Monday marked two weeks since my last workout after a rough two weeks.
Shortly after weighing myself earlier this month, my mother suffered a mild stroke (she’s doing much better now). And just when I felt we had overcome one of the scariest events in our lives, my mom, my husband and I all caught the flu and ended up once again at the doctor’s office.
I was diagnosed with a “severe throat infection and bronchitis.”
Between doctor visits, medication pick-ups and recuperating, it was difficult to find the time and energy to work out.
But after my mother’s health scare, I knew I had to get back on track. The best way to treat my mom’s condition is to keep her blood pressure and diabetes at bay, her physician said. And of course, that goes back to a healthy diet and exercise.
So on Monday, when my alarm went off and I started getting dressed for my first morning workout in two weeks, my husband asked me a question that had the potential to derail my fitness journey.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
In all fairness to my husband, he was legitimately concerned for my health. He thought I should hold back a few more days just in case my lungs had not fully recuperated.
“Don’t dissuade me,” I shot back.
I knew that if I allowed myself to sit another workout, I would never stop making excuses.
I finished getting dressed and went out with nothing but conviction and a pair of tired lungs.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. A part of me thought it would feel like the first day, but oddly enough, it didn’t. I was winded throughout most of it, but as far as my muscles, they remembered.
To me, it was a glorious comeback, with a reaffirmation that I’m dedicated to my health journey, one that will continue long after the 90-day challenge.
Again, I continue to be grateful to those who have reached out with support or stories about their personal struggles and triumphs. I’ve received two amazing letters that have encouraged me — one from U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who encouraged me to continue to inspire others, and the other from an inmate in Huntsville, who encouraged me to continue to break the cycles that many of us are trapped in.
