Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C...

I’ve not written a blog since late May. Two days after talking about digging in and refocussing my efforts with diet and exercise, I managed to crack two ribs, bruise my wrist and both legs, damage one shoulder, and bump my head in what can only be described as an epic fall over a gym bench during a school trip.

Waiting to be assessed at the hospital: the verdict would be two cracked ribs and lots of bruising and bumps, but luckily no wrist fracture, no concussion, and no collapsed or pierced lungs.

Plan B had to come into effect so that I could finish the school year with body intact and my spirit in a great frame of mind for what the summer would bring. In my usual feisty manner, I spent June devising a way to heal and not let the setback of my injuries derail me from the continued path to good health. 

Forced into a full rest to heal for the month of June. Right in time for the start of our glorious summer weather.

I think I largely succeed in using physio and alternative workouts to recover from the accident, but doesn’t life just love to throw wrenches into the best laid plans? It is after all the Chinese Year of the Monkey, and those little primates have it in for this Tiger, of that there is no longer any doubt.

As you can see, the Chinese Year of the Monkey had been warning me not to let my guard down...

As soon as I was able to return to the water to resume my Aquafit routines at the tail-end of June, the gym pool decided it was time for its main drain to break. We are still waiting for the re-opening, which was promised to us for this Monday and is now delayed a further two weeks because the repairs didn’t actually fully fix one of the big leaks. So it’s now onto Plan C.

Plan C is only possible because as a teacher, I have the great privilege of a clear summer calendar. I appreciate this even more than usual right now because my level of frustration at not having access to my usual Aquafit routine has been tempered by the fact that Toronto has a plentiful selection of outdoor pools that all its residents can access for free every day of the week during all kinds of hours. I’ve ben a regular at the local watering hole since it opened three weeks ago, and we have been blessed with mostly hot, sunny days. I’m also very fortunate to have a car that has allowed me to try out the other Aquafit classes at the not-so-nearby clubs on the few days when the weather was not cooperating, and to continue to visit my home club to partake in other gym classes such as aerobics and Zumba.

The local pool, which has saved me while I wait for my indoor option.

The good part? Despite a few indulgent lunches and dinners with friends, the access to alternative workouts has allowed me to maintain my weight since the spectacular airborne flip at the end of May. It would not be realistic to expect weight loss given the current circumstances, so I’m satisfied to see roughly the same number in front of my toes on the scale each morning.

The bad part? In travelling to a few other clubs for my fix, I’ve come to realise that the routine of hard exercise our instructor put us through on a daily basis before the pool closure is the best one on offer locally, and I am craving it since we stopped. I also miss the camaraderie and banter with my pool friends; their encouragement during our classes together spurred us all on mutually to do our best and to keep active and fit, and I am sure they all feel a bit lost right now like I do without the discipline and fun of our nightly routine in the water. I can only hope that the club will not screw up the repairs (or break something else to make things worse) on their second try because I don’t have a plan D once summer ends.