Hearing the diagnosis at the hospital a couple of weeks ago was not very comforting. The doctor had reckoned on at least two to three weeks out of action; I had basically consigned all of August to time spent hobbling about and being generally frustrated. But then something happened – whatever it was that had caused my leg to suddenly lock in place disappeared, quite literally, overnight.

I remember the sensation of being able to lift my leg again, pain free, as being a complete surprise – there’s really nothing like discovering you can get back to doing what you really love doing again. I was lucky it wasn’t so much worse. A visit to the physiotherapist confirmed everything was in good working order though the exact cause of the problem remains unknown. One thing is a fact though – I have extremely restricted muscles in my quads and calfs. This could simply be a way of my body telling me that it’s really time to do some stretching exercises.

As part of my rehab process I have therefore purchased Cassandra Wyzik’s ‘Everyday Fitness for Everyday People – Level One’ and it is excellent! It takes you on an introductory workout routine for 30 days with no need to purchase any gym equipment (though I did purchase an exercise mat as my wooden floor is very hard). It covers strength training and stretching and allows for cardiovascular exercises such as walking. Perfect.

Up Next: Taking the final few pictures of the West Yorkshire Heritage Trail…