On January 25, 2021 at 3:30pm I decided to go outside with my kiddos for a few minutes of fun before a conference call at 4pm.
I had homemade bread rising on the stove.
Soup in the pot for supper (that's "dinner" for the non-Mainers).
Little did I know that the Jet Sled I chose to grab for a quick slide down our large hill would meet a solid tree post in the ground 15 seconds after I left the top of the hill and would change everything...
Spoiler: Jet Sleds are created to NOT tip or roll over, are not easy to steer and go quite fast when there's little snow and a lot of ice... not my wisest mom moment ever. I ended up with a compression fracture in 2 places to my L1 vertebrae and a whole bunch of other physical injuries from the impact.
When the gym owner comes home from an ambulance ride to the ER, nearly unable to walk and with a fancy new back brace and walker... everything changes.
Sidenote: Blessings abound and this isn't a "poor me" post. Kids weren't in the sled with me; hubby was home to get me off the hill and call 911; not paralyzed; lots of strength training and overall healthy practices prevented me from having even greater injuries, and helped my body begin to heal and progress quickly; we have an amazing community at our gym and church who prayed and pitched in to help... and progress has been consistent... which is the actual focus of this post. But sometimes background info helps :).
Fast forward to 12 weeks after my accident to April 25, when I was able to start increasing workouts.
My mobility, strength, endurance, body weight, and overall fitness have drastically changed... my former PR's are 2-3x what I can do now. I know what I could previously do and what I was working towards in January... Now, every day is another form of "let's see what we can do and how it feels during and after..." I'm still under the care of a fab chiropractor who's helping with the remaining injuries and issues from my accident...
Starting over sucks. It is HARD. It's HUMBLING. It HURTS.
BUT... it's WORTH it.
and... I'm SO THANKFUL I CAN!
The human body is amazing - and the fact that I'm able to start over and to grow my health and fitness again - is a blessing.
So here's my encouragement & a few tips for YOU.
1: Be okay with starting over. We aren't in control of everything that happens to us, but we ARE in control of how we respond. Look forward for progress, not behind you to what has been lost.
2: Focus on the basics. Be active. Drink water. Eat protein. Eat fruits and veggies. Don't get lost in perfection. Just nail the basics.
3: Be consistent. Consistency in small things trumps short-lived perfection every single time. Just keep going.
4: Be patient. You're not getting to where you want to be with a 7, 21 or 30 day fix. Considering you need to eat and exercise for the rest of your life, be willing to wait for results that will last vs. getting there quickly but not maintaining results. If it sounds like a fad, it probably is and won't get you to where you want to BE long-term.
5: Look for non-scale victories. The pic above is my first "run." 1 1/2 miles broken up into 200m, 300m and 400m blocks. I've never run far or fast, but I love having the ability to run (okay. Jog. let's be honest). I was in tears the day of this pic because it was a reminder of "your body will heal and is healing. keep going. you can do this." I'm positive the new NoBull running shoes helped.
If you made it this far in the post, I hope the ramblings of a 40-something, slightly broken gray-haired gym owner help you make a choice to start over or to keep going, even when (and especially when) you're not where you once were. Embrace now. Start over - even though it sucks.
If you need encouragement or support - reach out or stop by Renovation CrossFit at 25 Cedar Street in Livermore Falls. We'll do a workout, share a cup of coffee and solve the problems of the world together.