You hear it a lot. Learn to listen to your body. When it comes to that, I’m a slow learner. I believe in pushing myself physically. I embrace the idea that my mind will give up long before my body does.
That can be great, but like everything in life, there needs to be a balance.
Physical activity is a huge part of my life. I love what cardio does for my state of mind, my energy level, and the extra 300 calories it burns off so I can eat them later in the day.
Every morning I need to get some form of exercise to get my blood flowing.
About four and half years ago when I first got into fitness, I was really into running.
I’d hit the treadmill every morning for 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical. On weekends I’d go for long runs, generally in the 7 to 10-mile range.
I started entering into races, first running 5Ks, then 10Ks, and I even did a few half marathons. I liked the feeling of beating my old time and I’d try to do well in my age bracket.
But over time, my love for running went down, while my obligation to running went up.
First off, I didn’t want to give up running because I loved eating large amounts of food, especially all my treats like cookies and frozen yogurt. Now, this wasn’t necessarily healthy for me, but all I cared about was the number on the scale and the size of my dress.
Secondly, it had kind of become “my thing”. People would always ask me what race I was doing next, or what I had just done. I felt this weird guilt about not having something to share.
Before I got sober, drinking was a big part of personality.
Once I started running, I shifted my identity to the healthy girl that ran. It filled some sort of void for me and I was hesitant to let it go.
But the joy it once gave me was gone. I’d wake up when my alarm would go off and hate to get out of bed. Most of the time it was better when I started to run, but plenty of times I would get out there and think that if I wasn’t so full of pride, I’d just call my husband and ask him to pick me up 20 minutes into my run.
And my body was definitely giving me signs it was time to slow down.
My knee started to ache really bad. Instead of taking this as a sign to lighten up, I just added yoga into the mix. It couldn’t be that my body was buckling under the pressure of 35+ miles a week! And no, I didn’t need to take a rest day- 7 days a week was fine. I just needed yoga.
Well, I did need rest. And finally, when I was no longer willing to comply on my own, my body made me.
It was 2013 and my knee had been aching for about a month. I was nervous with each run that I was hurting it more, but I was too stubborn to go to the doctor. I knew the answer would be rest and I didn’t want to hear it. I had the Shamrock Half Marathon coming up in just a few weeks!
So I pushed on with my training.
Nothing but distance running everyday and yoga twice a week. No strength training, no interval runs. Forget what the fitness magazines recommended- no cross training for me. Just distance running for a fast time, day in and day out.
On the morning of the half marathon, my right knee was setting off alarms. It felt like it was yelling, “Please don’t do this”!! But I didn’t care; I was literally at the starting line. There was no backing down now.
My run started as it had every time for the past few months. My knee was totally sore, but I got into my groove quickly and 10 minutes into the run I felt fine.
I was winding the streets of Sacramento determined to get a top 5 in my age group for the race. My adrenaline was high and my pace was solid.
And then mile seven hit and my knee totally exploded in pain.
I could barely walk and running was non-negotiable. I still hobbled along walking the next six miles and finished the race (not smart at all, but I think I was in shock and didn’t know what to do).
The race was on a Sunday, so on Monday I did the Weekend-Warrior Walk of Shame at my doctor’s office. After x-rays, a ton of pain, and a few weeks of misdiagnosis, my doctor finally figured out what was wrong- I had a pinched sciatic nerve, also known as sciatica.
They put me on a low dose of steroids, gave me a cane, and told me to take it easy for a few weeks. And other than 20 minutes on the stationary bike every day (hey- this girl needed something!), I did take it easy. And with time, it got better.
Now more than three years later, I still like a long run when I’m out of town, but other than that, I don’t run much.
Instead, I found a little spin studio that I love and go to religiously. It’s much easier on my body than running. I know to lower the resistance on days when I’m sore or tired, and crank it up when I’m feeling good.
Beyond all the body benefits, every morning I’m happy to get up and go to class. It’s a completely different way to start the day.
I also take the time to stretch at the end of every class. While some people sneak out, I know my body needs those five minutes to loosen up. The world can wait.
I also do my own stretches at home and use a foam roller most mornings for my hips, butt, and legs.
But more than anything else, I try to listen to what is right for my body.
Because I’ve learned I have to be better to this body. I’ve put it through a lot, so it’s time to give it the love and care it deserves!
