Oh, Kym Johnson! First of all, congratulations on your DWTS win … you poor, poor thing (she busted her neck during rehearsal). I can’t help but kind of laugh at people in neck braces, though, because they always remind me of those cones dogs have to wear after surgery.
One of the biggest mistakes OF ALL TIME is ignoring your body, especially discomfort or pain. Professionals often push past an injury to continue competing — which often fucks them up for life. I highly doubt many of you reading this are Olympic hopefuls, so you better check yourself before you wreck yourself!
This past December, I was in a pretty bad car accident (me versus a cement wall; guess who won?) and after the crash I really downplayed how much I was hurt. I knew I wasn’t seriously injured, so I just sort of … ignored it? Except like every other day I would hurt myself at the gym in some way, or sleep wrong, or whatever excuse my fruity little brain could come up with to deny the obvious: I was physically suffering.
Finally, one morning I was feeding my cat and could barely bend over. As this type of injury would seriously inhibit my social life, I finally went to a doctor who set me up with a physical therapist to work on my neck and back. I’m taking it slow and getting back to 100%. Thankfully this is covered by my health insurance, so I encourage you to look into whatever services are available to you and take advantage of them.
While on occasion good advice backfires (see my blog for an example) this is one health & fitness tip you can’t ignore. Never work with an injury: Check yourself before you wreck yourself! *W*
† SECRET SLIMMING MOVES WITH LACEY SCHWIMMER!
† FOLLOW WES ON TWITTER