Trends used to be “selling like hotcakes.” And then came the lechon manok stalls, the badminton craze, and the running era. And now, there’s pickleball. If your business is being compared to the current pickleball madness, it means you’re doing great. Ka-ching!
Pickleball courts are mushrooming here, there, and everywhere. There’s even one right beside my current gym—I watch the games during my rest between sets.
I played pickleball with my nephew, niece-in-law, and nieces two years ago when I had no idea what it was. They simply invited me to join them at the clubhouse nearby, and so I did. It wasn’t popular in the Philippines yet. My initial reaction upon seeing the racket and balls: “Oh, it’s like ping-pong.”
Only to find out nope, it’s not like ping-pong.
There are pickleball coaches now, and I suggest consulting one if you’re used to playing badminton. If pickleball gets boring, returning to badminton may take a few friendly games to wake up your badminton instincts before jumping into real competition.
I used to play badminton decades ago when I was about 12 to 13 years old. Then I outgrew it and leveled up to pelota in high school—though I never had the necessary grip. My pelota racket always managed to fly out of my grasp.
When badminton became a craze in the last decade or so, I was too fat to join the trend. Three of my friends were avid badminton players, with one continuing to play despite an ankle sprain. Now, she’s bought a pickleball racket and is already inviting us to play. But an ACL tear and meniscus tear I got from a circuit training class in a makeshift gym back in February 2016 have made me more careful in choosing my battles.
My orthopedic surgeon did an arthroscopy on the meniscus tear in July 2016, which meant I had to stay home for three months—and made a certain club suspect I was simply avoiding them. Hmm. Talk of jumping to conclusions.
My doctor chose not to operate on the ACL tear. He asked me at the time if I was a basketball player. I said no. So, I don’t need an ACL to survive—or something like that.
So that ACL tear has remained. No jumping (to conclusions—haha), no burpees, no Bounce and Stepper workouts, no running, no walking for daily exercise, no heavy-weight-bearing deep squats and lunges. I modify my moves in all circuit-based group exercise classes. My warm-up before a workout is either ten minutes on the stationary bike or in a Zumba class.
When I began praying for complete healing in January 2021, I had no idea it would include the low-carb diet, the gym, and major life changes. I guess that’s how God prepares us for the worst: start with the diet, the gym, and then come major life changes. Whoa. I did tell my sis-in-law, who’s a doctor: “Just when I’m in my health journey, this happens.” And I’ll always remember her reply: “But this will prove how effective your low-carb diet is.”
I’ve learned to adjust—which is always an essential trait in anything we do. Grin and bear it.
