I had a nice epiphany last week as I was finishing up a grueling week: just like your workouts, life won’t always be easy, but the decision is yours on how you handle the challenges.
I started the week with an epic fail on the 24″ box. It was a box jump/double under workout. I had a split second where I didn’t pay attention and BOOM! I fell hard and tore up my shin where I already had a preexisting bone bruise. The pain took me to the ground as I cried tears of distress. Luckily, our box is located inside my husbands chiropractic clinic. He quickly attended to the gnarly wound, and I was able to teach the 6am class with only the occasional grimace.
On Friday, I barely grazed the shin with the barbell while doing deadlifts. I refused to let the shocking pain get in the way of my WOD; however at one point during my overhead squats, I lost focus and took a 65lb barbell to the head. I finished the workout hurting and light-headed. About three hours after that little incident, I was a hooking up a client with some chiropractic care when BAM! I nailed that evil little shin directly into a small stool that had been left out by accident. The pain that shot up my leg was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I hit the ground like a lumberjack’s tree, screaming in agony. Later that day, we made a trip to Academy and bought a pair of shin guards. I decided to give the shin the freedom it needed to heal.
Like that initial box jump fail, life can throw some serious curve-balls when you’re not paying attention. In 2003, at the age of 50, my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer. The though of losing her sent me into a depression. Thankfully, I had a great support group and was able to move back to Texas from Boston to help take care of her. She got better and I moved to Argentina, San Diego, Los Angeles. I started recording a rock opera based on Dante’s Inferno. I got through life with only the occasional grimace.
Then in 2008, the tumor killed my mother. The emotional pain of her loss was unlike anything I had ever experienced. She was only 55 years old. She would never walk me down the aisle. She would never see or hold her grandchildren. She would never see me leave the bar business and make something extraordinary of my life. The thought of going through the rest of my life without my mother temporarily paralyzed my soul. Luckily, I had my boyfriend (now husband) there to attend to the gaping hole in my heart.
Here I am, three years later, happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I have an amazing husband, two businesses that make my heart sing, clients and patients who I love as family. My mama’s greatest wish was for me to reestablish my relationship with Christ. I know she was there when I got baptized.
Workouts aren’t always easy. Life isn’t always easy. Accidents happen. Curve-balls are thrown. Occasionally, we are brought to our knees. How do you handle the challenges? Remember, the choice is yours. Are you going to defeat the barbell or are you going to let the barbell defeat you? I choose a little protective padding and a lot of positivity 🙂
Liani Oistad Fitness 