I have the spine of an old woman.

I've always joked that I'm an old woman with my bad knee and hip problems, but today I found out that I have the spine of a woman much older than me.


I went to the chiropractor last week because I've been having neck and back pain for a while now. They did an exam and took x-rays. I made an appointment for a week later to discuss the results of the exam. 

This is a healthy, normal neck. See the curve and the even space between each bone?

This isn't my actual x-ray, but my neck looks more like this. No curve and loss of disc height in a couple places.

The rest of my spine isn't as bad as my neck, except for the area closest to my shoulder blades. I've always had pain there, but I guess it's more serious than just sore muscles. The bones there are out of alignment in a few places, causing my spine to bend slightly in the wrong direction. It should be centered, but it's slightly off.

My doctor said that it's very concerning that my neck looks like this at 23 years old. It could be from anything, the sports I did as a teenager, the job I have, the way I stand, being overweight, all of it. My options are to let it go and be in worse pain for the rest of my life, or treat it aggressively for about 20 weeks with adjustments, physical therapy, and massage therapy. I'm going to treat it. He said I can stop what's happening, and hopefully reverse some of it.

I was sitting there, hearing this news, and I had to ask if this was going to bench my running habit. Thankfully, my doctor said no, he wants me to move more, exercise and stay active. He said treating my back would actually improve my running. At least there's some good news. I was about to cry if he were to say I can't run anymore. I love it that much.

I took this news pretty hard. One of my biggest fears is losing my health as I get older. Getting physically older terrifies me. I never want to be incapable of simple things. I never want to be physically taken care of. 

This was a big slap of reality. I am getting older. Yes, I'm only 23, but I'm not the spry 16 year old I once was. I can't take my health for granted. I won't lie to you and say that I haven't been taking my health for granted for years. I have been. I've treated my body like crap. Poisoning it with cigarettes (I don't smoke now) alcohol, grease, fat, and sugar. I didn't exercise enough. I didn't care for myself like I should have been. I'm really starting to realize the truth of what I can do to my body. 

My health is the most important thing. I'm nothing without my health. I'm vowing right here and now to take my health more seriously, even more so than I have been these past few months. I'm even more determined to exercise regularly, eat well, drink water, and take care of myself. I am the only one who can take the steps to be healthy, to live healthy. I'm not immune to health problems.

How's this for a healthy meal: 4 ounces of roasted salmon, 3 cups of mixed steamed veggies, a slice of whole wheat bread and a big glass of water for dinner? Yeah, that just happened. It was delicious. I ran 2 miles today, lifted weights as did abs today. And I've got a date with the gym tomorrow and Sunday. I have even more motivation to exercise now: true health for the rest of my life.