Climbing mountains

I don't post on here much, but was hoping maybe my journey could bring some encouragement to others. In 2018-2019, I was in one of the best physical shapes of my life. I was doing "hard" workouts, constantly looking to up my game and push myself further. I had the mental mindset that if I didn't feel beaten down, tired and drenched in sweat when I completed a workout, then I didn't work hard enough. In Oct 2019, I noticed that I was constantly feeling fatigued, couldn't make it thru a day without resting for a couple hrs in the afternoon, my joints ached all the time and though I was strength training regularly, I felt like I was physically weak. I tried pushing thru, continuing to workout, but it got so bad that even walking would wear me out. I made an appt for a checkup, long story short, that began my lupus and fibro journey. It's been quite the journey since. I've had to make a lot of changes, especially when it comes to my workouts and listening to my body. I've has to do a lot of work mentally to accept and understand this disease. My workouts went from doing those "hard" workouts to mainly walking, exercise bike, pilates and stretching/yoga. I had to get rid of that "beat yourself for a good workout" mentality. Lupus can attack your joints, tendons and ligaments, fibro can make you just feel unwell all over. Tendonitis has been a huge obstacles for me as well as SI joint and hip pain, which limits what I can do. I recently started physical therapy to try to build my body back up. I've been battling with Tendonitis in my elbow and haven't been able to lift weights for a couple months now, which has been hard. Each mountain I have facesd with this disease has brought changes, it hasn't been easy and I've cried a lot when I can't do what I once did, but the one thing I've learned is you have to keep going and find your new strong. Everyone's strong is different, some it may be to run a marathon, some it may be to lift heavy weights and for some (like me) it's being able to just keep moving. I've learned to embrace the simple abilities my body has that I used to take for granted, to be able to simply walk my dogs, to hold a stretch that brings healing to my body. Sorry for such a long post, but I am hoping to bring encouragement to anyone who may read this. Never give up. And I also want to say how grateful I am to fitness blender (especiallyKelly), for the positivity and encouragement given in each and every workout, you all helped keep going. Keep looking for your strong, friends, you may just be surprised at what you find. 🙂