Exercise with lots of care

 

#MisterTaquito in my last training session…for now

On my 50’th bday last week, I attempted to do a kettlebell snatch without the proper progression and bam…sayonara shoulder.  For a few days I couldn’t move my arm at all and the pain was so bad I created this mantra: “I went through labor twice so I can take this pain” (but still, I cried a few times while hiding in my closet). My doctor said that I had to stop all weight training and my beloved Wing Chun for a few weeks .  It has only been  a week but I can already feel the difference in my posture and my energy… and not for the better.  Not that I was training like The Rock or Gal Gadot, but even my simple weight training routine kept me strong and honestly very happy.  There is something to lifting weights that makes me feel like Wonder Woman…ready to save the world or maybe just finish a very complicated design project.

 

No kettlebells or wing chun? So let’s walk more.  This morning I took my dogs for a long walk (almost two hours so they hate me now) and I started thinking about how vital it is to be able to move freely.  This past week my Grandma has been in the hospital with several complications and most of them are due to the fact that because of lack of exercise her heart and lungs are very weak.  When I was 25, I wouldn’t think about exercise and movement, I would just do it.  At 50, it has become a big issue because I want to keep moving freely and healthy for years to come.

Last week after getting hurt I couldn’t work… jeez, I couldn’t even turn on my phone with my right hand. A whole routine was altered by one injured arm.  I couldn’t drive so my Mom was taking me everywhere and my husband and kids were very supportive and took great care of me.  As thankful as I am, I couldn’t help but wonder: this is just one arm and it’s a temporary injury…imagine if it was worst or a chronic condition with no cure. SCARY!

If I want to accomplish my dream of working in graphic design, practicing wing chun and weight training well into my 90’s …I have to integrate exercise and movement responsibly every day into my life.  No more cutting cornes, steps or saying I got this when I don’t (really I didn’t, the kettle bell almost flew out my terrace and would have probably kill one of the cats down the street). Even if I feel like the eternal 10 year old who get’s excited about the new Star Wars movie…my body is not, is a mature body that deserves respect and lots of care.  First lesson in my fifties: move responsibly because just one thing can affect everything else.

 

 

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Yep, I’m thankful

My office and new supervisor #MisterTaquito

It’s been seven months or so since I was let go of my job of 20 years.  What a scary thing!  On January 2, 2018 we got the electricity back and for me that is marked in calendar forever as a very special anniversary.  About a week later I started working freelance for my old job, the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, and have been ever since to which I am very grateful. Due to cut backs they couldn’t rehire full time but with the hours that I have been working for them, I have been able to pay my debts and get by.  I don’t like that phrase: “get by”.  It sounds to me like the opposite of stability…peace.  But in the “getting by” I also had time to work on some personal projects that I have been putting on hold for the past 20-25 years or so. Go figure.

So, by “getting by” financially…I was able to do other things besides work.  That gave me some pause.  I realize that I have been in the rat race for so long that I didn’t even notice time passing by.  Things that I wanted to accomplish but just kept staying in the wish list year after year.  Now…I  had the time so let’s do them!  I am not talking about traveling around the world (which is in my list by the way) or jumping from a plane (not on my list).  I am talking about something as simple as exercising, keeping a journal, reading a self help book, learning a new recipe and ta-da…#WingChun.  The  kind of stuff that only would be for my benefit, but I never gave it any priority because I had a full time job, my kids were younger so I put them on hold.

On these past seven months I have learned to pause.  To see the positive out of everything. It hasn’t been easy all the time but it’s a new thing that I can add to my list of things that I have learned and try to do everyday.  A horrible hurricane destroyed my lovely island.  So many people left, so many jobs, properties and lives lost.  Sharing our experiences with friends, family, and even with strangers waiting on line I have come to realize that with perseverance, patience, and a lot of work in every aspect of our lives we are the same people but different at the same time.

Now, every morning before I get up from bed I thank the Goddess, God or my Higher Power for: my health, my family’s health and well being (dogs included of course), that we have a house with working utilities, good weather and the list goes on.  I am not a religious person. I do believe in a higher power, but I just don’t click with religion…at least not yet. I always thought what a sweet thing that the religious people in my life were always thanking God for everything good in their life.   Never gave it much thought until now.

“Getting by” has been a lesson.  Yes, I want to do many thing, yes I want to work more to have financial stability and save for my kids university, travels and so many other wonderful things.  But until I do, I am thankful for this phase in my life. So let’s get back to work #MisterTaquito.  There is lots to do yet.