Your Body: It’s the Bee’s Knees

Love your body like this: every step of the way.

Over the past year, I’ve learned how to be more appreciative of my body and all the amazing things it does for me. It’s easy to forget how hard we ask our bodies to work each day, but doing so would be a mistake. We might have aches and pains sometimes, we might not look exactly the way we want to, we might be frustrated that our bodies have limits—but that doesn’t mean that they’re not amazing things. Our bodies are our homes, and we should treat them well and appreciate them while we can.

About 10 days ago, I slipped while walking down a hill. I didn’t fall—I was able to stop myself from doing that. Unfortunately, in the process, I injured my knee and the muscles around it. A week and a half later, I’m just barely able to walk without a limp. And let me tell you, after just a week of not being able to climb stairs without pain, walk normally, or go to yoga, I really appreciate what my body is normally capable of.

So, that is my wisdom for the week: appreciate your body, love your body!

I was finally able to go back to yoga yesterday. My knee is still weak but feeling much stronger. No running for a while, but I’m happy just to be mostly back on my feet.

With my knees on my mind, I also thought it would be a good opportunity to do a little research on anatomy. Here are some of the neat facts about the knee that I learned:

Your AMAZING knees look like this!
Image: Shutterstock

• There are four bones that come together at the knee: the femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bone), patella (kneecap), and head of the fibula (strut bone on the outside of the leg).
• Only the femur and tibia form the knee joint itself.
• Two muscle groups are responsible for movement of the knee joint: the quadriceps and the hamstrings.
• Four ligaments are responsible for the stabilization of the entire knee joint: the medial collateral ligament (MCL), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL).
• Bursas (fluid-filled sacs) provide cushioning for the joint during motion.
• Two menisci on top of the tibia function as shock absorbers and prevent the bones from rubbing against each other. Lack of this cartilage is what causes arthritis in the knee.