OK..I have officially been out of commission for two months…TWO months!! This has been one of the most challenging and frustrating experiences ever! (I have herniated discs in the lower back for those who don’t know) I am still not back 100% but I am getting there. I have already endured TWO set backs because I just got too eager and ended up hurting myself all over again because I pushed myself too quickly to get better. It’s just extremely tough when you are used to going to work from 9-5pm, working out in the 6-8pm time frame, doing grocery shopping and errand running (cooking/cleaning) in the time in between and hanging out with friends, family and loved ones in the evening - to doing absolutely nothing but sitting in bed. This is where the re-injury part comes into play. Could I just lay in bed like a good girl and follow the doctors orders and ONLY get out of bed to go to the bathroom and shower “occassionally”? Of COURSE I couldn’t! lol…I had to cook my own dinners, I had to gather every ounce of strength to go the grocery store, drive to pick up my medicine, etc. Even though I have friends who have told me time and time again that if I needed ANYTHING to just ASK. Evidently I have a problem asking for help because I have only been relying on myself this whole time. (This whole asking for help thing is a whole other issue to delve into some other time). But basically, my parents decided to intervene. After the last reinjury, I wasn’t going to be able to drive home for Thanksgiving so they drove up to Austin (from Houston) gathered up my stuff and brought me back to Houston. I can honestly say that I have been laying in bed, not cooking, not cleaning, not grocery shopping or errand running, ONLY doing my back exercises that I’ve learned from physical therapy (which is ANOTHER thing I will have to give praise to later on) and I’m FINALLY starting to feel better again. Let’s just hope that I don’t overdue it a THIRD time. Third time does NOT need to be the charm here. How about, third attempt at getting better successfully? Let’s have that one be the “charm” haha. But yes…that’s why I haven’t posted in well over a month. I’ve been in bed (for the most part) depressed and trying to persuade my body to heal itself too quickly, lol.

I CAN say that I HAVE refrained from emotional eating (thank the LORD!) because that would just be the icing on the cake - to gain a whole bunch of weight due to a back injury where I physically couldn’t exercise to counter balance the extra food I was eating. So thank goodness for that. I DO admire my strength in that area. Of course, I have stumbled a couple of times but over all I am very proud of myself.

I just hope that I can continue to allow myself to heal and not push myself too hard. Hmmm, I have TONS more to say and talk about and ask yall’s opinion on but I need to get back into a reclined position, lol (following orders here!) But I HAVE missed you guys. I have missed this blog. I have missed reading everyone else’s blogs and Roni’s blog. I hope that everyone has been really successful the past 2 months and hasn’t had to endure anything too trying or horrible. But if you have, I feel your pain and you’re not alone! But hopefully this won’t be the last of me. Hopefully I will be able to begin blogging on a regular basis again. I just thought I’d pop in and say hello, let you know I hadn’t given up on my blog or you guys and to update you all and wish you all the best of luck AND a Happy belated Halloween AND a Happy belated Thanksgiving!!

 So like I said last time, have great OP days/weeks/weekends - let me live vicariously through yall when you exercise and make the program work! Keep me proud guys!