Good morning lovelies! Today I’m excited to have Carole joining us for a guest post. I (virtually) met Carole a few weeks ago, and was instantly drawn to her story and felt connected as our stories are similar. She suffered from chronic pain, injuries and stiffness for years before finding her own way through the pain to become n ironman triathlete! She has written a book about her journey which I will be talking more about her on the blog once I’ve read it, but in the meantime, please welcome Carole to our little slice of the internet!
It’s been said that the most rewarding things in life come with a lot of effort (or something to that effect.) My journey showed me that the path to living a rewarding and fulfilling life required much research, effort, frustration, failure and pain. But without the 13 years of struggling to find answers to my chronic myofascial pain syndrome, I never would have developed the motivation to train for and complete an IRONMAN triathlon! And with the completion of that event came the most powerful feeling of self-actualization I’ve ever experienced.
Suzi has had many struggles of her own, including dealing with fibromyalgia and a lung condition. The easy route would have been to minimize movement, ‘protect’ her painful body, and use the lung problem as an excuse for not exercising. As she began to uncover solutions to managing her fibromyalgia, she realized, as I did, that soreness and stiffness are not necessarily reasons to remain sedentary. In fact, movement is often associated with relief of soft tissue pain and discomfort. Having taken control of her health conditions, Suzi not only thrives on movement and exercise, she is a full-time fitness instructor.
This is not to say that you should start training for a marathon tomorrow despite having muscle pain! First, you need to spend the time and effort identifying the cause for your pain. Once you identify the right health professionals to help you understand your specific problem and the potential solutions to it, the next step is to figure out what activities you can safely do. No matter what your situation, I believe movement of any kind is critical to overcoming your challenges and eventually reaching the next level of physical functioning. If all you can do is wiggle your fingers today, then do that – many times per day. Then set your next movement goal: what could you realistically achieve in the next month or two, if you continue to search for and implement solutions to your health problem?
Don’t delay in implementing your plan to get better, stronger and lead a more fulfilled life. If you want some specific ideas for overcoming a health issue that is holding you back, check out my website: www.carolestaveley.com, and keep coming to Suzi’s site for motivation and inspiration to live your healthy, active life!
Contributed by:
Carole Staveley
President, Inner Victory Coaching
www.facebook.com/carolestaveleyinnervictorycoaching
www.twitter.com/carolestaveley
Thank you so much Carole! If you suffer from chronic pain, or even if you are just looking to become your own Health Champion you need to check our Carole, follow her on Facebook and Twitter and pick up her book, “Not Lying Down”. I’m really looking forward to diving into it myself!
