Doing the Jane Fonda

Went to a foot & ankle specialist yesterday for the ache in my foot.  It was one of the places with an open door policy, so as I am sitting there waiting I can hear all the conversations & activities around me.  I started to feel so blessed & young as I heard patient after patient going on & on about their diabetes, gout, arthritis, and so on.  Lots of talk about pain, pain, pain and aching joints.  In the room next door I think someone was getting their feet/toenails worked on and the sounds of equipment I heard made me shudder, don't think I ever want to think about feet in combo with a skill-saw type buzz anytime soon!

My doc was a very suave gentleman who used to work for the Oakland A's, with that demeanor that made me want to call him 'Sir' and his old fashion aftershave reminded me of my grandpa.  He looked at my x-rays and at first freaked me out with "oh wow, looks like a fracture or bone chip to me!" then he looked at another angle and said "oh never mind, that's normal for both your feet." Whew!  He did see a lot of swelling near my site of ache/pain (which my acupuncturist had noticed too but you can't see from an outside view) and then he palpated my foot a great deal as we discussed my running.  His final diagnosis was a bone bruise of some sort that will take ice ice ice and orthotics to resolve hopefully.

His number one concern was.....my lack of flexibility & stretching...of course.  My albatross.  I went to PT for almost a year to resolve issues of my hips & ankles and it was all about my knotted muscles, stretching and again, LACK of flexibility.  Ugh.  This doctor was quite serious and scolded me like a child, pointing out that if I did not do the right stretching I would not be running in a few years without major pain. So back to doing the Jane Fonda (as I affectionately called the exercises from my PT appointments).  Hip raises and leg lifts, calf stretch etc...It is so hard for me to fit these type of 'boring' exercises into my daily routine, I would much rather get out and feel the burn for a 5-7 mile run or bike ride or swim but I MUST figure them into my day somehow or I won't be able to enjoy running, which is my sanity saver for much longer. It is so difficult to do though.  Reminds me of putting money into savings or something, it's not anything that you are forced to do but if you don't, you will regret it over time.  The whole subject of stretching is still on my mind in relation to things you don't 'have to' do but should for over all long-term health and happiness. Like eating well, not getting down to your last dime in the bank account, practicing meditation or spirituality, planning dates & vacation for the family & friends so you actually do them, keeping up with house chores or laundry or car maintenance, instilling good manners & family rituals with the dude .  These aren't issues that will have immediate consequences today but over time they will pay huge dividends.  Sigh....ok, off to fit some Jane Fonda into the day.