First Heal Then Play

C’mon dad, let’s go in the water! Maya was ready for some serious water fun as soon as we arrived at Kata Beach in Phuket. But I wasn’t quite feeling it. First I needed to heal.

My left foot, the one that has been keeping me from running for some time now, was aching and a recent IT band issue was flaring up to the point of me walking with a limp. Not only that but my neck, shoulders, and upper back were tight and sore too. I was a mess.

All I wanted to do was lie down on a beach chair and rest. But then I looked at Maya. She was so excited and had been eagerly waiting for this day for so long now. How could I disappoint her. So I sucked it up and literally dove in!

We had a great first day but I paid for it afterwards.

We business owners all need rest, renewal, and recreation. But how many times have you taken a vacation only to be able to lie there resting and unable to do anything else?

I knew if I wanted to have the fun type of recreation filled vacation I had hoped for, and my family was looking forward to, I needed to take care of my body first. I needed to heal.

First Heal Then Play

Sure I could delude myself into thinking my aches and pains were simply from a long plane ride and lugging around a heavy backpack and I could just rest and do nothing and it would be good. But the truth was a long standing case of sitting disease was rearing its ugly head and what I needed most was to regain some mobility, work out the muscular tension of months and months of sitting and working on the laptop. I needed to work out the stress I had been carrying for a long time.

Sure I know better, but sometimes old habits along with business pressures and other urgencies can take you down the path you don’t want to go. But it was where I was at in that moment so all I could do was move forward from there.

And so I did.

Now not everywhere I go will have the inexpensive Thai massage opportunity I have here, but when in Thailand…

3 massages later and I was feeling good. The tension had melted away, the aches were gone and I could move, I could play, I could run.

It was time for fun and recreation!

Between that first day on beach and now here’s a highlight of what’s happened so far.

• Running on the beach
• Body surfing
• Walking along the markets
• Hiking up to temples
• Snorkelling
• SCUBA Diving
• Swimming and tormenting kids, even ones I didn’t know, in the pool (their parents seemed ever so grateful for the temporary childcare!)
• Tarzan swinging from a rope on a palm tree

Plus so much more all because I took some time to take care of my body first and heal a bit. I’m looking forward to the remaining portion of our travels as we have even more recreation in store. Zip lining over the jungle canopy is already booked!

Seeing how much fun Maya is having and how much she loves Gail and I being able to participate along with her means the world to me. It’s one of my big WHY’s for evolving my business as I am and creating the experiences we are having as a family.

Having had this experience has been a renewed and inspiring reminder that I must take measures back home to help prevent my body from ending up right back where it was a the start of this trip. There’s just too much riding on it.

Thankfully this time was a pretty quick turnaround because of some of the healthy things I have been doing at home all along.

But how about you?

If you know you sorely need rest, renewal, and recreation and suffer from sitting disease or some other work related affliction, then let me help you. Contact me today or check out how I help business owners just like you!