Building the best me...

Inspired by some of the steps that my girl Tara has been taking in order to be her best self, I've been working to ... get myself back. I think that's the best way of looking at it. I used to be fit, I used to be trim, I used to be healthy and I'm not anymore. It's not all bad, though. Sixteen-year-old me would have had no clue on how to put on a nice face of make-up, was quite happy to leave the house without brushing my hair and had very little understanding of personal style. Twenty-six year old me is a lot more vain LOL and has learnt a lot along the way.

Many of the goals I set at the start of the year were working towards this "better me". Losing weight is definitely important in terms of health - and actually far more important than in terms of looks. My propensity to carry weight all over my body makes it less obvious exactly how big I am. Exercise is also very important - I want to get back to that uberfit kid who could run and not feel like they were falling apart. Lately I've realised how important it is to take time for myself and unwind and relax... I want to be warm and kind and loving and nurturing of the good things in life and I can't do that if I'm strung out.

You could say that this year is a year of fixing everything within me that's broken. Some is emotional - like my relationship with food - and some is physical. With SB's encouragement, I've started seeing a physiotherapist. He's dealing with two major issues I need to overcome - tension headaches caused by stress through the shoulders (LOL I just had to readjust my shoulders while writing this post) and a knee issue that has always existing but has been exacerbated by an accident I had eight years ago and minor falls I've had ever since.

So I am sitting here currently (with my leg raised) with my knee strapped into place. It's meant to stop the knee cap sliding out of the socket both left and right and prevent any pivotal movement of the knee - that currently causes a lot of pain. It's amazing how limiting this actually is. There was a man gardening next door to the physio as I tried to hop into my car to drive home. I didn't realise that I had said "Well this is going to be f***ing interesting" aloud until I heard him laugh as I mangled myself into my car. I climb stairs like a nana and the step-twist motions that Zumba requires are completely out.

It is a little bit frustrating to be limited to squats, leg extensions and slow walking, right at a point when I have really bought in to exercise as a lifestyle. It seems almost counter-intuitive that limiting myself now will help me become a fitter person in the long run. I just need to feel better that limitations now will lead to freedom in the long run - and I'm already getting used to this with weight. I can do this as well.

Anyone else been through significant physio rehab? How did you cope?