I can do a bridge again!

I've been trying to lose weight and get healthier for a while now but my back has started hurting and I was getting more worried about trying to get better before the winter, which is usually the worst part of the year for me. I decided that it was the perfect time to try my exercise bike while my back hurt, after all, that's the reason we went with buying a recumbent bike. To my surprise, it actually made my back feel better! I thought it was just that it wouldn't make it worse. A few days later, I watched an old episode of Catalyst that was about chronic pain and it explained how the body tells the brain that it's in pain and that exercise actually helps. I wasn't alone in thinking this! Although I haven't had an appointment with my rheumatologist since I started regularly exercising to see her thoughts on exercising relating to my specific chronic pain from sacroiliitis.

But this led to working out a workout plan for myself. I go on the bike every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and read a chapter of the Harry Potter series. (I started reading it again for the Pottermore book club, but I'm really far behind.) Each chapter takes about 30-45 minutes for me to read on my bike, so that's the perfect amount of time. On the other days, I do the exercises that the physiotherapist suggested last winter to help build up the muscles around the affected joints.

Since September, I've lost about 13kg, although I don't know the actual number because my first weight measurement was with shoes at the zip line in Singapore with a different scale and we didn't buy ours at home until a month later. But I try not to focus on the numbers with my weight or measurements.

It's the little things that make me happy and motivated. For example, my anxiety and depression have decreased, I can sit on top of the stepladder and my hips don't get stuck in the handle, I look down and my stomach doesn't stick out further than my chest, except when I've just eaten, I've bought new clothes as some of my clothes were too big, and I even fit in some of my old clothes that I haven't fit in for about two years. But yesterday I reached another goal that I had. I could finally do a bridge again. I don't know how long it's been since I've been able to do it, but it's been a goal that I've had in the back of my mind. I was so proud of myself that I could do it! And I did it a few times so I know it wasn't even just a fluke!