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Can an MT be a Mountain Biker?
so i pose the question because since i've gotten to the point where i really want to jump kick my massage career, i've been very reluctant to get back on my bike. my bike friends think i'm just a woos. but i am still a relatively new biker. they are old hats with biking and so they rarely crash. i on the other hand am more than capable of crashing at the little log just entering the trail!! and though i've crashed a ton of times with no real damage, i HAVE had 2 sprained ankles, and MANY bruises. even a bruise in the wrong place (i.e. forearm, leg, etc.) can be hazardous in being able to give a massage.
has anyone else had to give up something they enjoyed doing because it could harm their MT career?
has anyone else had to give up something they enjoyed doing because it could harm their MT career?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Jeffrey on
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Hi Lisa, this is a difficult one ! I have a dentist client (7yrs) who does semi contact karate and is a second dan black belt so yes I think she is risking her professional career but she's yet to suffer an injury that stops her from working ? ( company would still pay her wages)
Me ? I'm a woos I stopped riding motorbikes to protect my career 7 yrs ago. LUCKILY I'd had my fill of them and in my last accident I lost the end of a finger (not ideal in our profession) so dont miss it or the cold or the rain.
It sounds very different for you though its sports/social/active, you dont really want to give it up ? so carry on, you just be as carefull as you can be.
steve
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Permalink Reply by rudy m smith on
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Hi Lisa,
Let me start with this - At age 53 I ride my bike to work every chance I get because it saves me time and keeps me fit which means I can work on more clients (40 + per week) My job is physical but I need the cardio and stress buster benefits.
Green issues aside which are all pro - what you realy want to understand are the cons.
My story. June 2008 I was on my way to work via bicycle when I was hit by a drunk driver doing over 50 + mph dead on from the rear. I was left for dead. Hit and Run. My neck was broken in 3 places. My right scapula was broken in half, my right arm and hand bruised down to the bone, my sternum was broken in half left to right, six ribs were crushed and the organs from the right side of my body were slammed into the left side of my body and my right knee was hyperextended, my gallbladder was history. It took me one year to work back to a full work load and I still struggle with some right arm and hand chronic pain issues. I am drug free. My attacker, Gracie Orourke - never charged because the city didn't have the money to run the tests on THE car they had in impound!
The Pro - I had short term disability insurance. It kept the lights on while I healed.
With all that said and done, I still get up every morning and ride my bike to work. It is what I do, it is part of who I am.
bottom line: if riding a bike is something you love then DO IT! You should however choose the smooth trails, Unless, like me, you are well insured!
Remember life makes no promises, death can come at any moment, enjoy your life to the fullest and NEVER let fear determine your path.
Rudy
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Girls!?
Emma Torsey CLMT said:Long,Beautiful fingernails!!!
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Permalink Reply by Lisa on
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Hi Rudy,
Thanks for sharing your story. I had read it somewhere else and was just simply amazed!! what an incredible journey.
now in regards to your comment:
rudy m smith said:You should however choose the smooth trails, Unless, like me, you are well insured!
Rudy
you should know better than to tell a mountain biker to choose smooth trails!!!! what would be the point of mountain biking!!?? haha
i DO love riding....however my riding friends are well more advanced than i and so riding with them would mean i would be walking a lot...versus in the past trying. but maybe that's the compromise right there? ride my trails. ride what i can ride comfortably in the trails. walk what i can. and tell my riding buddies to STFU when i walk the creek crossing or don't go over the teeter totter. :)
here's a fun image of one of my rides:
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LISA? I hope this was your 31 october ride! Talk about sticking your neck out! I have a new mantra for you: duck lisa duck.
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hahaha...it was a little odd for a couple of weeks when people would stare at me in the grocery store. no doubt they were wondering 1. she's had an awful life threatening attack or 2. she tried to do herself in.
i certainly learned about TX thorny vines that ride. best part was it was at the beginning of the ride. i was still a trooper and finished the ride. :)
rudy m smith said:LISA? I hope this was your 31 october ride! Talk about sticking your neck out! I have a new mantra for you: duck lisa duck.
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Yeah, you know you gonna ride hard! you just got us all to real off some pain to make you feel better.........and it WORKS to lol
Lisa said:hahaha...it was a little odd for a couple of weeks when people would stare at me in the grocery store. no doubt they were wondering 1. she's had an awful life threatening attack or 2. she tried to do herself in.
i certainly learned about TX thorny vines that ride. best part was it was at the beginning of the ride. i was still a trooper and finished the ride. :)
rudy m smith said:LISA? I hope this was your 31 october ride! Talk about sticking your neck out! I have a new mantra for you: duck lisa duck.
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Permalink Reply by Erica Olson on
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Holy CRAP, dude! *blinks*
rudy m smith said:My story. June 2008 I was on my way to work via bicycle when I was hit by a drunk driver doing over 50 + mph . . .
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Lisa--
That really is an awesome picture. I'd probably be giggling nonstop to myself watching the looks I got from people.
As for your question . . . life is too short. I love doing massage, but the only things I've given up are long nails and doing forearm wraps when firespinning if I have to work in the next couple of days. The wraps can leave burns/blisters on the underside of my arms, which is really no more than an inconvenience for a couple of days. Like a bruise in the wrong place, I just avoid using that part of my body for a day or two.
You can get injured doing anything. Most of the ones I've had have only taken me out of massage for a day or two (mainly cuts on my fingers). I believe in living life to the fullest and encourage my clients to do so, too.
Lisa said:here's a fun image of one of my rides:
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Permalink Reply by Jody C. Hutchinson on
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Lisa,
Don't be so hard on yourself. I was a bike racer: mountain bikes, cyclocross, and hard road training. I had my share of crashes: road rash, bruised bones, sprained fingers, etc. I never broke anything but I came close. I've had friends who were horrible injured by crashes, cars, etc. So, I quit biking a few years ago, I sometimes commute to work. I've decided walking is safer.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Hinkle on
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Driving your car is hazardous. Wear safety gear, protective clothing, be cautious and go enjoy life!
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Permalink Reply by Darcy Neibaur on
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That is my line Emma the jelly bean part. Love it
Emma Torsey CLMT said:Lisa,
I always remember this part in the movie STEEL MAGNOLIAS,Julia Roberts says to her mom,played by Sally Field.
"Mama,I would rather have ten minutes of WONDERFUL,then a whole lifetime of,ahh,nothin' special"
Go for it,just go on trails designed for beginners.That is some good cardio for your ticker,know what I mean jelly bean?
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