HOW TO START EXERCISING AFTER INJURY

Welcome back to Meet Your Body. Thank you so much for being here.

Today we are talking about what I feel like is one of the most important things that we can really talk about when it comes to exercise and fitness. And it's something that isn't talked about a lot. So, we are discussing how to get back into exercise after you've had a surgery or a diagnosis or an injury. And so, this is going to be a little different than times when you are getting back into exercise. Let's say after a really long break or if you are a beginner, if you simply took a lot of time off or if you're a beginner coming like into fitness and movement for the first time.

So, first off, congratulations if that's you. And I have many resources. I'm going to have some links below. So, I have a lot of resources and podcasts specifically for beginners. And so, that is a great place to start. This is a little bit different. There's a little bit different take on this subject and many of the tips will be similar, but I am talking very specifically to those of you who have had that diagnosis that has come out of the blue, a surgery that's come, an injury that's come, something along those lines that has made you stop and pause and kind of wonder what is next for me when it comes to exercise. Like how do I move this body now? This body that maybe is different and has changed because of a surgery. I have been given a diagnosis that comes with some contraindications or some restrictions that's new to me. I suddenly might be afraid to move when I haven't before because I don't know if I'm going to have pain. I don't know if this diagnosis is going to come up and not be happy with this movement. That is what we're talking about today.

And I say it's important because not only as a physical therapist do I know it's important and I've worked with thousands and thousands and thousands of clients on this exact thing, but I have been there myself. I have been through the typical sprained ankles to start with, right? Years and years ago in my early playing soccer doing the things. I've been in boots and non-weightbearing for a certain amount of time. I understand that. I have also been through the diagnosis. I had my first surgery, woke up, told I had endometriosis, and it was never going to resolve completely. I would have to live with it. I've been through that. I've been through multiple abdominal surgeries at this point, including a hysterectomy, major prolapse repair. I have had the breast cancer diagnosis, had the mastectomy. I know firsthand what it's like to suddenly be in a body that is confusing, that doesn't feel like your own. I know what it's like to be given a diagnosis and wonder, "How in the world do I keep moving and not make this worse? I don't understand this." Um, and I know what it's like to be told by doctors, "Just do what feels comfortable." And you're saying to yourself, "I don't know what that means. I don't know what it means to do what feels comfortable because right now nothing feels comfortable like absolutely nothing feels good or comfortable in this body. I am so confused." I know what it's like to be there. So that is what I want to address today. I want to address that piece, like how exactly do you get back into exercise and movement after a diagnosis, after a surgery, after an injury when you were having all of those thoughts.

So, we're going to address that and I have nine specific steps to go through and to talk through when it comes to those things. So, I'm really, really excited because I want this to be an empowering place for those of you who have been through that. And that is going to apply to anyone whether this is a new diagnosis, okay, it happened yesterday or it happened 10 years ago and you're saying, "I still haven't gotten the guidance that I have been wanting. How do I start? How do I get back into this?" Because I have talked to people on the entire spectrum and I've talked to women 20 years after a hysterectomy still wondering if they can lift weights, if it's safe to lift weights. So let's talk through all of that.

And the reason it is important is as I said, it's just not always addressed and I tend to see things on two ends of the spectrum. Many times you'll have one end of the spectrum which is a doctor saying, for example, "Oh, you'll be completely back to normal after this." And that happens many times after an injury or a surgery, but surgery specifically is kind of what I'm thinking in this category. I have heard it myself and I've heard it from many clients through the years that they are considering having a surgery. They're talking to their doctor after the surgery and this doctor says, "Oh, you'll be completely fine. You'll be back to normal." Like that's a common saying, "You'll be back to normal afterwards." So that's one end of the spectrum.

Then the other end of the spectrum is people and women specifically who are given a diagnosis and I'm going to use prolapse as an example because again, I've been through it myself and I work with many women with pelvic floor issues. But it's very common to suddenly be given this diagnosis when you didn't. You might not have even known what was coming. Like you had small symptoms, right? Or maybe you gave birth and all of a sudden out of the blue you're told you have a prolapse and you read, you go online, you go to Dr. Google, go deep into the forums and you come out saying, "Oh my gosh, I guess I can never exercise again. I can never squat. I can never exercise. I can never lift weights. I can never run. My life is over. My life is completely changed. What in the world am I supposed to do?" Those are the two ends of the spectrum I see often. That idea of, "Oh, you're going to be totally fine. No problem." And then, "Oh my gosh, I guess I can never do anything ever again." Um, and either way, I have seen disappointment because even with that doctor saying, "You're going to get right back to everything. You're going to be back in 2 months. You're going to feel back to normal in 2 months." Most the time, the majority of the time, someone is told that they're going to have disappointment in some way, shape, or form. And so, they are wondering, "Well, I don't feel back to normal. I am not back to doing the things I was doing before. What does that mean? Where do I go from here?" So, that's one part, right? There's some disappointment, some expectations not met. And then on the other end of the spectrum as well of, "Oh my gosh, I thought I was completely fine and now you're telling me I can never squat. I can never run. I can never lift a weight ever again." There's a lot of disappointment and frustration on that end of the spectrum.

So, let's address it. Let's dive into this to again help you feel empowered. That is what I am here to do. I want to help you be an advocate for yourself. I want to help you be able to pause, take a moment, take a deep breath, have some actionable strategies going forward because ultimately this is what I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt. I can tell you there is movement available to you. No matter where you land on that spectrum, no matter how many surgeries you've had, no matter your diagnosis, there is movement available to you. I can't necessarily say what that movement is, right? Like we are all different and our situations are all different and we are all going to have different limitations. That is the truth of the matter. But I can promise you there is movement available to you. And it does take intention. It takes purpose. It takes patience. It takes consistency. It takes the right mindset. And many times it will take a good team around you to help you find that movement, right? The open door to get you into that movement. But I promise you, there is movement available to you. And that's what I want you to hang on to and remember. It might not look like what you have in your head. It might not even look like the way it did before, but there is movement and exercise available to you. And these tools and tips today are going to help you find that.

All right, so let's dive in. So, my first step or the first thing to keep in mind when you're looking at getting back into exercise after a diagnosis or a surgery or an injury would be that you have to be an active participant. There's no way to sit back and just wait for things to come to you. You have to be an active participant in it. You have to. And that can take many different forms. There are many facets to that, but I tell many people that I work with and this is exactly how I felt after especially my major surgeries, my last one being my double mastectomy 2 years ago. I knew rehab and recovery was my full-time job. It just wasn't. And that doesn't mean I quit my job. I had a job, too. And I'm a mom also. So, I suddenly had a third full-time job. And that's the way it might feel. I don't want to put that on you and I don't want to tell you that this is going to take years and years and years 'cause I don't think it will. But it takes that mentality especially at the beginning when you are being purposeful about it. It takes that mentality of "This is going to be a job. I have to put the time in. I have to learn. I have to ask the right questions. I have to be willing to be uncomfortable. I have to make my appointments. I have to make time for my rehab and my exercise at home. I might have to buy the bands or whatever the small equipment is that I need. I might have to find another member in that team like your team of rehab or your team of professionals. I might need to find someone else to educate me." But you have to be an active participant. You cannot just sit back and hope that things will get back to feeling the way they did before 'cause truly 99% of the time they won't unless you participate in some way, shape, or form, right? Which might be something small. It really might be something small, but you have to be an active participant in it. And so I think just accepting that off the bat is going to make things easier for you going forward. So you have to do the work mentally and physically. It's going to take both. Okay. So that's the first thing to accept and understand going forward.

Second is not to compare yourself to what you were before, like what your body looked like or could do, what exercise looked like for you, what workouts looked like, all of the things. And that doesn't mean you won't get back to it. You very well might and it depends on the situation. It's a little different for everyone, but many people I talk to, I mean the majority of people I talk to, I would say, "Oh yeah, we can get back to that. Absolutely. That's a great goal to have." But I don't want you to compare yourself to that because the time to get there might be different. Again, your expectations might be a little bit off. Many times we want ourselves to get back really quickly. So sometimes it's just a matter of time. Sometimes it's a matter of aesthetics. Like we just have a vision of what something looked like before and it might look differently, right? Our bodies might literally look differently from a surgery. I know that for a fact from both having babies and having a double mastectomy. My body looks different. It's a constant journey on my body changing aesthetically. So it might look different. The time to get there might be different. It might just feel different. So that's a that's kind of the opposite of looking different. It might look the same to someone else looking at you doing something, but it might feel very different to you. And I have experience with that as well being a Pilates teacher. Um, especially when I owned my studios and I had gone through my surgeries actually during that time like owning my studios and filming. I mean, I am I'm right there. Like, people watch me do things. That is a big part of my job is actually demonstrating, leading workouts, being on video. I have done it for a really long time. And there are certain moves that I can make my body do that I know will look the same to the person watching. I always think of teaser. Teaser is one in Pilates that I can make myself do that. And I tell you after three abdominal surgeries it feels different than it used to to do teaser internally in my body. It feels different but you won't necessarily know that looking at me. So again, it might looking different is one thing. So not to compare, but also it might look the same and just feel really different. So you can't compare in that way either.

It's also really important to know that sometimes, sometimes you won't necessarily be able to get back to what you did before and that's not always the case and I am not putting a negative connotation around that. I am just stating a fact for expectations. There are some surgeries where we would want someone to get back. I watch a lot of football, okay? Our family does. We love football. We watch the NFL. And I anytime someone's injured, I will watch what's happening and I will make assumptions about what has happened. ACL tears are common. All right. Patrick Mahomes, one of the best NFL quarterbacks of our time, just tore his ACL a few weeks ago. He had surgery immediately the next day. And I would put money on the fact that every single one of his top-notch surgeons, rehab professionals, team managers, athletic trainers, every single person working around him, their goal is to get him back to the level he was at and then continue to get better with an ACL surgery and those kind of professionals around you. Yeah, that would be my expectation as well, right? Like watching him play. I would think when he comes back he will be a little rusty, right? I would guess. I mean, he hasn't it'll be a year off. He won't have been tackled for a year. I mean, a lot of things will change that he will have to get used to again. But from a physical perspective, I would expect his play, if he wants it and he works for it, I would expect his play to come back and be as it was before. And there are some surgeries like that, right? Kids the same. They break a bone and then they get a cast, they heal. I would expect them to be like back to where they were and they'll continue to grow and continue to get stronger and it won't even be a bump in the road. There are some surgeries and some injuries that that happens. There are others that there will be changes afterwards and it is important to know what those are, I think, going into a surgery just so you have eyes wide open. And then it's important, really important after to have that idea of "I'm not going to compare what I was before." And again, I will use myself as an example with my double mastectomy. In theory, right, like you look on a piece of paper, yep, you can go back. Eventually, you'll get back to doing everything everything you were before, everything you want to do. In reality, my pec muscles were cut. I have major scars right around those pec muscles. I had lymph nodes removed. Um, I again from the outside I am not I have not lost any function. I can lift there are a lot of weights I lift heavier than I ever did before surgery because of the work I'm doing now. In a lot of ways I'm stronger. Push-ups I am not. I'm just not. I have not gotten back to push-ups on my toes. I can do about six. Before surgery I could do 25 in a row. I can do about six now. I don't know if I will get back to feeling as strong in those as I did before surgery because I don't push it because I get really sore and with the compromise there, it's just not top priority list. Would I like that? Yes. Can I right now? No. I have a lot of balance that I'm trying to um go through with that, right? With my desires and kind of expectations and also protecting my body. Same with pull-ups. It's always been a goal of mine to do a pull-up. I've never been able to do an unassisted pull-up. I would love to do one. Will I be able to? Maybe. Have my expectations changed since that surgery? Yeah, they have because of what was compromised and what was cut. I'm not saying yes or no. I'm just saying it's changed. Same with my prolapse repair surgery. I'm not asking myself to go out and run a half marathon. I am just not realistically. The doctor said I could. He's like, "Yeah, you can go run. Do what you want." When I do it, it doesn't feel good more than a couple miles at a time. So, there's a lot that goes into that. And I'm not trying to simplify it. And I'm not telling you to decide in the length of this podcast where you're at with that comparison. I am just saying that it's very important. It's actually it's actually vital for you to have the awareness of where you are now. What can you do now? Right now. Because a lot of times when we compare ourselves either to past versions of ourselves or to this wish we had in our head of where we were right now, when we play that comparison game, it just sets us back. Nothing good can come of it. So instead, say, "What can I do right now? What can I do right now?" And then make goals going forwards. Absolutely have those goals. And we're going to talk about goals, too. It's really important to make them and have them. Also, focus on the now. Look back for what excites you, right? Like that is really important. I look back absolutely after each of my surgeries and I say, "What was I doing in the month before?" Cuz my goal is to get back to that. Like that will always be my goal to get back to it. And also I don't make my measuring stick a comparison that's unrealistic or unattainable. So I have that just understanding and I want you to have it as well because I promise you it will actually make the going forward much more optimistic and much more empowering.

All right. So, I have more steps coming for you when it comes to how to exercise and move after your surgery and diagnosis. But first, a word for a couple of our wonderful sponsors. You guys know I love spending time outside, but winter is finally making its way to Colorado, which means more time inside for me and my family. Did you know that indoor air can actually be up to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air? Luckily, there's an easy way to improve the overall health of your indoor air, and that's with Air Doctor. Air Doctor was voted best air purifier by Newsweek and eliminates 99.99% of dangerous contaminants like allergens, viruses, smoke, gases, mold spores, and more. We have one ourselves right now in our home. And I am so thankful to know that our air is helping us stay healthy. And if I still owned my Pilates studios, I guarantee I would be rocking an Air Doctor there as well to help keep the studio air clean. Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code meet your body to get up to $300 off today. AirDoctor comes with a 30-day money back guarantee plus a three-year warranty. That's an $84 value. Get this exclusive podcast-only offer now at airdoctorpro.com. That's a-i-r-d-o-c-t-o-r-p-r-o dot com using promo code m-e-e-t-y-o-u-r-b-o-d-y. I cook the majority of our meals at home for our family of four, and I'm always looking for ways to make both the cooking and cleaning process easier, quicker, and more enjoyable. I officially have a new favorite kitchen tool, and it's from Caraway. You guys, we got a set of Caraway cookware over the holidays, and I don't think I've ever fallen in love with something so quickly. Caraway cookware has a non-toxic ceramic coating that's made without any forever chemicals, so you know it's good for you. Not only that, but it's absolutely gorgeous. It's truly beautiful. And best of all, nothing sticks. I mean, nothing. I have cooked my mother-in-law's special meatball recipe, broccoli cheese soup, and the biggest test, eggs, and absolutely no sticking. It kind of blows my mind. It's so easy to clean up and you couldn't at this point ever take my Caraway from me. Caraway's cookware set is a favorite for a reason and it can save you up to $190 versus buying the items individually. Plus, if you visit carawayhome.com/meetyourbody, you can take an additional 10% off your next purchase. This deal is exclusive for our listeners. So visit carawayhome.com/meetyourbody or use code meetyourbody at checkout. Caraway non-toxic kitchenware made modern.

Okay. So, my next step when it comes to getting back to exercise after a diagnosis or an injury or a surgery is not to look at just one source for any limitations you might have. First off, I will say if you are working with a doctor or a surgeon or physical therapist, which I highly recommend, I do want you to turn to them first for your limitations and your contraindications and your restrictions, especially right after surgery. They are the ones who know best what kind of procedure they did, what was done during surgery, any complications that might have happened, they work together, all of those things. So that is going to be your first source. All right. First off. Then many times, especially as you get through the healing process, so let's say you're you're through that initial healing process after an injury or surgery, and you have been told, like I kind of mentioned from doctors, "Do whatever feels comfortable. You're free to do what you want." When you kind of get to that point, you're wondering, "How do I manage this long term?" Sometimes, as I said, you won't have any limitations. Sometimes it truly is a matter of the doctor saying "do whatever you want" and they actually mean it and you need to kind of get past the fear and get into a place of consistent movement. Sometimes like a prolapse they're going to be there's going to be a little more nuance. There's going to be differing opinions going forward and I've seen all the opinions about most of the things out there. In that case, when you get to that point, you can start to open your eyes to some differing thoughts around you, especially if you're told something that doesn't match your lifestyle or your goals. I say this from that perspective of prolapse. Again, I have worked with many women who were told, "You can never squat again." Okay. So maybe during the initial like 8 to 10 week healing process, you're going to follow that so that you can work with your PT, build your basic strength, those kind of things. After that, I am here to tell you my professional opinion differs from that. You do a squat every time you get on and off a toilet. So for a medical professional to tell you that you can never squat again is actually pretty not helpful. I'll say that to be on the nice end. It is not helpful. It's not realistic. It's not helpful to you. That is when you can start to look for other opinions. And you can look to places online for that. But also, I recommend going to other professionals. Maybe you go to someone who has been through it themselves and just learn from their experience. But then maybe you seek second opinions. Maybe you can work with another PT. Maybe it is 5 years later and you say, "You know what, that didn't work for me." and what are some other options and you can work with someone online. I work with clients online through Zoom many times and it is people who have been through that experience a year later, two years later, months later saying, "You know what, I'm ready for how do I learn to move? I'm past the healing process. What are some things I can do to get back to my function and back to doing some of the things I want to do?" So, don't be afraid to look to more than one source for what you can do going forward.

Okay. Next step or next tip is have a team that you trust. And we've touched on this a little bit, but again, it comes first and foremost from yes, listening to your surgeon off the bat and before you have surgery, go for those second opinions and find out what are my limitations going to be. I mean, that is key. That's one of the top questions I tell people to ask. And I have an entire podcast episode about how to prepare for surgery. I will link that for you also below. But it's vital that you ask them beforehand. "What do you expect my limitations to be? Like how long?" Okay, so I can't get back to running for 2 months. I can't lift my arms over my head for a month. Like find out exactly what the limitations are and then ask, "Do I have any lifelong limitations?" When I was interviewing surgeons for my prolapse surgery, they were very different when it came to lifelong limitations. I took all of it into account and I chose a surgeon based on some of those things. I also continue to take it into account now. So, use that as a way to choose your doctors, but then also know you have options afterwards. Like talk to the surgeons, talk to the PTs, have a team around you and find different members of that team if you're not getting your questions answered.

All right. Next, our next step. All right. So, we've worked, as you've probably noticed here, we're halfway through. We have worked a lot on mindset because that almost has to be first and foremost going in. But now, now we're going to get into some of the movement piece. So, it has to be intentional and purposeful. And I can't tell you exactly what exercise to do here in this podcast because you have all had different surgeries and diagnosis and everybody has different things going on. When I work with someone individually, I will go through that. You get a very specific movement plan from me. Very specific. I do not want to leave anything to chance. I will tell you exactly what to do. And a good PT should do that as well. Someone you're working with should give you some specifics off the bat and give you a plan that you can follow. So that is what I do for people. But here when we're talking generally for everyone listening, know it has to be intentional and purposeful. And the very first, let's say you just had surgery or you just had an injury, we're going to work on healing and pain relief first. Like that's going to be the first intentional piece. Then we move into function. That is just how we are going to work in rehab. Meaning my first goal is not to get you back to running a marathon or doing your dance class or doing your Pilates class. My first goal is allowing you to dress yourself, to get on and off the toilet, to get in and out of bed, to get on and off the floor, to lift your baby, right? To garden, to walk around your property. Function is first. Then, so your goals are going to be around that first. Then we work into the long-term goals of what do you want to get back to doing? So after function, what's important to you? Swimming, surfing, tennis, gardening, hiking, riding your bike, running, doing Pilates, lifting weights. What is it? Do you take dance classes? Do you need to craft all day? Are you a painter? Are you a piano player? I want to know all the things. All right, so that comes next. So, we make a purposeful goal toward all of it. So, as PTs, we're going to look look at function first and we're going to break it down into small goals. And I say this because it's important for you again to kind of set those expectations of what you're going to do first because I know you want to skip ahead to the really big fun stuff, but you got to get through the small things first. And I want you to find victory in those small things. After my mastectomy, yeah, I wanted to get back to push-ups. I wanted to get back to lifting weights, but you know what? I had to move through the process of being able to get a sweatshirt on and off first. I couldn't even think about going to the gym if I couldn't dress myself. And I'm telling you, dressing myself was hard. Okay. Then I needed to walk up and down the block. I tried it. I felt like I was almost going to faint. I told my husband, "You have to walk with me. You're going to be my partner walking until I feel good enough to walk on my own." Then I could walk a block. Then I could walk two blocks. Then I could walk 5 minutes. Then I could walk 10 minutes. Like, you have to go through the small things first to get to the big things. So keep the big thing vision in mind. But don't skip past the small pieces that get you there because they're really important.

Then what I tell everyone, you have to give it a year after any surgery. And oh, I know that's hard. Okay? It takes a year for the dust to settle. It truly it truly does. And this actually helps so many people I talked to who feel like the doctor has said, "Oh, you're going to be back to normal in 8 weeks." But they don't feel like themselves after 8 weeks. So they feel like they've done something wrong. And I just remind them, "No, you had major surgery. You had major surgery. You went through anesthesia, which that alone takes a long time to leave your body, okay? It just does. It throws everything off. You might have been on pain meds. Maybe you took time off work. Maybe you haven't been moving as much. Maybe your appetite changed. Maybe your sleeping habits changed. I mean, I didn't sleep after any of my surgeries very well for a while." All of those things lend themselves to, of course, you don't feel like yourself after 8 weeks. Of course you don't. It takes a year for the dust to settle. That doesn't mean it's going to take a year for you to feel good. I am just telling you actually expectation-wise, don't be surprised if you don't feel like yourself still after 6 months. There's still some work to do after a surgery. Okay? So, this is for surgery specifically, but it can take a year for the dust to settle. And just know it doesn't come back automatically without work. And this how it would apply again, it applies to surgeries, it applies to injuries, but it also can apply to a diagnosis such as an autoimmune disease. So with autoimmune diseases, we will flare, right? Very common to have those flares and I tell myself that that it takes time after a flare for me to get back as well. I don't just expect myself to get right back to where I was after a flare. I have learned how to manage them and I've learned how to get back quicker than I used to. But it's not like I have a flare of my hypermobility or my endometriosis and feel right back to where I was the next day. It takes a week for me to build up my endurance and get get back to where I was. So all of these tips will can apply to each of these things and it will not come back automatically without work. It just doesn't again, no matter what the situation is. You're allowed to be upset about that. You're allowed to mourn that and you are allowed to be mad, but you can't stay there. You can't. You have work to do. You have work to do with your body. You're not going to be mad at it, okay? You're going to work with your body to get back to where you want to be. That is what we are doing here. So, mourn if you need to. I have done it. I have done it. But I don't let myself stay there because there's better work to do and there's some really fun movement to be had.

The next step, step number six, you have to get past fear. And I do not have a magic bullet for this, but I can tell you nothing else will happen in your movement and exercise journey until you learn to move past the fear of movement. So, if you still have that, if you are afraid to move or especially if you're afraid of making something worse, please work with a physical therapist like work with someone specifically so that you start to feel that you can have strength and you can move without pain, that that's a possibility for you. And I will have a link below also to work with me individually um online, just a virtual consult because this is what I do a lot is again, make a specific movement plan for someone with the purpose of getting through the fear. And what I tell people also and just I just have little tips but ultimately it's your work to do. I know and I'm not saying it's easy. Believe me, it took me probably a good year to get past the fear of movement after for my prolapse surgery. I did it anyway, okay? But I did it with purpose and with intention. And it was very front of brain. I mean, I had to really work every single move I did. I had to say to myself, "This isn't going to make it worse. This isn't going to make you prolapse again. We got this. We trust each other. I'm trusting the process. I can do this." And then it got easier with time. You have to move past that fear. And you have to also have some trust in the doctors, which I know can be hard sometimes, but when they tell you that you're healed from a surgery or when they tell you that you can do something without making it worse, they are telling the truth. They don't want you to mess up the surgery they did. They really don't. So, they're not going to tell you that unless it's true. So, for me, when my surgeon told me after my prolapse surgery that I could run again, I didn't feel comfortable running. I mean, I'll tell you that much. I wasn't strong enough yet. I was not ready to do it. But also, I took that to mean, "Oh, I've healed enough that I could do it without causing myself to prolapse." Like, that's it. That was an empowering thing for me. It helped me know, well, if he's saying I'm healed enough, not that I could run, then I'm that means I'm definitely healed enough to squat, so I better feel a little more confident with that. All right. So, that that might be able to help you in that matter, too. And I know that's hard. Like I said, I've done an entire podcast just about that piece about the fear of movement. But just know it's very important that you move through that so that you can feel safe moving again.

Number seven, our next tip. You have to move past the all or nothing mentality. Many times after an injury, diagnosis, surgery, we want to get back to exactly what we were doing before. Sometimes we can, sometimes it won't look or it can't look the exact same. So, you have to be okay saying, "Maybe I can't do that, but I can do this." Right? Like, it's not all or nothing. It's not only marathons or nothing. Can you be happy running a 5K? Can you be happy doing a 20-minute trail run? Can you be happy, I don't know, finding a HIIT class that gives you that same like sweat, you know, endorphin burst that you want? Can you be happy dancing? Ask yourself what it is about that activity that you loved. And if you can't get back to that exact thing, can you get back to something like it? But you have to know it's not all or nothing. If if you stay in that all or nothing place, you won't find joy and movement again. Right? So what is a middle ground? What's the middle? Because there's a lot of power in the middle, so much. That's that's where I've learned to live and that is where I found strength stronger than I've ever been before. And it's in the middle.

Next tip, allow space for honoring what your body needs that might be different than other people actually. So what I mean by that is I could probably also say "listen to your body," but that can be hard sometimes when we're just getting to know our body again, right? When our body feels different, you don't know what it's saying. You don't know what's going to make it worse. It can be hard to listen or to know what it's saying. So I want you to work on that. But within that, what I mean is you're honoring space for your journey looking different than someone else's, right? Like my example of that is um after my diagnosis with endometriosis and I was learning all about everything my body needed and starting to get to know it and living through years. This is probably five, six, seven years after my diagnosis at this point. I started to notice that if I did heavy inner thigh work, it would flare my endo. I mean, it would hurt my endo. Not my inner thighs, but my endo. There's like no precedent out there for that. There's no one saying, "Oh, yeah, once you have endometriosis, you can't do inner thigh work." 'Cause that's not true. Probably most people with endo can without a problem. I had to honor my body that it was telling me, "Hey, I don't like that. Don't like that move." And I've come because I like to problem-solve and I work in PT and I work in the health field. I like to try to figure things out. So my answer is that probably I have a ton of scar tissue from my endo around my adductor muscles where they attach. And so for whatever reason it would flare it up. I don't know exactly, but I have to honor that. That's it. Like it doesn't make sense to other people. I don't try to get an answer from a doctor anymore. I just know it to be true. And so I avoid deep adductor work at this point. I'm just honoring that about my body. There are people I work with who have POTS, have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which can be associated with POTS, and they don't do well with high-intensity interval training workouts. And they'll come to me and say, "I'm perimenopausal or I'm menopausal. I'm an aging woman and I've been told I have to do HIIT. Like HIIT is so important. and it's important for my health, but every time I try to do HIIT, I get dizzy or I want to faint or it flares up my autoimmune disease." So, what do I do? "You honor your body is what you do. And then you look at alternatives." So, it's not again all or nothing, right? It goes back to that you don't have your HIIT workout doesn't have to look the same as someone else's. On YouTube, I have low-impact plyometric workouts that are giving you kind of that impact that you need for your bones and your balance and resilience as you get older without spiking your heart rate. There are options out there. You have to be willing to honor your body while also exploring other options. So, we're combining steps here. You're honoring your body and listening to it, but you're also not settling for all or nothing. You're not just saying, "Well, I can't do that, so I guess I can't do anything." Nope. Part of honoring your body is being willing to put in the work to find what works for you. Trial and error. Keep trying. Keep moving forward one step at a time.

And then the final tip kind of brings all of this together, and I've already touched on this is focusing on what you can do, not what you can't do. Whether it's short-term, meaning you're just limited for, you know, a month or two as you heal and then you're going to get back to what you want, or whether it's more long-term of, "Okay, yep, I have been diagnosed with this and that is a long-term thing for me and I have to learn how to manage it." Whatever it is, you're going to focus on what you can do. That is your homework. That is your job. That is your mantra. Put it on your mirror. Put it in your brain. Hear me saying it to you. Focus on what you can do 'cause that's what we can do. That is how we honor our body. That is how we move through the world. That is how we keep putting one foot in front of the other. That's how we keep getting stronger. That's how we bounce back. That's how we deal with curve balls when they come our way. We focus on what we can do. Right.

As always, thank you so much for being here. I just am so honored to share this space with you and I am right there with you for anyone going through this right now or has been through it. I promise, as I mentioned, there is movement available to you. Yeah, you have to put in the work to find it. You do, but I promise it's there. Focus on what you can do. All right, I'll talk to you soon.