(no subject)

[johnpalmer]

A while back, I posted an "inspirational story" about a kid trying to become a better baseball player. The problem, of course, is the kid just wasn't a 'natural'.

The story idea came to me while I was jogging. See, I got a *BAD* case of tendinitis. I started jumping rope to kickstart my fitness routine, and my knee ached a bit. Well, I knew what the problem was... I was too heavy. So, I'd have to lose some weight, and that knee wouldn't keep bothering me. So, I increased my workout load.

Trust me, this *REALLY DID* make sense to me at the time... and it actually had worked in the past. Anyway, eventually, it got bad, and I tried resting for two weeks. After those two weeks, it was still actively painful to, say, kneel. Finally, after too damn long, I went to the doctor, took naproxen, then went to physical therapy, and I got better. "Better", not "well", and that's an important distinction.

Now, I'm not "fat" by some people's standards. I'd be called "barrel chested" in ages past, and for a good reason, except the barrel goes all the way down my waist. I weigh in at about 250 lbs right now. I could probably go down to 180 and be in really good shape, but my family really is big boned, and 200 is probably a more reasonable goal, what with me not being in my 20s anymore.

But, when I started jogging, I realized that my heart had gotten a lot less fit.

Suddenly, I'm trying to get back into fitness by jogging, see? And I'm facing these challenges... challenges that can't just be overcome by force of will. They might have been when I was in my teens or twenties... I could probably have risked a bit more strain on my heart, and probably could have run with a bit more achiness in my knee, but today, I'm actually a little bit afraid to stress either too far. I'm not *OLD*, I'm not even middle aged... I'm 35, which means I can glare at someone who calls me "young man" unless that person is *REALLY* old, and speaking comparatively. But I'll bet people have died from heart attacks at the age of 35, and I'll bet people have found that an overstressed tendon can lead to a permanent injury at younger ages.

And it struck me how complex this all is. I have to be aware of these limitations... but, at the same time, I have to try to overcome them, but *NEVER* by denying them.

And I realized that this touches on my ADHD and depression, as well. You can't protect yourself against depression by living as if you weren't depressed... you need to protect yourself by remembering that you *CAN* get depressed, and taking positive action to prevent that.

This all ties to some other discussions. A person was saying "No one can make you a victim (later amended to "no one can make you continue being a victim", or something close) without your consent". The idea is probably something like "you can't let a nasty happenstance get you down", but that's, in a sense, denying the situation.

People frequently question the wisdom of "labelling" a child as having ADHD, because won't that make the child too aware of the limits, and unwilling to try to get better?

Again, that's denying the problem. What, will a child feel better having to spend three times as long at reading a boring book as anyone else *WITHOUT* knowing there's a reason?

There are always problems that have to be looked full in the eye, and acknowledged and understood (like a tricky knee or a still-improving heart) before you have a decent chance to get beyond them. And it worries me that denial is oftentimes considered the proper response to such a problem instead.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Just to address the physical training issue: The key to any sustainable fitness program is regular progressive exercise to the point of mild fatigue. I think you know where you need to get to, and I think you recognize that neither exercise alone nor changes in diet alone will get you there. If you're feeling a significant cardiovascular strain as well, I think it's especially important for you to continue with this.

You might also want to consider that lifting weights will burn calories, strengthen muscles, and help with overall cardio fitness -- without stressing your knees so badly. If you can do some light weightlifting on alternate days, that might help to cut a few pounds away and make the running easier on the knees.

[andreas_schaefer]

I am a 'no sports' person so I can't give much advice about training, it seems to me though that weight sensitive kees and jogging is a bad combination: wit every step there is a shock ( biger with bigger weight) on your ankles and knees. Would swimming be an alternative?


This all ties to some other discussions. A person was saying "No one can make you a victim (later amended to "no one can make you continue being a victim", or something close) without your consent". The idea is probably something like "you can't let a nasty happenstance get you down", but that's, in a sense, denying the situation.
I am not in favor of denying a problem exists. It should also be no´t forgot that some problems are options when looked at it adifferent way.
aside: from 1979 to 1992 I never considered moving outside Germany in search for a career: given my subjects were Physics and English ( computers came later) and my love for English this sounds ridiculous, my girlfriend/wife in that time was studying law ( by 92 she was a judge) and there are few jobs for experts in German law outside Germany. When in April 92 it became aparent that we should/would seperate I was devasted ( my plans and dreams for the next 40 years had just evaporated ) untill I realized that this change opened the possibility to look outside Germany for me. ( that I did not has other reasons )
this aside as an example that a different perspective on 'facts' may give them a different color.

Again, that's denying the problem. What, will a child feel better having to spend three times as long at reading a boring book as anyone else *WITHOUT* knowing there's a reason? Certainly not while one may feel inadequate if one assumes one is what one is not - A child might believe itself stupid for not being able to read faster.

reference: the ugly duckling by Hans Christian Andersen http://hca.gilead.org.il/ugly_duc.html

[iamjw.livejournal.com]

Like, for instance, having diabetes and pretending you don't. I did it once for 24 hours - just needed to escape from the whole reality of it for a while, but you can't really escape it. It's just sitting there patiently, waiting for you to start dealing again. And in the case of diabetes, if you don't deal, you die.

I deal with this a lot with kids with learning disabilities and helping their parents. The parents often don't understand (and get worried about their child being labelled) that their child would feel a tremendous sense of relief to know that it's Not Their Fault. The kids know there's a problem - of course they do. What they need is to have that problem identified to take the weight off their shoulders and to allow them to start dealing with the problem.

The same happened when I realized I had an eating disorder. Suddenly it wasn't just poor willpower (which seems odd from someone who managed to quit drinking and smoking) but an identifiable problem that I could learn to deal with, and fight when necessary.

We get worried about labels being used to pigeonhole people, the accepted wisdom being that once you're put in a pigeonhole you never get back out - but labels can be useful to identify and target issues that might otherwise drag you down.

Oh, and I second the recommendation that you try swimming rather than jogging

[kightp.livejournal.com]

There are always problems that have to be looked full in the eye, and acknowledged and understood (like a tricky knee or a still-improving heart) before you have a decent chance to get beyond them. And it worries me that denial is oftentimes considered the proper response to such a problem instead.

I've never met a problem that didn't benefit from this approach. Seeing problems clearly doesn't necessarily mean that you can solve them - but at the very least, it means you're seeing them clearly.

I've done denial, and it never caused me anything but grief

[eleccham.livejournal.com]

There is, though, the distinct difference between identification/action and pigeonholing... perhaps I'm just splitting hairs here.

Of course, trying to deny one's problems is bad - but by the same token, so is what so many people do, trying desperately to find a label that will cause all to be made clear to them.