Finding Fitness Without Overdoing It

A guest post by Jen Helms, creator of Fit-Cycle…

When I was in school completing my undergraduate degree at Indiana University, I decided to run the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon even though I only had a couple of months to train. After a couple of weeks I noticed a pain starting in my left foot but I decided to ignore it…I had a half marathon to train for! As I continued to run & train, the pain worsened but I found I could continue with the proper warm-up and regular anti-inflammatory medication. I had set a goal and was not planning on backing down despite what my body was trying to tell me.

The day of the Mini Marathon, I actually had a great race and managed to average about 9 minute miles. The next day, however, my ankle was completely swollen. Over the following weeks the pain in my ankle would not dissipate and I found I could not continue running. After weeks of hobbling around I finally saw a specialist who identified that I had nearly snapped my post-tibial tendon and learned that I would likely never be able to run again.

Over the next several months I really struggled with this new reality. I’ve always loved running, and knowing that I had injured myself in a way that meant giving it up for good was very difficult to cope with.

Frankly, I became a bit depressed.

Over time, I luckily found a new passion in cycling that has allowed me to continue to exercise. Cycling is much more gentle on the joints. While outdoor rides can be very time consuming, the interval training aspects of indoor cycling have allowed me to get powerful cardio benefits when I am short on time. Despite the pain and struggle resulting from this injury, there was a silver lining. My passion for indoor cycling has actually led me to co-found a company that has released FitCycle, an app that provides the instruction and music for a great indoor cycling workout.

The lesson from all of this was clear: It is incredibly important to listen to what is going on in your body.

If your body is telling you something, stop and prioritize figuring out what is going on. In our quest for fitness, it is all too easy to get caught up in the moment at the sacrifice of our long term health and well being.

Is your body telling you something that you have been ignoring lately?

Jen Helms is the co-founder of FitCycle, a new app available for android devices that brings you indoor cycling workouts on your mobile phone. Each class includes motivational music and instruction. Find out more at http://fit-cycle.com