Off?

Off day? Off week? Off year? I don't mean a day, week, or year off from working out, although it can apply. 

You have had an "off day", perhaps an "off week", and if you are like me, you've even had an "off year".

Everyone has these: your role models, your favorite athletes, even the person you think has their life most together.

Even if you live a healthy and positive lifestyle, you will surely wake up to one of these discouraging types of days.

Just remember nothing lasts forever. 

Bad doesn't last.

Good doesn't even last.

When I'm having a miserable day, I try to excite myself about the next day.

The next day is a new day, and anything can happen on a new day.

Sometimes you just have to grind through a day, or a week, or a year. Just don't make it a lifetime.

Reset each day. Put the past behind you and formulate a plan to avoid feeling dejected.

My Favorite Way to Blow Out Your Back

Christmas Night, 2015 (a Friday)…

At the local Cinema 12 in Daytona, Florida, I enjoyed a movie with my family to end our Christmas vacation. It was difficult for me to fully appreciate Will Smith’s performance in the film we watched. The movie showed NFL players losing their mind once their playing career had ended, and how it affected their lives. I was close to losing my mind, but not as a result of a brain injury. All I could think about was how my lower back felt like it was on the verge of disintegrating into a pile of dust.

4 days ago it was Monday…

My spine closely resembled the shape of a candy cane as I sat against the wall, waiting for our flight to board. At the time, this was the most comfortable position I had any interest in holding. We boarded the plane, flew, and landed. As I stood to my feet after 2.5 hours in the air, my back felt stiffer than an overcooked Christmas ham.

Tuesday…

My back felt more crumbly than pumpkin pie crust as I stood up to head away from the vacation house to get some lunch. I had been laying around all morning. After eating some sandwiches we returned to the house, and I continued being lazy as I awaited supper. I was starting to feel more sloppy than a gift wrapped by a 4 year old.

Wednesday: the day that involved the most activity…

After sitting around all morning, we ventured out of the house and headed toward Daytona Beach to eat lunch. After eating, we took a walk along the beachside boardwalk. After visiting a few shops and sitting at a bar long enough to discover that they didn’t serve margaritas (bye), we stopped to look out over the water. As I leaned against the handrails, I noticed my back feeling as brittle as a peppermint patty. 

Thursday…

My back was more tangled than Santa’s beard and more rounded than his belly, as I jammed myself into the corner of the couch. Part of the family toured the Daytona Speedway. I turned down the offer because by now I lacked the confidence to wander away from the living room without going for a spill.

Friday…

In recognition of Christmas Day, there was little to do in the city of Daytona. Other than our trip to the movie theatre, the only thing to report for this day was my back feeling more stale than biting into a Christmas cookie on Valentine’s Day. 

Saturday…

I am back in the air, sitting on my returning flight as I write this. Since waking up at 5am, my back has been throbbing worse than frostbitten hands.

The condition of my back has been slightly dramatized in this entry (as well as the activities of the trip), but I hope you understand my point. Sitting is truly the new smoking. As someone who spends 85%+ of my waking hours on my feet, I never experience back pain. Spending less time being sedentary and following an exercise program (that contains heavy lifting and total body stimulation) is the best way to prevent and combat against body aches and injury. This is contrary to what many would probably think. 

The next time you are feeling sore or achey….before you take the generic approach of resting or avoiding activity, consider this post. Building strength and moving around will make you feel better and help restore function to problem areas.