Off Limits

I realize that over the years I have defined certain places as "off limits." One of the fastest ways to get on my "off limits" list was a staircase. Stairs were an obstacle I didn't tackle and they made lots of places I wanted to go seem impossibly difficult. Before I began training, that list was getting longer. My mental outlook was to define what I couldn't do and avoid it.

Well, today I tackled the stairs! I made it up a flight of stairs at the Fitness Loft! I did it!

To say it felt good is an understatement. It also makes me realize that I don't have to see places as "off limits." They can be a challenge, but they do not have to be a barrier. Viewing that staircase as "off limits" rather than a challenge was part of what kept me from climbing it in the first place.

Asghar is good for me (and people with a similar mindset) because he doesn't do "off limits" thinking. He looks at what you want to do and figures out how to achieve it. He prepared me physically and mentally to tackle the staircase (and then he waits until you think it is your idea to tackle the challenge he has been preparing you for all along - which is a nice little boost to your self-esteem.)

"Off limits" becomes limitless as obstacles become challenges to figure out and prepare for.  Although stairs may be a simple task for most people, I think many of us have decided there are things that are "off limits" physically.  Challenging that assumption feels so good.

At the top!

I am sharing the photo today of me at the top of the stairs. That second floor is definitely not off limits!

The Lonely Wheelchair

The lonely wheelchair.

It has become a tradition to walk a bit after dinner. I used to be nervous being "away" from my wheelchair - I worried that I'd get tired or need to sit down. My husband, John, followed me with the chair, ready to scoop me up when I ran out of steam. Lately, I haven't worried about that as much. I can walk with John, instead of needing him to follow me with the chair. I know I can confidently walk a certain distance without needing to sit down. I was on such a walk when I looked back and saw that chair - empty - and it just made me smile. I didn't need it and it wasn't "waiting" for me - I'd stood up and walked off and there it sat, without me.

I snapped a picture. Anyone that spends time in a wheelchair will appreciate just how fun it is to see said wheelchair from a distance.

Asghar has been working with me on the treadmill. Something I would have deemed impossible a few months ago. The work is already paying off. Asghar's intuition about what I am ready to tackle physically (and psychologically) always pushes me in the right direction. I am often struck by my progress these last few weeks. I plan on walking farther and farther away from the chair...and that feels good!

Americans burn about 50,000 fewer calories per year than they did 50 years ago, and the portion of jobs that require physical activity has declined by about 30% since 1960.

http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/desk-job-death/

Straight Lines

Success doesn't seem to work in a perfectly straight line. This is pretty unfortunate when you think about it; it would make goals so much more happily achievable if you could just count on steady progress at a predictable clip. Reality is much less glamorous than those fitness shows on television.

There was recently a great article in the Claremont Courier about Asghar and I. I was happy to boast of my success and highlight all the cool stuff I could do. I was proud of the article and my progress and only slightly horrified by having my picture in the paper in gym clothes. I wanted to amble through the Village with my head up high, which I did until my progress hit a few snags.

I'll say it, some days are a lot easier than others.

I woke up feeling like a big, stiff, unflexible hunk of cement. That plucky girl smiling in the newspaper and pumping iron had a few moments this week that were decidedly "unquotable" for a community newspaper. (Let me also add I only have a vague notion of what pumping iron actually means, but it sounds cool.)  I'd had a tough day Monday and felt like some of my previous progress had slipped away somehow. I was frustrated I wasn't improving every day. I was teary, stiff, and basically mad at myself for feeling like the fitness underachiever this week.

Of course, once I started moving, stuff got easier. I also remembered that a bad day today was what I'd call a good day three months ago.  I had to look at the big picture rather than focusing on every little ache, pain or stumble.

But then that is sort of true for anything in life...isn't it?

So I am going to focus on that smiling lady in the newspaper and remind myself of the progress I am making. Some days, it seems, are easier than others - but success is getting through both!