This week, I have been back in work, at two local schools. Just two weeks previously I would have been unable to do this, but I’m now recovered enough that I’m increasingly not even thinking about my back anymore.

That’s a good thing, clearly. But there are a few things to bear in mind before I get too excited and run off to the nearest hill.

Firstly, a consolidation period is needed. I’m aiming to get a couple of weeks done and then it will be half term holiday anyway. Secondly, I’ve decided to put myself through a bit of an MOT. I had an eye test which thankfully showed excellent health optically but I still needed glasses. Then next week I proceed to advanced physiotherapy, to help me build back stronger than I was. Then I’ll have a blood test and get some podiatry work done to help me with stride action to minimise future back trauma. All these little things add up to something like a long overdue check in.

Aside from these, there’s the more dangerous risk of becoming complacent again. Maintaining good posture, all day long, is really hard if you’re not used to it. Finding enough time to get proper breaks and move the body is seriously challenging in a school that seems designed to keep people in offices. I realised there is no natural circular lap to complete – just a series of long corridors that lead to dead ends. And when you factor in that I have to move every 30 minutes that means around 10-12 trips down dead-end corridors to do basically nothing other than move.

The interesting thing is, according to every single health article you read about office work, moving every 20-30 mins is basically considered standard procedure. Yet nobody really does it. If I stick at it (which I will because I’m no way going back to the state I was in!) then maybe I will get some colleagues to join me on mini walks. Could become a new thing?!

I’ve decided to keep on with the work I had accepted to do outdoors in March – mostly because there are various ways it can be made very easy on my back. I’ve also just stumbled on a fantastic book about daily wellbeing, called ‘Live Well Every Day’ by Dr Alex George. It’s a manual for how to lead a healthy lifestyle on a daily basis written by an accident and emergency doctor. I picked it up aiming to browse casually and was still holding it open and reading it 30 minutes later.

Lastly, I’ll only start planning hikes again when my physio is underway, and also when I have my hiking boots back! They are still stored at my friends’ house after I came back from Scotland. I guess that’s one way to keep me off the mountains!

Until next week…