I've always been a fan of the Classic Rock band Styx, especially one song in particular.

Recently, while at home and in self-pity mode, I could identify with the lyrics of "Too Much Time on My Hands."Having been laid up for several weeks due to an injury I sustained, never at any point in my life did those words ring truer.For all intents and purposes, my injury seemingly came out of the clear blue sky.As an avid exerciser, I've been known to pound the macadam a time or two.So much so that it wasn't a matter of how many miles I could complete, but rather how fast I could do them in.That is until I began to experience severe pain in the lower part of my back, more specifically, sciatica.It turns out I had a pinched nerve, along with a herniated disc in my L5.Just like that, any thoughts I had of going out the next day for a workout were immediately stymied, much to my dismay.Quite frankly, there were times the pain was so great that it literally brought me to my knees.Suddenly, daily functions such as standing, walking and sitting were out the window, and I found myself reduced to lying on the couch and in bed.Of course, along the way, I packed on a few pounds, as there's only so much you can do once you've become relegated to being a couch potato.What really made things worse was that I wasn't able to help my wife decorate the Christmas tree, let alone help put up the decorations in front of our home.For me, it's a matter of pride, and not being able to assist her really made me check my ego at the door.Whether we realize it or not, as humans, we tend to take things for granted.I think that's especially true when it comes to our health.Not that we intentionally set out to; it's just a way of life.Trust me when I say we should never take our health for granted.Fortunately, the vast majority of the pain and discomfort that I had experienced appears to have subsided, and it appears as if I'm on the mend.I've returned to work, gone through several sessions of physical therapy, and just this past week signed up for a fitness program through a local gym.No, I'm not quite ready to pound the pavement, and may not be for several months.It's just comforting to know that I have a plan in place, and that I'm heading in the right direction.Besides, the only direction you can head from down is up.