“An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction(unless acted upon by an unbalanced force)”  -Newton’s first law of motion

The day after a Pilates mat class, my body was sore. Strangely, I felt lighter physically and mentally – the feeling of being centered/grounded and your extremities are so free to move; like your arms can reach a little higher and you can run a little faster if you want to.

As someone who suffers from L4 & L5 issues(disc bulging from injuries and living mostly a sedentary lifestyle), I feel discouraged and often stopped by the idea that working out will give me more pain. In some cases, it did. I think it happened because for a few reasons-

*One, I exercised without properly warming up my muscles.

*Second, I wasn’t listening to my body nor did I gradually build up the intensity of an exercise. I went in full force all at once while Ignoring the fundamentals and the proper form.

*Last but not least, I did not educate or get to know more about my condition; or research on exercises that will actually do goods to improve my condition. Instead, I took a “one exercise fits all” approach or a Nike mentality – “Just do it.” haha

As reflecting on past experiences, dedicating little or no time and inappropriate exercises, literally like my Osteo. doctor stated, as a result – I wasn’t getting worse but I was not getting better either.

Think again, I realized my whole approach has been in the wrong direction. I have been trying to push my mind and body condition back to a state before injuries. What I should do and is doing at this moment is to –

1. accept and be mindful that my body and mind are no longer the same as they were (mind- fears of getting re-injured or helplessness/body-stiffness; poor posture due to muscle spasms……)
2. understand things have taken a turn and I am starting from a different point.
3. reassess strengths and weaknesses.
4. after that, be conscious about existing weaknesses but not be discouraged by them.
5. in the meantime, work on strengths. Focus on things that can be worked on and dedicate quality time/hard work to it as much as possible.
6. observe and make tweaks if needed to achieve maximum results.

In addition, it’s always good to track progress in great detail. It would serve not only as a record but for a compare and contrast purpose in workouts’ effectiveness. It would also be fun to ask a good friend to work out with us/check on us or to push us to best carry out the plans.

I hope that sharing my experiences can help you to improve your state of health. Typing down all these has definitely deepened my thinking on approaches to rehabilitate my body and strengthen the will.

Feel free to comment with your tips for healing, the mind and the body.

*** side notes- It feels amazing how such mental clarities I am experiencing these days. I hope I can continue to ride with this momentum further down the current direction.

**Cough cough** plug in – Thank you Pilates!

Be happy be free,

Tiffanie ❤