After my recent enthusiasm for taking regular holidays this summer I have ended up injuring myself, right at the beginning of my holiday.
Ironic, non?
It is all very frustrating, as I was planning to do some running in the local vineyard, and some swimming in the sea, etc.
Well, for a little bit anyway, because I understand when it is the time to let things go; to give your body a rest and to focus on the mental and emotional as a whole.
And if you have read my recent blog post about the value of holidays, you would also appreciate my enjoyment in the relaxation principle (it's a little like the pleasure principle, but more laid-back) and enjoy your own time away.
I don't know how I managed to injure my back, so I'm going to have a scan soon and will be looking forward to the results (obviously).
It is not the first time I have been similarly injured. When you have played rugby for as long as I have (25 years), you get used to being injured - and to being hit all the time!
You also learn though those experiences that injury and pain make you aware that your body is alive. In addition, when you are so injured, you get to exchange information with the relevant therapist or doctor and, as a result, such injuries actually turn into win-win situations because you come out of them knowing more about your body and about how to prevent further injuries in the future.
Hopefully.
At times like this, when I am required to rest more than usual, I like reading and to access different sources of information for the benefit of myself and my clients.
Recently (and I wouldn't say this is an entirely new discovery) I have developed further my interest in pilates, which can be summarised in two quotations.
For me the first quotation is a way of thinking about your body together with your mind as a single package:
(The) "body and mind must be coordinated in order to not only get a maximal result in using the minimum of physical and mental effort, but also to live as long as possible in good health, leading a full and happy life."
When training I get to see so many people that appear to be angry when it comes to their training; revealed in an inconsistency of mood, with a sense in their words and behaviour that there is always something apparently missing in their life.
There is no need to live in such frustration.
Not really.
Here is the second quotation that has struck a chord with me:
"Take care of your body, it is the only one you have to live in."
And amen to that.
Have a great time in whatever you are doing this summer.
More blog posts will be coming soon about sensible exercises and how to recover after injuries (as well as about how to prevent them).
Hopefully.
Julien