For years I have spoken with people about the importance of strength training for health and longevity, not just weight loss. It’s no longer just research, studying and certifications that have taught me how important it is to have strong bones and muscle. I have real life experience now on how strength training prevents injury.
Vacation with the Family
I was on vacation with my family in July and it started with about 30 hours in DC. We wanted to make the most of it.
We landed and went straight from the hotel where we quickly dropped off our bags about 10:30pm and walked to the Washington Monument. We didn’t have a lot of time there and knew there were things to see at night that we could at least check off our list.
As you can imagine, once we arrived it was a great feeling. Patrick, myself and our boys viewing this structure that we have seen in books as kids but it was right up front in person. Patrick knows so much about history and he told us about why there are different colored bricks, the original purpose and all sorts of tidbits that not all of us knew.
Then we turned around to go back to the hotel.
We were tired. The adrenaline of a full day of travel and getting to see our first sight drained out of our bodies. The walk back to the hotel seemed much more daunting than the walk there.
We noticed those rent a scooter things on the side of the road. I know that’s not what they’re called but I’ve reached the age where I’ll call it what I want because I don’t have time or interest to learn those types of things any longer, haha.
We hopped on and took off. It was an absolutely beautiful evening, with the breeze falling over us as we rode back to the hotel. No one was on the street or the sidewalks. It felt as if we had the city to ourselves.
We decided then that that was the mode of transportation we would use moving forward while in DC.
The next morning we wake up, grab coffee and breakfast and then head out to our scooters. Turns out the ones we used the night before were still in front of the hotel. We got in late and got up early, so it wasn’t so surprising.
We rode those things all over. The White House was our first stop.
That was such an experience, really a core memory for our family. We visited many other sites and museums as you can imagine, and the bonding and special moments with our family – man, you just can’t put a price tag on those things.
And then the Rain Came
It started drizzling and I wanted to get shelter for a bit to wait it out.
We found a local coffee shop (funny story for another time but I thought it was Starbucks – the woman behind the counter probably thought I had lost my mind with the words I was using to order) and sat to wait it out.
What started as a slow drizzle became a downpour. We weren’t too concerned but we definitely were going to have to call an Uber, vs scooters, if it didn’t let up.
We were there for probably 20 minutes when the rain stopped.
At that point I surveyed the road and decided, yes let’s do this but we will be careful. Famous last words…
We started off to continue our adventure together and we made it about 3 blocks and someone in front took a sharp right that I was not expecting.
I was moving at a decent speed when I pivoted quicky, too quickly, and lost complete control of the scooter.
I fell backwards, hard.
Landed square on my tailbone/lower back and scooter landed on top of my leg. Literally took the wind out of me and I layed there in shock for a minute.
Wondering how injured I was.
It was a VERY hard blow to my body. Right into the concrete.
I didn’t move at first, the rest of my family was not there – they hadn’t seen it happen. A man rushed over to me and reached out to help me up, asking if I was ok. I didn’t answer I think, I just sat there trying to feel what I could feel and assess any pain, etc.
Finally I took his arm and stood up as my family made there way back to me, completely shocked at what they were seeing.
Everyone asking what happened and multiple unanswered questions of “are you ok”.
My answer was I didn’t know. I was still trying to assess. And honestly..
I was still trying to figure out WHY I wasn’t in more pain. Obviously I must have shattered something, broken something or fractured something.
It was a hard fall. Have I said that?
I was confused to say the least. But also I was damn proud of my body.
I’d Fallen and I CAN Get Up
My background in strength training gave me the foundational muscle and bone density that at 50 (something??) I was able to land hard – keep in mind while moving at a fast pace – and stand up without any damage. Other than pride and ego.
Strength training prevents injury – and as you can see I learned that first hand!
I got up, shook it off. And yep, got right back on.
There is a happy ending coming, but this ain’t it yet.
The rest of the story, comes out later this week. It’s a doozy.
After reading this I want you to keep this in mind.
Have a Honest Conversation with Yourself
I am the first to admit “I get busy”, so I am not as consistent as I should be or even as I could be. I am a human just like you. I make excuses, just like the words I wrote in quotes – “I get busy”.
I am also the first to admit that is bull shit.
More busy than sitting in a hospital waiting for a surgery? More busy ruining my entire family vacation because I wouldn’t have been able to get up otherwise without at a minimum an Urgent Care visit. More busy than being dead? Ok, I wasn’t worried about death but you get it.
We say we are too busy or too this or that, but I’m sorry guys, if your health and strength aren’t a priority because you are too busy, your mind is quickly going to change when something like this happens and you don’t get up.
Things you won’t regret when you don’t get up:
- Missing an episode of a show
- Missing a few hours of video games
- Skipping the gym because of staying late at work when asked or when you feel you should
Trust me – the company you work for will replace you in a heartbeat if you are laid up in a hospital bed. The company will go on, make sure YOU go on.
You are the only one who can prioritize you.
Set up a chat with me, and I’ll talk to you about your options. Click this link to do that.
If you’ve have met with me already or are a former client and have held off for one reason or another, let’s start off where we left off.
Talk soon!
Coach Jennifer