If I can, You can! In my early thirties, I was a single mum, working in a corporate world and building my own house (which I knew nothing about) at the time. In order to keep me sane, I did a lot of running and was training to run a half marathon. However, being the stubborn mare that I once was, I continued to run and ignore the pain in my back.
I would run, recover, run and the cycle would continue. I would push myself to what I thought was my very limit until one day I could not walk. I never did that half marathon. I was off work and, having given in, was visiting the doctors who diagnosed a slipped disc and bulging facet joints.
I was told I would never run again!
I was told I had the back of a 60-year-old bricklayer – how on earth had this happened to me, in my early thirties??????
The worst thing for me was being told that I can’t do something.
So, I did a lot of research and became a Yoga teacher. At this time I didn’t do it to become a Yoga teacher – to teach. I did it to learn about my own body and what I could do to stop the pain. I learnt not only that I could strengthen the muscles around my back and core to ensure that these muscles held my discs in place to stop the pain, I learnt that my brain/mind was blocking me from doing these things because of the pain I was enduring.
For example: Pain in my back first thing in the morning – the brain/mind tells you not to move. If you move it will hurt, so the brain/mind becomes a lazy muscle because you don’t want pain. So you don’t move.
However, I was on a mission – I was bloody stubborn. So I pushed through.
I learned that the pain got easier the more I exercised (everyone thought I was mad). The more bearable the pain got the more I exercised, the more I could run, bike and swim etc……. Don’t get me wrong this is very hard to do when you are in so much pain, but boy the advantages of having a strong core and strong muscles far out way the disadvantage of the pain……..
Over the years I have trained, I have pushed myself and I have achieved heights that I thought were impossible. I conquered them, I grew, I learned even more.
One day whilst I was swimming, I realised I could only do breaststroke and I thought it would be good if I could swim the front crawl, so I joined the tri team at the local gym. I had no intention whatsoever of competing at all. For me, it was getting over that blockage in my brain/mind and teaching myself to swim.
To actually put my head underwater was NO GO at all. The reason for this was I had a blockage, I feared drowning. This had come from my childhood and engraved itself in my brain. I had been held underwater in a canoe when I was younger – So I was scared. Don’t get me wrong I could get in a pool and swim a mile no problem, breaststroke, keeping my head above the water, but bloody hell to do two lengths crawl – killed me. I flayed around like a drowning whale.
I pushed, I persevered and made the time, energy and effort to train and learn. – I put the time in for ME, because it was something I wanted to do.
I even took to open water swimming – this was another NO GO. The adrenaline of just getting in the water and actually putting my head under was huge. I felt a failure the first time I did it because I swam more breaststroke than crawl, but every day I went back and every day it got easier and every day I went further and further. I did it.
I kept going back, I kept talking myself into it.
I turned the NEGATIVE to a POSITIVE. I CAN DO THIS. And yes I did!
Then Covid hit and training was no more because the pools had closed. Not for me I had come so far,
I wasn’t going to let it stop me. So I solo trained. I bought a weighted vest and continued my training and
added different sessions. I kept up all my Yoga, running, walking, strength & conditioning and cycling all throughout lockdown I didn’t give in.
I got back in the pool as soon as it re-opened - a little scared I might add. Can I do this? I questioned myself. And guess what? – my fitness levels where still there and better still I was stronger & faster than ever before.
So again, I got to thinking and I strongly believe that:-
The stars don’t come to us we have to find a way to get to the stars. Ironman here I come!!
Make the most of every day. Don’t let situations around you stop you from being the best you
can possibly be. I know I won’t.
If you need a little help to overcome those barriers, why not get in touch to see if I can help. I do Group and Personal sessions and I look at your lifestyle holistically, offering support to improving your wellness, mental and body strength.
