Why your injury may cause your weight gain?
Have you gained weight or noticed fluid retention while injured? It’s not uncommon and it may not even be due to reduced activity levels.
Commonly when we are injured, we stop exercising as much. We may crave heavier food as we spend more time sitting around and letting us not forget that we may be feeling sorry for ourselves which can lead to comfort eating, however that may not be the only culprit.
When injured, inflammation becomes your body's response and in certain situations, it is necessary. In fact, without acute inflammation, it is harder for your body to defend itself from bacteria and repair damaged tissues. Acute inflammation should start to subside after a few days,
On the other hand, chronic inflammation occurs inside the body and can lead to major health complications, one of which being weight gain. Chronic inflammation can also last months or years if the problem is not addressed. It can impair bodily functions related to cardiovascular health, cognitive function, metabolism, digestion and hormone levels, to name a few.
So what are some things that we can do to reduce the inflammation in your body? Here are some tips
- If you are struggling with an injury, I suggest seeking a physiotherapist's help to help you create a program that can fix the problem. This may include a series of stretches, massage, acupuncture and physio guided pilates.
- Eat a wide range of foods that are not inflammatory such as leafy greens, olives and olive oil coconut oil, fatty fish, avo, berries and the like
- Similarly, reduce high inflammatory foods such as those that contain refined sugars.
- Get a lot of sleep. Sleep helps you reduce inflammation in the body so especially when injured, it is imperative that you are getting around 8 hours a night.
- Don’t be too hard on your body. If you are already inflamed, HIIT training is unlikely to be a good option for you as it will increase the inflammation that is already high in your body. If your injury still allows for exercise, opt for low-intensity training such as physio guided pilates, walking and yoga.