Five things that being injured has done for me.

Ok, quick recap for those just joining us.
I am overweight, trying to get healthy. I found out that I love running. I ran too much and now my knee is super angry-face at me.

Ok, now that we’re all caught up.

Five things that being injured has done for me.

1. I've been forced to try new things.

I got into a groove where I was running 3+ days a week and only picking up the weights when I couldn't come up with a good enough reason not to.
Now, I ride a recumbent bike, I lift weights, I go for walks, I even started going to Deep Waterfit!

2. I've had to refocus my goals.

Like I said, I was running a lot. This made me able to eat quite a few unhealthy meals a week, and still lose weight. However, now that I’m not running, I've had to become more nutrition focused. Which reminded me that I was STILL putting WAY more unhealthy foods in my body than I should have been. I had also started getting obsessed with running faster/farther. However, this interruption reminded me why I started all of this in the first place - HEALTH!

3. It has allowed me to connect more with my sister.

My sister (who is freaking awesome, BTW) has started her own health journey. However, she is not too interested in running. So I've been able to go for walks with her and we went to Deep Waterfit together too! Breaking out of the "need to run faster/farther" helped me remember that ANY exercise can be done with others!

4. It has given me the chance to prove how much I want this.

All too often, we are thrown a ‘wrench in the plan’ or a brick wall is put up to stop us. We then have to choose if we want to push ahead, or cave to the pressure. This is less black and white than I’m making it out to be.  However, it’s exciting to know that I want this badly enough to try out new things & step outside my comfort zone.

5. I've gotten quite the mental workout.

Anyone who has been injured before knows how hard it is to basically have life tell you “Hey, you can’t do that thing you love doing anymore.”
I've been through weird bouts of near depression. I've been sad about not running, sad when I know my friends are running and sad when I see other runners.  I was just starting to consider myself a ‘runner’… and now I feel weird saying it because I can’t run.
It has been hard to motivate myself to do workouts that take up as much or more time, but don’t burn near as many calories as running does. Running provides a release of emotions, a way to slough off the day. Then I'd kick myself for feeling negative about not running. As if I didn't deserve to feel badly about being injured.
Getting over THAT mental wall is the hardest part, in my opinion.

Basically, to sum things up: This injury hasn't been all bad.

It’s important to remember that you’re not the first to have an injury, hit a wall or feel sad about stuff. There are so many amazing blog posts and resources on the internet (and beyond) to help remind you you’re not alone and to help you cope/recover.

Also, don’t forget how important it is to share how you’re feeling with those who are close to you. You’ll never get help if no one knows you’re hurting.