I’ve been obsessive about exercise since I was 17.
If anything, it’s worse now – but far better too.
One thing that comes with intense fitness is injury. I almost always have some nagging pain or ache. Shoulders, wrists, knees, back – arthritis (maybe?), overuse (definitely), pulled muscles (check), occasional acute injuries (unfortunately).
Injures go with the territory. I demand a lot from my body – sometimes too much.
For the past two weeks I’ve been dealing with a flare up of a shoulder injury. I’ve had this injury off and on for several years.
This particular time, it’s been a bear. I’ve had to eliminate certain movements. I have had some nights where it’s woken me up when I shifted the wrong way. There are times when the ache drives me crazy.
But today, for the first time in over a week, I noticed it’s a little bit better. My range of motion without pain has increased. My strength is up a little. And the constant ache has dulled ever so slightly.
My experience tells me that if I take it slow and continue to work around the injury, in time it will disappear entirely. Then for a brief period of time, I’ll be thrilled when I roll over without a sharp pain, I do bridges or pushups without wincing and I no longer feel the need to rub the ache out several times a day.
Quickly I’ll forget about it and take being healthy and injured for granted, until the next injury occurs.
I don’t like getting injured. But, it sure does make me appreciate when I am not (at least for a while).
Social Deprivation
I’m going to write an expanded post on this later. As Covid restrictions have eased, vaccinations are happening and society is re-emerging, I have observed in myself, my family and close friends a lifting of our spirits. Everyone seems to be doing better. Even though we all thought we handled the isolation of the lockdowns well, I now that society is opening up, I can see how much damage it caused us just by contrasting conversations I’ve had with others in the past 2 weeks.
When I tried living solo on the road, I discovered that I needed to interact with other active people regularly and consistently.
The limited contact I’ve had with people the past year may have sustained me, but it wasn’t optimal.
The same goes for others in my life who were similarly isolated.
I have a feeling that most of us will never do this again.