Revolution and Inspiration

I belong to a gym called Lifetime Athletic.  Actually, its not really a gym.  Its more of a lifestyle and wellness mecca.  At least that's how I view it. Its a huge building (by normal gym standards) that houses an indoor lap and recreational pool complex, an outdoor lap and recreational pool complex, basketball and racquetball courts, rock climbing wall, yoga and pilates studios, a salon and spa, a cafe, childcare center, beautiful locker rooms, in addition to group fitness studios and your typical gym machines and equipment.  Included in my membership fee is a subscription to a magazine called Experience Life.  I often post articles from Experience Life on my Facebook page.  I absolutely love this magazine because it takes a holistic approach to healthcare and, unlike many other magazines or website today, does not focus on the latest fads in healthcare.  Their mission says its all: "To empower our readers to become their best, most authentic selves and to support their enjoyment of a healthy, balanced, deeply satisfying way of life."  Yes please.  The articles are so common sense-based but it seems like, when it comes to taking care of ourselves, common sense has been replaced by the desire for convenience or a for a quick-fix.  Its hard not to be enticed by the promise of getting something quickly whether it be a meal, a weight loss solution, or a remedy for chronic illness. And it seems like every time you turn around you read another headline for another quick solution to some problem.  The problem is that there usually is not a magic bullet that is going to solve any problem.  But we become so focused on trying to find that magic bullet that we ignore common sense.  Becoming a reader of Experience Life was a wake up call to me - stop looking for quick solutions and start using common sense.  More specifically, it was an article that was published in the Jan/ Feb issue entitled "Being Healthy is a Revolutionary Act: Renegade Perspectives for Thriving in a Mixed Up World."  If you are interested in reading it and the accompanying Manifesto, you can read it here: http://experiencelife.com/article/being-healthy-is-a-revolutionary-act-renegade-perspectives-for-thriving-in-a-mixed-up-world/.  I read this article and the manifesto and it was like a giant smack in the forehead.  I vowed to myself right then and there to take control of the health of my family.  Now - don't get me wrong.  We weren't sitting around eating KFC for dinner every night.  But we were most certainly sacrificing our health in favor of convenience more often than we should have.  And I did not see, or at least appreciate, that being healthy didn't just mean that I should be eating well and exercising.  I needed to live a balanced life.  I needed to make the same commitment to my mind and spirit as I was to my body.  I made a commitment to myself to make changes to our lifestyle to help us be healthier in the present, as well as to hopefully teach my daughters what being healthy means so that they embrace healthy choices throughout their lives.  Throughout the year, I've tried to incorporate small changes to our lifestyle - many inspired by the 101 Revolutionary Acts that were listed in the manifesto.

But the real change came about a month and a half ago when I hurt my back.  It was November 21 and I was in Canada with Jake, Allie and Emma.  We were there visiting friends that we met last year in Bermuda.  I was exercising in our hotel room and I felt something in my lower back and knew (from past experience unfortunately) that I had injured myself.  By the following afternoon, my back was in spasm and I could barely walk.  Standing from a seated or lying down position was nearly impossible.  It was awful.  I was in a foreign country where I had no access to healthcare or prescription drugs and I was a seven hour drive from the comfort of my own home.  It was a pretty miserable drive home and then I spent most of Thanksgiving weekend in bed while taking a muscle relaxer and pain reliever.  The back spasms were followed up by a pretty intense sciatica flare up which I had never experienced before and never wish to again.  But on that day in November when I first hurt my back I gave myself a big pep talk.  I knew what laid ahead of me because I had hurt my back not long before that - in the fall of 2010.  Back then when I hurt my back I spent some time in bed to get over the worst of the pain.  And then I waited.  I waited for my back to heal.  I stopped exercising for fear that it would get worse.  I stopped socializing because the pain was taking a lot out of me and I was just too tired.  I was feeling really down.  Its hard to be in chronic pain.  It can really break your spirit.  It was the first time in my life that I can recall feeling like a "glass is half empty" type of person. And then the winter came and it snowed. .  .a lot - which didn't make my back or my mood improve.  So I just did a lot more waiting around for my back to get better.  But it didn't.  And then at the end of January 2011 I read the Experience Life article and I thought to myself, "Maybe my back isn't getting any better because I am not doing anything to make it better."  I knew that I needed to do something to make my back get better and to pick myself up.  I decided to go to Lifetime Fitness to swim and soak in the hot tub.  After 30 minutes in the pool and some time to relax in the hot tub I felt really good.  I felt invigorated by having done exercise for the first time in months.  My back felt lighter and looser.  And I felt optimistic and hopeful.  I continued to swim and soak for several weeks and then graduated to yoga and jogging.  In April I completed a 10-mile race at Rutgers.  I learned a very valuable lesson - if you abuse your  body, mind and spirit, they will abuse you right back.  If you nurture them, they will nurture you back.

So back in November when I was in some pretty debilitating pain, I made a choice.  I knew that there was no quick fix for this.  And I knew that doing nothing was not an option.  I decided that as soon as I was able to get out of bed and drive, that I was going to start stretching and swimming.  One week after hurting my back, despite the fact that it was still an effort to get in and out of the car, I made myself go to Lifetime Fitness to go swimming.  I made myself do the yoga stretches that had helped me so much the previous spring.  I evaluated my diet and cleaned it up a bit - more veggies, more water, more whole grains, less white flour, less soda. I started having some quiet time each day to unwind and clear my mind.  I had a couple of massages.  I scheduled several play dates and dinner parties at my house - spending time with friends is always a great diversion. And day by day I was feeling better - and happier!  During that time  I also saw a chiropractor who ordered an MRI which revealed a large herniated disc.  A couple of weeks after that I saw a spinal surgeon.  The appointment was almost one month to the day after I hurt my back exercising in Canada.  After looking at my MRI and then doing the clinical exam, the spinal surgeon said to me, "I have no explanation why someone with a herniated disc as large as yours is able to move as well and is having as little pain as you are."  But I knew why.  It was because I had decided to take steps to get better. I chose to take my physical and mental health into my own hands.  I chose to really take care of myself - to nurture myself back to wellness.   And this time around I have learned another lesson - the changes I made cannot be a temporary solution but a permanent lifestyle.  I made that mistake this past year.  I will not make it again.  I have taken a step to revolutionize my life and I am so proud of myself for it.

Has anyone or anything inspired you to change your lifestyle for the better?  I'd love to hear your story!