Nothing owns me

There I was on the stationary bike, butt throbbing thinking, "Why do they have to make these seats so narrow and hard?" I was only about two minutes into the ride and my mind started racing with reasons to get off. The biggest reason: My butt hurt. Yet all the scenarios I came up with in my head -- there was not one valid reason to get off the bike. Getting off the first time makes it so much easier to get off the next time. And so I stayed. I gently moved my tush around for a small amount of relief and kept pedaling...10, 15, 20 minutes into the ride and with every interval I was inching closer to my goal.

Throughout this journey, there have been plenty of instances when an exercise or an exercise class has been challenging for me. I've found myself in some pretty compromising positions in exercise classes and just out doing my own thing in the gym, but I never let that come between me and my goal.  There I was in boot camp -- probably in retrospect, I was way too out of shape to really be there. Anyway,  I was out of breath, the whole room spinning. I had to walk away. Regroup. I went to the locker room, cried and went back in class for the second half. Sure, it's one thing to walk away from something if it's challenging but to completely give up and quit is just not an option for me. Like Vince Lombardi, said: "Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit." 

I'm pleased to say last week after just a week I was able to ride for an hour. So now that I can go the distance - it's the mental thing. Coach now has moved me into intervals - the more intensity the more calories you burn. So today, I done 25 minutes with 10 burst of speed for 30 seconds with an incline of 7.  Since, I'm still rehabbing my leg. Coach feels the bike is the best bang for my buck. He doesn't want me jumping, jogging just yet too risky - don't want to re-injure. So for now I'm just riding hard. Nothing owns me.

Do What You Can

Wow. I was on an emotional roller coaster yesterday. I guess, I'm human after all.   Today is a NEW day and my mind is FOCUSED. I realize that recovery and rehab will take as long as it takes and there will be pain, discomfort, and mixed emotions along the way. Like I told a Facebook friend who recently broke a bone in her foot, “A shining spirit will aid your healing I promise you."


I can only control so much and my spirit is high up on the list. Like my friend, Stephen tells me, "Do what you can." During this trying time, I have to remember to concentrate on what I can do and not what I can’t do. 

• I can walk with crutches
• I can perform a number of upper body exercises
• I can ride the recumbent and stationary bike
• I can row on the row machine
• I can do Zumba in a chair
• I can do Water Aerobics
• I can dial in on my nutrition
• I can blog
• I can smile and let my spirit shine

My broken leg has healed.  Now it’s time to up the ante and rehab, rehab, rehab. I can. I will. 

Recovery journal

Day 71: Rejoice! All praise to the MAN above. As of today, I'm braceless. Yup, threw it in the garbage at doc's office. Doc says break/ bone is healed and I can bear some weight on my left leg. I'll be able to ditch the crutches in 12 days - eight weeks to the day. Doc says my hardware and scar look good and he feels that I'm right on track with recovery. Heavy sigh of relief. PT: Quads are firing and I was able to get full ROM on stationary bike -- it was AWESOME. I feel like a miracle child. The body is an AMAZING machine. It's a slow process, but I'm healing. It won't be long...