The process of finally starting the journey of allowing myself to heal over the past month and a half has been really rough for me for a few reasons. One, I am addicted to exercise, and letting go, taking true 100% full time off has been a struggle (imagine a whole new kind of withdrawal). Two, the cortisone injections made everything get 10x worse before they started getting better, sending me into a bit of an abyss of doubt. And third, there was a lot of admitting I was wrong to be done, and who likes that?

There is, however, a silver lining, and what I have gained (and will continue to gain) has perhaps, though it is hard to admit, made this all worthwhile. Expect a longer post on this once the healing is actually done, and I have had a chance to reflect, but for now….

Here is what I have learned over the past three weeks:

• The importance of listening to your body because it WILL WIN the fight
• That I trained for almost 2 years with herniated discs and it finally caught me
• That not being able to control the random onset of tears is weird
• To cherish health
• To get out of the gym more and use my fitness for the things I love to do (note: CrossFit did not cause this; I did)
• That walks are awesome
• To NEVER judge someone who thinks of walking as exercise because you never know what they’re dealing with
• To be a better coach and athlete for the long haul through experience
• That I WILL HEAL

I absolutely love CrossFit, the gym, the community, and what it has done for my health, fitness, and quality of life. I cannot wait to heal fully, to get back in the gym slowly, and most importantly to use that improved quality of life and fitness to do all of the other things I love to do. I want to get back on the trails with my family, enjoy nature, spend weekends backpacking and camping, climb some rocks, get in the ocean to surf, dance the night away, and laugh more often (laugh is the second word in this blog’s name, after all).

That is all…. for now. Now, on to a recipe!

I made these this week because they are super easy, low in sugar (which is always but good, but especially so considering I am not training at all right now), and great for mornings when I don’t have much of an appetite but know I need to eat something healthy and satiating. Plus, the protein is especially important during the healing process. So, here they are…