Tips for Leaders to Prevent Injuries

Imbalances in your musculoskeletal system such as injuries can be related to your brain and mental health. You may not realize the role inflammation plays in your body and how it can spread when an injury occurs. Once inflammation reaches your nervous system it is known as neuro-inflammation and is a major risk factor for depression, anxiety, and can cause an inability to cope with stress.

As your injury heals, your mental health can start to slide and you could be left feeling anxious, depressed, and fatigued. Luckily, there are steps you can take to help keep your body and brain healthy to prevent injuries that can sideline your professional career. 

Eating breakfast within one hour of waking is going to help your body and prevent your blood sugar from dipping into the hangry territory. By eating first thing in the morning you will help keep your energy and mood nice and steady. This means you will be able to concentrate and perform better in the first part of your day. 

Once you’ve trained yourself to eat breakfast, shift your focus to making sure you choose real whole foods as often as you can. Always have a carb with healthy fat and/or protein that keeps your blood sugar in a healthy range. Think oatmeal, quinoa, sprouted grain bread, eggs, or even sweet potato pancakes.

Your body and brain need fat. You can calm inflammation with omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which can reduce stress on both your body and brain after an injury. If you want to be proactive, consider keeping your baseline inflammation as low as possible to prevent another injury by regularly ingesting these fats. 

EPA and DHA are found in fish like wild salmon, halibut, trout, and black cod. If you are allergic to fish or do not enjoy it, you can get EPA and DHA from algae or choose to get the ‘parent’ omega-3 fat ALA instead. This can be found in walnuts, hemp, chia, flax, and pumpkin seeds. Supplement this with a good-quality fish oil or algae oil to keep your brain power up and your inflammation down. 

Protein is needed to repair and build new muscle and it is key for immunity and brain health. It can be difficult to find a good quality protein powder and there is a lot of confusion these days about collagen and whether or not it can replace a protein powder. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body. It improves recovery from exercise, enhances the bone mineral density and helps build new muscle. It is really great for overall health. Unfortunately, it declines with age, increasing our susceptibility to injury. Collagen isn’t a complete protein: it is low in leucine and tryptophan so it is important to find a sustainably sourced collagen to work in conjunction with your high-quality protein powder. Your protein should be plant-based, clean-burning, fermented and sprouted, and offer 20g of protein per serving. 

If your brain is highly stressed and boy inflamed, you will be more susceptible to injury. Science tells us that our microbiome can help regulate stress by activating the HPA axis and its release of chemicals. 

If you have friendly gut bugs, you will see an increased role in the maturation, morphology, and function of microglia (those special brain cells that aren’t neurons but rather their helpers), which control neuro-inflammation.

With lots of probiotic-rich foods and prebiotic, you can grow a thriving gut. Throw in a good-quality probiotic supplement and you will be set up for success.

Start incorporating these tips into your life and you’ll begin to take back some control over injury prevention. This will ensure you are working at your best at work, in life, and for the long term.