snowboarding – We Only Get One Chance

NATURE CALLS

Nature calls.

No, really, it truly did call but probably not in the way that you are used to hearing that phrase.

Since my climb last year, I have spent almost no time out in the woods. I had a severe calf/foot injury that locked me into that boot for 6 months.

Of course I have had to keep my body moving and so I found some routines inside the walls of my gym that I could do and still keep my body moving and built a lot of strength at the same time.

I got used to those routines and got comfortable and since the environment was controlled, I stuck with it which really worked out well for me.

What I didn’t realize inside of that time is that I hadn’t been able to get outside and walk, hike, bike or just stroll through the woods…and I also didn’t realize how much I missed it.

Two weekends ago, as I wrote in the previous blog post, I ran a 5K on a trail in the snow. It was a test for my foot which responded well. This past weekend I thought I would test it again and I went snowboarding on Saturday. If you have followed me through the years, snowboarding is one of my greatest joys. My foot managed snowboarding well too.

Sunday, Mike and I decided to go out snowshoeing along the Arcadia Bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. Through these two adventures, snowboarding and snowshoeing, it hit my core that I hadn’t hardly spent any time outside in almost a year. It also reminded me just how much power and peace I find from being out in nature. Being in the woods and in fresh air is an absolute MUST for me.

As I am cruising the trails on snowshoes, I am taking in the fresh air, the scenery and the trees around me. With snow falling and getting stuck in my eyelashes, I feel that peace and I begin to remember just how much that serves my soul. WOW I have missed that!!!

Fortunately for us, we have had loads of snow back at home and so Monday night I went out after dark and put my snowshoes on again and wandered out around my old stomping grounds by the light of my headlamp.

I am so grateful for the reminder that was offered to me last weekend. And since I have manage more and more outdoor activities as my foot heals, I am opting to spend less time in the gym and more time in the fresh air. I am grateful for all the lessons I learned during “boot camp” and I am also really excited to be getting back to my normal life.

I am a nature girl. I love the outdoors. I relax on walks in the woods, mountain biking, snowboarding and hiking. I need that in my life. In fact, I think all humans need a regular dose of nature in order to maintain health and peace.

We all have a tendency to stay focused at the task at hand and taking care of the needs of those around us and we unintentionally veer away from grounding and centering forces like getting out and exploring the Earth.

Have you noticed a place in life where you recharge your batteries? Is there a spot outside that you like to visit? An outside activity that you enjoy for re-centering life? Share with me your favorite things when nature calls!!

I PLANNED ON HEALING

I am calling my newest snowboard trick “double back-flip to face plant”. Sounds a little like something that Shaun White would do in the Olympic Men’s Half-Pipe competition, however probably without the “face plant” part of it. Actually it is not a trick at all…and don’t worry, all along I planned on healing.

It was the second run of the day at Georgian Peaks, a private ski club in Northern Ontario. I drove over and met a friend there and we hit the slopes for the weekend. It has been a while since I have actually snowboarded with skiers, I usually snowboard with other snowboarders, and we definitely attack the slopes a little differently.

I have said over the years that snowboarding is meditative for me, and is one of the reasons I love it so much. You have to be 100% present-time consciousness otherwise you will find yourself in trouble in a hurry. This time maybe, just maybe I was a little bit distracted. Maybe.

Fenton Chiropractor Georgian Peaks

I was cruising along to keep up with the two-planker, and I caught my back edge on some ice. I am not exactly sure what happened from there. I know I hit my head twice (thank goodness for helmets, do yourself a favor and do not go out there without one) so I am convinced I flipped twice. I also know how I landed, so the face plant definitely happened. No one was there to witness it but I am positive 5’10” red jacket and loud plaid pants flipping down the hill was quite a show.

When I gathered my thoughts and got back up on my feet, I became acutely aware that I had jarred my right ankle and knee. I am not sure what movie this line comes from, but my mind went right to “That’s gonna leave a mark.”

When injuries occur, I go into a mode that I like to call “let me just pretend that didn’t happen”. “Where thoughts go, energy flows and manifests in physical form.” Over the years it has served me to distract my mind from what just happened, and it usually leads to quick healing.

I snowboarded the rest of the day and met up with some of my friend’s friends at the lodge afterwards.

I noticed that my ankle was a little bit uncomfortable when we were sitting and chatting with friends. After a half hour went by, it became impossible to ignore. Another half hour and the pain is nearing a 7 out of 10. By the end of 2 hours of chit chat, I was in so much pain, I was nauseous. Even through all that, in my mind I was still planning on healing.

Our original plans to head out for dinner and drinks changed in a hurry as my body required that I succumb to RICE mode: Rest, Ice, Elevation, Compression. The friend I was traveling with is a Naturopathic Doctor and we were able to add some homeopathic remedies and do some manipulation of the ankle joint to add to the RICE efforts.

After a few hours, it became apparent that I was probably not going to be able to walk the next day, much less spend any time on my snowboard. As the evening progressed, it was increasingly difficult to ignore what was happening with my body, however I still planned on healing and the RICE efforts continued well into the night.

The real test came the following morning, when I took my first step on to the floor from the bed.

I have to admit, I was groggy, needed to use the restroom and my mind wasn’t focused on our evening spent in RICE mode when I took my first steps.

Half way to the restroom, it dawned on me that I was not only able to walk normally on that foot, it also felt 90% better. Good thing I planned on healing all along.

The next question was “do I dare snowboard today or just spend my time resting?”

If you know me at all, you know the answer to that one is always, “Let me just give it a try and see what happens.” And so I did. But remember, my mindset was always that I planned on healing.

Turns out I was able to comfortably ride harder that day than I did the day before. It felt good to be out there in my happy place strapped to my board. I also know when one experiences joy and happiness, healing energy is turned up a notch as well.

I was happy. I planned on healing all along and my body did exactly that.

We were both astonished at the fact that I felt as good as I did the very next day. We both witness incredible healing on a regular basis in our different professions, however we were still amazed by how quickly this process happened for me.

When situations like this come up in my life, it just leads to the building of a stronger and stronger faith in the body’s innate recuperative powers and it’s incredible ability to heal. We, as a society, have not given it enough credit for what it can do.

It is important to listen to the body’s warning signals and stop when it says stop. We also need to be living a healthy lifestyle so the body has the building blocks it needs to heal, grow and repair. But one of the most important factors is plan on healing.

In retrospect, I know that my mindset of “I planned on healing” took my healing energy up a level. I am not at all recommending that you test the limits of your body, but when you do happen to get injured…do yourself a favor and plan on healing. I guarantee you will be astonished at how quickly your body follows those orders.

HAPPY

This past weekend I was up north and spent my days snowboarding at Crystal Mountain. There were many, many moments during the days that I thought to myself “I am happy”. I then asked the question “What makes me happy?” and “What about everyone else?”.

I live a blessed life and I have many things that add to my happiness. In those moments while I was out on my snowboard, my happiness was magnified by the fact that I had a warm bed to wake up in, I prepared and ate a great breakfast that fueled my body for my day, I had time to play in the snow, the sun was shining, I was enjoying great conversation with a friend, I was able to let loose and fly down the hill on my snowboard and I was up north which is a change of day to day scenery.

I thought to myself “I really wish everyone that I know could be out here having as much fun as I was having.” That thought was soon nixed by the fact that the slopes would be too crowded if EVERYONE I knew was out there, but it transformed to “I really wish everyone that I know could be doing something that would add to their happiness as much as snowboarding in the sunshine adds to mine.” Yes, that is a much more rational thought.

When I mention the thought of being happy, I am also reminded of a man that has been coming in to get adjusted at the Cafe of LIFE for years and never, ever gets excited about anything; Monday is not exciting, Tuesday is not exciting, Wednesday is not exciting, Thursday is not exciting, Friday is not exciting, the weekend is not exciting, literally nothing is ever exciting and I wonder about his internal happiness. My thought is…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?!

Last night I attended a prayer service for an icon of a man who lost his life way too young. This man was truly a happy man and he did his very best to show others a little bit about being happy ever chance he got in hopes he could help them smile a little more on the inside. As I listened to his children speak about him, I was reminded of my own mortality and that we are never guaranteed a tomorrow and that life is really short, often shorter than we anticipate…so figure out what makes you happy and go do that!

Be HAPPY! There is absolutely no time like the present. If not today, then WHEN?!?! There isn’t anyone who is going to make you happy, you have to go out and make that happen for yourself. Let’s not wait one more day. Get out there!!!

What makes you happy? How do you add happy stuff to your day? Share in the comments below, you may end up inspiring someone with your ideas or the things you do.