Crazy on Crutches

It used to be that working out was one more thing that I had on my to-do list. And it’s still always on my to-do list, with one major difference. Now it feels like less of an obligation and more of a necessity. I need to work out to feel right. My mood is better and I feel better all around. It’s a break from the computer, which I’m attached to for more hours than I’d like to count. It’s a mental break and it’s me time, all rolled into one. Plus, I can sneak a treat and not feel guilty.It can be tough to take breaks when you’ve come to enjoy fitness and workouts as part of your daily life, when you actually have fun trying new workout routines. But I do know when to take a break and when to turn down the intensity, like when I had a self-diagnosed stress fracture in my foot or an interminable migraine.

Some people, though—some people don’t know when to quit.

I was walking my dear pug the other day when I saw a woman on crutches coming at me on the sidewalk. I didn’t think anything of it at first. But as she got closer and closer, I could see that she was moving quite quickly. And as I noticed that she was totally decked out in workout gear—a track suit and tennis shoes—I realized that sister wasn’t just speed walking. She was running. Fast. On crutches.

I couldn’t tell which limb she had broken, whether it was foot or femur, tibia or toe. And who knows? Maybe her doctor told her it was fine to keep up the sprinting during her recovery. I’m not here to judge. But all I kept thinking was, “Hey, it’s okay to take a break. Maybe go work your abs instead?” —Erin

And P.S. to the kid in the picture: Practice your sweet ollies another day.

Need to read more Fit Bottomed Girls? See how we stack up on the President’s Fitness Challenge or our post on when to workout.

Photo courtesy of Sister72 on flickr.