Sandy: I have a Secret!

I have a secret.  It’s not scandalous, perhaps, but I wanted to share it with you.  I have a nasty case of Plantar Fasciitis.  If you don’t know what that means, then think of knives being poked into the bottom of your heel every time you take a step.  Yes, it is that bad. 

My mom suffered from this affliction years ago, and I remember that I used to lecture her about stretching and doing her exercises.  I used to watch her limp around and thought to myself, “Oh come on, it can’t be that bad.”

Ha ha!  Well, the joke is on me isn’t it, because I thought I was so smart talking about stretching and what not to my poor mum who was suffering so badly.  Life, in its most eloquent way, decided to slap me with the same affliction that I preached about so long ago.   Oh, and yes, the pain is THAT bad.

I say that this is my secret, because I don’t like to admit weakness.   I do my best to hide the pain when I can, but if you watch closely you will see that I walk with a limp.

I have not let this get in the way of my Fit Works program.  I didn’t have to, because my trainer Penny was well aware of what I was suffering from, and she generously altered her scheduled workouts to accommodate my aches and pains, giving me and the other people in the Fit Works program an excellent workout, EVERY TIME, even when she modified  it to take me off my feet.

Being honest with your trainers, and more so, to be honest with yourself is important.  It doesn’t make sense to push through your workouts when you are in pain, especially since it could lead to further, more extensive damage in the future.

My triathlon was this weekend,  (stay tuned for more about that!) and another one in the fall.  It’s been killing me because every time I went for a training run, it would be nearly a week before I was walking well again.  Needless to say, I went into it feeling undertrained. 

I ran into Melanie Ashcroft the other day, telling her about my Plantar issues.  She offered me some excellent advice on how to stretch my feet.  Another great piece of advice was that I should run in the water.  I know, I didn’t get that at first either.  What she meant is that I should strap on a flotation belt and run in the deep end of the pool.  This, my friends, is absolutely brilliant advice (that I wish I had gotten just a little sooner).  What a great way to build up cardio!  Plus the water offers resistance against arm and leg movements.  I haven’t tried it yet, but I certainly will for my fall triathlon.

If you have physical issues, talk to the Works staff about your injuries and concerns.  See a physician!  Schedule an appointment for a Personal Training Demo with one of our trainers, or a full one on one, or group training session with a Personal Trainer.  The Works Staff offers a myriad of information and experience.  If you have injuries or are suffering from any aches or pains you can find out how your workouts can be customized to maximize your results without causing more pain. 

Stay healthy my friends.