SparkleWise

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A few days ago, while performing some end-of-class takedown routines in my krav maga class, I was under a guy way heavier than me. My left leg and body were not aligned, the guy pressed a bit too much, crack. My knee. It didn’t really hurt but I stopped right there and went home, walking normally. The afternoon, night and day after were a different story though. I could not switch sides in my bed without having pain in my knee. At the hospital the day after, the doctor from the emergency department, listening to my story and looking at my knee, said “it’s not good.”

They took radios, I was given bandages to keep the knee tight, and I was prompted to go back a week later. Most probably the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is torn or ruptured.

I can barely walk. Going up or down the stairs is painful. I’m actually for the moment a handicapped person, and it sucks. I was reminded of that quote:

take care of your body. it’s the only place you have to live- jim rohn

People asked me why I practiced such a violent sport. The assistant teacher of the krav maga told me “you need to communicate” right after it happened, referring to the fact the guy was much heavier than me. Well, I had trained with the same guy for an hour and a half before that, without any problem. You can look for explanations, but I think it’s mostly a matter of bad luck. The end of class, the bad move, the too hard push.

So, we cannot change luck. But we still have lots of control on how we treat our body:

Eating right

that’s something I’ve been looking more closely lately. Working from home means I can have more control on what I’m eating, and I’m trying to use it for good. Eating lots of whole grains, veggies, legumes, fruits. I’ve also upped my consumption of meat recently, to get a good share of proteins. I’m trying to avoid as much as possible frozen foods, prepared meals, and processed foods. One could argue whether eating lots of food is healthy, but at 66kg for 1,80m, I have room for a few more kilos.

Exercising

When having a functioning knee, I’m striving to exercise at least 2 times a week. Exercising more often is correlated with feeling better about myself. I find that few things are as satisfying as pushing your body to its limits. That’s something I really like about Krav Maga, the intensity of the workout was almost unbearable at the beginning, but little by little, your body gets used to it and it’s not as much as a punishment anymore.

Alcohol, smoking and other abuse

Drinking beers all friday and saturday night cause quite some harm to your body. Not to say that’s what I’m doing, but when going out with friends, I usually drink as much as them, which is, too much. Now it’s a habit that’s hard to break, because there is a social element of course. But it would help to limit your consumption to say, 2 beers, and not drink the 7 beers your friends are having. I’m considering being more conscious about it.

Concerning smoking, I’ve occasionally had the odd joint when friends would visit me in Amsterdam, but that’s very exceptional (probably less than 5 occasions a year).

Other areas of health

I’m also looking into other aspects to take care of my body – meditation and stretching sit pretty high on the list of new habits I want to acquire.

There are things you cannot always control, but for the things you can, it seems like a good idea to take better care of your body. Once again, it’s common sense, it doesn’t mean it’s commonly applied.