Game Changing Perspective…

…on exercise, thanks to Suzanne Askham.

https://suzanneaskham.com/2018/12/27/celebrate-what-your-body-can-do/

Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my battle with exercise. It isn’t something I look forward to doing. It’s something I do because it helps me. I joke about doing my physical therapy and walking first thing in the morning, before my brain figures out what I’m doing. By the time my brain wakes up enough to complain, the exercise is done.

I also know that exercise helps me manage my weight, but to lose weight I have to cut calories. With my back, I’m limited in what I’m able to do. No running, jumping, anything remotely like falling, any type of movement that would jar my back. Walking and physical therapy are super demanding, but they work the core muscles and keep the scar tissue limber.

Since the fall in December, my view of exercise has been changing. Suzanne clarified what’s been rolling around in my head. Because of my adherence to physical therapy, my back didn’t suffer. Because of my other exercises, I’ve recovered faster than from any other fall.

As painful as the knee is, I’d been doing an exercise my niece taught me called “Chair.” Back to the wall, you act like you’re sitting in a chair. It’s strengthened my knees and ankles. I know my accident could have been so much worse.

This Friday is six weeks from when I fell. Instead of taking months to recover, I’m almost back to where I was.

I love the idea of celebrating what my body can do.