What I thought was a little pull of a muscle Sunday night when I first did it got a lot worse overnight and I was in some serious back pain yesterday. I’m no stranger to this pain but it has been a long time since it’s been this bad. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, at 15 I herniated my L5 and S1 discs in my back from sneezing the morning of the PSAT test. Sitting in the chair to take that test for the next 4 hours was excruciating. Not many people thought it was possible for an active 15 year old to herniate a disc while sneezing though so after a week off, I went back to playing sports until I collapsed during basketball practice bending over to pick up a ball on the floor. An MRI later and I had confirmation on the discs being herniated. Since then, I’ve thrown my back out here and there but have usually been able to cope on my own using the exercises I learned in PT during recovery the first time. Sunday night while I struggled to get comfortable in an attempt to sleep, the questions started to run through my head. “Why, when I’m in the best shape I’ve been in 10 years does this happen to me now?” “I should’ve stretched more before attempting the deadlift.” “I hope I can run again in a few days.” And so on…
When I got to the chiropractor yesterday morning, (thankfully she was able to fit me in!) I was still annoyed by the fact that I was injured and must’ve said something to that effect because she then said something that stuck: “We don’t exercise and maintain healthy lifestyles to avoid getting hurt. Everyone will get hurt at some point or another but, the healthy person who is in shape & fit will recover faster.” And then she said, “Your pelvis is completely out of whack and your back is incredibly inflamed (great, right?) but you’re young, you’re fit and you’ll recover quickly.” That’s when I realized it could be a lot worse. Instead of blaming the deadlifts or questioning why I was getting hurt when I am in good shape, I realized I should be happy I am and that my recovery will be a lot easier because of it.
In retrospect, this injury is more likely due to the combination of trying to move a 300lb jet ski, carrying a table inside the house, jet skiing in rough waves, and not stretching properly before exercising rather than one deadlift gone wrong. Most injuries are the cumulative result of different stressors, not just one occurrence.
So, with a new mindset of being thankful this happened on the “rest” week of strength training and trying not to get upset that I can’t run this week, I went home and spent the remainder of the day working and icing.
Sitting is uncomfortable, standing is uncomfortable and most laying positions while comfortable, are not conducive to working so it was an interesting afternoon moving from chair to floor, back to chair again.
Now the question is, what do you do with your evening when you can’t exercise?
You bake of course!
Remember when I found coconut flour but wasn’t quite sure what to do with it? Well, a quick search led me to Caroline’s recipe for coconut flour chocolate chip cookies and let’s just say they did not disappoint!
The coconut flavor comes through perfectly but you still get the chocolaty satisfaction of a chocolate chip cookie. And the best part? The ingredient list is short and sweet! These took all of 5 minutes to throw together before baking.
A few of these with some milk and the back pain wasn’t so bad anymore. 
Off to ice, rest and repeat!
What is your coping mechanism when you’re sidelined by an injury?
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I don’t have good strategies. I take time off, but then sometimes I still feel a little guilty about it. Isn’t that odd? I rest, ice, repeat, and sometimes walk some laps in the pool. The pool helps most of my injuries, such as knee pain. I might just stick to the rest & ice if I actually had back issues – that’s real pain!
I’m glad that you shared your outlook! ….I am hoping that when the time comes, because I know I’ll get hurt minor or major sometime or another, I’ll get back into a good groove. That always seems to be the hardest for me.
What I would do? ….Find the little ways to exercise that you enjoy; can you stretch or take a long walk? I like to fill in the exercise time with walks outdoors and enjoy the beauty around me! …Keep your head up! I admire your new outlook!
Cookies cure all
Yikes, Gina! I hope you recover fast! When i’m hurt I usually just end up watching endless reality tv.
Oh no! I’m sorry to see that you’re in pain! Here’s to a speedy recovery!
I literally have had the same injury since march…a messed up pelvis, inflamed back muscles, and sciatica. It was waaay worse a few months ago but is still lingering. Thankfully I can actually work out now, just with minimal discomfort. It was definitely a long road, and I definitely didn’t cope well. At least it’s practically over though!
I like what your chiro said and she is so right! Sorry to hear you are in pain though. I haven’t had a true injury for a long time (knock on wood!!!) but Jason has been injured for a few months now and every time he is almost better, he gets knocked down again with another injury. He’s taken the approach that he will rest now in order to do more later, but it has been hard for him.
Cookies make everything better
I really hope your back gets better soon…it sounds excrutiating!! 
Um BAKING most definitely is my go-to thing to do when I’m hurt. When my back was acting up a little while ago I baked so much that my boyfriend actually had to tell me to “stop” because we didn’t have any more room for it all
Those look fab – hope you’re feeling better soon!
I love your Chiro….and what she said…and that you listened
On another hand, could I please have that white serving plate? Thanks…
Yikes – hope your back feels better soon! I seem to always suffer an injury just as I’m into a great groove at the gym where I’m loving my workout schedule and seeing some results. Depending on the problem, I usually give myself a week off to rest. It’s frustrating to say the least, but I figure my body is telling me that I’ve pushed it too far or I am needing a break. I take the week to indulge in some of guilty pleasures like reality TV and wine on the deck!
oh my gosh, you are just like me with the back injuries! I never had a herniated disk but I do have a striaght neck. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor 3x a week for a 1 1/2…has helpped immensely with my prior problems. My injury may have sidelined me but made me smarter about how I exercise….particularly in the stretching area!
Feel better Soon!
Back injuries are the WORST! I almost always throw my back out when I’m moving into a new place. Sometimes I try to convince myself that it’s my body’s way to telling me to slow the eff down. Hope your recovery is quick!
My coping mechanism is probably exactly the same as yours BAKE COOKIES… LOTS OF COOKIES! haha! Those look lovely, perfect little mouthfuls! I hope the white plate was your serving!?
Really hope your back feels better soon hun, back pain like that is bloody awful! I would say a glass of ‘medicinal’ wine is called for! 
I loveee baking with coconut flour! it gives the cookies such a subtle, sweet flavor and soft texture. It’s lovely.
Eek!! Rest that back. Hope you have a VERY speedy recovery.
Hope you feel better soon! Cookies look delish!
Oh no! Hope your back gets feeling better soon, but I love the attitude you bring to the situation. I always get so upset when I face an injury and ahve to work hard to count my blessings of an overall healthy body that can heal.
Hi Gina! Love your blog! I wanted to get your opinion on what is the healthiest bread that can be bought at a whole foods of sorts? A bread that is yummy, healthy, but tastes like bread! I am interested in any ones thoughts
Hi Lilly- great question! Wish I had the answer. To be honest, I don’t usually buy the same bread and I don’t have a whole foods anywhere near me so I’m stuck with the normal grocery store options. I do 2 things when shopping for bread: 1. read the label. I don’t want to see hfcs in the ingredient list and the shorter the list the better! If you can understand 85%+ of the ingredients I’d say you’re doing well. 2. Look for bread on sale. Paying $4-5 for a loaf of bread kills me so although #1 trumps #2 in my case, I will still compare whole wheat breads that are on sale. And don’t be tricked by the label of whole wheat! Hope that helps, sorry to not have a definitive answer for you!
I love your mug! I think that would make me happy in the morning. Hope you are feeling better! We have a lot of gardening coming up
Yeah, I’ve been moved to the hygiene kit assembly with all the “women” in the office…fun fun!
hi! i’m new to your blog. i just happened across it as i’ve been forced to lay here, flat on my back for the last two days. there has been a great amount of blog surfing going on. it is CRAZY how your back situation mirrors my own. i have had this “injury” for the last 6 years but it’s only been this bad three times. i was headed out to the gym on saturday morning to run my 10 miler on the treadmill and i must have twisted funny when i picked up my not-heavy gym bag! the pain was instant and i knew right away that i would be out of commission for a good number of days. it feels a little bit better today and i know it will continue to get better as long as i rest up. i really appreciated reading what your PT told you. because i have felt just as frustrated. i’m in great shape and work very hard to protect my back with a lot of core work. i get really upset when this happens but you’re right, because of my lifestyle, it will heal faster (i hope!). i hope i have a sweaty picture of myself to post soon! i’m glad you’re feeling better.
Hi Emily! Wow, that sounds eerily similar, very weird! I can completely understand how frustrated you probably feel right now. It will get better though
I was in a lot of pain Sunday-thursday when almost magically Thursday night my muscles must’ve relaxed and the pain kind of just went away. Of course, it wasn’t 100% but it got exponentially better than before. The chiropractor got me back in alignment that first Monday but it took my body a few days for the inflammation and muscle spasms to decrease. It was frustrating that it happened as I consider myself in probably the best shape I’ve been since my back injury started 10+ years ago but, I did heal quicker than I ever had before so the whole “everybody gets injured but the healthy ones recover quicker” saying really did seem to apply for me. I’m sure you’ll be back in no time, try and enjoy the down time if you can. In retrospect, a week off was kind of a nice break 
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