When life throws you curve balls....



When life throws you a curve ball....just keep on swinging!

You know this must be plaguing me because I continue to write about it....It's a real thing in my life right now and perhaps you're facing something similar.  If so I hope my thoughts in this post will help you to forge ahead and get past this temporary bump.

Sometimes you’re just sailing along and things in your life seem like they just couldn’t be any better.....like the oft time sayings by some people when ask “How are things” and they respond, “If things got any better, I couldn’t stand it” or “If things were any better I’d have to be twins”......you know those times....sure you do, we’ve all had them. Healthy eating is going great, weight is coming off, we’ve made a commitment and discipline yourself to exercise several times a week. The future looks bright and we wonder why we didn’t start this lifestyle sooner.

And then out of the blue (well sometimes not so much out of the blue), life throws us a curve ball—loved ones out of town (and away from your gym and healthy food refrigerator) need your help, Achilles Tendons get inflamed, or any myriad of things pop up in our life that you weren’t expecting—vvvvoooom...the balls sails right past you in surprise; fitness classes are missed, you don’t make it to the gym as often as you had been......and heaven forbid you find yourself temporarily sliding off the old healthy food wagon!!!

It happens! Remember....I never promised you a rose garden. I never said this was going to be easy. I never said life was fair. I’ve only said it will be worth it and that the body achieves what the mind believes.

So my friends, believe this....sometimes it will seem like life is trying to sabotage you at every corner in your quest to get and stay fit & healthy. So what do you do, which way do you turn......What do you do if the doctor tells you “THE CARDIO EXERCISES YOU’RE DOING....RUNNING, POWER WALKING, CYCLING ARE TEMPORARILY ‘OFF’ YOUR EXERCISE LIST!! WHAT!!! That my friend is a very real possibility if you have an injury.

I’ll put this as gently as I can.....GET A GRIP....TAKE A STEP BACK AND RE-EVALUATE. REMEMBER YOUR GOAL....GET THROUGH THIS TEMPORARY ‘CURVE BALL’ IN YOUR LIFE!

If you have an injury, do not hesitate to see a doctor....listen to your body....don’t try to exercise through the pain (believe me, this is the voice of experience talking here). You may end up doing your body further damage that will sidetrack you for much longer than if you’d listened to your trainer the first time he said...”you need to rest, you need to ice”. Then don’t go into a funk....this is not the end of the world and most importantly not the end of your new healthy lifestyle. Ask your doctor, physical therapist or trainer exactly what exercises you can and can’t do. Because they can usually tell you exercises that will substitute (on a temporary basis) for running, power walking and cycling....exercises that will get your heart rate up and will get you sweating....(sweating is a good thing!) So find out what you can and can’t do.....and then it’s simple-- regroup and keep moving forward....do what you can do and don’t do what you’re not suppose to do. I KNOW!....It’s a bummer.....it’s depressing.....it really stinks....just when you’ve gotten in the groove and are seeing results from your dedication to going to the gym and working out hard....making giant giant steps forward....and then you have to take a giant step backwards.

What do you do if you find yourself away from home temporarily taking care of a loved one...and they are napping....and you can’t believe that the hand that is “SNEAKING A BROWNIE” is yours!!! What are you thinking....is your excuse because you’re bored or anxious about the loved one’s condition? Again I must say....as gently as I can...GET A GRIP....TAKE A STEP BACK AND RE-EVALUATE. REMEMBER YOUR GOAL....GET THROUGH THIS TEMPORARY ‘CURVE BALL’ IN YOUR LIFE!!!

The important thing to remember is THIS IS TEMPORARY...just a bump in your road to a healthy and fit body. Don’t you dare stop (unless your doctor tells you...”Off your feet...no exercise”....then do it. Do what it takes to get healthy again so you can get back to your routine. Take it slow when they tell you it’s OK to start exercising again. Remember this is a lifestyle, not a short time run. If you’re concerned about the numbers on the scale...which by the way you should not be, you know what to do. Go back to your basic training about losing weight...you have to burn off more than you take in...so if you’re sidelined eat smaller portions and by all means eat healthy. If you normally allow yourself a “treat” once a week, try moving that to once every two weeks. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Cut out the foods that are not so healthy that may be creeping back into your diet. Staying healthy and keeping the weight off is a fine balance of healthy eating and exercise...

…..but along with these two things you have to have what I call a “Healthy Mind Set”. You have to remember that life doesn’t always go the way we plan it....that things can change even when we don’t want them to. So if you're facing a similar injury or some other things have taken place in your life that are throwing you for a loop....try to think of them as part of our life lesson....we must do what we have to do...we must rest an injury....we take care of loved ones ....we keep on keeping on.....we might have to go to plan B but above all else, we keep on swinging when those curve balls come our way.

  ....and my closing thought....hang in there!