Everyone has struggles when it comes to exercise
Despite all of the pictures and videos you see floating around the Internet with these models in fantastic shape smiling from ear to ear while they are running, squatting, or doing jumping jacks this is not reality. If you watch anyone doing any type of exercise they are most likely not smiling, if they are, then they probably need to add more weight or up the intensity. Most everyone has some type of struggle when they are working out. Whether it is overcoming an injury, trying to lose weight, trying to add weight, anti-aging, making a PR, looking better, feeling better, beating a disease, beating depression, getting healthier, the list goes on and on. Everyone has a struggle they are trying to overcome, and if you are grinding day after day, despite the struggle that is trying to stop you or hold you back I applaud you.
I also have my own struggles when I work out. Some of you know this but most of you don’t, I have had two knee surgeries a few years ago. I tore the ACL in both knees, although they have both been reconstructed I still feel them when I work or and especially when I run. I don’t let them stop me, I even do box jumps, plyometrics, speed, agility, and quickness to keep myself limber and my legs in motion. I also cycle back through balance and stabilization training so my body and core doesn’t end up having muscle imbalances. Which is why I believe I tore them in the first place because I was not doing any type of this training and I had muscle imbalances.
In June; my wife, cousin, a friend, and I are going to run a half marathon in Steam Boat Colorado. The last time I ran a half marathon was about 2 years ago, after my first knee surgery but before the second one. So this will be my first half marathon with two new knees The first half marathon went really well and I never even felt my knee. But this time around is a different story.
When I go out on runs my left knee feels weak and it feels like it’s going to give out on me. After trying a few different things I found that when I run on the dirt I don’t have this feeling, but when I run on the pavement I get the feeling of it about to collapse. So every chance I get I run on the trails. Luckily the neighborhood I live in has jogging trails all over the place and there is a dirt section next to the sidewalk I can run on. Every run I feel stronger and stronger, the last run I did was 4.5 miles and I felt pretty good through the whole run. Hopefully this knee thing straightens itself out, I think I just need to run more consistently so it gets used to it.
So there ya go, that’s my struggle I deal with when I exercise and run. What is your struggle?
