Injured - but OK to Workout

Over the past two years I've had two serious accidents that have greatly impacted my mobility and perspective. 

Distal radial fracture

Two years ago I stepped outside and heard a loud pop. I ended up on the ground. I hobbled back inside and within the hour I was in the emergency room.  I had broken my right ankle. I didn't need any surgery.  The recovery was long but unremarkable. Today I have chronic pain and pretty much full mobility.  The lingering issue is an enhanced fear of falling and hyper sensitivity to walking surface conditions :) 

Then last spring, in May,  I was walking in my own back yard, just coming back from a long walk, when I stepped onto a manhole cover which must have somehow come ajar. The top flipped up and my right leg and body fell in. Being a big girl, I didn't fall all the way through but became wedged in the opening between the edge and the flipped up cover. My first concern was that I had broken my leg or back. I called for help unsuccessfully. I then pushed myself up out of the drain, the sharp pain highlighting that the real issue was my wrist. My hand was at a peculiar angle and movement was extremely difficult. I got inside, grabbed an ice bag and drove myself to the emergency room.  I had a distal fracture to radius and ulna.  A week later I had surgery with insertion of permanent bling you can see in the photo! 

The Back Story....

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and think to myself, how did I get here? I mentally trace the connections and points though time.

So how did I end up middle aged and morbidly obese? When did that happen?

I was, at the onset, underweight. I was born premature and weighed only 4.3 pounds. I bet that was super scary for my parents. I spent many weeks in the hospital and as recounted to me - if I was awake, somebody was feeding me. Seems a bit prophetic looking back.

Teresa Marie - 5 yrs old

I have been overweight as long as I can remember.  My parents put me on a "diet" when I was around five years old. I remember my father asking me to put on my bathing suit and then taking this picture of me in the backyard.  It was then pasted up on the refrigerator with a bit sign that said "stop."  When I started in school, my mother sent me with a sack lunch of a hot dog or baloney, carrots/celery, and cottage cheese. It was the same almost everyday. Not only was it embarrassing, but the lack of diversity resulted in not only me eating lunch at school but also grazing when I came home. I recall grabbing food from the kitchen and sneaking into the basement to eat.  So it went throughout my school years until I graduated from high school standing 5'2" and weighing 140 pounds. By today's health calculators I was just overweight with a BMI at 25.6.

Turning Over a New Leaf

Happy December day!

The term "turning over a new leaf," in it's origins, meant turning to a new page. The term leaf was synonymous with page.  Over time the phrase has come to mean a new beginning. This is the context in which I use the term to name my this blog. 

I'm turning over a new leaf. For one - it's keeping public blog about my journey. And the second trick - will be the journey itself. I am going to get strong, fit, and active again.

F-I-T

As the dictionary says:
fit –adjective
1. adapted or suited; appropriate:
2. proper or becoming: fit
3. qualified or competent: a fit candidate
4. prepared or ready
5. in good physical condition; in good health