I have found that the enemy to my continued exercise is often the nagging injuries and bad joints I’ve developed over the years. What happens is this: I begin to make inroads into getting back in shape, and some kind of nagging injury crops up. I have to moderate my workouts, giving more time to recover, pushing less, skipping things I’d like to do because I know that they’ll just make my aching joints hurt more.
Anyone who’s been working out for a lot of years will recognize this issue. You have to navigate through a minefield of little physical issues. For me, I’ve got bad shoulders (especially the left one), a bad right elbow, a bad tendon in my left biceps, intermittent back pain, and bad knees.
The one that gets me most in the last few years is the right elbow. Trying to get consistent work product out of that thing without serious pain and inflammation is a real challenge. I had to take it easy last week, only working out twice to try and keep the joint from going into full revolt. Still, I got some decent k-bell work done, as well as some more standard weightlifting, so it wasn’t a total loss. I suppose I will just have to pace myself, although that has never been my strong suit.
Cheers,
Patrick
