The gym in my basement

Over the years, I've acquired a good bit of equipment that has just been sitting since I moved here. I have used the stationary bike a few times, but the rest of it wasn't even completely put together after I moved.

I tore a ligament in my right ankle as a child. I am quite certain I know when. Second grade, we had some old playground equipment that was brought in from the country schools when they were consolidated into the town school.

One sad piece of equipment the town school inherited was a sliding board with no slide. But they set it up anyway, and we loved to pretend we were firemen. We would climb the stairs and then slide down the bars. I went down a bar one day and just simply crushed my ankle! I couldn't walk, even missed a couple of days of school. After that, sprains became a familiar experience. One of the more dramatic incidents occurred in London, when I stepped off a curb and fell flat on my face. The next thing I knew, my husband and a stranger were pulling me back up and out of the path of a speeding taxi.

In my freezer, I have three difference ice wraps for the ankle. In my closet, I have two different support boots. In the garage, a set of crutches resides. In my purse, I carry an elastic bandage. You just never know when you'll need some help, right?

Crossfit really hasn't helped it any. And mowing my very bumpy half acre yard with a regular lawnmower (no riding for me - it's exercise, you know!) has contributed bigly to the pain in my foot and ankle.

I finally bit the bullet after being on crutches again for a few days and saw my doctor. He held my heel and wiggled my foot. He said, "Call South Bend Orthopedics. You need surgery." I did, I do, December 26 it will be repaired. MRI showed not only a torn ligament, but also a torn tendon. Surgeon says that the tendon got overworked because the torn ligament couldn't stabilize my ankle. Voila - a mess!!!

I have continued to work out at the Crossfit box. Finally the pain was bad enough that I called it a day, hence the dusting off of the equipment in the basement. I can go at my own pace, stay away from anything that puts pressure on the ankle, and stay in reasonable shape prior to the surgery. I'll be laid up for a month after surgery, can do upper body stuff, but no weight on foot at all. I can't even drive.

In the meantime, I FINALLY have my gym set up in the basement. Alarm still goes off at 5 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I back the car out of the garage on jump-rope days, 50 jumps, then head downstairs to Nordic Track, stationary bike and weights. Have to keep this creaky old body in shape!

My home gym - it will do the job for now.