In my quest for life-long learning this week, I’ve decided, through trial and error, that I’m not getting any younger.  I know this because of an injured hip. 

I’ve always been active. I love the feeling after exercise; it’s like I’m clean on the inside. Blood is racing through my body. Exercise is the best medicine, I often quote, but how much is too much?  When young, I was a swimmer and taught swimming at the Y, managed Champlin Pool here in town and taught water exercise.  I taught classes all over town and even at home pools.  In the evenings after supper in good weather, the kids and I would walk, or I would jog in an effort to keep my weight down.  I still walk my dog in good weather and exercise at the Y.  I’ve had two (eekkk!) back surgeries, but still I work out.  I know better than to sit down in a rocking chair now that I’ve retired.

Then I hurt my hip back in the fall just by squatting (not leaning over) and picking up a small thing off the floor.  My hip has been yelling at me ever since. Some nights after coming in from my core strength class at the Y, I had shooting pains all the way to my ankle and knew it was a nerve being pinched.  I finally got tired of the pain and went to the doctor.  An x-ray was performed.  No, it is not broken, cracked, or anything serious (unless you count the excruciating pain). He said I had calcium deposits from an old injury and to take this medicine, massage the area and pretend it didn’t hurt. Sigh. I didn’t hope for something serious, but somehow this didn’t seem like anything worth going to the doctor over. But the anti-inflammatory I’m now taking orally seems to be helping.  I massage the area that hurts. I think it is getting better.

I think next week instead of core strength, I’ll just use the treadmill and weights at the Y and give the hip time to rest.  The moves in the class are making it worse and it needs time to heal.  But still I will move.  Not moving is the worst thing I could do.

So, what have you learned this week? Do you listen to your body and try to help it?  Tell me what you think.