Teacher overcomes the pain with so much to gain
Through exercise, Rhona overcame the pain of osteoporosis and has never looked back.
On 27 September Rhona Grawford reached her goal – 1 000 workouts at Curves Krugersdorp.
Since starting at Curves Krugersdorp in December 2007, Rhona has walked through those doors 1 000 times.
“I have lasted longer than most other people can ever dream, but why?” asks Rhona.
Her reason is simple. “I believe in exercise. I am living proof of the difference it can make. In 2005 I was diagnosed with osteoporosis – the internet canceled out any reason for me having it; too young, it retorted each time. Yet, there it was. I got used to living with the pain. ”
She then enrolled at Curves and the pain stopped.
“Occasionally it returns, but then I just work harder. The pain has given up, I haven’t.”
As a teacher, Rhona needs to keep up with 15 year olds – literally.
“I go on three- to five-day hikes with them and I can’t be dead weight. I need to keep up. Curves made me strong enough to keep up.”
Here are a couple of Rhona’s thoughts about exercise:
1. God gave you one body to last your whole life. How about looking after it?
2. Exercise is the cheapest feel-good drug on the market. Get addicted.
3. If a specific mode of exercise doesn’t work for you, maybe you aren’t working hard enough!
4. You know you haven’t exercised enough if you aren’t sweating.
5. You impress no one by exercising. You do it for yourself.
6. A day without exercising is a wasted day.
7. You don’t have to be sporty to exercise every day.
8. If you come up with excuses not to exercise, then you have to be pretty persuasive liar to believe yourself.
9. The human body is not made for our sedentary 21st century lifestyle – not exercising is against human nature.
10. The people around me who do not exercise are the ones who get sick often. Those who don’t get sick often are the ones with healthy bodies.
