Migraines;
Are my Kryptonite
Are relentless
Are excruciating
Are debilitating
Are scary.
Migraine Musings
Category: Health & Fitness
Pride, pain & pulled muscles
My body is in pain. From my 2nd toe on my right foot which I “sprained?” well over a month ago falling off Ava’s headboard (long story) to my neck, shoulders, hips, legs, arms, tummy, chest, hands back… everywhere. A mom I met at Aiden’s Gymnastics class had just broken her toe – the same one as mine and was told that it will always be swollen like that. Wtf? My sexy 2nd toe is now fat and going to stay like that? I need to research that one. Can’t possibly be.
I feel like a pretzel. Not to eat. I feel like my body has become one. On Thursday I was not only able to just touch my toes, but I can usually put my hands flat on the ground.
Friday afternoon while sitting in the stands watching the junior primary sports day, sitting felt like a marathon. I was uncomfortable in every position. Then what did I do?
Yup I took part in the Moms race. The parents race is that time of the year where most most sprains and injury’s occur btw. The Dads race was so competitive they should have had sponsors and an actual podium for places. So there I was trying to make my boy proud. Most importantly I checked that he saw me at the starting line. Big dramatic wave. Check. All good. If he didn’t, then it wasn’t worth it. It felt like I was running through mud. I came third, which would have been great except for the fact that he came first in his race. “Well done mom, you did so well. Third is good. You did your best” he tells me, with words straight out of my mouth when he’s come somewhere that is not pole position.
I felt proud. Well to be honest, I felt pain. Proud, but mostly pain as we (I) hobbled back to the car.
So now I’m like a pretzel with pulled hamstring muscles.
I tried to do Pilates on Saturday but it was tough.
I tried to find a message or physio place on Saturday. Ha ha. It was tough.
I tried to do some stretches this morning, it was near impossible.
This is not my body right now. I can’t even pull my knees to my chest which is a rest position. Child’s pose hurts. I don’t recall having such hectic workout sessions last week? The moms race was a tough 80m I won’t lie but pulled hammies is about the extent of it. This feels like a whole body injury. All I can think of is that it’s either a combination of workouts and the moms race, old age, or quite possibly a physical reaction to my therapy session Friday morning. Hmmmm
Oh ja, did I mention I see a therapist? A head therapist, not a massage one although this afternoon I am seeing the massage one. More on that for another day – about the head therapist, not the massage one.
I better go hobble up the stairs to wake the sleeping beauties.
Reflection
I took this photo the other morning in a rush, between getting back from the gym and changing for work. I hadn’t been having great workout sessions of late, and I thought it was perhaps because I didn’t have a goal in place. That morning I focussed on core work, and when I got home I decided I would keep my goal pretty straight forward and simple for the next few months, considering nothing else in my life is straight forward or simple.
I want a 6-pack.
Of the muscle variety, not of Savannahs or Smirnoff Ice. Although I could do with some right now of those too.
My son is so “ripped” it is not even a joke and often tries to compare his 12 -pack with my, well let’s call it a 6 pack of croissants under a dishcloth maybe ok? It’s there, if you feel, it is there, but not so obvious when you first look. It looks perhaps a little lumpy, but that could be the texture of the dish cloth or the lighting. But it is underneath, it’s definitely there, promise. So, I took this photo as a “before” shot. Something to compare to down the line.
Later that night, after the kids had finally gone to bed, I was checking Instagram, (apparently I was told it’s a thing.. an Instagram break) and I clicked on the button for add photo instead of the search and my abs shot came up. I had taken a few shots from different angles. I swiped right for the filter option, a bit of cropping and then, when it came to writing a caption I stopped. I stared at the photo and the words were reflecting back to me “Write a caption…”
This morning, this was my “before” photo to spur me on. But with a different angle, the right filter, some careful cropping and, most importantly a different attitude, this photo could be someone’s “after” photo. It could be their “best ever” photo. It could be their “This is me, take me as I am” type of photo. Or their “I am happy with me” photo. Depending on how you look at things, this could be my “after” photo. If I look back on the photos of me after I had my daughter, this photo could be the crowning achievement of the last 3 years of working out pretty much consistently day in and day out. It was meant to be the photo to show the start of my 6-pack goal. I could pin point so many flaws in this pic. But then again, I have seen a lot worse staring back at me from that very same dressing table mirror, a lot worse.
So here is what stumped me. What stopped me from adding this photo to Instagram…. I didn’t know what to write. Was this a post about me saying I am not happy with how I look right now? Was this a post saying how happy I am with how I look right now? Neither was accurate.
Reflection.
What you see in the mirror is sometimes like Instagram. There are filters. Perhaps not Lark, or Gingham or Amaro. Sometimes what we see in the mirror is completely different on a different day, depending on the mood, how positive or negative you are feeling about yourself, hormones, your reasoning, thought, attitude, your past, your future… the comment from your friends, partner or gym instructor – good or bad. Perhaps you just scoffed 6 crackers with cheese and balsamic caramelised onions, or are you on your third glass of wine? These are all filters of some kind. Are you standing with your head held high or slumped over? I was told if you hold your arms up your mid-section looks better. Did you take the photo in the morning or the evening? That’s at 1-2kg different for me right there folks. Time of day. Always important.
So after a lot of reflection on this photo, I have decided to Write a caption….
Me, content and embracing what is staring back at me in the mirror, flaws and all, and about to embark on a 6 – pack challenge to keep my mind as well as my workouts focussed.
#selfmotivation #smallgoalsbigwins #reflectionisgood #reflectionisintheeyeofthebeholder
