I know this because it happened to me.
I’m the one who constantly shouts, ‘Get your exercise in every day. Don’t be lazy,’ and now I have to stay off my ankle while it heals because I overdid it. I’m from Winnipeg, where it’s snowy and cold from October until sometimes April, so I don’t walk a lot at home. I Uber to Pilates and exercise there, or I do mat Pilates in my apartment. One of the things that excited me the most about moving to British Columbia was the opportunity to walk more because I wouldn’t be contending with -30.
Up until recently, I lived about thirty minutes’ walk from work. I walked to and from the studio nearly every day, which amounted to just over an hour of walking after spending months hardly walking at all.
I strained muscles and ligaments in my right shin and ankle because of the pressure I was exerting on my body, especially since my right side is stronger and does most of the work. I’d heard about this kind of injury from people who run, and have treated clients’ ankle injuries, but I never thought I could sustain this sort of injury from walking and trying to do something that would keep me healthy.
My physiotherapist forbade me from walking to and from work for two weeks, at a time when it hurt to put even the tiniest bit of pressure on my leg. I’d feel fine first thing in the morning when I woke up, but my ankle would ache within seconds of putting my feet on the floor. I had to take cabs and rely on rides from family because I couldn’t walk anywhere without my ankle yelling at me.
I took painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication. The physio massaged, stretched, and taped my ankle. She prescribed exactly the exercises that I would give to clients who have ankle pain or injuries: medial footwork and running on the reformer, both of which work the calves and ankles. This caused me a huge amount of discomfort, and my Pilates instructor told me that I couldn’t always exercise my way out of an injury and needed to rest.
I’ve spent the past few weeks staying off my ankle as much as possible, and stopping to rest when my ankle hurts. There are many days when I’ve wanted to do Pilates or even walk to the grocery store, but I’ve stopped because of my ankle. I haven’t been able to go for walks with my family or join in on bike rides, and taking three flights of stairs hurts. If I push myself, it’ll only make it worse.
Does this mean that I’m not a good Pilates instructor?
No.
Does this mean that I’m a bad person for not exercising?
No.
It just means that I have to listen to my body, let myself heal, and adapt my routine.
Yesterday, a Pilates client said to my manager that she has a habit of overdoing new exercises right from the jump. That can lead to burnout, resentment, and injury. It’s better to ease into a routine and then gradually build it. Start with one Pilates class a week and ten minutes of walking a day, and then progress to two classes a week. Better to establish a routine that you can maintain than deep dive and then pull back because you’ve hurt or exhausted yourself.
How many of us break our resolutions every January? Most of us, because we set goals that are too high and have unrealistic expectations. Set manageable goals for yourself, and don’t berate yourself if you can’t reach them – simply adjust them.