Crazy is as crazy does...

I used to resent joggers. Their dedication, determination, the get-up-and-go they so obviously possessed reminded me how stuck I was. You see, I'm like many of you. I don't always make the best choices, I sometimes prefer reading a good book to working out. In fact it took some urging to drag me out of a recent particularly slothful period in my life. So I am especially proud of my present fitness and my ability to stick with it - because I know how easy it is to make excuses.

Three years ago I was recovering from surgery. I pushed myself to recover and did a good job of it, but I was left scared as well as scarred, and many of the physical activities I attempted left me tender and I retreated. When I finally decided to test and push my limits, to risk hurting a little bit for greater reward, I was shocked at what I could do.

See, we all have constraints imposed upon us. Time, budget, family obligations, work, natural abilities. I believe though, that it is a measure of the strength of our character to see how much we are willing to push the limits of these constraints. I had to acknowledge that my injury was no longer an excuse for inactivity. Can't jog? Discover something that you CAN do.

And so I swim. And box. And lift some weights. And I stretch a whole lot. I don't seem to stick with one thing, but I'm in the habit of always doing something. Who knows what I'll be doing next month, next fall, next year? And I'm proud of myself. And I write these notes and post these videos of me doing crazy things so that anyone checking in who might think "she's insane" will know that I'm not (well... maybe a little!), I'm like you, and if I can do spiderman push-ups (crazy!) and take video footage while holding plank pose when three years ago I thought I'd have a permanent limp and never be able to touch my toes (I don't and I can) then you can too. I'm just doing the best that I can - because for a long time I wasn't doing anything at all. The things I'm doing - they hurt like hell. No one said it was going to be easy. But I'm trying to stay focused and I can honestly say that I'm doing the best I can.



So let go of whatever is holding you back. Do what you have to do to make yourself whole again. Get moving, challenge and push yourself, open your mind, try something new. Accept what is right now, and work with what you've got. Give yourself allowance to be a little insane, and know that it will all be worth it in the end. If I can get through it, you can too.