Lesson Learned

So far I have been keeping up with my work out schedule. My back feels much better and stronger than it did a few weeks ago. Last week, the stretches I’ve been working on started to feel too easy and a little boring. So, I took that as sign to add some weights and start running again. That was a bad idea. The weight just aggravated my back and the running….well, I didn’t make it too far. After a couple steps, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. Lesson learned….. I’ve decided to stick with the stretching!

To make up for the boring stretches, I started taking Salsa dancing lessons. The classes are an hour and half long and so much fun. I’ve been salsa dancing before but these classes teach you the basic techniques to dance any type of salsa and it’s a great workout. The best part is it doesn’t bother my back.

Barriers

I think one of my barriers is my occasional lack of motivation. I know I’m only setting aside 30 minutes 3 times a week but sometimes I think I could use those 30 minutes to do something else like take a nap, clean my apartment or just read my magazines (unread Latina and Glamour magazines are piling up in my room!).

Another barrier is time, trying to keep up with school, work and family is definitely keeping me on my toes. Finding some free time or just 30 minutes is somewhat challenging to add into my schedule. But one way I try to make time is writing it down in my planner. I’m all about making To-Do list and if I add it to my list is more likely to get done!

My last barrier may sound a bit silly but it’s the cold weather. I love the sun! So when it’s cold, I usually don’t want to do anything. Every year around this time, I always stop going to the gym and gain a few pounds.

Support

I haven't really told many people about hurting my back ( its kinda embarrassing telling people I fell down my stairs). But my family has been very supportive in my plan to get better. My mom always wants me to give her updates about my progress and my brother always has some joke to say about falling down the stairs (that's his way of showing his support!). I've surprisingly been feeling much better. The stretching exercises have been working out well and I stopped taking the pain medications.

Inspiration

The person that has been an inspiration in helping me achieve my goal is my father. He spent many years working in fields and farms as a boy and playing competitive soccer. With all that hard manual labor, he's had to recover from several injuries. After a few surgeries on his knees, he's always been able to handle his physical therapy and recovery without complaining. I hope I can handle my rehab as well as he did.