I have been working my way through an injury for the better part of this year; a torn tendon in my left arm that resulted in a complete loss of grip, significant swelling and pain, and problems with my shoulder due to awkward movement. I'm not fully on the other side of the injury (which occurred last November), but I am on the other side of my fitness. It's a great feeling.
What I mean is the injury forced to me to focus on endurance and strength in areas of my body I've previously avoided. For example, my core has always been a point of weakness. Because I was unable to do handstands with a torn tendon, I ended up working on a GHD which allows you to extend upside down and then sit up from that position. GHD sit-ups were *never* on my radar. They were something I fully intended to permanently dodge. Ha! Necessity got me on the machine, and necessity made me sit up, because the only way to get off the machine when you're hanging upside down is to get right side up.
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[Image Credit](https://unsplash.com/photos/n9OqSW_ROS4)</center>
Regaining my grip has been a chore. I have been hanging from the pull-up cages, carrying heavy things to and fro, stretching my wrist in all directions to make sure scar tissue didn't immobilize it, following up with my doctor and coach and going far lighter/more slowly than I'd like to with lifts. And yet. . .
This morning I set two personal records. One was a formal, in-class record. I completed Grace, 30 clean and jerks for time, two minutes and 33 seconds faster than eight weeks ago. The second was one I've been working toward every weekday: 15 standard burpees in a row.
We all know burpees suck. I've also mentioned I am doing a 5,000 burpee challenge I need to complete by August 26th. I currently have 820 burpees under my belt. What you may not know about burpees is they are a full body exercise that is excellent for metabolic conditioning, but also excellent for grip strength, wrist mobility, toe push-ups and more. The three areas listed are incredibly important for my body right now. We are heading into high allergy season which means asthma, but I haven't had to use my inhaler with workouts. My wrist is staying mobile and supple, and it's building strength thanks to the burpees. Finally, I have been trying to get back to toe push-ups for (I kid you not) three years. Burpees made that happen without me even realizing it.
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[Image Credit](https://unsplash.com/photos/5IsdIqwwNP4)</center>
Here's the break down of what I'm saying: my injury made me go backward. Going back to the basics pushed me forward in more ways that I imagined possible. Which isn't to say I'm happy about my injury, but I am happy about what I chose to do with it: persist.
I am now at my fittest in nearly every area of fitness. My endurance is better. I workout 5 times a week with at least 5 skill workouts per week instead of three with no skill work. I am at the weight my body prefers while my muscle to fat ratio is improving. I can breathe better, move better. I feel better. My anxiety and depression are better. I am more focused, more motivated and taking the best care of myself I ever have. All because of a freak accident when I didn't properly let go of a barbell.
In the past I've let this sort of thing slow me down. The reason stems from an exchange I had with my 8th grade basketball coach. I believed I would play basketball through college and worked very hard to improve my game. I was greatly successful, MVP in that year's summer camp, and was doing well until I went for a rebound and hyperextended my knee, tearing my ACL and medial meniscus plus tendons in my ankle.
Recovery was hard, and when I was well enough to start playing again, I'd gained some weight. I asked my coach what I needed to do to get back with the team. The question was posed after watching her set up a program with another girl who was recovering from the same injury. My coach looked at me and said, "It wouldn't really be worth it to train you."
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[Image Credit](https://unsplash.com/photos/fZ2hMpHIrbI)</center>
She left me on the literal sidelines. My heart was broken. As a result, I gave up on everything including swimming, a sport for which I was truly gifted.
As an adult I recognize that I could have pushed. I could have kept playing, kept improving, kept trying. I've demonstrated that ability to myself ad nauseam over the last several months. I am capable of so much more than I ever dreamed. Today's personal records were not huge, but they were a reminder that I am worth the investment in myself.
## How are you investing in yourself?
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