When I exercise, sometimes I feel an adrenaline rush. I cannot stop myself from pushing past my limits. I’m here to tell you that when you tap into your subconscious and realize the power you have, you can conquer any health challenge that come your way. For me, the battle that I’m trying to conquer is not plantar fasciitis, but over-exercising. Over-exercising can damage bones & muscles. When you are extremely physically active, it’s easy to injure oneself and ignore physical signs that may lead to injury. Throughout the years, I have damaged my feet tremendously and this past year, I subconsciously compromised my health by not staying in tune with the needs of my body, intensely running without the proper shoes, and not stretching in between vigorous activities.

Plantar Fasciitis

I’m going to break down this medical condition to you in Feli language. You’re going to receive a description from my personal and painful experiences. To start off, plantar fasciitis is a condition that is commonly referred to as pain in the bottom of the foot. Plantar’s causes inflammation in the heel, also known as heel spurs; plantar fascia is the connective tissue that stretches from the toes to the base of the foot. My pain initiated in the summer of 2017 and continued to cause excruciating pain throughout the past couple of months. The pain initiated when I was training for my very 1st 10K! I was running vigorously without the proper footwear. That my friends, is damaging. My suggestion, if you’re a runner, invest in a good pair of running shoes. You’ll thank me and yourself in the long-run! Don’t be hard-headed like me, looking for all the special deals, getting the cheapest running shoes in North Strum Rack, and dancing and running when I feel inflammation.

Pain in my foot has come and go over the years, however, upon training for my 1st ever 10K, my plantar fasciitis increasingly worsened. Initially, I ignored the signs and continued running, with the hopes of attaining my first ever goal of running a straight 6 miles. Was I willing to compromise my health and inflammation on the verge of meeting my goals? I didn’t see it like that back then, but I certainly did compromise my health by prolonging a visit to the doctor and procrastinating on the investment of quality footwear.

Listening to your body

I went to Fleet Feet in the beginning of July to see what shoes would be the best fit for me. I could no longer tolerate the pain. Mind you, I trained for that entire 10K with an old pair of running shoes with little to no support. The salesperson had me try on a bunch of different shoes before I found the perfect pair. They suggested that I find a pair that embodies comfort and support for my incredibly small feet and high arches. When I was younger, I used to think my little feet were in pain because of all the ass I had to hold up! Haha. Professionals at Fleet Feet examine your feet and place you on treadmill to see which shoes are best for your feet. I ended up purchasing my first pair of Brooks and they feel amazing.

Upon describing my pain, Fleet Feet insisted that I visit their partner agency, “Aligned Modern Health” for my first free consultation. I hesitated because let’s be real, minorities don’t trust the doctor! They can be judgmental, fat phobic, insensitive, and rude as hell. However, I swallowed my pride & went to Aligned Modern Health. To my luck, they accepted my insurance and I started attending physical therapy regularly. Over the past 6 months I have tried everything, physical therapy, foods with natural anti-inflammatories & most recently, my 1st acupuncture appointment.

Controlling the adrenaline

When I took up running, we had a love & hate relationship. The adrenaline rush was like nothing I had experienced before. It wasn’t anything like the vigorous dancing I was used to doing or even intense weight training. Running gave me a completely different kind of adrenaline rush and if you talk to any runner, they’d be able to tell you that there is no other feeling like it. The common term for the full body burn out when sprinting at the end of a run is commonly known as “runners high” or so they call it. Unfortunately, in order to improve my plantar fasciitis, I had to be out of commission and substitute running for other modified forms of cardio such as biking, the stair master, & other alternative methods.

January 2018 came and I went back at it like a beast! I ran hard like I had run previously. The first day I felt a little sore but ran again the next day. Instead of listening to my body and giving it rest, I continuously ran, and reinjured my foot. The pain extended from my right foot to the back of my calf.

I am an advocate for health, fitness, & body positivity however, advocates also struggle in the process of self-care and may even subconsciously harm themselves during parts of their fitness journeys. In my previous blog for New Years, I insisted that “When you fall down, you get back up!” That my friends, is exactly why I want to be real. Social platforms advocating for fitness and health encourage you to push yourself past your limits, however, I do not want you to hurt yourselves in the process. Although I am encouraging my audience a life of balance, happiness, & healing, I’m using this platform for accountability. We can hold one another accountable y’all! For me that means resting in between workouts, incorporating stretches & consistent yoga, & listening to my body’s need for rest. That’s all for now! Take care of yourselves!