In April 2012, I took a walk by myself along a path at the beach. When I reached the end of the path, there was a young lady doing yoga with her dog sitting by her side. The dog was a friendly fellow and came over to greet me. He jumped up on me and I lost my balance, falling into sharp rocks. Luckily I only broke a rib.  After that experience I became afraid of walking on my own, and was very aware my balance was pretty poor. I got depressed. I gained weight. Months later my rheumatologist suggested I attend the Falls Clinic.  This clinic saved my life. I learned how to practice balance, how to gain strength in my legs and arms, and it gave me the self confidence I’d lost.  Since then, I’ve been on a path to get fit. I am so not “there” yet and may never be, but I do strive to improve my strength and balance with regular work outs in our home gym and walking outside is now a pleasure I enjoy. The road to better fitness is often full of potholes such as colds, anemia, broken bones, you name it. But I keep coming back to it because it’s important.