Fitness with a purpose......and a plan

It's been six days since the unfortunate knee injury. I am off the crutches, however, still limping step by step, though pain has subsided enough to instill hope in progress of recovery. There's not a day I am not in question of the reason for this or the purpose. There's still an unsettling instability in my stance and my gait, therefore I am unsettled and at times discouraged. I asked my father the other day why did this happen to me when I was feeling strong, fast, and indestructible. His answer? There isn't always a reason, but there is always a purpose.

Reason is defined as "a rational ground or motive." Purpose is defined as "something set up as an object or end to be attained." So therefore, my father told me there's not motive for the occurrence of this injury, there's only intention, " an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result."

Since I am unable to run, workout, and walk without a limp there's much more time to think. Just what I need. So I have been contemplating the purpose of this sudden hindrance and inconvenience in my rate of movement and progress.

My personal fitness philosophy has always been built upon the ability to stand on the edge of yourself and the ability to push yourself pass personally defined boundaries of physical and emotional capacity of effort. I believe one can not change their body if they remain in a constant state of comfort. I have always believed that one has to train in an effort zone that challenges the physical and mental state of one's composure. It is about finding peace within the chaos; establishing the ability to remain calm under pressure. Our body will learn to adapt and ultimately CHANGE when we train it beyond what it is use to.

My workouts and runs have been a bit inconsistent due to my busy work schedule. (thank you!) Therefore, when the opportunity does arise to run and lift weights, I do this with great fervor and determination to take completely advantage of the workout. Intensity is at it's highest. Effort is at maximal capacity.

My legs feel the impact of my intense physical movement. Whether it's the 12 years of waitressing or the life long commitment to exercise, they have always felt the direct burden of intense activity. I have built them to be strong and powerful instruments of initiating movement. However, they are not immune to natural wear and tear, nor are they indestructible, or even guaranteed to last forever.

As I was running Monday, fast and with great intention, my legs suddenly decided that they could not withstand the pressure of intensity anymore. Three doctor visits later and a heart to heart talk with my father, I now am finding peace within the chaos.

The reason for injury is irrelevant. The purpose of injury is most important. Since I have moved to Austin and changed careers, it's been a wonderfully fast paced progression. I am living my dream, working in a fantastic gym filled with truly inspiring people whose presence in my life make me a better trainer and most importantly a better person. Each day I am determined to work hard at achieving what I have set out to do in my business plan that adorns the walls of my home and the inside covers of my notebooks. I have a fierce motivation to succeed in this career that I have envisioned in the many years of taking orders, making cocktails, and volunteering at my old high school. Honestly, I want nothing more but to be a personal trainer who not only trains people's bodies, but who changes people's lives.

My personal experiences with body transformation and chronic injuries influence the way I train my clients. Not only do I teach one to stand on the edge of themselves to produce results but I instill in each that we have to do this with patience and intelligence. We have to listen to our bodies and we have to be realistic with progress and change.

So I will admit humbly and even with embarrassment that I have not been following my own practice, nor listening to my body. I am not perfect, but I have been stubborn and ignorant in my quest for muscular perfection and a fast 5k. I have carelessly stood too far on the edge of myself. The knee injury is the body's intelligent course of action to prevent a dramatic fall off the edge that may be irrevocable.

I am grateful that the ligament and cartilage is not torn. This would be only revocable with surgery, which would delay progress and movement much longer than a strain does. So I am now aware of the purpose.

When life speeds up, gets undeniably busy, one needs to practice precision in movement, slowing down the pace of action in order to move more carefully and intelligently, not necessarily harder and faster. Intensity needs to be monitored, guided and varied according to how the body feels and responds. Rest days have to be incorporated into the schedule of workouts. Workouts have to alternate between goals of change and goals of upkeep and maintenance. The body has to be stretched and instinctively cared for on a day to day basis, without neglect or a lazy eye. And when there is pain or even strain, it's important to recognize the source and pay attention to the cause.

My quest for a six pack and a 7 minute mile pace has been pursued without a precise monitoring of intensity. I do not fault myself for this, but I do wish that injury was not the outcome of an overzealous determination to be fit and fast. However, it is, therefore it's now my responsibility to take control of the recovery process, to remain calm under pressure, and to become realistic with my goals and progress, and to establish a plan to do so.

Developing a plan to achieve a goal allows there to be a formulated course of direction, which in turn will determine the speed and intensity of effort. The plan will be more successful when it is consistently payed attention to and periodized according to one's priorities, responsibilities, and athletic abilities. We have to train smarter not harder, and we have to listen to our body's signals and messages that may point out that we are over training or standing too close to the edge. It is important to have a realistic perspective on fitness and exercise and understand that there's no such thing as perfection and there are limits on how fast the body can go.

I have finally learned this week that fitness is a constant work in progress and it's the process of hard work and intelligent action that creates results, not the actual outcome of the plan.