Occasionally life presents us with obstacles. Sometimes those obstacles are small ones that require just a few changes to overcome them, and at other times those roadblocks seem like mountains. Do we roll over and let the challenges get the best of us, or do we find creative ways to deal with what life has presented us with?
This last week I was gifted with yet another obstacle. After a year of working out consistently six days a week, I was faced with the possibility of being out of commission for several weeks. I was experiencing this intense pain in my kidneys that made it difficult for me to even sleep at night let alone feel well enough to run or bike. My first diagnosis at urgent care was shingles. This meant not only were running and biking out, but I couldn't even swim because I wouldn't be allowed in a public pool until the shingles were gone. The funny thing is, swimming is the one sport that I felt I could do even if I was injured. Luckily, my personal physician ruled out shingles, so at least the swimming option was still available to me.
While I am still not exactly sure what caused my pain and lost me a week of training, that is not really the focus of my blog this week. The only reason I am sharing this story is because I know that we all have challenges that pop up when we least expect it, and it is important that we move forward using the tools that are still within our control.
First, I have shared before that as long as I am exercising or eating sensibly, I do not gain weight. I won't lose weight, but as long as I am in control of one of these two, my weight stays stable. So last week I had to watch the food I chose for my meals and keep my snacks to a minimum. While I could not control the fact that I could not exercise, I could control what I put in my mouth.
Even though I could not train, that didn't mean I couldn't move at all. I took every opportunity to get a few extra steps in while I was working. I parked my car on the other end of parking lots at the schools I visited, and at our district office I took the stairs instead of riding in the elevator. None of this would prepare me for Ironman, but it did afford me a few extra calories for the day.
And once I was feeling a little better I once again relied on my go-to strategy, which is depending on friends to keep me on my road to flabulous. As soon as my body allowed me to, I planned a run with my Tuesday/Thursday running group, and I even got in a swim and a bike ride with Karrie today. I cannot say enough about the power of surrounding yourself with people that keep you motivated. I was a little depressed with my body letting me down last week, and sometimes that can be enough to throw someone into a tailspin in the wrong direction. However, the lure of spending time with my amazing friends keeps that from happening to me. If you need more reasons to get yourself someone to train with, I found this article on Active Triathlete this week--3 Ways a Training Partner Gives You an Edge.
Luckily, my illness only kept me out for a week, but we are all presented with obstacles on a regular basis. The trick is that you need to focus on what you can control, and then get right back at it as soon as that obstacle is no longer in the way. My challenge for the rest of my life is to maintain all the progress I have made in my weight loss and my fitness, and not let the obstacles give me an excuse to slide back into old habits. I have worked hard to get where I am, and I plan to never look back!
This last week I was gifted with yet another obstacle. After a year of working out consistently six days a week, I was faced with the possibility of being out of commission for several weeks. I was experiencing this intense pain in my kidneys that made it difficult for me to even sleep at night let alone feel well enough to run or bike. My first diagnosis at urgent care was shingles. This meant not only were running and biking out, but I couldn't even swim because I wouldn't be allowed in a public pool until the shingles were gone. The funny thing is, swimming is the one sport that I felt I could do even if I was injured. Luckily, my personal physician ruled out shingles, so at least the swimming option was still available to me.
While I am still not exactly sure what caused my pain and lost me a week of training, that is not really the focus of my blog this week. The only reason I am sharing this story is because I know that we all have challenges that pop up when we least expect it, and it is important that we move forward using the tools that are still within our control.
First, I have shared before that as long as I am exercising or eating sensibly, I do not gain weight. I won't lose weight, but as long as I am in control of one of these two, my weight stays stable. So last week I had to watch the food I chose for my meals and keep my snacks to a minimum. While I could not control the fact that I could not exercise, I could control what I put in my mouth.
Even though I could not train, that didn't mean I couldn't move at all. I took every opportunity to get a few extra steps in while I was working. I parked my car on the other end of parking lots at the schools I visited, and at our district office I took the stairs instead of riding in the elevator. None of this would prepare me for Ironman, but it did afford me a few extra calories for the day.
And once I was feeling a little better I once again relied on my go-to strategy, which is depending on friends to keep me on my road to flabulous. As soon as my body allowed me to, I planned a run with my Tuesday/Thursday running group, and I even got in a swim and a bike ride with Karrie today. I cannot say enough about the power of surrounding yourself with people that keep you motivated. I was a little depressed with my body letting me down last week, and sometimes that can be enough to throw someone into a tailspin in the wrong direction. However, the lure of spending time with my amazing friends keeps that from happening to me. If you need more reasons to get yourself someone to train with, I found this article on Active Triathlete this week--3 Ways a Training Partner Gives You an Edge.
Luckily, my illness only kept me out for a week, but we are all presented with obstacles on a regular basis. The trick is that you need to focus on what you can control, and then get right back at it as soon as that obstacle is no longer in the way. My challenge for the rest of my life is to maintain all the progress I have made in my weight loss and my fitness, and not let the obstacles give me an excuse to slide back into old habits. I have worked hard to get where I am, and I plan to never look back!
This is what keeps me accountable--a great team of friends who enjoy running as much as I do.
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