My Life on the DL

It is only a matter of time: if you work out hard enough, you will eventually overdo it and place yourself on the Disabled List (DL). This has to be one of the most frustrating events that can happen to someone dedicated to fitness. You have in effect been rewarded for your devotion by getting a significant injury. However, all injuries (and how you respond to them) are not created equal.

The Nagging Injury
This is most likely caused by repetitive motion or overuse of certain muscles and/or joints. For example, you may start getting ankles that are getting sore and never seem to get better. It may never reach the point of outright pain, but that is probably on the horizon (see below type of injury). Your body is flashing a very big, red warning sign at you.

This is especially common in people who do not vary their routines or employ any real form of cross-training. You may do activities that are supposedly non-impact such as using an elliptical trainer, but end up with worn out ankles from the hours and hours you spend engaged in its repetitive motion. If this is the case, make sure you vary your routine. Skip the elliptical for a while and hit the bike, treadmill or concentrate on weight training. You also may want to check your equipment. Is it in good working order and stable? Can you vary the angle or intensity? Do you need new workout shoes? A simple change in routine or approach may help in eliminating this injury before it gets worse.

The Pinpoint Injury
One morning, you wake up and a part of your body (shoulder, knee, foot, etc.) does not seem to work like it did the day before. There may be stiffness, pain or swelling, and it is extremely localized and movement specific. The good news is that you can probably work around it until it heals. The bad news is you probably got it from going through your regular routine, and, thus are likely to injure it again if you are not careful.

If you are keeping a good training log (like you should!), go back over the last two weeks and see if you can spot any patterns. Did you add a new exercise? Have you been rapidly (maybe too rapidly...) increasing your resistance or intensity? Are you getting less rest between workouts or training some areas too frequently? In hindsight, you will probably spot some warning signs. The key now is to rest the injury, but not the body, and work around it. You may need to hit the "reset" button and drop down to a safe pre-injury intensity until you are back at 100%. The objective is to do a forensic analysis of the causes of the problem, fix it, and get back to full speed.

The "Smackdown" Injury
You are hurt--period. This is not a maybe. You have injured yourself to the point where entire areas of your body are involved (a leg, arm, left side, etc.). You will usually notice this injury as soon as it occurs, and it is EXTREMELY important to stop training immediately. While you may have had an old coach that would tell you to "walk it off", this seldom fixes the problem. This is a time for an immediate cessation of activity, evaluating it over the next 4-24 hours and then deciding if you need formal medical attention. Being a gladiator went out of style a long, long time ago. No one is going to cheer your courage from the stands for being hardheaded.

If you do not need medical attention after such an injury, you certainly do need rest. This happened to me recently after a rugby tournament where we played five games in one day. I pulled a hamstring and hurt my Achilles tendon after the second game, but I insisted on staying in the tournament for three more games. Now, I am on my second full week of being on the DL. Stupid, but true.

After a week, I was able to resume low intensity work again. If this happens to you, take antinflammatories and follow your RICE principle: rest, ice, compression and elevation. You may also want to do some deep thinking about your goals and decide if what you did can be avoided in the future. For me, I have decided at my age (36) that I will probably not play in multi-game tournaments any more. One game of rugby is punishing enough! Doing more than I can reasonably recover from just knocks me back too many steps away from my personal goals.

I am not a doctor, and these are not medical definitions of injury. However, these categories can be used to proactively treat yourself before injuries become permanent disabilities!

Fitness for the Busy Professional

This is an excellent article on how to incorporate fitness into any professional's daily lifestyle. The common theme is to set goals, be consistent and, above all else, commit to making the time to do it.

Good Equipment is NOT a Luxury

Anyone that knows me would describe me as, well, frugal. I do not own fancy cars, expensive golf clubs or big screen TV's. When it comes to things that are basic needs, "good enough" is my favorite slogan.

However, the equipment you use in your fitness program should be as top notch as you can afford. Think if it as a literal extension of your own body. The better the quality equipment you have translates into better, and safer, results.

I am not saying that you should become a slave to certain brands or clever marketing campaigns. I would never pay $200 for a pair of shoes just because they are associated with a certain athlete's face or a cool slogan. However, I do want shoes that are worth $200. The key is to do your homework and ask experts for their professional opinion. Here are some tips:

Shoes. These are extensions of your feet, and if you use them in exercise repetitively, they can be an enormous liability and chief contributor to injury if they are sub-standard. There are shoes for pronators and supinators. There are shoes for those with high arches as well as flat feet. You are probably not an expert at this, so do not guess. Use publications like Runners World to do your research and ask people in the know. For example, I was playing rugby with soccer shoes for a number of weeks since I no longer owned rugby boots. After a few practices, my feet looked like hamburger. Soccer shoes are soft and not designed for the cutting and pounding of rugby. I learned my lesson the painful way, and then I limped out and bought great rugby boots.

Treadmills. Go cheap here, and you will regret it. Running is a punishing sport when you use poor equipment. Those $300 treadmills you get at Sears may be a "great" deal, but they are usually junk. They lack cushion on the track bed, have low power, are unstable and break down easily. Go to your local health club, see what brands they use and then search for the home model of that brand. You can also pick up commercial models on EBay or from clubs that are going out of business or upgrading their equipment. If you can afford a commercial model, buy it. It will probably last forever with only home use.

Weight Training Stations/Machines. When you are pushing heavy weights over your head, the last thing you want is instability. There is a reason that some machines are more expensive than others--they are made better. In general, the machine should be heavy and made of a steel frame. There should be little to no play in the levers or cables at rest. Also, beware machines that can supposedly "do it all." There is usually a weak spot such as a wobbly leg extension or flimsy pec dec add-ons. Test all machines thoroughly and do your homework. Consumer Reports is a good guide for unbiased reviews.

Miscellaneous Gear. Gloves, belts, heart monitors, wraps and other items all should be top quality as well. They will last longer and help your program be more successful. All of these products should feel like a natural part of your body and be almost unnoticeable when you are using them. As a general rule of thumb, if you can "feel" them when you are working out, you probably need to upgrade.

You might have noticed that I did not recommend any specific equipment or brands. This is because I do not have any illusions about being an expert on any of them. But, there are plenty of experts out there. Whether this is a successful athlete or an experienced sales person at your favorite sporting goods store, you should listen to their input if they seem sincerely concerned with your performance. Model the habits of those who succeed, and you will have a higher probability of success.

Incidentally, this applies to business development as well. Don't buy cheap suits--people notice. Don't skimp on technology--it is unreliable. And, pardon my French, don't engage in half-ass business development activities--you will get half-ass results!