Diary of a blogger in Rehab

Day 1.

Oh God, here we are again.  Why do I do this to myself?

Wearing half my wardrobe, mistake number one, like an oven in here. #sauna #layers

Day 2.

Actually slept last night. Thats odd. Shhh don't jinx it. Physio enjoyed my matching runners and orthotics #newshoes #needbeautysleep

Day 3.

Got a bit of sunshine between therapies. Even in short sleeves. Purple ones to be exact. #summer #t-shirts #nature

Day 4.

Ouch. Physio kicking in now. Not literally. They're still admiring my runners #Dunnes #muscles #nopainnogain

Day 5.

On Fridays we wear pink. Pink ladies on the ward today. Prompted some staff "singing". #prettyinpink

Day 6.

No physio today. Sleep, sleep and chocolate on the to-do list. #break #restday

Day 7.

See above! Probably gaining weight by the second. Oh well. #anotherrestday

Day 8.

Back to purple again. Hit the wall today. Almost literally. Orthotics problems. Time for a chocolate and magazine break. #fashion #chocolate

Day 9.

WiFi down today. Quite bored. If it wasn't for good friends, magazines and nail polish... Early nights becoming a habit. #company #pampering

Image credit: Positive Outlooks blog on Facebook

Day 10.

Phew. Some like-minded company has arrived. Where've you been? Back to more pink today, lifts the mood a bit. Interesting day in OT. Rummaging in buckets of rice. #capsulewardrobe #OT 

Day 11.

Almost there, seeing some progress now. Even warming to the yellow-y orthotics. A bit. Nothing yellow in wardrobe though. #matching #results

Day 12.

New machine today. Like a cross trainer but scarier. Wore long sleeves, bad move. #overdressed

Day 13.

Assessing progress made today, not too bad. Changed runners up a bit. Oh the excitement. #confusedphysios

Day 14.

And we're done. Tough sayin goodbye, not a bad bunch really. Few new numbers. Back to normal sized wardrobe soon, no more sportsgear outside the gym. #gymwear #homewardbound

Day 1(back home).

Routine out the window already. Back in jeans. Lost the run of myself in supermarket. Oh the freedom.

Appreciating independence.  Did few exercises, I swear. #homesweethome #grateful

Lycra - where have you been all my life?

Confession time...despite all silent protests, I have, I’m afraid to say, succumbed to the panic-inducing wonder that is Lycra.  

Striking fear into the hearts of novice exercise enthusiasts everywhere, it has to be one of the few things on my “never to be worn” list.  Or at least, it had been.  Until the prospect of a warm June Bank Holiday Monday became a reality and I was faced with a tough choice. 

Three hours traipsing through the streets of Dublin in my usual run-of-the-mill track bottoms, only to be carried over the 10km mark to the nearest physio.

Unless, that is, I could bring myself to feel the Lycra fear and wear it anyway.  And feel it I did.  So much so, that my new Lycra sports trousers lingered in their bag for several days, lest they should feel like making a sudden sprint back to the shop from whence they came. 

Bizarrely, they didn’t, and having tried them on for the umpteenth time, I plucked up the courage in true brave- little-soldier style, to face the mirror. 

I’m not sure there are enough words in the English language, or indeed any other, to describe the horror that stood before me.  Back in the bag they went.  No sport is worth that torture. 

It’ll probably rain anyway, right?

Wrong.

With the forecast remaining positive, there was only one thing for it.  So, with some reassurance from Lycra-loving friends and a bit of positive(ish) self talk, off I went with 30-something thousand other women in my breathable, go-faster, Lycra sports trousers.  
And my exxxtra long t-shirt.  That oughta hide them.

 "Sure who’s gonna care anyway... its not a fashion show.. comfort before style..all in the name of charity..."

Three hours later, much to my own relief, over the finish line I sauntered in the blazing sunshine. Fresh as a daisy.  Full of the joys of Spring.  Not a bother on me. 

Okay okay, I exaggerate... but to my relief (or disgust??) the discomfort levels were noticeably lowered a few notches thanks to my trusty new friends.  

Actually friendship may be too strong a word, lets not get too hasty here.  But whether I like it or not, this pre-marathon marathon served to prove me wrong in my long-held anti-Lycra beliefs.  

Sometimes, (in exceptional circumstances such as these) it IS okay, if not wise, to put comfort first.   

 
Image credit www.dunnestores.com