I threw my back out in December. I don’t know precisely what i did to achieve that, because my back has been in very good shape for a while now. But I did something and I did something horrible and I was in such pain that I couldn’t sit, stand, lie down, or walk for any length of time. You may note that leaves “hovering in mid-air” and I couldn’t do that either.
The first thing I did when I hurt my back was stop exercising. Which is scary for me because as I’ve said exercise is key to my mental as well as physical health. Someone told me that eating 10 percent fewer calories would keep my mood elevated (possibly relying on this book Eat Your Way To Happiness, I don’t know. (Oh, and apparently calorie restriction improves your memory too. That’s a good factoid to know. I hope I remember it.)
The holidays came and went (urp!) and then Darin and the kids and I went to Hawaii for a week. Yeah, I know, my life is rough. Unlike the last time I was in Hawaii, though, I didn’t run at all. The streets were incredibly narrow (when I say they were two-car-lengths wide, I’m including the shoulder, except on the single-lane bridges) and the sand on the beach so dense and heavy that my foot would sink into it. I just relaxed.
But, I have an image of what I want to accomplish this year, so I was back at the gym today. I told my trainer, “I haven’t exercised in three weeks, and I want to take anything slightly stressful to my back off the table for the time being.” My back has been fine, but why chance it?
We did a modest workout. I know I’m no bodybuilder in training, but man this was a mild workout. Split leg squats with no dumbbells! Straight leg rows at 70 pounds! Not even trying to get to the bicep curls! And I still know I’m going to be mildly sore all over tomorrow.
But this is where I have to start at the moment. There’s no use wishing I could do the workout I was doing in early December — that girl managed to hurt herself bad (I’m pretty sure I hurt my back during my workout). I’m not one of these natural athletes that holds my development indefinitely. I have to start where I am and slowly work back to it.
I just hope I don’t hurt enough to keep me from running. Which somehow is on the schedule for tomorrow, although I can’t quite figure out how.