Progress

Oooooo, don't you just love the sound of that? Progress! It's a fantastic word, isn't it?

Well, I'm happy to report further progress with my back/hip issues. Ok, well, happy may be a severe understatement. If you've been following this issue for a while now, you'll know the depths of despair dealing with this injury has dragged me to. So 'progress' is pretty much like saying "multiple orgasms" to me right now.

Today was my last physical therapy session. I've basically moved beyond "treatment", doing so well with all the exercises they have given me and being all-but pain free now for quite some time. Sure, there has been the odd mini flare-up, where I haven't paid attention or have overdone it on something I wasn't supposed to be doing (like housework, conveniently enough) but they are short-lived and I am bouncing back much faster.

This was not my last time going to the physical therapist, however. The facility also does sports specific and personal training and we agreed that it would make sense for me to continue on a program of personal training for a while. You see, my previous issues all flared back up again as soon as I was discharged from physical therapy and tried to return to a more full-body fitness routine. It was like, by trying to take one more step forward towards being strong and fit once more, I would wind up 10 steps back.

Since I don't want that to happen again, I really want to take the next few steps under supervision of an expert. Dustin, my PT, is an athletic trainer and the types of exercises and instruction I have received from him and Kyle, the owner of the facility, include a lot of routines and approaches that are different from anything I have ever done before. So, despite my prior status as a personal trainer, their experience is far greater than mine and their approach rooted in athletic training, which means a focus on preventing injury as well as increasing balance, strength, and endurance.

So, from hereon out, the focus is all on progress. We're going to build upon the foundation we have created, without flaring up my symptoms and with the goal of making me strong and more injury resilient than I have been for quite some time. Which is everything I have been hoping for and everything I have wanted from a treatment program.

I am sooooo incredibly happy that I did not give up and that I kept switching and changing professionals and strategies until I found one that worked for me. I could never quite accept that I was out for the count at age 35 and I'm pleased to say that, although there may be some things that I may never do again, and others that I have to do much less than I did before, I have every hope that I will return to little miss buff Rantypants in the near future.

Now, for my part, all I need to do is start eating more healthfully again. That has definitely been a lagging factor. Although I haven't been eating POORLY (its not like I'm a drive-thru-junkie or anything) I definitely have not been making proper nutrition the top of my list of priorities. That needs to change now, especially if I am going to be upping the ante on the workout side. I'll need a quality diet to fuel my routines.

All in all, this sounds suspiciously like the old me is returning. It's been a long time coming, let me tell you, but I'm glad to meet the old Ms. Rantypants again. I liked her much better and have missed her a lot.