Almost a year and I'm still here

Feb 08, 2010

Well it has been almost a year since my motorcycle accident and I'm still here. I broke my left leg (tibia and fibula) and my right hand as well. I was bed ridden for over a month and then was in a wheel chair for a few weeks, then walker for several months. Physical therapy was the most painful and slow process I have gone through. I didn't get released by my doctor until November. Even then, my leg still hurt. It still does today. I guess I really did a lot of damage to the muscles, nerve and tendons inside. But I'm still here!

For a while, I was getting quite down. I couldn't exercise. I couldn't cook. I couldn't go out. I was stuck in the house. I was feeling quite sorry for myself. It was really quite sad. When I was able to start exercising again, it was easier to avoid it than to actually do it. I guess the physical pain is a great deterant.

The last month or two, I have been seeing my chiropractor and a physical therapist and I've been easing back into an exercise routine. 3x a week for 2 weeks (30 mins a day), then 4x a week for 30 mins a day and last week I exercsed 7x a week for 40 mins each day. That may have been a bit much as my back is sore. But it does feel good to get the body moving again.

As for food and my weight, I gained about 35 lbs while laid up and depressed. I guess that was to be expected. I have lost about 10 lbs but I'm not as focussed on the scale right now. My goal is to incorporate strength training and try to build some muscles. I'm doing bench presses, lat pulls and rows. I'd like to build a physique and also lean out. I try and remind myself that it's not a "road race to thin" but a healthy lifestyle I can live with that I am trying to learn.

I bought the book "Food Rules" last week and think it was great. The author makes a lot of great points. Most of what he suggests are similar to my dietician's guidelines anyway. He's just more organic, anti-processed foods and chemicals. I think that's a very healthy approach to eating and long-term life-skills.

So, I'm planning to attend the WLS support group meeting tonight at Emory. I missed last month because I was in San Francisco for vacation. It will be nice to get some tips and get an energy boost from the people there. It always reinvigorates me to hear their stories.

Today, I chose to make healthy eating decisions, today I chose to move my body more and today I chose to put my health first. That's all I can do.

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