“THE SECOND ACT OF YOUR LIFE”
by Contributor
(Feb. 25, 2020) — Leaving the military due to an injury can be devastating for many. Learning to adjust to a life outside of the military with an injury might seem like a huge hurdle to jump, but there are ways for you to stay healthy regardless of what injuries and impairments you have suffered. No matter what you’ve seen or what has happened to you in the past, there are ways to move forward and be healthier than you’ve ever been before. In both a physical and mental capacity, you still have every opportunity to become the best possible version of yourself.
To find two ways you can stay healthy as an injured military veteran, be sure to read on.
Play an adaptive sport
Rest assured, you can stay healthy during the second act of your life no matter what shape you left the military in. Even if you now suffer with a physical disability, you will always have a number of options available to you when it comes to working out and staying fit.
Adaptive sports are one such option that you have available to you in this instance. As their name suggests, these activities are sports that have been adapted to accommodate people with certain physical disabilities. Should you take up such an activity, you will be able to enjoy the thrill of the sports that you love without having to worry about your abilities being limited.
Some of the adaptive sports that you can start playing include:
- Power soccer
- Sled hockey
- Wheelchair racing
- Goalball
- Hand cycling
- Boccia
No matter what adaptive sport you decide to take up, you should seek to finance this new venture of yours by claiming for whatever veteran disability benefits you are rightfully owed. To ensure that you are afforded the opportunity to claim for the funding that you deserve as an ex-service member, be sure to align yourself with CAV, a consulting firm that specializes in service connected disability. They will make the claiming process as stress-free and as seamless as it can possibly be, which will ultimately leave you more time to enjoy your adaptive sport of choice.
Take up a low-impact exercise
Does your injury stop you from undertaking strenuous amounts of exercise? If so, fear not, as there are plenty of low-impact exercises that you can take up. Here are just a few of them:
- Walking (Nordic style, if you’re feeling up to it)
- Dancing
- Cycling
- Swimming and aqua aerobics
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Pilates
Should you decide to embrace a low-impact exercise, you will be able to work on your cardiovascular fitness without having to worry about aggravating your injury. This does not, however, mean that you cannot afford to warm up and stretch before you work out!
Regardless of how you decide to stay healthy in your life as an ex-service member, you need to ensure that you take it seriously. Whether you left the military on your own accord or not, the second act of your life that you are now embarking on can be just as fruitful as the first. You just have to take it seriously and give your all to it.