Balance

I am wearing shorts here.

For the past few months, my typical workout has consisted of a run around the 'hood with stops at local playgrounds for bodyweight exercises on the climbing equipment. But near the end of July, I came up gimpy with a sore left knee so I decided to focus on strength training until the knee was better. Then, while doing an exercise with dumbells on the lawn, I strained my knee to the point that I couldn't put any weight on my leg.  So I used a cane to get around for four days.  And that's how I ended up doing 5,000 pushups during August.

I'm no stranger to push-ups; I normally do about 100 per week as part of my training regimen. But after reading about a pushup challenge, I decided to see how far I could go.  I did pushups on nineteen days ranging from 150 to 450.  I also found that I could use the recumbent bike without pain so I totaled about seven hours of spinning as well.  Heading into September, the knee feels better but I won't be running just yet.

At a recent shindig, I had the good fortune to meet a young man who is studying physical therapy.  He heard about my knee injury (from someone else) and despite my honest attempt not to pump him for information, he insisted.  The leg is a kinetic chain, and an imbalance anywhere along that chain can cause pain.  So now I'm working on strengthening my gluteus medius and left arch, to prevent my leg from collapsing inward.  In the meantime, I'll continue to use the bike for cardio and quads, and will be adding a rack to the home gym so I can do bodyweight stuff without leaving the house.

Some will tell you that I take things to extremes; I call it passion.  I do like to keep a figurative pedal to the metal, but I need to remember to pump the brakes once in a while.  So I'm going to vary my workouts, to ensure that I can continue to workout with passion. 

This is a needed reminder that life is a balancing act.  Whether it be work, family, booze, food, or exercise - or any combination of these - it's best to find a balance.

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