Shawn Talbott, a nutritional biochemist, tells Washington Post columnist Lenny Bernstein about two things that happen when a sports injury deprives us of exercise. First, Bernstein reports, we start to eat more. That’s because working out helps our bodies get rid of cortisol, a hormone we produce as a result of stress. When cortisol lingers in the bloodstream, it signals the brain to go looking for sweets, which produce a sensation similar to exercise, but without the health benefits. Second, we can get deprssed. That’s because exercise produces endorphins, the hormones that yield the “runner’s high” and other pleasant feelings. Deprived of endorphins, says Talbott, many regular exercises literally get depressed.
What to do: Frances Flint, coordinator of athletic training at York University in Toronto and a sports psychology consultant, says it’s crucial to continue working out, in some safe fashion, and to do it at the same time of day. That will help provide similar enjoyable biochemical effects as a regular regimen. Also, says Flint, it’s important to take control of the situation. Learn as much as you can about the injury and possible therapies. Become actively involved in your care, instead of a passive recipient of treatment. Banish “negative self-talk.” Some athletes like to visualize the affected area healing; they believe it speeds the process.