Today I want to share with you my thoughts on the effort it takes to recover. Don't get me wrong I definitively do not mean to preach as I have just finished a workout I really did not feel like doing. But the reality is that we have to do the best we can to aid recovery or we can only get to a certain point and go no further or at worst have other problems arise.
It is humbling to be told that my attitude was inspiring. Attitude is something no matter how bad things are we can control and it makes all the difference in the world especially in those dark moments when it hurts so badly you want to scream. For me every time I was in pain or feeling sorry for myself I thought of those less fortunate and gave thanks that my situation was not worse. Yes good attitude takes effort, I really don't know why it is easier to feel sorry for ourselves and yes I fell into that trap many times. But the great thing about attitude is it can be changed immediately - trust me I know.
Maintaining good attitude is important as you make improvement as that is when set backs need to be managed. Then there is the final long pull which is where I am today. It is when the pain is manageable and improvements seem imperceptible. To keep focused I set goals every day such as, twist a little further, hold for 10 more seconds or ride harder for 1 more minute. I also set longer term goals visualizing my health and focusing a goal big enough to be challenging but also realistic to achieve.
That brings me to exercising. I know it sucks and yes PT could stand for Physical Torture using benign movements and innocent looking foam rolls. Yup, it is all about attitude. Personally I could not wait to start PT because I knew that was the point I could start to take control of my own journey. Again I have no idea why when the human body needs exercise the mind makes it is easier to do nothing. You would think the body would tell the mind, hey bum get some exercise in, but oh no that would be too easy.
I try to do my exercises every day both floor exercises and riding the bike. It is not always easy especially now that the nights are dark and all I feel like doing is curling up on the sofa and watching TV. For those of you interested my current exercise program consists of approx. 40 minutes of floor exercises including Foundation Training exercises, 5lb weight exercises and foam roll exercises and then I transition to the indoor trainer for a 30 minute ride during which I challenge my cardio. The key is to get into a pattern of doing the exercises but not to beat yourself up if you miss the odd day, that is as long as the odd bit does not become the exercises.
I also cannot underplay the importance of diet. You are what you eat and what you eat can help you to heal. I will leave that topic for another day as Sarah has pointed out how long it takes me to write a post lol :)
Maxlifeout every day ....
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