My wife Kathy recently had her second carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand. Her doctor told her the only limitations she would have would be how much pain she could tolerate and that she would not be in danger of injuring her wrist if she worked out. Although Kathy is driven to succeed she is also mindful of her long term health and would not go against the doctor’s orders and risk permanent damage.
Last week her hand and lower arm were in a splint and she could have easily found excuses not to work out but this is not her nature. To work around her hand being splinted we devised exercises so she could get an effective chest and shoulder workout without involving her hand and wrist. As they say, “Where there is a will there is a way”. She has not missed a workout since her surgery.
Bill Bosnyak is a client of ours. He recently tore his achilles tendon in an accident. It would have been easy for him to find excuses not to work out but like Kathy it is not his nature. Within a few days he was back in the gym working out with us. And only missed two weeks of workout time after his surgery and this was due to significant pain and his inability to drive with the cast on. As soon as his cast was replaced with a boot he was back in the gym working out (with doctor’s approval) and even working his legs.
Last week Bill surprised us by walking into the gym without his boot on. This was only five weeks after surgery. His doctor was amazed at his recovery. At 67 years old he is recovering at a rate much faster than people half his age.
I use my wife and our client Bill as examples of what can be done when we really want something. It would have been convenient for both of them to make excuses and take extended periods of time off from working out. In both cases they have refused to let adversity bring them down. They don’t make excuses. They make it happen.
