If you haven’t had a debilitating injury, first, you are very lucky! But second, you may not have had the unique experience that comes with not being able to workout. I mean, how many times a week do we say “Ugh, I still have to hit the gym today” or “I so do not want to workout today but I’ll feel guilty and bad if I don’t”? More often than not, we complain about going to the gym more than we say “Yeah! I get to workout today!” I’ve had both a low back disc herniation and now this hamstring tear that kept me out of the gym for long periods of time. Both times I realized just how much working out is my stress reliever and that it works better than anything to keep my mood elevated and my attitude in check. I am hardly an athlete, just an active person, so I can only imagine what a serious athlete or a professional goes through if little old me found being out of the game so terrible. Both times I’ve been sidelined I thought, “Wow, I’ll never complain about going to the gym again!” But of course you settle in again and take it for granted that you have a healthy body that has the capacity to exercise and improve itself. You start to slowly let life get in the way and your excuses pile up and pretty soon there are those days when you hit the treadmill kicking and screaming – or you just plain don’t bother. I promised myself with this last injury that I would keep my attitude of gratitude about the gym when I was able to get back to it. I’ll admit, I’ve had my moments, but I’ve been able to turn it around in minutes, rather than days, and adjust my thinking because I am truly grateful that I am able to workout. I have two great gyms to go to and some great trainers to work with, but mostly I am simply grateful that my injuries are healing so that I can keep moving. Yesterday I ran the stairs for the second time since last December – at the top through my huffing and puffing, I was so grateful that I am healed enough to do it! We spend a lot of time complaining about this or that – our tummies aren’t flat enough, our legs are not lean enough, our triceps are too flabby – but be grateful that you can walk yourself into the gym and do something about it! I know I am.
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