Last October I pulled a muscle in my back. All I did was reach for the shampoo in the shower. It was agony for a few days so I rested and then returned to exercising when it felt better. But by Christmas I was getting deferred pain in my leg when I ran. I’ve since seen a physio and osteopath and for a while had to give up all exercise. I had entered for the Windsor and London triathlons this year, and was hoping to improve my times, but I’ve had to pull out of both.
I feel like I’m on the mend now. My back feels stronger and I can now do a bit more exercise – I’m up to 20 minutes cycling in the gym! But I’ve found it so hard not being able to be active and it’s reminded me of the connection between mind, body and spirit. When I exercise I feel alive and strong; when I’m hobbling around with a bad back, I’ve felt low, spiralling down into comfort eating which then makes me feel worse. No doubt some of the good feeling is down to endorphins, but I think it’s also about a sense of well being at every part of yourself being in harmony and working like it should. I guess it’s most obvious when a part of your body gets damaged or out of shape. Do we pay as much attention to the well being of our spirits, or our minds?
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