I feel like I owe you all an apology for not posting an article in so long. I’m not too proud to admit I’ve been battling depression over some health issues I’m dealing with. The irony is that I’ve always prided myself in the fact that I’m proactive about my health, but ignoring my body is precisely what landed me in the predicament I’m in.
First, I’ll explain how I allowed that to happen. When my husband and I started the primal blueprint lifestyle, I was amazed at how well and how quickly my body adapted to this new way of life. I had never felt better and although quick, intense workouts are part of the plan- well, I decided to postpone that aspect of it for a later date. I was finding myself and exploring new territory.
For me, working out was old news and I had convinced myself I really didn’t need it. I started to see it as a burden and since I had fixed my forearm tendonitis with a proper diet ( no grains), I assumed the key to it all was what I ate. Don’t get me wrong, diet is critical to overall health, but exercise is it’s trusty sidekick.
So, for a year and a half I barely worked out at all. When my knees and shoulder started to bother me I assumed my healthy menu would save the day. The old me would have dealt with any abnormal discomfort immediately because God forbid, it should interfere with my workouts!
This denial would continue for about six months. Then I proudly took to Facebook to proclaim that for my upcoming 40th birthday in October, I would don a bikini. It would be a testament that almost any woman could get better with age. It would show all the young girls what they could achieve by continuing to take care of themselves (ahem!) I was to be a beacon of hope for those who knew for certain that we “fall apart” at forty.
I had purchased my Brazilian Butt Lift video and told the world ( 200 facebook friends), of my intentions to rock a bikini in five months. This gave me plenty of time to get into the best shape of my life- I was ready to bring fitness back into the mix, but it seems my body had other plans…
Since I have a physical job, I’d had the luxury of maintaining some muscle without any extra effort. All that repetitive movement year after year however, had finally taken it’s toll. I believed (foolishly), that a few trips to the chiropractor would fix me and I could resume/start my booty training. That was three months ago.
As it turns out, the rotator cuff tendonitis I’ve dealt with on and off for twenty years has now progressed to tendonosis. This means that I’m dealing with degeneration of the collagen in my shoulder- not just inflammation, which is usually fixed in about a month. Tendonosis can last forever if you don’t deal with it. Two months ago, I also aquired plantar faciitis, which is stubborn to get rid of as well. I got this ailment by working out in my basement with no shoes on. I had worn orthotics for years and had weaned myself off of them to try and strengthen the muscles in my feet. Weeks went by and since I had no problems without the orthotics, I decided to up the ante. If no orthotics was good for my feet, then surely working out with no shoes was the way to go. All it took was one session of jumping up and down on my basement floor and voila! Plantar faciitis.
I could barely use my shoulder and I was limping- maybe you do fall apart around 40! Seriously though, I’m no victim. My body was giving me signs that I chose to ignore. I believe our bodies communicate with us all the time. At first, it’s a nudge, then a flick and if you still don’t get it, a bitch slap ensues.
I’ve been aggressive about my treatments: getting acupuncture, massages, cupping, adjustments, physical therapy, laser therapy and wearing a strassburg sock when I sleep. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that my body will heal, it’s just going to take time. I’ve gone on an intermittent LOA from work to allow my body to rest and repair the damage I incurred.
I have good days and bad days. The hardest part is that with these injuries it’s not a linear progression. You don’t just feel better and better with each passing day. You might feel good one day and crappy the next. It’s like a roller coaster ride of symptoms and emotions.
When all is said and done however, I’m grateful. Grateful that my injuries are not terminal, grateful that I will make a full recovery and grateful knowing I’ll never take my physical well-being for granted ever again. The bikini picture won’t likely happen when I planned, but when it does I will prove that forty is everything I knew it could be!