Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Excuses, Excuses!

Let me tell you, I am one hot mama. Literally. The heating pad is under my back and I am burning up. But the heat feels so good that I don't care if I'm burning hot. Sometimes to get through the pain you have to go through some hot times, you know?

I think I know how this back of mine got out of whack. A week and a half ago I was down in Kentucky with my son, visiting a college. It was bitterly cold. We walked all over the place, from dorm to cafeteria to admissions hall and back to the B&B I was staying at down the road. I walked everywhere for two and half days straight. I had on new shoes- nothing fancy like spiked heels. Just a pair of rubber soled wedged clogs. They were comfortable- but they did have about an inch and a half of a rise in the heel. Normally I run around in these wool flat slip ons with rubber soles, but a woman has to dress up once in a while, you know? So I did.

But when you're on heels, you lean forward, walk putting pressure on your pelvic area, and use different leg muscles. Add in to that the fact that I was constantly cold and tightening all my muscles in reaction to the bitter cold. I returned home without seeing any effect from this, and I think I'm hunky dory. (Wherever did that term come from?!)

Then this past Saturday as I spent the whole day running around, at the mall with my daughter, walking on cement floors, my bodily suddenly protested. My back said this feels different, and wham! the muscles seize up and the lower back goes out. Now this is just my take on what I think happened. I mean, I know my body and I should know what is too much for it,or what causes it to break down.

I know that if I go too many nights without sleep that I can get hysterical. I remember with baby #2 (our Abby) that I went so many months (nine, ten, eleven?) without a full night's sleep that I started to get desperate and hysterical.

"I'll never sleep through the night again the rest of my life," I sobbed to my husband. Mr. Stick-to-the-Facts Himself thought I was being ridiculous and that of course the baby would eventually sleep through the night and therefore so would I. But to me, it felt like my body would never get that reprieve ever again.

I have to admit that I got a bit dramatic yesterday with Bill and was starting to get fearful about this body of mine not being able to take a simple thing like two and a half days of walking around without having my back fall apart.

"If I can't take that now, it's only going to get worse as I get older," I said to my husband, sighing.

"You have to exercise and take better care of your body. You're small, but you don't have much muscle tone. You need to work out with weights more," he said.

"But you were going to be my trainer," I retorted in protest, remembering that he did offer to help me work out with weights. "It's up to you to get me downstairs, to the weight machine, and motivate me to workout, tell me I'm doing it right, and cheer me on and..."

"And anything else you'd like?" he asked me, staring at me with those blue eyes that know me so well, that see through all my excuses.

"No," I said smiling, "Nothing else. That'll do."


"
In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..." Isaiah 30:15


So who's with me? Do I have any strength training buddies out there ready to pump some iron, ready to trust God for more strength, ....ready to learn to be quiet when you don't have a good enough excuse?!!


16 comments:

Kim S in SC said...

Hey Lauren! Hope you will be back on your feet soon! THe back thing can be miserable, but sometimes forced rest is OK. I'm with you! Letting go of the excuses!

LAUREN at Faith Fuel said...

Now you do realize that I was pointing at myself,mainly, when it came to letting go of excuses!!

Now let's lift some weights! (Wait a minute, I better wait for a week or so till my back heals....is that an excuse I just made?!!!)

Robin said...

I need all His strength I can get, so count me in! We're starting with soup cans, right?!

God's girl said...

Oh girl I am with you! Sorry you are feeling bad. Lifting a prayer for you!
Much love,
Angela

twinklemom said...

I have two fluffy pillows that we can use to start lifting with! Will that work?? *BIG HUGS and a warm cup of hot chocolate with whip cream and chocolate shavings on top*

LAUREN at Faith Fuel said...

Pumping iron with soup cans or fluffy pillows....hmmmm...which one sounds better? Normally I'd open the soup cans and have a hot lunch then lay my head on the fluffy pillows and read!

Angie said...

Poor thing. I've been there. As of a couple yrs ago I started having back trouble. I grew up dancing and this was VERY foreign to me. I'm extremely active, but am hit & miss with formal exercise. Hubby is deligent about it with his bowflex thingy. He's got me set up, but I just need the follow through.

Ok, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather join forces with on working out. Let's do it!

Anonymous said...

lauren,
this is the first time to your blog and i love it! it refreshes me like a cool glass of water!
i was talking to my husband that i need to do some toning with weights. i have had my back go out also. my prayers are with you. i have often thought about blogging,but don't know how to start it or how to secure it.
miriam

Anonymous said...

Count me in....one, two, three....OK now let's split a reuben and sip freshly brewed coffee.

LAUREN at Faith Fuel said...

Our strength training group is growing!

Anonymous said...

lauren,
this is miriam again! i just wanted to let you know that i did some strengthing with weights and some crunches! i think i can do this.
it is going to the gym and pounding on the treadmill; well, i was never comfortable with doing. honestly.
thank you for your encouragement and testimony!

Carol said...

Get rid of those heels and put on good walking shoes. Your shoes (feet and walking) will also affect your back so take it easy till you heal up. Walking in heels is not natural anyway. Heels are for beauty, a part of the culture, the illusion of height etc. but it throws your posture and stance off. It's also a distant cousin of the Chinese foot binders - meant for beauty and to entice but it destroys your feet.

You shouldn't lift weights until your back is healed or else you risk injury. Being sore and injury are two different things so try not to push it.

Just trying to help :)

Blessings,
carol

LAUREN at Faith Fuel said...

Miriam- You CAN do this alright! You go girl!

Carol- You shoot straight from the hip (What exactly does that mean?! I think it's a reference to having a gun in your holster or something!)Don't worry- I'm not lifting any weights yet. I'm too sore. I hear your sound counsel loud and clear.

I used to get away with occasionally wearing heels, and now my body is protesting even the occasional wearing of them! Vanity, thy name is Lauren!! :)

Carol said...

Dear Lauren,

I am so sorry if I sounded harsh!! I wasn't trying to upset you, really. I am so sorry!! I try to be gentle but I've never been that good at it. I know it's a problem and I've prayed about this for many years. I'm actually not as bad as I used to be but I still come across as being rough around the edges. Believe, me, it's not you or anyone else, I'm rough on myself as well.

Again, please accept my apologies. I feel so bad for how I worded what I said but I don't know how else to get my point across. My husband told me that I have to use a velvet glove instead of a sledgehammer sometimes and I know he is right. I fully admit this. I had the best of intentions when commenting here. In my mind I was gentle and pleasant but after reading your comment and rereading what I wrote, I could see how you could have taken it that way.

Please forgive me Lauren. There was no anger or animosity in my heart whatsoever but I tend to come across that way. If I were there I'd give you a great big hug and bake you something yummy. :)

God bless you and your family.

Hugs and blessings,
Carol

p.s. Thank you for commenting on my low fat blog. I'm going to respond to it shortly over there.

LAUREN at Faith Fuel said...

Carol!!
I was so NOT offended by your comment. I was smiling as I wrote my reply to your comment. I meant it positively when I said you shoot straight from the hip!
(There's a bit of cowboy in me, not to mention my fascination with brave bull riders!)

You really did have "sound counsel" and I meant that with the utmost of respect. You just can't hear my tone of voice when I wrote. I think you're wonderfully witty, clear, honest and true. Now you take that apology of yours back and instead take with you a commendation from me. You're a true blue honest gal!!
:) That's the kind of woman who always gets my respect.

Carol said...

Whew! I'm glad you weren't offended. I was really worried about that. Now I don't have to tell my husband of how I upset someone yet AGAIN. :) But I will still try to watch how I word things because I do come across as less-than-friendly.

I'm glad you're not upset. Talk to you again.

Blessings,
Carol