! No artificial lights (electronics) 1-2 hours before bed because that interrupts the way our sleeping chemical are released. There was a really interesting study done with regards to sleep! Two groups wanted to lose weight and gain muscle so 1 group have 7-8 hours sleep while the other group had 6 hours or less. They found that those that had 6 hours or less lost less fat and gained less muscles compared to the other group even though they ate the same and exercised the same. Sleep is where muscle building and recovery occurs after a workout. Sleep is crucial!
WATER INTAKE:
One of the building blocks needed for healing is water! Its needed in the basic chemical reactions that occur in our body. It helps increase energy levels, provides the body with oxygen as well as helps flush bodily waste! Its just so important! The Australian Medical guidelines recommend that men drink roughly 2.6 litres per day while women are recommended to drink 2.1 litres per day. But keep in mind this is for a health average adult so someone that is recovering and undergoing rehab should drink more.
SMOKING AND ALCOHOL:
Smoking and alcohol both really slow down the rate of healing! You don’t really see the significance until you compare a patient with the same injury but one smokes or excessively drinks and the other doesn’t. wow! So much slower and such a high risk of complications! Smoking and alcohol does you no favours, just get rid of it
NUTRIENTS:
One of the most basic things which we always overlook but it must be one of the most important if not the most important is nutrients – what we eat! You can’t expect to do well with you rehab while eating maccas 2-3x per week! It just doesn’t work like that
If you follow these basics you’ll find you’ll do very well!
Protein: during your healing and recovery focus on having protein-rich diets! Foods like meats, chicken, salmon, tuna, plant-based proteins are extremely good sources of protein. The Australian Medical Guidelines recommend 1.6-2.4g of protein per kg of body weight. So let’s say you weight 80kg, the recommended is approximately 40g of protein per day. You don’t have to weight your protein if you don’t want to but just focus on having protein-rich meals. Protein is essential for building muscle mass as well as healing of soft tissue (ligaments, meniscus, muscle, tendon, etc.)
Carbohydrates: during the healing phase of your rehab, you want to focus on limiting your carbs – don’t get rid of them completely, you just want to control them. Carbs are crucial for our energy as well as wound healing so we definitely need it in our diet; however excess may lead to weight gain which then slows healing and recovery.
Salt and Sugars: with regards to healing and recovery, you want to try and get rid of sugars and salts from your diet. No soft drinks and lollies because this definitely slows the healing rate! Sugars increase excessive inflammation which then slows down the progression of healing. Sugars as well slows down and reduces the efficiency of the immune system and we already know when we are healing, our immune system is working in overdrive so this ultimately increases our risk of infection, sickness, etc. Get rid of those sugars! Salts are similar where it increases fluid retention which then slows healing – get rid of them too.
Supplements: Supplements are a hard one because there is not a lot of research and evidence in this avenue with regards to healing. But anecdotally, you will find that products like collagen, calcium, magnesium, and creatine can be very beneficial. They both aid with different things but essentially helps with healing and recovery!
Green Vegetables: they are great as they decrease inflammation, increase function of the immune system and promote wound healing! Great, great, great! They are also high in vitamin C and magnesium which all help with immune function and health!
Berries and Tumeric: these are so good because these are natural sources of anti-inflammatories and vitamin C! and they taste great! It really doesn’t get much better than that to be honest! Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc. they all really help!
Bottom line, when you’re recovering from an injury or surgery, you should fuel your body with foods that are high in nutrients and compounds that promote and optimise healing and recovery! Its like putting E10 in a car that requires 98 and hoping that it will drive the same!
Getting plenty of rest, staying hydrates, avoiding smoking and drinking as well as food intake all promote optimal healing! Now, go smash your rehab so you can live pain-free and enjoy life with your family and friends.
