About a month ago I was considering increasing my cardio fitness to be able to do some running (well, more of a slow jog given my fitness level at the time). I was pretty keen - even bought a book to do some reading on training and technique! LOL!
However, I suffered a bit of a back injury shortly thereafter. It seemed rather minor as far as back pain went, but just as I felt like I was getting better, things got worse - and by worse I mean I was unable to walk at all for a few days. That was the most severe back pain I've ever had. It turns out that I had (and still have) a pinched nerve due to muscle inflammation. I'm not too sure what caused this to happen - it could be a number of things.
My recovery is taking quite some time. Even after having taken anti-inflammatory meds and muscle relaxers (boy, did those ever turn me into a space cadet!), the muscle isn't relaxing enough to permit the nerve to function properly. As a result, my left leg was completely numb for about 2 weeks. Since then the feeling is slowly coming back. I'm not quite there yet, but it's slowly getting better on its own. I have returned to work and do everything I used to, albeit at a slower pace, except for the heavy lifting at one of my jobs (I used to haul furniture on my shoulder) and going to the gym. My activity levels are getting back to my pre-injury non-gym days, but I'm now ready to start slow walks on the treadmill. I'm also looking forward to some weight-bearing work. I'm a little concerned about having lost some muscle mass due to my very significant lack of activity lately.
But you what?
The best part of all this is that I didn't give up. Yeah, it was tough. I had to cope with daily weigh-ins where my weight just kept going up every day. I think the old me would have just stopped weighing in at some point and admitted defeat. Things are different this time though. I knew I wanted to get back into the game. I didn't lose sight of my goal. I'd been doing so well before I hurt myself and still have more work to put in in order to reach my 2010 goal weight.
So, ladies and gentlemen, buckle up and get ready for a ride because I'm back! I may be a bit slower and have difficulty walking, but I am not going to let this get the best of me. I've got 16 weeks to lose 14 lbs. I can do that! I just need to be careful and stick to the principles which have served me well these last 8 months. I need to make smart choices when planning meals and seek out opportunities to fit some physical activity into my crammed schedule.
I am SO going to reach my goal!
