I took my girls skiing over the January holiday. I wanted to get as much time with them as possible before they headed back to college and their busy lives. I have always loved skiing as a family – we are all “fairly” equal skiers, spending the day outside together with no phones or technology and eating at lunch with abundance. And the cute ski outfits weren’t too bad either.
This trip, my husband and son could not come so it was just the four of us – my 2 girls and “adopted” daughter who spends most vacations with us. We had the BEST time. Skiing all day; Guilt free pizza at lunch; Hanging in hot tub tub and chilling with Netflix at night. And I talked a lot of trash talk … ALOT. They are all sore and achy – their shins, quads, hamstrings and lower back were killing them. But not me. I felt amazing ! No pain at all. My boots were super comfy so no shin pain. And I credit all the pilates classes and EmSculpt Neo on my glutes and core to get my muscles strong and ready to rock. I was stronger than I have ever been and super pliable and talked some serious trash to the 20 year olds. I have almost 30 years on them (!!) and I had zero soreness or aches and pains (thanks to our pilates classes 2-4 times week).
Well, that came back to bite me in my Emsculpt Neo glutes huh? We had just done a 45 min straight run from the very top of the mountain to the base and I said to Mae “holy moly are my legs fatigued!”. I should have stopped there. We were on our, almost, last run of the entire trip and the girls encouraged me to do a “it’s so short, it will be fine” black mogul run (for non-skiers, that the steepest hill with the bumps all over it) to get to a killer run. The rest is history … I suck at moguls, turned the wrong way, tore my ACL and fractured my tibia. I had to take the red slight of shame down the mountain, on my back, being pulled by the Ski Patrol.
Fast forward to getting home in Alexandria, VA and I ran around to get the tests, the MRI, and the doctor’s visits. The consensus was that surgery was needed but to secure the best outcome, I had to pre-hab and strengthen my left leg as much as was possible. Along with my team members at sculp’d studio, we devised a plan:
- modified pilates classes at least 2x/week – using props to ensure I was stable and safe
- Emsculpt Neo – gentle sessions (while working with our studio FNP) of Neo on my left quadricep only
- 2x/week Physical Therapy – I started attending PT 2x/week. I found this to be a bit annoying as I was basically given a series of exercises to do on my own. I didn’t really see the value of going to the PT center when I could have done all of this at my home. But I continued nonetheless
- Chiropractor – the left side of my body was out of alignment and I really needed to also take care of my lower back and the tightness I was experiencing
- red light therapy – I got my knee under the red light to help with inflammation
- ice and elevation – every night when I get home
I feel as strong as I can possibly be for my upcoming surgery. I am able to do all the things with little pain and discomfort. I recognize that it appears to be a lot of work, but if you don’t have your health and ability to move without pain, not much else matters. I prioritized my health for the last 2 months, I sure hope it pays off!