SO WHAT WAS 'THE BETTER BODY ASSIGNMENT'?

 

Originally published on the 11th of August 2020, I introduced myself and my situation. I had the idea of the better body assignment to document my journey and keep myself accountable, little did I know the issues I'd experienced was just the beginning!

However, I promised this to be an honest and unfiltered account of my journey with cauda equina syndrome, and therefore I feel the journey of the yesterdays are just as important as the tomorrows.

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My name is Jo, I’m 42 years young and live in Berkshire, England. I had a goal to complete a Marathon in 2019 and was entered into the Bagan Temple Marathon in Myanmar. Being far from a natural runner, I struggled through the London Winter series 10km and then the Winchester half marathon... but since then most sports have been on hold.... I still have my goal and this blog is about my journey towards it and my followers are those that will hold me accountable!

"Life is a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn but most of all experiences to enjoy."

SO WHAT WAS 'THE BETTER BODY ASSIGNMENT'?

I have always had a passion for adventures. I am always dreaming of where I might end up. I have been lucky enough to have a career the last 12 years as a Consultant and Project Manager in Shipbuilding so it allowed me to travel the globe, and I made it a mission at every city or port to explore! I may have only had an hour, or if I was lucky I may have extended the trip by a day or two, but I want to experience as much of the world and different cultures as possible. 

With constant travelling, change of hours and timezones my fitness plans have always had to take a bit of a back seat. I have suffered with a bad back (of sorts) since I was 16 when I was thrown from a horse I was training, and have therefore resorted to regular check ups with Chiropractors to make sure I was still straight, but I have been lucky with having an active career and an inability to sit still for more than five minutes that i've always kept a good level of fitness without really trying.

So fast forward 15ish years, I was no longer horse riding and realised that due to my love of Gin and Cake, I perhaps should start focusing on a new sport. Although I did a little running I found it laborious and my knees didn't seem to appreciate anything more than a flat 5km circuit around the village! A few discussions with colleagues and a well timed cycle2work scheme prompted me to buy a road bike! I was a typical all the gear no idea when I toddled off to the shop and fell in love with a beautiful Bianchi bike with clip in pedals and cute little white shoes. I didn't do more than a circuit round the car park in my trainers before the purchase was agreed. I was too embarrassed to admit I hadn't ridden a bicycle for about 20 years... so the inaugural ride out in all my new kit and my first time using clip ins...yes you guessed it, I promptly fell at the first set of traffic lights as I forgot to unclip and ended up making my new white shoes a bit red with the blood that trickled out my knee... that was a fast, and memorable learning curve!

Early morning foggy start!

However, a few trips later and realised I had a passion for this sport (mainly as it didn't involve a vet when the bike had a problem) so started a hunt for what I could do to meet more like minded hobby cyclists. I started Sportives through the UK Cycling Events website and found the events were so friendly and everyone was so welcoming! Another learning curve came with my first event being the Peak Punisher... I'd never been to the Peak District and how hard could 36miles really be!!! The clue really was in the name of the event but I was encouraged by so many fellow riders, and although joined a couple walk up some of the peaks of the big hills, I really did get hooked on the achievement of completing the miles and whilst admiring such beautiful routes around places i'd never visited before.

Peak Punisher 2016

So at the age of 36 I decided to take on a new 2 wheeled challenge. I had missed seeing the countryside by horseback and was introduced to the idea of off road motorcycling. I passed my test in May 2016 but the sport quickly gave me a fair share of injuries!! Within the first week I suffered a AC Joint separation, 10 weeks later a broken left ankle and 2 years after that a right ankle break but weirdly I still absolutely love the sport and have met the most amazing group of friends during the past 4 years of riding and have shared many amazing adventures.

I am lucky to have discovered a more recent passion for event photography which allows me to continue with the sports I love and still feel a part of it all, but I have decided to hang up my competitive keys for a while and this is why...

In November 2019 I was diagnosed with a L3/L4 herniated disc. Despite regular treatment and gentle physio, a lot of anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants I have had 2 relapses (March 2020 and August 2020).

So, The Better Body Assignment is my personal account of my relationship with Reggie (my ruptured disc) and my road to recovery. I am aware that there is an operation option but that would be my last resort and my aim is to be able to continue doing all the things I did before (and more) in the most holistic and natural way through Mind, Body, Nutrition and Fitness. 

I hope you'll enjoy following and if anyone is going through the same, i'd love to hear from you!

Jo

(For my full Motorcycling journey, if you are interested, my previous Blog entries are available on my DualSportNomad facebook page)