"Listening" Pays Off

Persevere (verb) - to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.

Yesterday morning I woke up bright and early and was able to see another glorious Colorado sunrise. It's mornings like those that make me realize how blessed I am and how every morning is another chance to shine.  How we should never take the little things for granted...how there is such peace in an early morning when most of the world is still sleeping.  It's a time for reflection, a time to plan for the day ahead, and a chance to be thankful for the day that has past.

After a lot of travel over the past 6 weeks and being completely out of my workout regimen, I was a little nervous to go to the PT yesterday and hear what he had to say about my hamstring and my road to recovery.  I had followed his guidance and had cut way back on running, had been working on my strength training and stretching as often as I remembered.  Like everyone, I have goals...some I have vocalized and some I have not.  Playing soccer this fall, running the stairs at red rocks...those are goals for sure, but ones that give me a little bit more time to heal.  The Manitou Springs Incline closes this weekend for the remainder of the year as they do some much needed trail maintenance.  For those that have been reading from the beginning, you know my obsession with this thing and also how I haven't been able to do it in months because of my leg.  Secretly, all I wanted was a green light to attempt the incline one more time this calendar year.  And this brings me to yesterday's appointment...

First off Marty Levine, my physical therapist at Push Fitness (http://www.pushfitnesscolorado.com) is so amazing!  Not only is he super easy to talk to, but he explains everything that's going on with my body.  Because of my background he gives me a very scientific explanation as to what's happening and why and what I need to do to try and fix everything.  He always makes sure I fully understand what he's said and then walks me through the next set of exercises I'm allowed to put back into my workout routine.  Yesterday was no different.  After explaining to me that my medial hamstring on my left side is still weak, we went through several exercises to help strengthen that as well as work on my glute strength.  Because your glutes act as both a stabilizing muscle and a source of power/strength...working on them has been a key component in my recovery.  After some work on the PT table, we then found ourselves on the gym floor working on a few new things.

After our session was over, Marty asked me if I had any questions.  After I hesitated for a minute, he knew something was up and I was deciding whether to ask or not...so I bit the bullet knowing that he could possibly say no and then I would be disappointed.  Me:  "What do you think about me doing the incline?"  Marty:  "When are we talking?"  Me:  "This week."  Marty:  Silence.  After a bit of a sly little smile on my part, he knew that this was something I really wanted to do and knew that the trail was closing, so....he agreed, but not before he gave me some tips on how to do it and not lose everything I've worked on for the past 6 weeks.

So...with that being said, the incline it is this week!!  Marty couldn't help but smile when I walked out of his office because he for the first time saw my genuine smile...the smile that was brought on by LISTENING to him and others regarding my recovery, by my own perseverance to not let this injury stop me from my goals, and by me finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel!

It might not seem like much of an accomplishment by many, but being given the green light to go ahead and do the incline was monumental to me yesterday!  Like Martin Luther King Jr once said, "If you can't fly then run.  If you can't run then walk.  If you can't walk then crawl.  But whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."  So moving forward is what I'm doing, and later this week...moving up as well...about 2,200 feet up that is!!!

Accountability - No Excuses

"You must take personal responsibility.  You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.  That is something you have charge of."  - Jim Rohn

It's pretty amazing how fast time can sneak by us.  Be it the hours in a day, days in a week or weeks in a month.  Somehow life keeps moving and we sometimes fall behind in the things that we have comitted to doing.  It took two separate people yesterday sending me texts saying that they missed the blog posts and wondered what had been going on.  Well I can sit here and say that I started a new job, have been traveling a lot and just purely did not have the time, but those are excuses...there's always an additional 10 minutes that I can find to help motivate the same people that motivate me on a daily basis.  So here it lies...me being held accountable.

In preparation for this week, I spent yesterday catching up at home.  I set up a very OCD organized home office, complete with a wall system that allowed me to use my newly purchased electric screwdriver (haha that's a completely different story, but lets say there might be a few extra holes in the wall given the serious power involved in this)!!  I finished laundry, cleaned up a bit and set my weekly goals so that I could wake up this morning and start fresh.

Because I'm still not able to sleep, I woke up at the crack of dawn and started in on some work stuff.  After spending the past week in Seattle with coworkers I had a lot to try and figure out.  Thankfully I have a pretty amazing team and they have helped me work through this transition.  At about 7am, I put on my sneakers and hit the ground running.  Although still on a very strict running regimen, I decided to do a run/walk mix for 3 miles.  In 28:34 (at a pace of 9:30), I finished those 3 miles.  Definitely not where I want to be BUT it's a step down the road of recovery.  Post run, I did all of my "at home leg workout" stuff that the PT has me doing.  Lunges, dead lifts, leg lifts, etc..I threw in a few abs and some push ups and there it was...my workout completed.

It's true that life can be an excuse at times as to why we are not doing certain things, but I am no longer making excuses...I'm holding myself accountable and am looking forward to both my recovery and some serious personal progress.  In fact, it appears that on 8/1 I will be part of a trial group for a new exercise program designed by a close friend of mine...I can't wait as it should be fun and a great experience.  Even better, I can't wait to share my results with everyone afterwards and have the opportunity to sell you all on this wonderful program!  Stay tuned...many updates to come on all of it!  In the meantime, please join me in holding ourselves accountable for our own personal successes and failures!

Get Outside

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity." - John F. Kennedy

It's amazing how much time you can actually spend outside being active when you just "live."  After having a close friend's 10 year old son drive with me from NYC to VT for a few days, I realized just how exhausting, yet rewarding it is having a child around.  Not only did I find out that I am my own mother...crazy tendencies and all (neurotic seat belt checks, chew with your mouth closed, don't drag your feet...those kinds of things) but I realized that I'm going to be one active, constantly on the go mother one day.

Noah and I were so jam packed with activities so that he could truly experience Vermont, that I don't think we stopped for much more than quick meals the entire time he was here!  From a visit to the State Capitol building, to a Ben & Jerry's plant tour, fishing, boating, jet skis, hiking, morning runs, baseball in the front yard...you name it and we did it!  There are SOOOO many opportunities in life to get outside and play with your children, there should be no reason to not take full advantage of the days when they are young enough to make an impression on them.

Hiking with Noah and my two little cousins in Vermont!

Noah was a trooper on our morning runs!

Working on our pop fly catches in the yard!

Granted, these few days I was on "vacation" and wasn't working full time, but Noah was also here full time and not in school so we were truly able to maximize all of the day together.  But even if it means you wake up in the morning and do a quick walk as a family and then eat breakfast together during the week, it's setting a good example for your kids.  If the mornings are too crazy, play outside with them when you get home from work.  It's just so important for children to understand the meaning of "play" and that being active can and should be fun!  And truthfully, if you're like Noah and I, you do these things and have a blast while you're doing them!  And the best part...after a crazy, action packed day, you're able to enjoy moments like this in the evening! 

It was very obvious during this time spent together that Noah's parents have raised him the same way that I was raised.  He doesn't sit in front of a TV playing video games and doesn't sleep in late...he gets up early and wants to spend as much time as he can outside and being active.  His parents are the same way and are constantly being active as a family.  From an outsider's point of view, it makes a HUGE difference on the life of a child.  As Alan Thicke once said, "Fitness needs to be perceived as fun and games or we subsequently avoid it."  So get outside, play and have fun!!!