Positive steps forward

Moving into my 5th week of rehab everything has been progressing nicely. Each week I have a breakdown of targets and milestones of where I should be at in terms of my recovery and fitness and each week I have been achieving these. It is important to have this breakdown as it makes you realise how much you are actually progressing and you also get a great sense of satisfaction every time you achieve one of these small goals.

This week has seemed like I have made some big steps in my recovery. At the start of the week I was aware that we would start doing some very early stage rehab out of the air cast boot that I have been wearing for the last couple of weeks, I was extremely tentative on Monday when Phil Hayward asked me to bring both of my trainers into the gym as he had a Glute activation session planned for me.
Glute activation in basic terms is different exercises to help recruit the gluteal muscles (bum muscles) which will help your hamstrings, lower back and other muscle groups not to become overloaded. I was doing these various exercises with a resistance band placed around my ankles, some exercises where my feet were planted and others which involved me walking. As I said, on Monday I was very tentative about where I could put my left foot down, very cautious about where my foot placement was and very cautious that I didn't want to transfer too much weight to the outside of my foot where my injury was. However by Friday and after 5 consecutive days of these different drills I was doing them as if there was never a problem and if I was fully fit. This felt to me as huge progress!

When you get injured it seems impossible that you will ever move with the same freedom that you previously had, but as the weeks go by, you keep breaking down each barrier that you had put up in front of yourself as you edge closer to full fitness. I still get a bit envious when I see someone just jump up out of a chair quickly without worrying where they put their foot, or when someone just wriggles their foot into an already tied shoe as I'm watching squeamishly at the pain that would cause me. Every single week though, I am amazed at how much more I can do compared with the previous one and I'm sure next week when I'm back to full weight bearing and out of the air cast boot completely, I will then find it hard to believe the discomfort and awkwardness I had felt when I first put a trainer on my left foot at the start of the week.

This week I have also been allowed to start swimming. I have mentioned in the last few blogs that I have been looking forward to this and it hasn't disappointed. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have headed straight to Nuffield Health club in Wolverhampton. I have been getting there for around 8am and using their outdoor pool to do about 30 minutes of swimming. They have amazing facilities and I love the idea of swimming outside in the fresh air, although it is a bit nippy when you first step out of the doors in just your shorts! After I have finished I feel so mentally refreshed, it really sets me up for the rest of the day and I'm raring to head over to the training ground afterwards to start my gym sessions and rehab.

Kicca the Kangaroo
and Lenny the Lion
with the FA Cup

Imagining I was at Wembley

There has been a huge hype in my native Shrewsbury over the last couple of weeks about the F.A Cup 5th round tie with the footballing giants Manchester United. It was a great draw for the whole town and the first ever competitive game between the two teams. As F.A Cup fever hit Shrewsbury we were very lucky that the trophy got to visit our indoor soft play centre Little Rascals. Armed with security guards, children managed to get their pictures taken with the iconic cup and I even managed to get a hold. It wasn't quite Wembley steps but I still loved it and it has left me dreaming!

An excited Edwards family

I managed to go to the game with my boy Jack, brother Chris and nephew Tom. We were all very excited and the atmosphere was brilliant. Unfortunately for Town, it didn't turn out as they would of hoped and Manchester United were very impressive as they cruised to a 3-0 win. It is a magnificent achievement though for Shrewsbury to get so far in the competition and hopefully it will spur them on to push up the table.








After a few difficult games and results for us at Wolves, I was so delighted to watch us get back to winning ways against Derby. I thought the whole club united in the face of adversity to win that game. From the performance on the pitch from the lads, the work the staff have put in and of course the passionate support from the fans. I think huge credit should go to the fans as it was an afternoon where emotions were high and the fans really got behind the lads and spurred them on to a huge result. Well done Wolves fans!

Thanks for reading as always!

Eddo

Nutrition and the Etihad

In one of my favourite books Psycho-Cybernetics, scientist Maxwell Maltz claims that it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit. Moving into week 4 of my recovery I have found this to be somewhat true, especially with my food! As I have said in my previous blogs, I have been very disciplined with what I am fuelling my body with, as I know nutrition plays a vital part in all aspects of recovery. 
However, I have had a lot of cravings and it has been very tough. I have taken all refined sugars out of my diet (except for half a teaspoon with a cup of tea) and after lots of research I knew a sugar crash would come, a sugar crash is that moment when your mind feels fuzzy, you have a headache, you feel lethargic and you are desperate for a Mars bar! Anyway, this week I feel that all of them cravings have gone and I am no longer looking in the back of our kitchen cupboards hoping to find an old Twix bar.

Ben Coomber's Bodytype Nutrition

Emptying our cupboards of anything that we don’t consider to have a nutritional benefit has been key to staying on track. If it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it! I have been so lucky that my wife Emma has been able to help me, Emma is a Personal Trainer and she is fascinated with nutrition. She has been studying a course developed by Ben Coomber called Body Type Nutrition. Ben Coomber is a bit of a nutritional guru, if anyone reading this is interested in nutrition you have to listen to his podcasts, they are brilliant and so informative. He understands that not everyone is an expert and explains the concepts very simply to make it easy to understand. I follow him on Twitter and Instagram and he always puts good stuff on there too. 

With the help of Emma and her ever increasing knowledge we have put together meal plans for the week so we know exactly what we are eating every day, this has definitely helped as I think its when you are not prepared, this is when you are most likely to grab something quick and on the run which might not be great for you. I identified certain foods that will optimize my recovery and without going into too much detail of their benefits, I knew my diet had to be full of leafy greens like kale and spinach, good quality protein like eggs, fish and lean meats, good fats like nuts, seeds and avocados, good quality fruit (especially berries) and vegetables, try to only drink water or green tea (I’ll always have a normal brew though twice a day!) and reduce refined sugars as much as possible. To give you an idea of what and how I eat here is a typical day;

Breakfast

Omelette with Ham, Onions and Mushrooms

Lunch

Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach and Lettuce

Tea

Chicken and loads of Vegetables

Snacks

On the way to Wolverhampton I’ll take a smoothie in the car that contains

Kale, Broccoli, Avocado, Ginger, Celery, Pineapple, Banana and Flax seeds.

Homemade 'Paleola' 

Vegan Protein Shake

After my weights or CV session I will have a Vegan Protein Shake.

When I get home I will a have some of our homemade ‘Paleola’ this looks like Granola but contains Almonds, Coconut oil, Nuts and seeds and some local honey.

In the evening I will have a bowl of Greek Yoghurt with Blueberries, Strawberries and Raspberries.

It might seem boring to some people but there is a lot of food there and it has made a huge difference. My body fats have come down and my muscle mass has gone up and I am convinced it improving my healing!

My week has been quite similar to the previous in terms of treatments, exercise and schedule but I am getting a lot more comfortable putting weight through my foot even though it is with the big aircast boot on. I can get rid of the crutches on Monday and then I will have 2 final weeks in the aircast boot until I can put some normal footwear back on and be full weight bearing.

I’m looking forward to Monday as I can start incorporating swimming and bike sessions into my fitness work. It will be nice to start exercising with my legs again and take some emphasis away from all the upper body work I have been doing. I’m especially looking forward to getting in the pool. Swimming is something I have always enjoyed and it will give me the opportunity to do some sessions away from the training ground and from a mental point of view it will be good to get a change of scenery.

Away from Wolves and myself, my little boy Jack is football mad and he has been desperate for me to take him to a Premier league game. I had tickets for Everton vs Swansea at Goodison Park but unfortunately this was the day after I got injured against QPR so I wasn’t able to take him. He was gutted, he had wrote out the teams and had been revising all of their names so he knew who exactly he was going to be watching. I promised him as soon as my foot was a bit better I would take him to a game. 

I managed to get me and him tickets to watch Man City vs Spurs at the Etihad on Sunday, he had been so excited all week leading up to the game and we had a magical day together. It’s usually Jack watching me play so I really loved taking him to a big game as father and son. 

From the moment we got there and we watched the teams arrive on the bus to the moment he passed out in the car on the way home he had the biggest smile on his face! We met Joe Hart after the game and even though Jack has met him before this was the first time he has seen him knowing exactly what a famous player he is! 

Joe was kind enough to give Jack his match shirt and sign it for him, he also signed a little team sheet that Jack had made, Jack was so grateful. Joe even took him down to the dressing rooms and onto the pitch for a picture, he was such a lucky little boy! When he got back in the car I turned to him and he said, “Daddy, this has been the best day I have ever had!” I had such a lovely day watching him enjoy himself, unfortunately Man City didn’t win but that didn’t take the smile off his face. After meeting Joe I did say to Jack “Did you know that daddy once scored past Joe when Wolves beat Man City?” he looked at me like I was mad!

Thanks again for reading!

Eddo

Discipline, Euros and Progress

Throughout my football career so far I have always thought I have been a very good professional. When I was younger I would have the odd night out with my friends, lads holidays, takeaways and other little things but I always knew I had sacrificed a lot to make my dream become a reality. Along with a really good work ethic and a bit of luck I have seen myself play at levels I could only ever dream of.

However, since my operation 20 days ago, my dedication and discipline to every aspect of my life has gone onto another level. If I had of lived my last 13 years as I have lived my last 3 weeks then I know I would have been a better player, but unfortunately I also know I wouldn't have had the mindset or knowledge at 18 to say no to a Domino's once a week, a no to my favourite local chippy, or a no to a few pints with my mates.

That said, I am now 30 years old, fighting hard to be back playing for Wolves by the end of the season but also fighting hard to make a football dream come true by having the possibility of being selected for Wales for Euro 2016. All the sacrifices I am making now will be worth it 100 times over if I am fit and back playing by the end of the season. But, if I didn't do everything in my capabilities to come back fit and strong and consequently then didn't play for Wolves again this season and didn't get selected for the Welsh squad due to that then I know I would never be able to forgive myself. So every morning the first thing I see when I walk downstairs and into the kitchen is a chalk board on the wall saying "Live a life of DISCIPLINE or you will live a life of REGRET! Its a saying which I have always liked but it has never seemed truer!

I will do everything in my power to be fit and playing well before the summer. I have always been very proud to represent my country, always loved being away with the squad and always given 100%. 

During my early international years, we never really threatened to qualify, a few bad results early on in campaigns meant we were always playing catch up and by the end of the campaign our main priority would be to just try and improve our position hoping for a better seeding in the following campaign. Over the last few years though Welsh football has risen to phenomenal heights, it feels like the last 10 years or so has been all about gaining experience and confidence for this group of players, back room staff and loyal supporters to all come together and create history. We have some world class players in Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Ashley Williams but also have a squad full of premier league players. It is a dream for me to have been part of this campaign and played so many minutes. The atmosphere within the camp is always amazing, there is a passion which I have never seen to this extent of players and staff doing everything within their power to not let anyone down. So whether or not I make that squad to France, Welsh fans should know that you are watching a special group of players wearing the dragon proudly on their shirts.

Bringing myself back to the present, I have had a really good week at the training ground. My progress has been good and I feel I have made huge strides this week. My foot is now in an air cast boot, this means I can start putting some weight through the foot. Although my gym sessions haven't eased up this week, not having to rely on the crutches so much means my arms haven't been as constantly tired. 

I also had my stitches out and the wounds are looking very good. I'm hoping that in another week they will be healed fully so I will be able to get into the pool and do some swimming. It will be nice to to have a change of scenery from the gym! The gym at the training ground is amazing, but after spending so much of your day in there it does get a bit repetitive. Even more so when the sun comes out. The gym overlooks the 1st team training pitch and sometimes it's inspiring to see the lads out there training but other times it can make you feel quite down.

The sun was out on Thursday and the lads were buzzing around the training pitches. Inside, Nouha Dicko, Razak Boukari and myself were doing an arm bike/ rowing/ core circuit in the gym, trust me this isn't as exciting as playing football outside in the sun! I have only been injured for 3 weeks but Nouha and Razak are recovering from bad knee injuries and have been in that gym for 5 months. In between sets of our circuit I sat down for a drink and I caught Nouha looking out of the window. I had to take a picture of him because it just symbolised to me how mentally tough it is being injured. You could see Nouha dreaming almost reaching out to just be fully fit and back out there playing again. All the injured boys work hard, but seeing how much effort Nouha and Razak put into each and every session, day after day inspires me to never give less than 100%. I can't wait to see them back playing, Nouha has been great for Wolves, and it will be a travesty if Wolves fans didn't get to see how talented and what a tremendous footballer Razak is! 

Dicko dreaming in between sets of our circuit.

I am already looking forward to Monday to get started on another week of progress. I'm 25% of the way there already! Thanks for all your kind messages and please, if there is anything you would like me to talk more in depth about let me know.

Thanks for reading again!

Eddo

Work Time!

After a first week of mainly rest, recovery and a bit of boredom, I was looking forward to Monday morning. The repetition of icing, elevating my leg and using the exogen machine had become a little bit mundane, so the thought of being back at the training ground and back amongst all the lads and staff was exciting! Little did I know I would be struggling to manoeuvre my crutches out of the training ground on Friday due to the pounding my arms and upper body had taken during the week! All football clubs can differ, but here at Wolves when you are injured, be prepared for hard work.

The day of an injured player can vary depending on what stage of recovery you are at. For my injury, a 'medium term injury' it is important to keep fitness levels high and body fats down. When the time comes that you have recovered from your injury you will then go through a conditioning period with the fitness coaches before going back into training. If you have maintained fitness levels during the injury and your body is in good shape then this conditioning stage can be significantly reduced. My goal is to be back and playing as many games as I can before the end of the season, so any time I can shave off my anticipated return will help me even if it is just a few days.

Aside from the fitness work, the key things for me this week were to:

• Restore ankle range and movement
• Reduce inflammation
• Maintain muscle bulk in key muscle groups
• Maintain core stability
• Maintain upper body power
• Maintain CV fitness

Core Stability

The first part of the day is spent in the treatment room, Phil Hayward (Head of Medical) assesses me every morning. Phil then starts my mobilisations to try and restore some movement in my ankle and my foot. I then get my soft tissue work done off Matt Wignall who is our first team sports therapist. He will work to move any swelling away from the foot. He will also do some release work on any overloaded muscle tissue to keep me in as good nick as possible. By mid morning I am then working on reducing inflammation with ice and compression. I will then do specific early stage rehab in the gym and also work on my lower leg muscles to maintain the muscle bulk whilst I am not training. Before dinner I will also fit in one of Phil Haywards killer core sessions! These look so easy to do, but when done properly they are really tough work. I do dread the core sessions because I know I will be pain for the majority of it, good pain though.

After dinner and after the food has settled in my stomach its gym time. I do really like going in the gym knowing I am going to work hard and come out feeling a lot better. Because of me still being non-weight bearing on my injured foot, everything has been upper body to avoid doing anything that might aggravate the healing. I have had 3 upper body weight sessions this week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday.) These sessions have been tough as Tony Daley our fitness coach has set up the session in a circuit style. After an 8 station circuit where I do 8 repetitions on each exercise, I get a one minute rest and then repeat 4 times. By the 4th set it is pretty gruelling! Especially when you are moving between stations on crutches with your arms already pumping.

Arms  only rowing

I also did 2 high intensity interval training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. Rich Kirby one our first team strength and conditioning coaches took these sessions and it is great because he really gets the most out of you. On Tuesday I did my session with Niall Ennis one of our young starlets. We did a 6 station circuit which included 3 consecutive one minute arm exercises followed by 3 consecutive one minute core exercises. It was a mind over matter circuit where your mind was desperate to give up but you just have to keep going. I think poor Niall wanted to drop a few times but fair play to him, he grinded it out. I don't think he wanted a first team lad to see him give up. On Thursday I did my session with Mike Williamson, it was 2 old timers grinding out an old school session knowing one didn't want to be out done by the other! Rich also took me and Mike for another slower state CV session on Friday which involved the rowing machine and arm bike. It was good to get an extra session in knowing I had the weekend off.

The Arm Bike

All this gym work has been very tough and I am definitely feeling the effects of it this weekend. But it is nice to do the physical work when you are not out on the training pitches. To get the most out of each session I put my earphones in, put YouTube on my phone and play some motivational stuff! I find this really helps me, its like have a Personal Trainer in your ear not allowing you to give up and push yourself to the limit. My favourite videos this week have been from a YouTube channel called CJ Chan, these videos really make me determined to work hard, they are short 5 minute or so videos with motivational speeches and music playing. I was first attracted the CJ Chan videos because of the Wolves reference, one video is called 'The Wanderer' then there is another video which is my favourite called 'The Wolfs' this will make you give every ounce of energy you have! I also love listening to Les Brown who is a motivational speaker and Eric Thomas, an ex NFL star who is a great motivator also. Any suggestions on some good videos will be greatly appreciated as I am going to be spending a lot of time the gym!

Mentally, this week has been a range of emotions. Firstly, I am delighted with the progress that I am making. Although I am still non weight bearing, I have had no pain in my foot at all. This makes me feel very positive about how the bone is healing and my progression. There is nothing worse than waking up with pain every day, it puts you in a negative mindset straight away. I had this when I was out with a back injury for the best part of 8 months in 2011. I would wake up every morning in pain after a restless sleep, I would struggle to play with Jack whilst he was a baby or carry him and it became very debilitating. Whereas now apart from the awkwardness of being on crutches, I am totally fine, I sleep well, I'm on no pain medication and I can crawl around and play with my children. These positives make a massive difference.

The only time I have really felt down this week was firstly on Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon when I was sat at home watching the football scores come in. I know there is nothing I can physically do about not playing at the moment but not being involved with the lads in the build up to a game and then during the 90 minutes still hurts me. I love playing football, and I know there will never be anything that I do in my life after football that will be able to replicate the same buzz you get when playing in front of a stadium full of passionate fans. The combination of nerves, excitement and a burning desire to win a game of football is something special and not having that in the upcoming weeks is going to be tough!

Away from football, I celebrated turning the big 3-0 on Wednesday. I always thought 30 sounded kind of old as Im sure many others did in their school and teenage years.  In football terms 30 is the stage of your career where you never really want to get to as it almost seems the clock is ticking down on your playing career. I am embracing it though and still feel very young both in my mind and my legs, I will just have to see how long that lasts. I was delighted to see Mike Williamson sign for us last week, not only for his defensive prowess but it also means I am not the only Wolves player in their 30's! I did have a lovely birthday though, Jack and Evie were more excited than me which made it extra special! After I got back from the training ground I had a lovely afternoon with them, they made me a lovely card each and decorated a cake for me as well. These are the special things in life and it makes the day mean so much more. Because I have been making sure I eat and drink the right things I decided to wait to Friday night to celebrate and finally give myself my first treat since the injury. Me and another 14 of my family went to celebrate at our favourite place 'The Smoke Stop' which is in Ford just outside Shrewsbury for a beautiful meal. Its great for kids and if you like some good old American styled BBQ food you have to go!

Anyone who knows me will know I am not the most practical when it comes to fixing things around the house. My wife did once ask me to change a light bulb in Evie's room and I thought I'd done a pretty stellar job until she went to turn the light switch on and the bulb fell out (true story!) So turning 30 I think my family thought it was time I owned my first set of tools. My wife got me a big tool box and other family members got me various tools to fill it with it! I am now officially DIY Dave in our household.

Thanks for reading this weeks blog, hope you have enjoyed it. Also thank everyone so much for all the kind comments regarding my very first blog last week!

Eddo