Less Is More
This is a blog post about Coach Erika’s journey through health:
My story begins with something we can all relate to. Pain. It has many variations, from feeling it internally, externally, and even emotionally. The problem for me was how it slowly started dissolving my life into this small puddle of a person controlled by an easy fix that came in pill form. Although, in some cases I know it is very important, even a matter of life or death without them, mine was not the case.
I just had to find the right way to dig myself out, and take control of my health to live a less dependent pain free kind of life. I was able to find that, and more through fitness.
Like many people I enjoyed periods of activity ranging from team sports to seasonal activities such as hiking, or snowboarding. Always keeping myself happy as long as I was moving, and or outdoors. However, after the birth of my daughter my focus changed. Her needs became my priority, and as much as I tried to find ways to stay active, and enjoy social events, I felt lost.
I started becoming accustomed to a more sedentary parental lifestyle, and experienced “pain”. Not my first time, mind you. I’ve had my fair share of stitches, and broken bones, even missing teeth growing up. Just ask my mom, and she can attest to my many fearless adventures, or my natural lack of awareness to my surroundings. Enough pain for me to not understand why my body was causing it so I make an appointment with a doctor to help me, or hopefully help me fix it.
It starts with a diagnosis of early onset osteoarthritis. There is a pain relieving pill for that. With shoulder surgery came a different kind of pain pill. Overweight..there’s a pill to help suppress appetite. Depression/Anxiety..although I’ve struggled with this for years, I can’t even list the many different pills available I’ve tried for that.
Insomnia, pill….
….Headaches, pill.
….I feel that by now you understand the theme I’m going with here.
Till one night I’m sitting at the edge of my bed staring at the literal handful I am consuming every single day, a ritual you could say, and I start to worry. How is this affecting my body? This isn’t how I wanted to live my life, but how could I change it without feeling the pain? I was afraid, but I was so done feeling like an empty vessel, numb to the real world, suppressing myself with medicinal bandaids.
I decided then to find a way to improve my health, but not alone. I discovered a facility that could help me. Not just a regular gym, but one with a familiarity to my childhood past. Olympic style weightlifting tied in with functional fitness. A group/ community style facility that was there with me every step of the way.
What happened was the stronger I got each day, each month, I slowly started noticing I needed “less” of these pills. Some completely gone forever! What did I gain? I am paying less for doctors visits, less for prescription medication, and although I have a different kind of “pain” from a hard workout, I know better how to recover. I’m learning more about my body every day. I started sleeping better, I lost weight, and gained muscle. I enjoy outdoor activities with friends and family without pain, and all from making training part of my lifestyle. Improving my health means I’m around for my daughter, and my family longer. They get the best version of me, and that’s good medicine!
LESS pills = MORE control of my life, and my Self!
