once upon a time...

..there was a slightly neurotic girl named Laura. I'm excited to introduce myself to you.

Guess it is only fair to start from the beginning. No, not 24.8 years ago when I was hatched, but the beginning of my frustration (read:failure) and motivation to be here writing and thinking (and hopefully changing).

Don't worry, I wont bore you with the details, but if it was published as Cole's Notes it would read as follows:
- I got healthy and lost 30 lbs.
- I blanked out in a life comma and gained 25 lbs.
- I had many breakdowns, or as the nutritionist/trainer/life coach likes to call them "lower points"
- I continued with my training and dance in spite of these "lower points"
- I got through my first dance show with the support of many fantastic friends who know my love of indulgence, and showered me with flowers, cards and hugs
- I fell (read:got pushed) on stage the second night during my first number and finished the rest of the show on a limping ankle
- After a stop to buy crutches, and 4 hours in the emergency room at Credit Valley, I walked out (on one leg, and two crutches) with no breaks but a badly sprained ankle

Numerous ice packs, tensor bandages, and swear words later I ended up on the osteopath's table. Why wasn't the swelling going down? Why couldn't I run already? Sure the doctor in the ER told me 4-6 weeks, and it had only been 4 days, didn't the healing higher powers know that I don't do patience well? Guess not!

New verdict: Grade III Sprain, which means I tore my posterior talo-fibular ligament, with possible damage to the anterior talo-fibular and calcaneo-fibular ligaments. In layman's terms: OUCH...well $&!@n' ouch!

This is punishment. I don't do "sit and get better" all that well, but am trying to embrace and like RICE (aka Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate). Thanks to Rick Schaly, the fantastic president of Trainer's Choice, I am outfitted with a 205 SAO Stabilizing ankle brace that I fondly refer to as my bondage brace since it involves laces, straps, velcro, and stability plastic walls. (Side note: Trainer's Choice sponsors the Toronto Rock (the pro lacrosse team I work for), and offer some great products)

So here I am, just over two weeks into my 4-6 sentance, with an icepack on my ankle, and my foot on a pillow on my coffee table...and did I mention very cute pink toes?

It's been two weeks of "lower points". I am very discouraged about how slowly I'm healing and all I can think of is how I want to run. No baby steps here, I want to go from crutches to flying on both feet. In low points I can find motivation. Motivation to rest and heal and rehab, motivation to get back to my healthy clean eating, and motivation to look forward to my active lifestyle instead of drowning in RICE.

So now we're all acquainted and you've caught up on my story. It's only up from here (I hope) as I continue my journey just off the right track.