If you haven’t noticed, I am basically taking you with me on my personal metamorphosis journey. So I have shared that I had back surgery 4 months ago and total knee replacement has been recommended. I am overweight and uncomfortable due to various aches and pains. I have difficulty ambulating and sometimes pay an incredible price for doing so.
Since the surgery, I have been trying to walk a bit each day. I am currently able to walk around the block, which takes 15 to 20 minutes to accomplish. Some days it is quite punishing, other days it’s more enjoyable.
Last week, I started physical therapy which requires me to perform various exercises a few times a day aimed at increasing my core strength to support my back, as well as, improving the strength of my thighs to benefit my recovery after my knee surgery.
Today, I went swimming specifically to exercise and stretch in the water. I did stretched for 1 hour and then swam laps for 20 minutes to get a tad of cardiovascular exercise. Trust me, I wasn’t breaking any records.
It is so good to be exercising, while I am losing weight. It is just the beginning of my journey with exercise. The whole point of these surgeries, this diet and this exercise is, not only to help me to generally feel better in my skin, but also to enable me to walk again and go places with my boys. Always establish your why. Why are you going to such lengths? I am doing all of this in order to be a more fully present parent.
I have felt my world shrinking and folding in on me as I began to lose mobility. Now I am fighting to gain it back! I am building on each step that has gone before to create a better body, one that is able to take on more and engage in meaningful physical activity, so I can have a fulfilled life again.
I am not interested in rotting for the next thirty years and watching the world move around me. I want to be a fully functioning member of what is going on. I want to take the deck I’ve been dealt and maximize my potential. I want to be in service of my body. From this day forward, I want to assist my body in making any and all changes that it needs. Think of JFK and ask not what your body can do for you, but what you can do for your body!
Are there any declarations or proclamations you want to make about your body and what you plan to do for it? Take out a piece of paper or grab your smart phone or tablet and write down, right now, what you are willing to do, in an ongoing way, to help your body become stronger and more fit.
Never forget, Building Better Bodies Rocks!
Lisa J Lafave, PhD, MBA, ACC
The Wellness Coach at Building Better Bodies Rocks
CEO & Founder of Coaching Rocks, LLC
A Single Mom By Choice Raising Surrogacy Twin Boys
Written in My Little Brick in University Heights, Ohio
Leap Into Action!