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Injured and Unmotivated

cjusticeg
cjusticeg Posts: 90 Member
edited December 2024 in Motivation and Support
About 2.5 years ago I developed a chronic shoulder injury (ironically as a result of working out). I had fallen in love with lifting weights and even competed in a powerlifting competition. Since then, I've had a chronic shoulder injury in addition to two knee injuries. The knee injuries have healed, but my shoulder is a constant reminder of what I am no longer able to do in the gym. When I go to the gym, I like to give my all, but with my shoulder I am held back and feel like going to the gym is pointless (i'm a bit of a perfectionist).

Flash forward to today. I work a sedentary job between the hours of 3am and 9am. I typically go back to bed after work because I'm so damn tired and usually don't wake up until anywheres from noon-3pm. I really don't like what I see in the mirror anymore and I have slowly been inching towards 170 and am currently sitting at about 165/166 (my weight can fluctuate between 163-166 it seems).

I know that right now my life just lacks structure and it will come together when I start school in January. I miss the feeling of being addicted to working out, tracking everything, and loving the progress that I see but it is just so hard to push myself in that direction when I feel like I will never be able to get back what I had before.

I'm sure this is much more of an internal battle where I need to accept that I won't be that person anymore and I need to adapt. Has anyone else experienced a similar situation?

Replies

  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    Not exactly the same but I had a hip injury back in June that completely stopped ALL my working out in its tracks. I'm a runner and I was just getting back to running 3-5 times a week after having two kids in two years. The injury really made me feel like I'd never get back to where I was.
    I'm back to running now but progress is slow. It is an internal struggle but one that you can overcome. Just set a goal for yourself and get started TODAY, or tomorrow...don't wait "until school starts". that's just another excuse.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I was able to successfully work around a knee, foot and shoulder injury this year. You just have to learn how to modify. I had bursitis and tendonosis in my right shoulder, so I spent months only doing rehab exercises and strengthening my scapula and rotator cuff. I also concentrated on my lower body. Just as my shoulder was getting to the point I could start working out with it again (I still do no pressing), I fractured my knee.

    So squats, deadlifts, any lower body movement that required me to bend my knee was out. So I concentrated on upper body this time (again, modified movements so as to not reinjure) and did straight leg work. There wasn't a lot I could do, but I could do good mornings, romanian deadlifts, L-sits, etc.

    The day I got released to start exercising my knee, I dropped a 45lb plate on my foot and fractured it. So this time I could still do upper body and I could do any exercise that kept my foot flat. So I could squat and deadlift, etc. Couldn't do any cardio except for the Ski-erg. No yoga, or single leg exercises.

    You just have to get creative and work with what you've got. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    Don't give up. It's a struggle. You may have to come to terms with the fact that you will not be the athlete you were before, but you can still be an athlete. Accepting your limitations and working with them will allow you to move forward. You might find new activities that you love. Have you been to a physical therapist? If not, that should be your first step.

    I had an accident that led to 27 surgeries. I went from being a heavy lifter, martial artist to an inactive obese woman with serious balance issues and loss of flexibility. I wallowed in self pity for a while but I finally had enough. I went to physical therapy to get as far as I could until my insurance said no more PT. I started tracking my food which helped me lose 65 pounds. I slowly worked back into working out. It started with water exercise which was kind to my joints. Water jogging is a surpisingly great work out. I hired a personal trainer with a background in injury recovery and slowly began lifting again. It was frustrating as heck to know what I used to lift and not be able to come even close to lifting that again but I stuck with it. I got stronger. I felt great. Strengthening the muscles around my joints and strengthening my core helped lesson the knee and hip pain.

    Then, I got a frozen shoulder. I didn't even know that was a thing. I lost 95% mobility in my right arm. I couldn't put a bra on let alone a sports bra. Lifting was out the question. I got depressed and found myself back to square one. After another year of physical therapy and and another surgery later, I regained about 70% mobility in my right shoulder. It was a start. I refused to give up. I began working out again. Yoga increased my flexibility. Cardio kickboxing helped me gain some of the lost muscle in my right arm. Walking helped build my cardio capability. I started running, soooo slowly. I hired a personal trainer again.

    Here I am today. I work out regularly but doing much different things than I did before. I will probably never do Tai Kwon Do again because of my balance issues but found that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a great alternative because grappling doesn't require as much balance. I don't lift heavy but I lift enough to stay fit and feel good which is better than the alternative of not doing anything at all. I won't ever be the person I was before but I have found that the person I am today is happy and healthy...and that is all that counts for me.

    I hope you are able to overcome your frustrations and find new passions. Listen to your body and do what it will allow you to do. You might surprise yourself and find that once you start moving again, your strength will slowly come back to you.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    dmponessa wrote: »
    I am new to MFP and this is my 1st post. I have been a paraplegic for 30+ years. Despite that, I held a FT job and was a high performance wheelchair athlete (tennis & horseback riding). In May 2018, I fell and severely injured my neck (C3-C7), had decompression surgery & fusion and was transferred to a nursing home where I continue to undergo daily PT &OT. I am almost a complete quad with bicep movement in my (R) arm. Because so little of me moves, it is hard for me to do much exercise & almost impossible to reach my target heart rate.
    I have a long history of stress eating and seeking food to comfort me. I am looking for continued motivation & support as I work to lose the weight I gained prior to my injury.
    Because it is hard for me to exercise, it is that much more important that I stick to my reduced calorie diet to lose the weight.
    Interested in learning what others with injuries do to stay motivated & "not fall off the wagon".
    TIA for any input/ suggestions.

    Wow @dmponessa. You are amazing. I think it's YOU who should be teaching us about how to stay motivated and not give up in the face of injuries. I'm so very, very sorry about your accident and loss of additional mobility.

    As for as how to keep your weight under control, this may sound ignorant (because it is), but it seems to me with your limitations you are at other people's mercy when it comes to food and movement most likely. How does that work? Are there scheduled pre-planned meals in the facility where you have to eat what everyone else eats or do you get to choose what you eat? Either way, I think the easiest way would be to work with a nutritionist to ensure your meal portions are appropriate calories and nutritious and then instruct your caregivers to not give you anything else.
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    dmponessa wrote: »
    I am new to MFP and this is my 1st post. I have been a paraplegic for 30+ years. Despite that, I held a FT job and was a high performance wheelchair athlete (tennis & horseback riding). In May 2018, I fell and severely injured my neck (C3-C7), had decompression surgery & fusion and was transferred to a nursing home where I continue to undergo daily PT &OT. I am almost a complete quad with bicep movement in my (R) arm. Because so little of me moves, it is hard for me to do much exercise & almost impossible to reach my target heart rate.
    I have a long history of stress eating and seeking food to comfort me. I am looking for continued motivation & support as I work to lose the weight I gained prior to my injury.
    Because it is hard for me to exercise, it is that much more important that I stick to my reduced calorie diet to lose the weight.
    Interested in learning what others with injuries do to stay motivated & "not fall off the wagon".
    TIA for any input/ suggestions.

    You are an inspiration. Your story is amazing.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I'm there with you. I have been struggling with chronic "swimmer's shoulder"-shoulder impingement since about the first of September from years of bad stroke technique. And on top of that, I've recently had a foot surgery that has kept me out of the pool to avoid the risk of infection. Arrgh.

    I've really focused on balance and core strength yoga exercises that are not shoulder-intense, and also being very mindful to lower my calorie intake since I'm not working out at the frequency or intensity that I was before the shoulder really started bothering me.

    I've been lookign in to getting a swim coach for a few session s once the foot surgeon clears me to help me correct my stroke and/or find alternative strokes to that don't do as much damage.

    Sorry that you're struggling, and just wanted you to know you're not the only one!
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