Back in Action!

This morning I started the day with an early morning training session with my excellent personal trainer, Sheryl Blystone. After injuring my knee in fitness boot camp in mid July, I did no aerobic exercise for three weeks and got some chiropractic adjustments from Dr. Sharon Haver. She has a very effective way of adjusting that doesn't include jerking the body around (something that has always scared me.) I learned a lot from her about how every part of your body affects every other part, and why it is so important to maintain good posture at all times. She taught me that there is even a very specific way of getting into, and out of, a car, to maintain your spinal alignment.

Meanwhile, Sheryl and I worked around the knee to keep my muscle tone everywhere else. But it was a lonnnng three weeks. Finally, my knee recovered (yay!) without surgery, and I was ready to get back in the swing. Today, I was scheduled for fitness boot camp at 5:30 a.m., Sheryl at 8 a.m., then Muscle Fusion class tonight at 7 p.m. I decided to take it a bit slower than that, so I skipped the boot camp. I didn't want to overdo it and have a relapse. Those three weeks were tough for me. I couldn't even go dancing!

Fitness has been a regular part of my life ever since I was in law school. But I didn't realize how much I defined myself as someone who is fit and healthy until I was "laid off" for a few weeks. Boy, did that suck!

Nevertheless, it was a valuable experience for me. I learned, first-hand, how it feels to be limping around wincing in pain while everyone around me was breezing through life. After just a week of non-stop pain I found I was irritable, depressed, and out of sorts. I began to understand just how much courage and character it takes to be pleasant to others when you are hurting inside. I gained respect for people in this situation, and compassion for their plight.

There's an old saying that you can't understand someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. I did that when my knee was injured, and I was staring at the prospect of surgery, which would further delay my return to exercise for weeks or months. Although I can't say I enjoyed the experience, I am truly grateful for the chance to develop a greater understanding of people less fortunate than I.