Getting Back to the Exercise Game After an Injury

Sometimes diabetes has nothing to do with our health issues, but that doesn't mean those issues aren't scary, nor does it mean they don't impact our diabetes - they do. There was a time when I was really into exercise, not only because of the positive impact exercise had on my blood sugar. I exercised for my head, heart, arse, and diabetes.

My favorite ways to exercise

My favorite exercise methods were distance walking, body surfing, and water sports. Periodically life would interrupt, and I'd cut back with my workouts for a while, but I always went back. Exercise made me feel mentally and physically healthy.

Dealing with an injury

In July of 2020, I was jumping the ocean waves and ready to take a swim when all of a sudden, I was down for the count. Yep, yours truly had a painful Lisfranc sprain. In January of 2021, an MRI confirmed a misdiagnosis. I didn't have a Lisfranc sprain. It turns out I had a partially torn Lisfranc ligament, combined with multiple sprains and a pinched nerve. I spent four and half months in a boot cast during the lockdown. I was lucky. I wasn't an athlete. It didn't end my career and I DID NOT require surgery to put plates in my foot.

Struggling with my mental health

That didn't mean I wasn't depressed; I was. I was strict about managing my carbohydrate intake and didn't gain weight while in my cast, but the mental stress I was feeling wasn't great for my blood sugars. This past June, I finally started physical therapy. When it was over, my physical therapist encouraged me to get back living, wear shoes other than sneakers, and dance like no one was watching!

Getting back to exercise after injury

It took longer to get over the mental hump of fearing re-injury and never getting back to my pre-injury exercise routine. I had a slight re-sprain in October, but for the most part, my foot feels good.

I finally was able to get my feet muddy and my body back in the ocean in July of 2021 and started body surfing again. This fall, I got past my fears of the "what-if" and started my 30 to 60 minute walks up again, two to three times a week. Being able to put on my earbuds and take a walk multiple times a week makes my heart and my blood sugars happy!