Hi there!!!!!!!! 👋🏼
I appreciate you and I thank you for being here. For checking in and seeing what the heck I’m talking about. 👀❤️😊
I had an epiphany earlier this week which turned into the biggest metaphor for my life. All thanks to the rowing machine that I bought for myself five weeks ago.
Due to social distancing and with many public facilities, including gyms, temporarily closed down, I was at a loss. For me, going to the gym had always been a way to release anxiety and tension; a method of working towards a personal goal of strength and endurance; and also the most amazing way to challenge myself and discover surprising revelations that I really am “stronger than I think that I am.”
The gym meant even more to me over the past three months because I was strength training, mental training, and conditioning for my at-the-time upcoming knee surgery. The spinning bike and the rowing machines were where I could push my boundaries as much as possible, testing myself with the highest resistances that I could manage, and working with various intervals and durations. I was making great progress, too!
And then, all hell broke loose, as we all know. And here most of us are, being ultra-responsible, compassionate and safe, as we self-quarantine and try to manage our new way of life.
And I was not doing well. I have equipment at home – – like a TRX, a few sets of dumbbells, a couple of kettlebells, a pull-up bar, a weight vest, lots of mini bands and resistance bands – – but no real push-yourself-to-the-max cardio equipment. I can get my heart rate up with TRX work, mountain climbers, plank combos, squats, LOTS of things…yet I missed the push from strong cardio sessions.
AND….if I’m being completely honest, my stubborn self wasn’t 100% pleased with the work that I was doing because the only things that I REALLY wanted to do were go running and jump rope. Two very specific things that my knee will not allow me to do at this time. And it was really bothering me!!! I know, way to be grateful for all of the things that your knee CAN do, right????
Look, this may sound crazy to you and “what’s the big deal?” and “there are so many other things to be worried about than running and cardio…” And you have a good point. YET, no matter what you’re going through and the intensity of your situation, if you are stuck inside your own head where any negativity is brewing, then it can lead you down a dangerous downward spiral.
And I was stuck inside my own head, feeling more and more depressed and unmotivated, knowing that running and jumping rope were always major outlets for clearing my head……..and feeling so disappointed that I was unable to do them. EVEN THOUGH my knees told a different story. I both struggle with AND am so grateful to have no pain and to be able to move as well as I do, despite the deception that my left knee is actually “missing some pieces” on the inside. It’s a constant reminder that I can’t actually do what I feel that I can or should be able to do – – a true “mind-fudge,” if you will…..
Feeling even lower when my surgery was cancelled/postponed and also not being able to work out my feelings the way that I wanted, I realized that I needed SOMETHING. So, I researched at-home bikes and rowing machines and I settled on a PROGEAR rowing machine! Towards the lower end of the cost spectrum but it looked like it would be an excellent cardio “mental-boost” apparatus for the time-being!
When I received it, it came in pieces. Many, many pieces. And I made a huge mess.
Obviously the next part was checking out the manual and how one puts together said rowing machine. This is what I found:
Got it???? Nice and clear. Ready, set……
WHAT⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️ Hold up….🛑🚫🙅🏻♀️
Now, if this depiction was my only explanation on how to put this thing together, boy, was I SCREWED!! Thankfully, there were step-by-step directions that broke it all down. After a couple hours of following the order of assembly, using the washers and hex bolts to attach the pieces to their proper places, having a few moments of “AAAARGH” during the process, (where does this piece even GO?!?!?!), I finally achieved my rowing machine masterpiece!!
And I was super excited about it, lemme just say!!! It became a great tool for readjusting my focus, paying attention to how the legs, core, and upper body work together to create a smooth stroke, and it gave me an outlet for letting off steam and working up a sweat! I was loving it until….
A couple of weeks ago. When I was rowing, I felt my right hip flexor starting to pull a lot more than my left. I immediately thought, “Oh no, something is wrong!! My body is being dysfunctional!!” I decided that my right leg must be overcompensating and working harder than my left leg – – because it is my left knee that is ACL-less – – so I stopped rowing and instantly started to question and investigate my imbalances.
I worked on unilateral exercises so that I could focus on my right side versus my left side, both with strength and stability work and also with stretching and range of motion. Then I would hop back on the rower, find that I still had pain in my right hip flexor, get off and again reassess. I was determined to find out what the issue really was with my body and why I was having such trouble rowing…..
This went on for over a week.
UNTIL ONE DAY, I got on my rower and paid attention to every single micro-second of the rowing motion and what my body was doing. I went soooooo slow; I paid attention to my hands on the handle; the way my heels pressed equally hard into the foot pedals; the way my legs forcefully pushed my seat back; and how my core tightened as I brought the handle towards my rib cage and rowed….I was so mindful and so observant that my eyes were focused perfectly in front of me, watching the pulley attached to the handle…. AND THAT’S WHEN I NOTICED THIS:
🤔 Originally, I set the foot pedals at the “6” setting on both sides, or where the right pedal is properly set. BUT see the left side? It had apparently slipped down one setting to the “7” as I was strapping in my foot one day (probably the two weeks ago when my hip pain started….) without me noticing!!!! 😲
Which means that this whole time that my right hip flexor was talking to me, my feet were uneven so the muscles in my legs and hips were unevenly working as well while I attempted to row properly….
Whoa, lightbulb!!!!!!!!! 💡
This is what I learned from my rowing machine that applies to life:
1) The rower came in pieces that were put together to form the entire, beautiful machine. Every single piece serves a purpose and is important for the integrity of the unit.
This is the same for our magnificent bodies as well. As much as we attempt to isolate our body parts, our systems, our breathing, our posture, our thoughts…they all work together and affect the entirety of our unit, which is our body.
SPOILER ALERT: which means that the way you sit (and sitting too much) can affect your breathing, your digestion, your posture…your entire body; your stubbed toe or rolled ankle from 8 months ago can start a slow ripple effect through your body and be the reason for your shoulder pain today; your ankle that hurts from running may not be from your sneakers but from an issue with your hip and your gait pattern….my buried negative self-talk could be why I keep having knee injuries….it all works together because it is all connected.
2) The rower is most effective when all parts of the stroke are seen as important.
Realizing the concept for #1, when you start to acknowledge that every part of you is important, that every part of you feeds the whole, AND that every part of you serves a purpose greater than you know: THEN real, lasting change can happen and you can reach incredible heights in your life.
With the rower, there are four phases to every stroke: Catch, Drive, Finish, and Recovery. Even though the Drive phase requires the strongest intensity from the powerful leg drive, every single phase is important for strong strokes, smoothness, energy conservation for endurance purposes, and finding your best, most efficient rhythm. Lacking in any of the phases will affect the entire cycle of every stroke and performance will be greatly diminished.
The same goes for the body, with regards to the physical body (with it’s cells, systems, joints, individual parts…) as well as your spiritual or subtle body, (your thoughts, emotions, beliefs, connections, awareness…). “You are only as strong as your weakest system” and “nothing gets injured alone or works alone” are some of my favorites from Dr. Perry (stopchasingpain on Instagram – – check him out, he’s amazing!!!) and this is the absolute truth.
3) To work with full capacity, power, and strength on the rower, both the right and the left sides of the body need to work harmoniously together.
The human body is designed to function bilaterally or with both our right and left halves working and functioning equally. When we start favoring one side versus the other, many times without us even realizing it, complications arise and very often this leads to pain and discomfort. The rower continues to bring me awareness of my form and strength between my right and left sides. And if you and I are willing to listen, we can understand that there is a reason for the discomfort we may be feeling and that it isn’t permanent or “that’s just the way that it is” so we must settle and deal. 
4) Like with my uneven foot pedals, there is a truthful answer to everything if you are diligent and patient in your quest to find out what it is.
With the pain in my hip, I could have just quit the rower and blamed it for my pain. I could have stopped investigating my strength imbalances, even though I know that I have them, because I had no idea where this pain came from all of a sudden so where do I even start?
This scenario showed me how important the “why” is behind your motivation and proves how connected you are to it, especially if you hold strong and refuse to give in to the obstacles on your path. For me, giving up wasn’t an option because this rower is one of the keys for me towards conditioning and mental clarity for my eventual surgery. I was prepared to listen to my body and uncover the reason behind this hip issue, with whatever it took to get me there. There was no allowance for my vision to be derailed by this or for me to put my new rower in the corner and let it collect dust from not being used.
Sometimes, it’s all about listening to your body and knowing there are steps you can take to help your situation. Things can always get better if you make the decision and take the time to TRY. Your answer is found in the last place that you look….which means never stop looking until you find your answer!!!!!
AND sometimes taking a step back and being mindful prompts the greatest of changes because it opens your perspective and creates more awareness. SOMETIMES this leads to a mystery explained, like my fallen left foot pedal and why my hip started to hurt. Who knew?!?!
And there you have it!!!!!!! I have learned some serious life lessons along with the fact that this rowing machine is my mirror!! It is a teacher that recommends: mindfulness, attention to detail and form, striving for equal power and control from right side to left side, and it reminds me the significance of working as a unit to be the best, most efficient rower (version of myself). Everything that I believe to be true, therefore I AM My Rowing Machine!!
Let the major self-exploration continue!!!
I hope that I have given you food for thought and things to think about in your own life. You and I are worth the time, attention, and self-care that we need to have, receive, and create the richest life we can imagine. Let’s try to get out of our own way and do this…
TOTAL TRUTH BOMBS. 💣💣💣
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️