Plan A. . .B. . .C

The book fairs at school were my favorite weeks of the year from the time I was in kindergarten til the time I graduated. They quit having books for me by the time I hit 8th grade, but one book I found when I was about 12 years old was the biography of Navy pilot, Lt. Shane Osborn. I couldn’t stop thinking about it; it’s the type of book that stirs something inside of you, means to call you to action. Guess who now had the goal of becoming a Navy pilot? I read everything I could about what all that would entail. Didn’t understand some of the mechanical aspects but figured that would come later. I had a poster with different Navy aircraft and ships on the wall next to my bed. My back-up plan was Navy corpsman.

This goal and plan lasted through high school when I started playing JV and Varsity sports – volleyball and basketball. My body took a beating, but there was extra pain starting in my knees. Freshman and sophomore year, I ignored it. Knee braces. Ice. Ibuprofen. Toughen up. Some other stupid sports injuries happened but nothing that would really change my plans. The pain got bad enough that I had to meet with a orthopedic surgeon to see what was going on. No cartilage in the left knee. One piece left in the right. Junior year, I barely passed my sports physical. At that point, I realized the Navy wouldn’t take me – especially when the doc started talking about surgery and said I wasn’t at risk for tearing anything because the tendons and ligaments were so elongated and actually advised I avoid heavy squats. I started thinking about becoming a history major in college. Senior year, I failed my sports physical. I begged and pleaded with the surgeon to actually sign off for me to play. He did. . .with the condition that I do physical therapy all through volleyball season and post basketball season. I was also told to plan on bilat knee replacement as an 18 year old. Plans to join the Navy were officially over and done.

I was not the most amazing patient in physical therapy. It became a game: how well could I distract the PTA? Answer: very, very well. That’s why I started paying attention to the posters in the first place – to ask half a dozen questions about the content and information on the posters. Looking at how everything in the body is designed to work together was fascinating. I applied to college for a pre-physical therapy major which then changed to a double major in pre-pt and exercise science. About 2 semesters before graduating, I realized I was miserable in the pre-pt classes and was dragging my heels at applying to grad school. My partner and I spent most of a shift one night making lists and sorting through different thoughts. I ultimately realized that I wanted to help prevent injuries and illness. Pre-pt was dropped; a minor in health promotion and education was picked up and finished with a major in Exercise Science which allowed me to test for and become an Exercise Physiologist.

Why do you care about my life goals and dreams?

I have a few soft spots for people based on the above information. . .

• Developing athletes.
  I coached intramural basketball for a year and made sure that my team (and a few other teams) understood the importance of the warm-up and cool-down in preventing injuries. Those kids were 9-12 years old. I coached junior high, junior varsity, and varsity volleyball. Traditionally at my school, conditioning stopped when the school year started. My lovely girls got to do conditioning the entire season. We talked a lot about injury prevention.
  Now some of my favorite clients are the young athletes who want to learn how train right. They want to know how to avoid injuries and get stronger. Sometimes appearance plays a part of the motivation, but a lot of times that’s a bonus for them. Their future is their motivation.
• Former Athletes.
  This group is one of my favorites because they often have an idea of how to take care of themselves properly but they want more guidance and information. Sometimes I have to start from the beginning or break bad habits, but they know some of the words and phrasing used in the fitness world. Many in this group have suffered injuries or get to experience some stiff joints when the weather changes. I know that pain, and I know how I can help. (Even if you’re not a former athlete but have a history of injuries and/or pain and stiffness, I would include you in this group.)
• Stress Management.
  It is entirely possible that a few pillows went flying across my living room this weekend. I just wanted to deadlift heavy weights and work off some stress. When my partner died, I went to the gym twice a day for about a week. One of my buddies uses it for bad and good stress. Great day at work? He comes in and puts all that excitement into his workout. I’ve trained a few people and worked out personally with others who use exercise primarily as therapy. These people just want to work hard and put forth 100% effort. No distractions. This is fun because they want me to challenge them which challenges me as a trainer.

Again, you might be asking, “what does this have to do with me?”

I’ve been re-arranging Legacy Health & Fitness during this whole Covid19 thing, specifically for online clients. Contact me if

• you want more information about online training. Maybe you’ve never heard of it before but seems like something that would work for you.
• one of those descriptions hit home. You used to work out and train for your sport(s) on a regular basis, but that stopped when you graduated. You miss it. Or maybe you’ve been frustrated, not challenged enough in your workouts and want some guidance. Something didn’t go to plan. . .

Here is a form to fill out if you would like more information: CLICK HERE

We all know life doesn’t always go to plan. Your plan might be derailed because of an injury or health problem. It might be college courses not going well or you discover the job you’ve always wanted isn’t what you thought it would be. Exercise can be a great way to work through that stress and maybe disappointment. It can help you focus and figure out the next step. It may actually help reduce the physical pain and give you more options in life.

CLICK HERE to contact me for more information about how I can help you.

~ Kelly