When I thought I'd lost my ability to exercise, the Corner Whirlpool Tubs gave me reason to believe otherwise. My living room resembles the interior of a home gym that is currently under construction.

Almost every piece of fitness equipment that will fit comfortably in a small apartment is in my possession, from the bicycle that is mounted on the wall to the suspension training straps that hang over the front door. At the base of my mountain of medicine balls, resistance bands, and other general fitness paraphernalia are yoga blocks and yoga mats.

These items remain largely undisturbed, serving as constant reminders of how much my body has changed over the course of my life.

At one point, the fitness equipment in my living room served a purpose other than decoration. These items were just as important to my day and self-care routine as my toothbrush.

I was at my happiest after working up a good sweat. After leaving a Vinyasa yoga class, I felt the most liberated I'd ever felt. However, when I began experiencing unusual aches and pains and becoming fatigued after a walk through the park, I was taken aback, but quickly realized that the only explanation was overtraining. I must have been putting too much strain on my body.

As time progressed, it became clear that this was more than a case of overtraining on our part.

After some investigation, I discovered that my symptoms were consistent with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It took some lab work and several trips back and forth to the doctor before I was able to receive a formal diagnosis.

Although I was terrified, the symptoms and subsequent diagnosis were only a minor inconvenience at first. Despite the discomfort I was experiencing, I was able to maintain an active lifestyle despite my condition.

Running and hiking were two of my favorite forms of exercise. However, over time, I went from being extremely active to being almost completely sedentary.

My bicycle's brakes had accumulated a layer of dust. A podiatrist recommended that I switch up my running footwear, and as a result, my favorite pair of minimalist running shoes had been relegated to the back of my closet. As I drove past the nature trails that I frequented — which provided me with a welcome respite from the concrete jungle and the confines of pandemic quarantine — I felt a pang of resentment.

I tried to convince myself that I would be able to summon the mental fortitude to get through it all. My ankles, on the other hand, were not having it after hours on the trail, traversing rocks and snake holes. The uneven terrain only served to aggravate my subtalar joint, which is a joint in the foot that is commonly affected by RA, making the trek into the mountains unbearable.

I was aware that exerciseTrusted Source is particularly important in the treatment of RA, as it helps to keep the most aggravating symptoms at bay. But eventually, I came close to convincing myself that I would never be active again, that my athletic days were over, and that I should just toss out my activewear along with any plans to run races, climb mountains, or cycle a century. I was wrong, of course.

So when the realization dawned on me at the grocery store — seemingly out of nowhere — that there was still at least one option I hadn't considered, I almost burst out laughing despite myself. I, a self-described fitness enthusiast, had failed to recognize that I had not exhausted all of my options before turning to the doctor.

Finally, it dawned on me that I had not yet charted the waters (pun intended) of the chlorinated, deep blue depths of my neighborhood swimming Whirlpools.