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Got Injury?

January 27, 2012 –

Since I got P90X2 in December, I have been trying out all the workouts in preparation for our X2 Challenge. The official start date? January 16! We have 500+ members in our Facebook Group and the energy is electric. (If you are interested in joining, just shoot me an email.) The second day of the schedule calls for Plyocide. What is Plyocide? It is the X2 version of Plyometrics. It is a tough workout, but nothing I was “nervous” about?

Then it happened. A move called “1-Leg Slalom” in which you hop on one leg down a straight line. You jump to the right of the line, then left, then right. When you get to the end of the line, you hop back. I love the side to side movements that Tony does. As a runner and triathlete, there is so much focus on front and back that the legs get underdeveloped on lateral movements. As I was doing the exercise on my right leg, I came down on the side of my foot pretty hard and rolled it. Now if there is one undesirable thing my genes have given me, it is bad ankles (my brother has them too). Well, I was glad my kids weren’t up yet because I said a few choice words. I knew I had stretched the muscles a bit, so I took a couple of minutes for a break, moved it around a bit, then finished.

I went to work and knew I wouldn’t have to put that kind of pressure on it for another week so I felt it would be fine. When I came home from work, I undid my shoes and found this. LOL!

A few days later it looked like this!

So I took some good advice from friends and saw an orthopedic. He takes some x-rays. No broken bones…that’s good. However, I tore some tendons in my ankle and he says no running for 4-6 weeks. Well, it could be alot worse.

So, I am going to refer back to a post from May 2011 (Click HERE).  Tony had finished taping P90X2 (thankfully) and shortly after, he a serious injury with a torn Bicep tendon. He was doing Iron Cross Flies on rings with his feet on a stability ball.(Yup, I wont be trying that anytime soon!) His right arm gave way and his tendon snapped right off the bone. Ouch! He has had surgery and is on the mend.

However, he said he learned one of the greatest lessons in his adult life through this experience. He hasn’t been injured since he shattered his knee cap as a sophomore in college back in the ’70s. (Tony is 52 if you can believe it.) Initially, he was nervous of what he was going to do as he loves his upper body workouts. But it reminded him of how many people make excuses for not working out and used this as a way to show others what they should do when an injury or even permanent disability falls upon them.

So, here is the lesson:

– If the top is broken, you work the bottom.

– If the bottom is broken, you work the top.

– If the top and bottom are broken, you work the core.

And this can be applied to more than  just exercise. It could be applied to business or anything really. If something isn’t working, work what is. Don’t just throw up your arms and say “Ahhh, forget it! I give up!”

Excuses get us no where. That is just our head trash pushing us down. I could have been really down. Injury on Day 2? Really? Instead, I decided to overcome. It is just my ankle. So I need to very carefully with this ankle, especially given all the balance moves on X2. So I continue on.  If there any lateral movements, I modify. This past week I swapped out Plyocide for a Les Mills Pump disc to give me a good cardio / resistance burn. And that is about the only change I have made. So now I wear this and we continue on our journey.

And the more I thought about this, I couldn’t help but feel like I had to practice what I preach. Too many times I have heard people give up their entire workout because they injured one body part. And I love how that causes people to then give up on their diet. (As if an injury affects diet. LOL!)

Team, life happens. It is not perfect. Exercise is a part of my life. It’s like any other daily body function: eating, sleeping, etc. I thank the Lord everyday that I am able to run, jump, lift weights, and have full use of all my limbs. So many do not. And if we get injured, we continue to work the rest. I can’t run, but I can swim. I love to swim! Great, I’ll focus on that for a while.

I have been on this journey for over 2 years  and people ask me when I am going to ease up. Your workouts are so hard. You have to get up so early. Why are you doing this? For me, this is one of the highlights of my day. It is “me time”. I get to challenge myself and feel great when I am done with my workout. I have missed very few workouts in the past 2 years. Maybe 5? Maybe.   Are there days when I would rather roll over than wake up? Sure. I’m human. But I know that I will feel better after I workout. It is part of who I am now. If I didn’t do it, I would miss it.

So no matter what your circumstances, you can figure something out. Modify! Pause the DVD. Focus on what works. If you are really out of shape, start with the “Pay It Forward” workout HERE. There is no one else to hold you accountability, but yourself. As ShaunT says. “Have Integrity People.” I am here to motivate you and help you in your journey. And frankly, there are many times I need all of you too! We are hear for each other. We are a Team! And we don’t wait around or have excuses. We do things RIGHT NOW!

4 Responses to “Got Injury?”

  1. Bullock says:

    I completely agree with everything Coach Mike wrote in this report. I am writing from the point of view of the choir that didn’t sing. Back in September I torn my LCL in my right knee (which was my good knee). Now I have ligament tears in both knees, and because of the country I live in and my health care system I have still not had an MRI or seen anyone but my family doctor about the knee.

    I couldn’t get downstairs to the basement to workout for a time, then I got really busy at work and I got depressed and very frankly I got FAT. It took two very hard years of work to lose 50 pounds and I gained most of it back in about 4 months because I let an injury knock me off track. I’m still struggling to get back on track. I’m also struggling to figure out what I can and can’t do with 2 knees that are problems.

    My takeaways from my experience and Coach Mike’s. If you have an injury get it diagnosed as quickly as possible and MOST IMPORTANTLY, REACH OUT TO YOUR COACH AND ONLINE SUPPORT FAMILY TO SEE YOU THROUGH MODIFICATIONS, PAIN, POSSIBLE DEPRESSION AND ANY EXCUSES THAT YOU CAN FABRICATE. I’m now back at step one and it is as hard the second time to lose the weight as it was the first time, probably because I’m so frustrated with myself.

    • Coach Mike Coach Mike says:

      Deanna – Thank you for the great comment! You are a superstar, what are you talking about? All of us are here for you! And you know what? You did it once, you can do it again! We will do it again…together! Message me if you want.

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