I can't stop...

A big part of my life these days is dealing with the pain I live with everyday and not letting it dictate the kind of life I want to lead. That isn't always easy but if you have the desire to overcome your adversity, then work for it things usually turn out pretty well.

A great deal of this battle takes place between my ears. I really believe that to a degree I'm only as disabled by my "disability" as I allow myself to be. It can be difficult some days, like today because my knees, left hip and lower back are really working together this morning to mess up my attitude! But, there is simply no way am I letting that influence what I can and can not do today or any day for that matter. The pain almost speaks to you: "Pssst..Hey T, this is your hip & your back talking'...you are in too much pain this morning to ride the Xbike, you really need to skip it today...why don't you just lay back down in bed all day".

Yea, that's pretty much how it sounds if I listen to the chatter going on in my head. I am hurting, it's quite cold in the exercise room and I just don't feel like doing it today, what would it hurt to just skip one day? Uh, because Thom, that would make it easier to justify doing the same thing tomorrow, then the day after that and so on and on. Because one thing is certain at this stage...the pain doesn't just  go away, nope , it doesn't. I have to learn to live with it on a daily basis and the sooner, the better.

And I shall....and the most important part of that is to keep doing what I know is right. And exercise is definately helpful and the right thing to do. If I don't keep moving this creaky old body of mine regularly, it will rot away. I've seen it happen, where I've just laid around "resting" my back and believe me, you lose strength that way very quickly. I cant afford to lose any more flexibility and strength...the ball is definately in my court on this one. It is up to me to make the change and I will, one day at a time, bit by bit.

The lesson that I have learned is that I need to be patient and do what exercise I can, not what I think I should be able to do. I've also discovered that my body talks to me, it will tell me when it's time to stop, I just have to listen to it. And you know what else I've found? That doing SOMETHING, is better then doing nothing, Duh! It really makes a difference, even if it's just a moderate 20 minute ride, a 30 minute walk....either way the heart gets the blood pumping and I feel the energy surge through me. That definately feels good, much better then sitting around on my ass. But again patience, for this guy, is the key to success when it comes to physical activity.

OK, well now that I've convinced myself to not give in to the desire to lay down...I'm going to ride!