PAC, Perthes, Patience and Progress... and Don't Forget to Sleep!
VIPeteFirst of all... my sincerest apologies for having stepped off the virtual grid for a little while, but I promise it was for good reason. Following my trip to San Diego I devoted three weeks to finish preparing and running the Performance Athletic Club inaugural lacrosse camps... Join the PAC! Camp was a tremendous success as we were able to inspire and educate a terrific group of young kids. We had 80 campers between the ages of 4 and 7 participate in our Monster Mash Lacrosse camp, and 15 parent/child combo campers for our Family Fundamentals camp. Both weeks were filled with fun, learning, prizes, a little bit of rain, and A LOT of smiles!
Two weeks ago I also attended a fund raiser for a great cause that I wanted to help raise awareness for. Though our families have known each other for decades I'd never met 11 year old Matty Maher. I'd certainly never heard of Perthes disease. Matty is a brave young athlete who has spent years courageously fighting a battle against perthes disease which (over-simply stated) is a degenerative bone disease that affects the development of the hip joint and femur. To continue being blunt (just so you can begin to appreciate Matty's challenge)... without a functional hip you can't walk, stand, sit, or even lay comfortably.
Matty's parents are VIPete blog readers, and when they shared my injury story with Matty he immediately wanted to help me. Matty send me an encouraging card, and a very special get well gift that I keep next to my bed as a reminder to be strong. Wow! It meant the world to me that this young man was so selfless and caring that he wanted to help me through my challenge while he continues to fight through his. I wanted to share Matty's Story, and say thanks again for his support. Please take a look at his website and show him your support!
For a quick update on my Achilles... I've been walking(or some version of it) without my boot for about a month now. More importantly I got (some of) my freedom back when the doc cleared me to drive again! I am doing two hours of physical therapy three times a week, and getting stronger everyday. I still have to wear my boot for training and coaching in order to protect the Achilles from any sudden movements that it's not ready for. I really have a love/hate relationship with that boot, but my PATIENCE is paying off. I'm considered to be making phenomenal PROGRESS... maybe even more so than Kobe. He thinks he knows... but he has no idea(that he's even in a competition)!
Finally, a note about wellness: DON'T FORGET TO SLEEP! Let's face it... the importance of this seemingly obvious statement is largely ignored by most of us. Granted, "newly-parents" have no choice! (Congratulations by the way to my twin sister Bethany, her husband Tom, and their 6 week old future basketball star, Tommy! Congratulations also to my friend Joey McD, his wife Carol, and their 2 week old future lacrosse star, JJ!) Getting back to sleep... is important for many reasons. First of all... scientists believe that the quantity and quality of the sleep you get directly affects your appetite. To summarize leptin and ghrelin hormones are at work within you arguing about whether you are hungry or full. A lack of sleep can cause a spike in your ghrelin levels making you feel hungry and firing up your appetite. That lack of sleep concurrently reduces your leptin levels which will cause you to feel less satisfied after you eat. Here is the long story. The short story... sleep more to lose weight!(*Disclaimer: Staying up late and snacking, combined with "catching up on your sleep through your morning workout" will result in an undesirable and opposite effect.)
Reader Comments (1)
Wow Pete... so awesome that your healing up man... you were walking around pretty well the last time I saw you. It was like night and day compared to a month before. Unbelievable man!!
And that story about Matty is really incredible. What an amazing spirit.
Wishing you nothing but the best brother, always.
Peace, POB