This is NOT a brag blog…

This is a blog about finding the positives in even the most negative of situations. It’s about flipping the script…and sitting in gratitude.

Today…I ran 5kms…in 32 minutes!

I feel very proud of this as I had basically told myself that I would never build up to running again. It had formed into a belief!

When I was younger, I played many sports and was very active. I was probably hard on my body, but I enjoyed the sports that I participated in. I prided myself on my fitness…I could smash out 4km runs in 20mins. Sport and fitness was a part of who was… part of my identity. 

Then, about 10 years ago, my right lower back spasmed and cramped up and I couldn’t move. One of my discs had gone. Months later…the same thing happened on my left side. It was painful and restrictive…but I got treatment and was able to resume my sports and exercise.

What I found, though, was that long haul flights would cause a lot of inflammation and pain in my lower back. After one such flight, I had so much inflammation and pain that I was told to take some time off exercising to let it settle…like the rest of the year off (it was only February). I actually remember being quite distraught at the thought and I couldn’t quite get my head around it. Being active and sporty was a key part of my identity, and had been my entire life. But, I couldn’t move very well; I could barely bend down to touch my knees…so I really had no choice.

So, I decided that if I had to take a year off, I could at least enjoy myself and let myself go a little. That became 2 years…5 years…and then 10 years later, I was sitting in a different paradigm. I was unmotivated when it came to exercise; I ate too much and I drank too much. My body started to fight back with gut issues. I released many things on an energetic level but still needed to heal on a physical level. So I sought out a good gut specialist and found Dr. Helena Davis, a naturopath that specialises in gut health.

When Helena first did my stats, the only number that stood out for me amongst the many numbers… was my biological age. It was 64!!!! To describe that as being a shock is truly underplaying how I felt. In my mind, I was still that fit, healthy, sporty person. But, numbers don’t lie…and those numbers told me a different story…the real story.

So, I listened to her and did all the things I needed to do when it came to my diet. But, I was still making excuses about exercising…my back, you see, my back…and I don’t have time.

When COVID hit and we were put into lockdown, it took away the time excuse. So…I started walking every day. If I walked for 40mins, I thought that was a huge achievement for the day. A few months into lockdown, and I was walking 1.5hrs…2 hrs. My stamina and strength were growing. So, I started running….and building up my times. 10mins…15mins…20mins. Heck…forget the time…I want to run 5kms!!!

The significance of this is probably only something that I will truly appreciate within myself…but it represents so much more to me than just a 5km run. It represents a shift towards the old, sporty me. It represents getting through some tough mental stuff…and finding a me that is same same…but different. It represents someone who is living her values…who is being a role model to her son…as well as to her clients. 

The reason for this blog is not to brag…but to share a journey. And…also to reinforce what I tell my clients…and that is TO FLIP THE SCRIPT, and look at things from a different perspective. To see the positive in any negative situation. To see the lesson…and sit in gratitude for it. For it is the toughest of situations that are our biggest lessons.

After months of being in lockdown, I did just that. I made a list of all the positives that came out of lockdown for me…and to be honest, the list was quite substantial. This story that I have just shared, is one of the positives of lockdown for me. If I hadn’t been in lockdown this year, I can almost guarantee that today, I would not have run 5kms.

So, flip the script on that negative situation or event or person…and see the positive. See the lesson…and then sit in gratitude for that insight.