When I began exercising to stay in shape in high school, I didn’t even fathom the thought of actually being hurt from the exercises I was doing (very naïve, I know. I was 17 and didn’t think about anything except boys, booze, and well, myself. Typical  teenage thinking!) I figured exercise was good for me and therefore it would keep me healthy.

As the years went on and my workouts became more intense due to my increased love and enjoyment for reaching exercise goals, injuries came about.

First came the shin splints when I decided to pick up running somewhere around the age of 18.  What horrible pain! But an easy fix – I traded in my 50% off Kohls shoes for some kicks that actually fit my feet from an actual running store. Shin splints were gone instantly and I can’t remember the last time I had them.

Next came the IT band pain in college. Ouch! Going down a staircase or running was awful, it caused such sharp pain! Running took a backseat for years during this time since that what seemed to aggravate it most. I could do any other activity just fine without pain. Not until this last year did I realize that my IT band pain was linked to having a weak core and tight hips.  A daily stretching and strengthening routine for my core area did the trick and IT band pain was gone. I could finally run comfortably again!

During my time in Georgia a couple of years ago, where I worked as a Fitness Director for a college, I fell off one measly step carrying Christmas packages and rolled my ankle.  I thought IT band pain was bad until I rolled my ankle – yikes! My ankle instantly swelled and turned black and blue. Luckily I had three weeks off for winter break (that job rocked by the way) and had time to recuperate at home.  I was still able to exercise, riding the bike or using the elliptical and lifting weights.  But running took yet another hiatus for a good few months until I healed all of the way.

I went about a year being injury free. Now here I am with plantar fasciitis.  This injury came out of nowhere, as nothing traumatic happened. I just all of a sudden had an aching foot. Though injuries are never fun and something I try to avoid, I have to say that they always end up teaching me valuable lessons in the end.

What I have learned from being injured

Never take your feet for granted

One very important lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way is to take care of your feet. This injury is the worst that I’ve had since I use my feet all of the time. I’ve had to really make some changes to my lifestyle, which has been hard and little depressing to be honest.  But, I’ve allowed myself to only cry about it once (OK, maybe a few times). It’s certainly not the worst thing that could happen in life and crying about it for too long is a waste of time. You can only move forward.

Going out for a quick run with the dogs is a thing of the past. Teaching two aerobics classes in a day is also non-existent right now. I’ve had to completely change how I exercise. Instead of doing the workout with my participants in class (because I still need to teach for my job) I demonstrate once or twice and then verbally cue. Though I miss doing extensive choreography, my participants understand and are still able to get their workout. Plus I now can really walk around and help individuals when needed.

Look for the Positive

The good thing about being injured (you certainly have to seek the positive in these circumstances) is that you can find other interests. I’ve always liked Yoga but never practiced consistently. Since I couldn’t run, I took up Yoga at a local studio and I have found that I truly enjoy it. Not only is it physically challenging, but it’s mentally challenging as well.  It’s the perfect blend in my opinion.

I always equated being in really good running shape as being in the best condition I could be in. However, from doing Yoga consistently over the last couple of months I still feel like I have maintained some aerobic capacity (though I know I’ve lost some since I don’t do any traditional cardio right now) but I feel even stronger with regards to my muscular strength. I’m pumping out sets of real push ups with no problem (when I previously did them on my knees). Yoga is definitely an all over workout!

Don’t Overexercise

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from this injury is that I was overexercising.

Here is what my typical week looked like pre-injury:

• Monday: 30 minute walk with my dogs (typically a quick pace), taught an aerobics class at noon (typically step or kickboxing) and at 4pm (step or kickboxing)
• Tuesday: 3 mile run with the dogs
• Wednesday: Same as Monday
• Thursday: 3 mile run and taught a Total Body Toning class (all strength training) and typically did a lot of it with the class.
• Friday: 2 mile run and taught a Turbo Kick class
• Saturday: Sometimes a 2-3 mile run or an off day
• Sunday: Off day

Reading it now, I think it’s too much.  But if I read this when I didn’t have plantar fasciitis, it would not have phased me.  I’ve been working out for nearly 10 years, I should be able to handle this right? Not according to my body I can’t!

I didn’t have balance. I was a cardio-addict and didn’t want to admit it. I felt like I had to run and that I had to work my butt off while teaching to really motivate the class. I thought running in the morning and then teaching a Turbo Kick class was OK.  I had the endurance, so why not? Because it’s completely unnecessary, that’s why.

When my foot began to ache and I was forced to stop running, I felt a wave of anxiety. I had irrational thoughts that I would suddenly balloon up without my weekly runs. I thought I would fall completely out of shape. I felt guilty that I couldn’t exercise my dogs. I felt like a ball of guilt and anxiety to be quite honest.

But you know what? NONE of what I feared happened.  My weight has been maintained, I’ve still managed to remain active doing other activities (primarily Yoga and strength training) and I actually feel better without all the cardio.  I have a lot more energy since I’m not running myself into the ground!

Wake Up

Having this happen has actually been beneficial. I woke up from what I was doing. I was able to take a step back and really view what I was doing to my body and how out of balance my exercise routine had become. I lost touch with the pure enjoyment of exercise and only focused on what was the most intense activity I could do to really make my workout “count”. This thinking was out of whack and I needed to change it.

Intense workouts are great – I’ve done plenty of interval style workouts in the past.  In my opinion, high intensity workouts shouldn’t be done every single time you workout and you should certainly include adequate rest.  I lost sight of this and was keeping my intensity pretty high for each workout. My mentality was that if I wasn’t going to work my absolute hardest, than why bother. That’s crazy thinking! Your body feels differently each day and sometimes a leisurely stroll down the block is all you can handle that day. I think I finally understand that now (it’s another “a-ha” moment for me!)

Take time to tune in

I almost feel like I should know how to not over exercise, but sometimes I get wrapped up in my week and sticking to a specific schedule that I forget to quiet down, tune in, and really listen to how I am feeling.  Sometimes a wake up up call in the form of an injury is what it takes.  I’m certainly listening now!

Have you ever been injured from exercise? How did you handle it?

**********

Life Updates:

Andy and I are still house hunting for our first home. We’ve made three offers over last few months and all have fallen through. This last house we loved so much and it had everything we needed. But we found out it is on a “flood plain” and we had no idea the insurance you have to get (which is mandatory) is roughly $2,000 a year! That’s a lot of extra money that we can’t afford to spend. So it’s back to the drawing board!  While I’m disappointed, I know that there are plenty of houses out there.

Since this post has absolutely no pictures (I decided numerous pictures of my foot were unnecessary) I’ll leave you with a couple from this past weekend.  My good friend Morgan came over and we hit the town with some of Andy’s friends for a fun night out (aka – we drank way too much!)

Have a great weekend everyone!