I haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet Kavita Channe in person, but I’ve experienced her powerful vibes through social media and her sharp TV persona. She’s an exceptionally hard worker and positive energy spills from her vessel.
Her post is brave. Sharing personal stories with the world isn’t easy. By putting herself out there, she’s offering up her roadmap for others facing similar challenges.
Bravo, Kavita, and on behalf Kaplifestyle’s readers, thank you.
Find Kavita on Instagram and Twitter.
I am a girl that is constantly on the go. I drink my green cocktails, eat nutrient dense foods, and work out daily – all on top of constantly working. Whether it’s covering sports and entertainment, watching the same, or entertaining myself and those around me, I rarely sit still. Suddenly finding myself forcibly out of commission required every bit of resourcefulness I had in me.
Being from South Florida, it would be sacrilege if I weren’t a Miami Heat fan. Last month, as they took on the Pacers in game 5, I had a girlfriend over to my new house to watch the game. The outcome wasn’t quite what we were hoping for, but I still enjoyed the company. After the game, as I went to show my friend around the new place, I did something I do hundreds of times a day – stand up. This time, it didn’t work quite as planned. I had been cleaning my new wood floors so much that they were perfectly shiny…and slippery! I stepped down wrong on the floor; the next thing I know, I’m on my bum and my friend is laughing.
I’m the first one to laugh at myself, but the pain in my foot brought me to tears. I can be clumsy, but being an active girl, I rarely injure myself. I immediately knew something wasn’t right. This was officially doomsday. All I could think was “this can’t be me!” Well, it WAS! I have a new house, and I’m in the middle of launching my own sports-inspired bikini line. Oh, did I mention my new job with the Jacksonville Jaguars? I’ve dreamed of working an NFL sideline all my life. Now I finally get the opportunity, and I may not be 100% for my August start.
The next morning, I headed to the urgent care clinic to find out the damage. It was the worst case scenario. I fractured the 5th metatarsal in my foot. My dreams for this summer seemed to come to an end when they handed me the hard shoe and crutches. I’ve never broken a bone before, and now I have to trade in my cute boots for this?? I admit it, I cried. I felt like my life was over. This was summer, and I have places to go, people to see and shoots to host!
I felt sorry for myself for about half a day. By then, I was done with the pity party and was determined not to let a broken foot slow me down from chasing my dreams. I had access to wonderful medical care, but I also knew it was my responsibility to take things into my own hands. Luckily, I broke my left foot, so I was still able to drive. I didn’t let it stop me from attending the next night’s game 6, though I spent the evening crutching my way around the arena.
Let’s talk about those crutches. Really?? 1980 called and they want their crutches back. I knew there had to be a better way. So I did exactly what we’ve all done and hopped on Google to play detective. I found two options, a scooter type device from RentItToday.com, and a prosthetic/peg leg called the iWalk 2.0. Feeling more self-reliant was worth the few hundred bucks and definitely made me feel better about the situation I found myself in.
Watching the Heat become Eastern Conference Champs made me feel like a champ too. I was feeling feisty and was ready to put in the work. My orthopedist suggested that I would be in a hard boot for 6-8 weeks, with no guarantee that my foot would heal properly. He prescribed ibuprofen 800s and sent me on my way, with strict instructions not to put any weight on my foot. I did some of my own research and learned that several studies showed that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can actually slow the recovery and healing from bone fractures. As uncomfortable as the pain and swelling could be, I knew that it was a sign of increased blood flow to the area. I wanted to speed up the healing as quickly as I could, so I tossed the drugs and persevered through the pain.
My father specializes in holistic health. He is the reason why I am my own health detective today. He put me on a bone growth protocol made up of bone building vitamins and minerals. I also learned that the body needs extra calories and protein following injury. So while I don’t want to take in tons of extra calories, I am adding in a few extra scoops of protein throughout the day. To compensate, I am eating very clean. No more cheat days, only compete days. If you can’t get your normal workout in, the only way to stay svelte is by diet. Who knows…I may end up in better shape than before! I am also using a bone growth stimulator to speed healing. You do need a prescription for it, which my doctor provided.
These were the easy changes. At this point, I hadn’t worked up a sweat beyond using my crutches in several days. I was used to five workouts a week, so enforced rest wasn’t sitting well with me. I started out with an internet search for “broken foot workouts.” I found some pretty hilarious videos showing everything from interesting chair yoga to hand fueled cardio while sitting on a bed. I tried a few of them that had me simulating a bicycle ride and conducting an orchestra. They may not have been easy, but they certainly weren’t giving me the exertion I craved.
Back to that resourcefulness. I’ve been working out for a long time, and I’m no dummy. I just needed to get creative. I hit my mat, careful to not put any impact on my injured foot. I did a 30 minute workout mixing up abs, arms (with weights, not conducting an orchestra with my fake wand!), some leg workouts and butt blasters. I was sweating and feeling like a warrior princess!
While my foot continues to heal, I will be out interviewing people, studying the Jags roster and launching my business. Life goes on, with or without my feet, and I’m not going to allow one freak accident to stop me. Although my foot fracture story was not a sexy story by any means, all the knowledge I’ve gained throughout the healing process is a big win in my book!
As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Take that, slippery floor!
Kenny says
Awesome! …And inspiring!
Gabe Kapler says
Thank you, Kenny. Kavita is a hard worker, huh?
Kavita says
Thanks Kenny! Glad you enjoyed it.
devorama says
excellent self-pity/self-reliance ration. feeling sorry for one’s self half a day after a setback like this seems to be just enough time for gestation of the internal power to overcome it. i find it somewhat reminiscent of a high jumper’s planted crouch prior to exploding over the bar.
thanks for sharing the pain and the power kavita!
Gabe Kapler says
Thank you as always, Devo.
Kavita says
Enjoying your take on it, Devo. Thanks for the feedback/analysis!
Jason Glass says
Get better K. Thanks for mentioning http://www.rentittoday.com in the article !
Kavita says
Thanks for helping me get mobile, Jason! You guys rock!!!
Matthew Stephenson says
Hope you are well on your way to recovery, Kavita…glad the RentItToday.com team could help you find a home medical equipment rental resource! Thanks for the mention.
traci says
Hi Kavita, went through similar last year, broke fifth metatarsal unexpectedly and weirdly. I couldn’t even look at the xray you posted, since I never had the guts to look at my own. I escaped surgery by a hair. Your post explained why I lost weight while I was on crutches…despite feasting on milkshakes almost every day. I couldn’t get enough milkshakes, yet I lost about 20 pounds over 5 weeks. I was on old school crutches, therefore was deadlifting most of my body weight every time I took a step. So much for my fears about turning into a whale when the doc put the cast on me. An MD friend of mine also lost weight after foot surgery, and she had none to spare. She said the body uses more calories when walking with the orthotic boot. Hopefully not many out there reading find themselves in similar foot injury situation. But if there’s a silver lining to the cloud, you could come out of it trimmer and in better shape, oddly enough. thanks for sharing your story.
Kavita Channe says
Traci… isn’t that such a phenomenon?!? Most of us assume we would gain weight due to altering our workouts or the inability to exercise. Our bodies are so intelligent …it’s amazing!!!
Thank you for sharing, girlfriend. Glad you got through it ok!!!
Josh says
Nothing will stop you!
Kavita Channe says
Josh,
Have to keep it moving… and things cld always be far worse, right?
Thank YOU for your kind words. They inspire me to be better!!!