From the Bottom to the top....and back to the bottom

I laugh every time I hear a song that talks about the struggle from the bottom to the top. My favorite song is Drake's, “started from the bottom, now we're here.” It is another happily ever after song, like most fairytales. You know, when the princess meets her Prince Charming and they ride off together to happily ever after land. How come there aren't any songs about making it to the top and then rolling back down the hill again? Why is it we never hear about what happens to the prince and princess in fairytales, five years later? It would make a great "Where Are They Now? show on TLC.

Well since I don't have access to a TLC producer, here is my update. I struggled with being overweight for most of my life, even though I really wasn’t “that” overweight. I was led to believe that I was a fat kid, fat adolescent, and an obese adult. I thought that after finally losing 130lbs and becoming a certified Group Fitness Instructor who was featured in a national running magazine, and appeared on the Dr. Oz show, that I had made it. I reached the top of the mountain and my prince was on his way up, but I was wrong.

Life is a journey, not a rap song or fairytale. When Covid hit, the gyms closed and I was stuck in the house like everyone else. The limited Zoom classes I taught, only burned a fraction of the calories I consumed on a daily basis. So the weight started to creep up pound by pound, but it was manageable. I continued to teach and motivate my students to take classes and eat healthy during the pandemic. I even introduced two new formats on Zoom. One of them was a sexy "Stix" class. We used a broomstick during class to help with toning and as a dance partner. I was having fun and I was teaching again. Even though it was via Zoom, I was starting to conquer(in my mind) the virtual world.

I thought that when the world opened up, I would be ready to start teaching again. I ignored the aches and pains because I didn't think it was anything serious. I was use to body aches after teaching so many classes. However once the pain migrated towards my groin, I knew it was something serious. What I thought was just a strained muscle, turned out to be an inflamed hip that was bone on bone. I tried stretching, cortisone shots, denial, and arguing with my surgeon, Dr. Hayden. Unfortunately, those methods didn't do anything to stop the pain. I went from running marathons to barely being able to walk down the street. So, I had a total right hip replacement at the "tender" age of 50 years old. This surgery caused my long and bumpy tumble from the mountain top. On my way down, I thought about what would happen to my fitness and running career. I wondered would I ever be able to teach again? I wondered what happened to the prince, but he is still no where to be found.

Even though the hip replacement was unwanted and unexpected, I did learn some valuable lessons during this journey. Check out my next blog to read about them and how much fun it was to poop in a bag when I couldn't walk to the bathroom.