When I was younger, I was much heavier and fairly sedentary. It took a long time to discover how much I love activity and it took even longer to get healthier and love nutritious foods. I look at this as a blessing. As I got healthier, I became more and more connected to what my body was able to be and do. That was new, fresh and exciting. Then about 3 1/2 years ago I broke my leg and needed to have surgery with some pretty titanium bling put in. As I was rehabilitating, I started to explore my body again with a new perspective. I became interested in what my “new” body was going to be able to do. Initially I wanted to just be back to where I was pre injury, but as I healed, I realized I had a different body! Not one better or worse, just different. That created my focus to be about my healing and what I was capable of vs. what I wasn’t capable of.
It was (oddly) exciting to test out my body’s abilities over the next several weeks/months even though a lot of the rehab was painful and I had to learn how to even walk.
Here we are nearly 4 years later and I had another accident. This was was on the bike. Fortunately I didn’t (don’t) need surgery, but I do need to heal. My broken leg was much more debilitating, but yet as I’ve been moving through my healing, I’m recalling some of what I experienced before. I’m rediscovering my body and what it can do. 2 1/2 weeks ago I had a lot of bruising, major shoulder pain and was careful with fast movement since I had a concussion. Now I’m about 90% better and healing much faster than expected. Every day I wake up with better movement. My body is different…so each movement I do I “feel” and get excited when I can do something today that I couldn’t do yesterday. I take my time with movement and pay attention to how amazing our bodies (and minds) are. I’ve pumped my body full of nutrients which help in the process of eliminating inflammation and accelerating mending.
I’m sharing this, because it saddens me that I meet many who only live in what they used to be able to do and I know they can experience such a better way to live.
When their body doesn’t feel the same and say, their knees hurt, that’s the only thing they focus on rather than what the rest of their body is able to do and with proper attention and care, they might eliminate a lot of their pain.
I meet folks who have put on weight and focus with frustration on how their body felt 15 years ago vs the potential it has once they begin to take of weight again. Each day!
I meet collegiate athletes who live in the hay day of fitness from decades ago and forget that their bodies are still able to do so much…just different abilities. Some in which they might enjoy more.
These people I mention are wonderful, but they get in their own way. They (WE) all forget that every day we have a new body. We have new cells, new tissue and if we choose, a new attitude! We have the power through lifestyle changes to actually make a younger body. We can get connected to how we feel in movement and forget about what “used” to be and begin with what we can control in our healing or as I like to call it “living”. Whether the healing/living is weight loss, weight/muscle gain, learning to ride a bike (carefully), yoga, walking or any sport, we can embrace the fact that we can create a better mobility and function body and mind; even if it’s one tiny step at a time.
Think about all the movements you do in just one day and what you take for granted. Think about how precious each movement is and love what you already can do and what you might be able to accomplish if you take the time to explore your fresh, new body each day.
To me, that’s exciting. I love that as each year passes, I am still interested in what’s possible. You can too…live in the present, feel your new body and move whatever you have!
