I Can't Lift Right Now. Here's Why That Doesn't Matter.

     Earlier this year, I was working on a review of a lifting program that had me intrigued, Alexander Bromley's Bullmastiff. I was really excited to get back after it after taking a couple big hits from life. I had narrowly avoided surgery twice and was in the process of rebuilding my personal life while progressing at my professional life, as well as working on this business. I had purchased video and audio equipment and committed to documenting my progress and showcasing my local gyms here in El Paso. Then, one day at work, I was standing at a desk when it felt like lightning struck my leg. Nothing relieved the pain, numbness, tingling, and twitching - it just kept getting worse and I eventually needed a cane to get around. What followed was weeks of strong pain meds, medical appointments, and laying my normally-active body on the sofa. Eventually I had back surgery done; I was able to walk that same-day, even under the lingering effects of general anesthesia. The surgeon literally saved my leg function and I could not be more grateful for that. I was really looking forward to putting all that behind me once physical therapy was done...

     Then, another kick to the chest came. Cancer is not something anybody wants to hear or see in their test results - but there it was, staring me in the face. I'm in my 30s, very active, relatively healthy...for some reason part of me knew a positive result was coming, but I didn't want to believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. The good news is the prognosis is very good - surgery should cure me at such an early stage. The truth is that I'm extremely blessed to have needed the back MRI when I did. Had that MRI not taken place any time soon, I likely would have had a much more advanced tumor before noticing anything was wrong. God willing, I'll be here for a long time.

     The extra downside? I now have several more weeks of no impact and no weight training due to the additional surgery....but that's okay. There will be times in life when we can't hit the squat rack or sling some heavy dumbbells around. I also can't do much of my normal day job; thankfully we have really good benefits and I have supportive leadership. It's a good time to reflect, find new ways to improve and make a positive impact. I've revamped the Incitement Apparel website, broadened my knowledge in a domain I foresee being useful at my day job, worked more on the fun part of my relationships with my kids, started planning a calorie cut, improved my daily diet further, started learning to code, and got a good reminder what is important and what is just not. The weights will be there when I get back, and I'll be really glad to build my strength with them again.