March 10, 2021

Overcoming Obstacles

Well, I'm beginning to think that maintaining my exercise streak just wasn't meant to be. I did not do any intentional exercise yesterday, so it broke the streak I started on July 20th. Interestingly, I actually feel a little relieved--I don't feel the pressure that I'd put on myself to keep it going.

I didn't intend to break the streak, though. My toe was actually feeling a lot better yesterday and I decided that I'd try to walk a couple of miles, and then ride my bike to finish my five miles for the day. In the morning, I went out to the garage to work on my dad's picture frame (I still hadn't painted it) and to make another throw pillow cover.

After that, I wanted to see if I could figure out the problem with my bike. It was making grinding noises whenever I would change gears, so I had to keep it on one particular gear the whole time I was riding. I wanted to fix that problem because it would be nice to change gears when needed!

I spent quite a bit of time figuring out the mechanics of how the gears worked, and I discovered just how dirty they were--I had never cleaned them before! I guess I just never thought about it. They didn't look dirty until I saw them up close. There was a lot of dirt caked on the gears, so I chiseled away at that with my fingernail (I eventually went inside and got an old toothbrush).

I used some tools to adjust parts here and there and see if I could solve the grinding issue. And that's when it happened. I had been squatting down and then to get a better look at one part, I dropped down to my knees--and my right knee landed (with all my weight) onto a screwdriver. The screwdriver was lying on its side, obviously, but the length of it went directly across that little groove underneath my kneecap. You know the little spot that the doctor taps with a tiny hammer to check your reflexes? Yeah, that spot landed hard right on top of the screwdriver.


The pain was so bad it took my breath away and I couldn't inhale. I fell onto my back, just waiting for the pain to let up--I assumed it was like when you bang into something and it hurts for a minute, but starts to subside. This pain felt like it would never end. I laid on the concrete floor moaning, writhing, cursing, and crying. I knew it was bad.

From what I've read, I think I injured the patellar tendon, which connects the patella (knee cap) to the tibia (lower leg bone). I'm sure it's not completely torn because I can still straighten my leg and my patella isn't floating around in there. But it still hurts like a bitch and it makes cracking noises when I straighten my leg.

It's kind of ironic, actually, that I was working on my bike to go for a ride when I injured my knee on one of the tools I was using and now I can't ride my bike. (The good news is that I fixed the problem with my bike, though--it only ended up needing a tiny adjustment of two little screws. And a thorough cleaning and lubing.)

The treatment for the injury is basically just rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories--rest being most important. I'm super bummed! I was really excited about doing the Couch to 5K and about riding my bike again. I'm really hoping that once my knee is better, I'll still have the drive to want to continue with the exercise (even if I don't do as much of it). I really want to do the Couch to 5K.

I also really wanted to work hard on getting back in shape and feeling good about myself before going up north in July. My whole family is going to my sister's property in the upper peninsula again, and we are hiring a photographer to take family photos. I know I'm not going to be at my goal weight by then, but I'd really like to feel good enough about the pictures that I won't cringe or be too embarrassed to post them.

I'm still going to do the best I can, despite the exercise. I've been doing pretty good with how I've been eating and my clothes have been feeling a little looser. I don't want to weigh myself for a while, so as not to get discouraged if I'm not seeing results on the scale. The number on the scale doesn't mean nearly as much as it used to, but seeing the scale go down is encouraging--so I think if I only weigh in every two weeks or so, it'll be a good compromise.

I feel kind of proud that I haven't let the little things derail me. When I was walking every day, I was so sure that if I missed a day I would just say, "Screw it!" and fall apart with all of the healthy habits I've been working on. In the past, that almost certainly would have happened; but I've been looking at everything differently recently.

I'm not looking at "end goals" but more of "daily lifestyle forever"--I wrote a post about it recently. The walking streak definitely helped me to develop some discipline, which I needed. And that discipline helped me to work on other habits as well. What I want most right now is to FEEL good--and the habits I've been working on are habits that make me feel my best.

It's a nice change not to be focused on weight goals and running goals and challenges. I like having goals, and I think there is a place for them, but right now I just want to focus on being happy and feeling my best.

8 comments:

  1. Owwww!! Feel better soon x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Katie, I'm so sorry about your knee! I hope that you're able to get it checked out just in case. Crackling noises are not good (I speak from experience). 💗

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry to hear about your knee. This might be the universe's way of telling you that your body needs a break/rest. Even top athletes take a day off so their bodies can recover. What you should really be proud of is that you haven't let it derail you!! Hope you're feeling better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hope you heal quickly! Knee injuries are so painful. Definitely get it checked out as soon as you can.

    Everything I've learned about weight management boils down to 90% diet, 10% exercise. Honestly, if you are diligent with healthy eating habits, that makes the biggest difference. So not being able to intensively exercise shouldn't derail your goals too much. A lot of people have a "bank account" attitude about losing weight: "If I exercise THIS much, I can eat THIS much," but that's not how it works. You can't outrun or outwalk a bad diet. I lost 50 pounds by exercising and watching what I ate--what I learned was for me, the exercise was essential for my mental health, and eating well was essential for my physical health.

    I would suggest adding some upper body weight exercises--there are lots of those you can do while sitting with hand weights, even while watching TV! Building muscle is key to losing fat, as well as helping with bone density. You could do Pilates. It's not weight bearing and a lot of the exercises are done on the floor.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Shoot!! I know knee pain and it's so rotten and lingers. Take care and don't push it before your knee is actually ready!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ouch! That sounds super painful! Yes keep resting it! Rest is so important and something we all overlook at time (myself included, I need to remind myself of this more often!). The family photographs in July sounds lovely! I love seeing family pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ouch! I feel your pain. I fell coming up the one step from my family room into my kitchen and injured my hamstring (I think—I self-diagnosed with the help of Dr. Google). This was right before Christmas so I hobbled around trying to make Christmas dinner a few days later, and hoped it would heal on it’s own. Dr Google said it could take six weeks to heal and it did! So give your knee time to heal. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yowza. Sending all the healing vibes and loving your "daily lifestyle forever" attitude. Thanks for continuing to inspire.

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive