What is R.I.C.E.

Road blocks can stop us from pushing forward with goals and aspirations.  They seem to always come during the first week of venturing into some new journey.  I think they are made to discourage us.  We loose confidence on what we set out to do.   Finally we just give up on the whole venture.
That is what happened to me this week.  Last week I ended the week strong with a good 3 mile run.  This week I started out the week with a couple of cardio workouts just to take some time off of the road.  The last workout I had was hitting the punching bag with some jump rope and light weights.  The next day I started out with a pain in my leg.  The pain just seemed to get worse as the day progressed.  Then the discouragement begins.  I begin to question my motives to this journey.  What should I do now?  Should I just give up?  Should I bare the pain and work through the workouts?  Or should I just go get a whaterburger and forget the whole thing?  

Patience is the answer
Sometimes when we begin to make progress the hardest part is having to take 2 steps back.  In my situation that means rest for a couple of weeks with no physical activity.  I am not giving up.  A healthy diet was in order to help reduce those pounds that weigh down progress.  Above all practicing R.I.C.E will get me back on the in no time soon. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. 
Rest is the hardest part.  All the work put in to have to start over again.  In the end taking a couple weeks off isn't to bad after all.  Hopefully, during the time you can work on developing a training program that will keep you prepare and prevent workout injuries.
Ice will help alleviate any swelling and get you back to the road.  It is important to apply ice within the 1st two days of the injury.  Apply it ten to twenty minutes about 4 times a day for the first 2 days.
 Compression helps limit and reduce swelling, which slows down healing.  Use an ACE bandage to help wrap the swollen area. 
Elevating an injury will help reduce the swelling.  Best if the injured area is elevated above the heart.  Use a few pillows can help.

With a little bit of time off I hope to be back on the road.  I hope during this time I can drop about 5 to 10 more pounds by eating healthy.  Although this is going to be challenging with Turkey day and the holiday deserts just right around the corner.  Oh give me strength not to over do it.