…I had lost much of the quality of my life, and was surviving on prescribed narcotics. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, herniated discs, spondylosis and scoliosis Finally I couldn’t pretend anymore. Something had to give and I didn’t want it to be me. I couldn’t celebrate another New Year with the weight of of 365 days still
A few years back a colleague had told me about Urban Poles and had suggested that these might be helpful in my efforts to exercise. You see walking was both a pleasure and a pain. Physically you’ve already heard the story, but mental and emotional lying it was one of the few things I could do that not only could I have some cpntrol, but it brought me peace. Well like most exuberant exercise programs I was stellar…and like everything else life got in the way and I became less and less a priority, finally resigning the poles to the back of the closet. On Dec 31st 2013, I remembered the poles and vowed once spring was back to use them again.
Meanwhile as my symptoms and function worsened and I could no longer hide what was happening to me, I had revisited my specialist a few times and I ultimately decided that if I didn’t want to end up in a wheelchair, I needed to have surgery. The goal was to be under 300 pounds by the date of surgery and I had to find a strategy in which I could be successful. Dieting and other weight management programs had failed before but I knew that if I could find the right tact, I could do it. The answer in the end was simple. I looked back at where and how I had achieved success in my own life and with those clients and patients with whom I had worked over the years. The strategy was the word and principle of “Training”. I knew this; understood it intimately and so I started training, not managing or dieting or reducing. I simply set a goal and “trained”.
I also adopted the “hard road” principle. I will write another blog on this principle, but essentially this means that in life sometimes you have to take the hard road. And in fact, it has been along the hard road where I’ve learned many great lessons. Too often we have chosen the easy road or have become afraid of the hard road but it is more than just surviving, it has been where you can thrive and achieve success. I would walk with the activator poles as part of rehab 5 or 6 times weekly. Eventually I graduated to the urban poles and could finally give my body what it had been craving for a long time. I progressed from around the block, 15 minute walks to hour plus walks. My training regimen has been enhanced by a great team of physios, massage and sports therapists. However without the urban poles and activator poles this story would be very different and I can honestly say that urban poling changed my life.
Finally I had found not only the joy I sought, the weight loss for which I’d hoped, but more importantly, I found the peace I also needed. And on October 15th 2014, I weighed 299 pounds. Six months later, I still profess the success of my surgery and although with many stops and starts I now weigh 280 pounds. I’ve weaned myself off of all narcotics and have been “training” for the Sporting Life 10k which is tomorrow. . My goal is to finish in under 3 hours…fingers and poles crossed..
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