Injuries suck!

So right now, my left heel has been hurting due to a heel spur, plantar fasciitis, or a little from both. I'm not supposed to be running on it. Oh man, it is SO HARD to not run in Kaia! My heart hurts (not literally) from having to power walk and not able to run with my tribe. Honestly, I can definitely run with them. The next day, my heel reminds me that I should not have.

My primary care doctor has prescribed my some physical therapy. It's helping quite a bit! I'm sure the resting part is also doing its job. But that's the hardest part of all of this - the resting part. I think if you've been in Kaia for any lengths of time, you're bound to have tried our high impact Kaia level. The hard part is controlling what I do, or don't do in this level. Sure, it seems to push you harder than all the other levels, but if you truly need to rest your body, why are you pushing it?!

This past week's Fit Tip was great! It talks about "being brave enough to slow down your movements and commit to focusing on the balance level of each exercise. Work on good form and full range of motion." This is exactly what I need to work on. For some reason, as a Kaia vet, we think our Kaia sisters will think less of us if we slow it down, like we're going to be less of an athlete if we do balance level. Sometimes, we need to break it down in order to build it back up. 

With speed, sometimes, we compromise form. It's not good - when FORM goes out the window, you know who shows up: INJURIES. So even if we have to bite down our pride, we should all practice getting back to balance form, executing perfect form, using those mirrors placed FOR US - in order to visualize if we are doing something correctly or just going through the motion, and lastly, listen to your Kaia coaches! Sometimes, as vets, we don't want to hear that we're not doing something in perfect form - that little voice in my head says, "Well damn! I've been here so long, I KNOW what I'm doing." I'm here to tell you that your coach might see something that you might not and we're not just walking around correcting form for 'shits and giggles'. With LOVE, we are here to help reduce injury, & reduce exercise downtime, so YOU don't get stuck having to walk/powerwalk like I have to.

Take it from me, slow it down, take it to Balance Level, and perfect that exercise before adding speed, weight or injuries!

Be present

Be present. A piece of advice I heard but never understood. In a world full of technological advances, it's funny that we lose the ability to be present and in the moment. Our digital age dictates that we have information at the touch of our fingertips. We can connect to each other globally with just our smart phones. But does that hinder or retard our ability to connect face to face?

I see it all the time. Just go to any restaurant or eat-in place. People could be having lunch with a friend they haven't seen in a while, maybe even having a heart-to-heart, but some people choose to be stare into their phones throughout their meals. Yes, you can talk and Facebook at the same time, but are you really present in the conversation? As compared to when you aren't staring at a screen?

Be in the moment. In all things in life. In all instances where you can connect with someone.

Be here and now.


That goes for dinner at the dinner table, and for our work outs. When you are working out, be working out. Don't let your mind wander to your grocery lists. Listen, that list will still be after your one hour workout. Be present in body and in mind. That time you were spending thinking about that outfit for your holiday party, you could have easily transitioned into your next exercise and done one, maybe two more sets. That adds up in your hour. Be in the now. I used to hate hearing that in yoga back in college. I didn't get it back then. I always thought, What the heck am I doing?! I am in the now, I wouldn't be physically here if I wasn't in the now. But your body can be in one place and your mind another. You might have heard me in Kaia Flow say this before but please leave everything at the door. I'm not saying, never talk to your neighbor during our workouts, but I am saying, focus your attention to the matter in front of you. If you're at work, be at work. If you're having lunch with a friend, spend that time with your friend (not on Facebook or Twitter). If you're in your workout, be there in your workout, focused, and ready to work it out! Your body will appreciate it in the end and you'll decrease your chances for injury if your paying attention.