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A few month ago, I wrote this post and talked about how I was finally committed to getting healthier and taking care of my body like it deserved to be treated.
I’ll be honest – it hasn’t been easy. I mean, I knew it wouldn’t be, but I was so determined to make permanent lifestyle changes that I would be able to push through the hard times more easily than before. Although it that I think my motivation has come and gone through the last few months. There would be weeks at a time where I would be eating well
I realized that I was expecting too much of myself (and my leg) at once. I haven’t consistently worked out in 10 years, so I’m not in shape at all, and I haven’t consistently used my left leg since before my original reconstruction surgery. I expected that I would be able to go to the gym every day, work out, be a little sore, and see results. I wanted my fitness journey to be the same as everyone else who has two good knees because it would be painful to accept that it would be another thing that would never be “normal” for me. But, after three days at the gym, my knee swelled up three times the size it normally is, I could barely move, and my joint pain radiated into my hip, lower back, and ankle. It was #badnewsbears.
So, after taking a couple weeks to recover, I faced the pain and realized that my journey to getting healthier and stronger would be different and accepted that it was okay. I decided to scratch my original plan of 5 days a week at the gym and start from scratch.
After consulting with my orthopedic surgeon and getting some x-rays to make sure everything looked good in my leg, we decided that I first needed to start getting back into a generally active routine that before throwing myself into a rigorous workout routine at the gym. The more we discussed activities I should try, the more I realized how inactive I was in my daily life. I was always afraid of dealing with my joint pain and avoid things like taking my dogs for a walk.
So, it was time to first come up with some pain management solutions for my joint pain and to work on getting normal activities back into my life.
Pain Management with Biofreeze® Professional
It’s been a process figuring out ways to manage my joint pain. I am supposed to be very careful of how much asprin/OTC pain meds that I take because of how easily I bruise and how hard of a time my kidneys have in processing it. So, I can’t rely on pain medicine to keep the discomfort away.
Recently, I’ve switched over to using Biofreeze® Professional products to help manage my joint pain. Biofreeze retail version can be found at your favorite retailer. Biofreeze Professional must be purchased through your hands-on healthcare professional. It’s been a great alternative for me because Biofreeze® Professional Pain Reliever products are non-systemic, non-narcotic, and contain no NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), salicylates or addictive substances. Basically, Biofreeze® products help reduce my joint pain through a cooling relief that’s relatively fast-acting.
My favorite products to use from Biofreeze® Professional are the Biofreeze® Professional Colorless Gel Soothing Menthol and the Colorless Roll-On Soothing Menthol. The Gel is what Dustin uses at the end of the day when my knee is really achy – he usually massages it to help the circulation improve and uses the gel as he rubs it. The relief is almost instantaneous!
The Biofreeze® Professional Colorless Roll-On is my favorite product to use on my hip. It applies easily, allows me to work it into my hip flexor muscles, and doesn’t get all over the place. Once again, the relief is almost instantaneous and I love that the applicator helps work out any kinks in my hip.
Since adding Biofreeze® Professional into my daily routine, I’ve been able to work through most of the chronic joint pain that comes with being more active on the leg that I have.
Ideal Activities for Those with Joint Pain
(Please bear in mind that I’m not a health professional. These are all things that my health professional and I have come up with together that has worked for me.) I’ve been able to put these activities back into my daily life with the help of Biofreeze® products.
Swimming – I’ve been trying to get into the pool at the gym 2-3 times a week. Swimming is a perfect exercise for people with joint pain because it is low impact on the joints. Swimming is also good for someone like me, with a reconstructed leg, because I’m not putting stress on my donor bone or my knee replacement. I still get sore after swimming (hence Biofreeze® Professional) but it’s a lot better than when I was trying to do the elliptical
Go for Walks – I used to dread taking my dogs for walks because I would always come back feeling pretty sore. It made me sad because my dogs love going for walks and they tend to not be as destructive when they are tired out from a sniffing adventures. When I started from scratch on getting fit, I decided to just work on going for daily walks with my dogs and apply Biofreeze® Professional right after I got home to help reduce any joint pain. This routine has helped a LOT and my legs have gotten a lot stronger in the process, which has reduced the joint pain I feel overall.
Yoga – I have to modify some poses with my knee, but yoga has been a great way for me to stretch my muscles and strengthen my core, without having to put a lot of stress on my allograph or joints. I’ve just started incorporating this into my weekly routine more and it’s been a lot easier to go from walking to yoga than from walking to a hard-core workout at the gym.
Even though it’s been a hard journey at times, I’m learning to accept that it’s okay for it to be different than other peoples. I’m also learning that I can still do a lot of things that I never thought I would be able to do again – I just have to be patient with my body and use product like Biofreeze® Professional to help reduce my pain.
If you struggle with joint pain, I highly recommend Biofreeze® Professional products. They have honestly been a game changer for me and my leg and I finally feel like I’ll be able to hit my fitness goals (and even go to the gym for a “real” workout) down the road. You can check out Biofreeze® Professional products here!
I’d love to hear about your fitness journey and what kinds of physical activities you like to do in the comments below!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
