I only had healthy, organic food in the house so my body and mind could heal faster by having the proper nutrition I needed. (Not to mention that if I had junk food in the house, I would have eaten it all!) My doctor could not believe how fast my foot healed, or that my foot was ready to walk so soon after the cast was removed.
Lesson #5 - Drink plenty of liquids
Keep a large supply of pure water and plenty of fresh pressed juices near at hand. Drinking high-quality, purified water is one of the fastest ways to rid your body of the pharmaceutical drugs used for your surgery. Fluids help your body flush out impurities during healing.
What to do during recovery?
Listen To Positive Music: The right music will help you relax. The more you relax, the better you heal.
Play Board Games or Puzzles: Do crossword puzzles, Sudoku or other wonderful games to have fun while stimulating your mind.
Read Books: Those books that have been collecting dust over the years? This is the time to finally read them. Or, ask someone to read to you!
Watch Positive Movies, Documentaries and Comedies: Laughter is one of the best medicines known to man. Find a feel-good movie that will make you laugh.
Play An Instrument: A friend of mine who only played guitar told me that if it were not for his broken leg, he would never had learned how to play the harmonica.
Get Some Fresh Air: If you are able to move around, sit out on your porch for a while each day and get some fresh air. Or, have a friend take you for a nice drive in the country.
Learn To Meditate, Pray or Enhance Your Spiritual Practice: Meditation helps reduce stress and promotes an overall feeling of calm and well-being, which contributes to healing. Many hospitals now incorporate meditation as part of the healing process and say that patients who meditate have a much higher healing rate than those who do not.
Draw Or Work On An Art Project: This is great fun - especially when done with loved ones or children.
Write A Story: Always felt that you didn't have time to write your novel? Well, now you've got the time! Just start writing - you will feel all the better for taking that first step.
Starting Up Again:
After lying around on my back for 8 weeks, I gained about 20 extra pounds. (See my before and after photo) I suppose this is normal for someone who suddenly does not get any exercise. I had trouble getting up and walking around. Not being mobile and doing what I love most was a very difficult time for me, both physically and emotionally.
Once my doctor gave me the okay to slowly start moving my foot, I started swimming everyday. Swimming was my water therapy. It was gentle and the water supported me while I exercised, preventing my foot from moving with a jarring motion. At first, I could not believe how out of shape my body was. But when my body started feeling great after a week, I felt so grateful.
Three weeks later, I started training Jiu-Jitsu and eventually worked my way up to long walks. It took about 6 weeks, but I lost the extra 20 pounds.
It has now been about year and it seems that my foot may never get back to normal. It is still a little stiff and is around 90% of what it was before the accident. Each day, I still work at improving flexibility in my foot to gain even more movement. It seems to be getting better, little by little.
Looking back, this was an experience about the importance of life and our impermanence. It became a blessing and was a wonderful time to reflect. While I would not wish this painful experience on anyone, if it does happen to you, I urge you to use the time to discover what makes for you a better Quality Of Life.
(Please consult your doctor first before doing any of the above to make sure you get the best advice to properly heal yourself.)
PeterShane.com QualityOfLife.TV
QualityOfLife.Tv
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