Well-Trained Bodies May

[Soror]

Come one, come all share with us your movement, exercise, and play.

[Soror]

I'm still inching better. I'm pretty much in constant pain from sciatica but it is slowly decreasing and my ROM keeps increasing. I'm trying to wean off the ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I'm currently at 3 ibuprofen. 2-3 tylenol, and a gabapentin daily. I run out of the gabapentin in 17 days and will not easily be able to get more so I'm very focused on doing what I can to get the pain down. I'm increasing anti-inflammatory foods and supplements. I'm trying for lots of easy movements. I'd like to be down to just 3 ibuprofen and 1 tylenol daily by the end of the month.

I hit an average of 10k steps a day all last month. I think I also hit at least 2 strength training sessions a week too. I've not been doing much yoga or stretching as I'm really limited on what I can do and a lot makes it worse.

May's goals:

continue 10k average a day; 2-3x a week strength training; 2-3x a week light stretching --- modified as needed

eta: I really want to get back to pickleball to at least see if I can play now but they have yet to have it when it works with my schedule. With the weather improving hopefully that changes.

-------------------------

I'm still figuring out my new schedule now that dd1 is driving and I don't have to take her in the mornings. My work schedule varies a lot but I rarely have visits before 9 am so I'm making my weekday schedule so I've completed my morning tasks (cleaning, exercise, personal care, and breakfast) by 8:30 to account for drive time. 

I was aiming for Mon/Wed/Fri strength training but those are also when I try to schedule visits which really crunches me on time to get in a walk and strength work before work. I've decided to go to Tues/Thurs/Sat schedule instead.

------------------------------

Today- walk + easy mobility 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Soror

[Eos]

2 minutes ago, Soror said:

constant pain from sciatica

So sorry this is continuing.  I had a big bout of it for the last three weeks and I couldn't believe how hard it was to function.  I have religiously quit nightshades again, and it took three weeks to really resolve.  I'm grateful this actually works for me.

I'm back to the thread after traveling for a week.  One day last week I did 33,000 steps in one day!  We had fun walking all over DC but three days of sloth have brought me down.  I'm about to go traveling again and it's supposed to rain the whole time so I'm unsure what to do.

[Ali in OR]

My April "goal" was getting some health appointments done and there was stress waiting for test results but all is good. I scheduled a dermatologist check up for June--haven't been since before Covid. And I think I need to do dentist this month or next--should schedule that. May goals--survive. Keep eating healthy, keep exercising. 7 more weeks of school.

Slept until my alarm this morning (why does cat wake me early on weekends then sleep through Monday?) Did a 15 min cardio by Fitbymik. Good workout, but I should really see if I can also get a walk in this evening. And doggo needs to drop 5 pounds (her appointment was last week), so that would be a good healthy habit for both of us.

[Brittany1116]

I was going strong and doing well and then we got into a car accident because of someone else's poor judgement and now I am back in PT for neck and back pain and stiffness. 

[Brittany1116]

In other news, IF is still going well. I am constantly seeing changes in my body.

[mommyoffive]

14 minutes ago, Brittany1116 said:

I was going strong and doing well and then we got into a car accident because of someone else's poor judgement and now I am back in PT for neck and back pain and stiffness. 

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear about the car accident and the pain you are dealing with now.  I hope PT is helping and you will feel better soon.

[Brittany1116]

Just now, mommyoffive said:

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear about the car accident and the pain you are dealing with now.  I hope PT is helping and you will feel better soon.

Thank you. I am definitely seeing huge improvements after just 2 sessions, and am hopeful that it will be a quick recovery.

[wintermom]

@Soror So sorry that your pain is constant. Great to hear that you are seeing improvements on many fronts! Thanks for starting the new thread, too!

@Brittany1116 I'm so sorry you got injured in a car collision. Hope your recovery continues to be smooth and quick.

@Eos Welcome back! Where were you travelling?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My May goals are to ease into the outdoor project so I don't overdo things (ha ha - that's going to be a tough one!). 🤣  I always seem to tackle my outdoor dream projects full-on, 10 hour days of heavy labour, then feel the body pain for weeks afterwards.

I'll also be continuing the daily dog walks in "our" woods, and tennis about 3 times a week. I'm also doing some daily stretches that are feeling really good and hopefully helping keep my body's ROM well-tuned.

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by wintermom

[Eos]

24 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Where were you travelling?

Dh, three kids, and I went to Washington DC and went to the Smithsonian and monuments - it was a blast!

[Soror]

23 hours ago, Eos said:

So sorry this is continuing.  I had a big bout of it for the last three weeks and I couldn't believe how hard it was to function.  I have religiously quit nightshades again, and it took three weeks to really resolve.  I'm grateful this actually works for me.

I'm back to the thread after traveling for a week.  One day last week I did 33,000 steps in one day!  We had fun walking all over DC but three days of sloth have brought me down.  I'm about to go traveling again and it's supposed to rain the whole time so I'm unsure what to do.

I am doing much better. Many people live with this all the time at much worse levels. It is a big lesson for me.

You are getting in lots of travel. We always get lots of steps on vacas too. I'd bring rain coats and water proof shoes and have a great time in spite of the rain.

21 hours ago, Brittany1116 said:

I was going strong and doing well and then we got into a car accident because of someone else's poor judgement and now I am back in PT for neck and back pain and stiffness. 

Oh no! I hope that you're recovery is smooth and quick.

20 hours ago, wintermom said:

@Soror So sorry that your pain is constant. Great to hear that you are seeing improvements on many fronts! Thanks for starting the new thread, too!

@Brittany1116 I'm so sorry you got injured in a car collision. Hope your recovery continues to be smooth and quick.

@Eos Welcome back! Where were you travelling?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My May goals are to ease into the outdoor project so I don't overdo things (ha ha - that's going to be a tough one!). 🤣  I always seem to tackle my outdoor dream projects full-on, 10 hour days of heavy labour, then feel the body pain for weeks afterwards.

I'll also be continuing the daily dog walks in "our" woods, and tennis about 3 times a week. I'm also doing some daily stretches that are feeling really good and hopefully helping keep my body's ROM well-tuned.

 

LOL you do not do well with moderation! I'll be on you to take it slow. Injuiries are no fun!

[Soror]

Yesterday I felt rather blah. I feel like I have a cold but maybe it's just spring allergies kicking my butt. I got in a walk with dd but that was it. I was not feeling very spunky at all.

Today: upper body strength + walk

I can't tell I feel yet. Yesterday I kept feeling ickier as the day went on.

I've added in Omega 3's. (I think I mentioned trying natural anti-flammatories)  the pain has been better. I hope that is not a fluke and it really is helping. I should have looked into that to start with but I thought this would be short term so I thought I'll just take the ibuprofen. Now I'm nearing 4 months it's obvious I'm not at short term. I'm eating some turmeric too but I think I'll order some supplements that are more potent.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, Soror said:

LOL you do not do well with moderation! I'll be on you to take it slow. Injuiries are no fun!

Thanks for the support in trying to keep me reined in. 😅 It won't be easy, but my aging body is helping by providing louder signals of pain early on. 

I totally hear you with the injuries! They pop out of nowhere sometimes. It's really inspiring how you are staying on course with your own recovery! Staying motivated through continued pain must be very challenging. ((hugs))

[wintermom]

22 hours ago, Eos said:

Dh, three kids, and I went to Washington DC and went to the Smithsonian and monuments - it was a blast!

I have really fond memories of my family vacation in DC almost 40 years ago. We saw all the major sites, but a little less of the Smithsonian, as we had a two carloads of kids (our family and my uncle's with 6 kids). We lost my cousin temporarily while at the Capital Building, which may have shortened things (and caused many grey hairs in the moms and dads). I love the Lincoln Memorial the best, and the Washington Tower and area second. Being Canadain and a child, I really had little idea who Lincoln was at that time, but I completely understood that this man must have been held in very high esteem to have such a memorial constructed, with millions visiting it.

Edited May 2, 2023 by wintermom

[wintermom]

Tennis last night was cancelled as the court was flooded. I ended up taking the pup for another walk in the woods, which was really nice. More dog walking and stretching on the schedule for today. 

We helped my oldest, and my only dd, move out yesterday. I'll miss that girl! She's still in town, but has a room in a house with her friend, which is much closer to her university. She's almost 23 and ready to fly the coop. Thankfully she's close by and we have on-going plans to do agility with the border collie together. 

[Wheres Toto]

Hello,  Last time I joined one of these threads I ended up having some health and time problems and totally slacking off.  I'm hoping to do better for May.   Allergies are still kicking my butt, but the trees are finally leafing instead of budding so hopefully that will clear up soon.    We're getting tons of rain this week and unfortunately, temperatures are still low enough that it's cold and wet and miserable.  I don't mind walking in even heavy rain if it's warm, but not when it's cold.  It makes all my old injuries (ankle, foot, knees, and wrist) ache.  

My goals are to up my step goal and actually achieve it every single day, work on balance and get back to yoga and tai chi every day.  

The one thing that is going well is cutting down sweets.  Because my body is reacting all weird to them.   Girl Scout cookies had my stomach cramping for 3 days, most other sweets keep me awake and my joints ache.   Only ice cream (the protein maybe?) and dark chocolate seem acceptable at this point and we don't have either in the house very often.    But my doctor has me on hormones for a problem and the cravings are killing me.    I'm just starting menopause so things are all over the place.   Plus quite a bit of stress with work.  

Edited May 2, 2023 by Wheres Toto

[Eos]

I dismantled my brick sap-cooking hearth yesterday which gave me an excellent arms and abs day!  Went for a low key walk in the gorgeous sun and saw: a giant snapping turtle, a swarm of bees, 3 broad-winged hawks, wood frogs, salamanders and egg cases, and fairy shrimp in the swamp.

[Brittany1116]

I had PT last night and will try ballet again tonight. I know I won't be able to do it all but it's a good indicator of how well I am doing overall.

[skimomma]

I have never joined one of these threads but was thinking it might be nice to have some accountability outside of myself, so here I am!

I am starting with a LONG background (in case you want to skip)

****Background start****

I am 48yo and took up endurance sports at around age 35.  Specifically nordic skiing, running, and triathlons.  Before that, I was an avid skier but tended to slack in the off season....which prompted me to take up running and triathlons.  All was good until one year ago when I got Covid (for the first time) and things went downhill quickly.  I happened to be coming off of a two week vacation right before that so my training was already jacked when I had to take 10 days off for Covid.  The recovery was not swift and I experienced issues with heightened heart rate and breathing problems.  I had been training for a half-marathon during this time and knew I would need to take it super slow.  But even with being cautious, I managed to fall on a slow trail run and injured my leg and shoulder during one of my first runs post-covid.  The recovery was very very slow and I was still limping two months out.  My race season was almost completely cancelled.  I managed to eke out one 5-mile race and it was almost as hard as my worse marathon.  I stuck mostly to the pool due to my injuries but was not super consistent (the pool schedule is a scattered mess), was losing stamina, feeling sluggish at all times, and really down in the dumps.  I was camping with friends two months post-fall when someone pointed out how much I was limping still.  I was just so used to the constant pain at that point that I didn't really think much of it anymore.  It was that comment that made me realize I was at a critical junction.  Comparing the then-me the the one-year-prior-me was a stark reality check.  I went from regularly pounding out 10+ mile training runs to driving my car to the campground bathhouse.  I had gained weight, lost muscle, and was generally feeling hopeless.  I knew that I had two choices....allow myself to continue to sink into unrecoverable decline or fight my way back aggressively.  

So, I decided to make a plan.  I had already been to two chiropractors to try to address the injuries.  A friend on that camping trip told me of a practitioner that does trigger point massage.  I was skeptical but willing to try anything at that point.  She is impossible to get into but my friend had an appointment coming up and he offered to give it to me.  I went and that was a game changer.  I will not say I was 100% fixed leaving that appointment but it was the first noticeable improvement so I got very hopeful feeling.  I got into the pool on a dedicated basis while doing more research.

I had known for years that straight-up endurance training is probably not sustainable as I get older.  I knew how important strength training is for bone health.  And I also acknowledged that my fall was not the first one I have experienced, just the worst injury-wise.  And to maybe minimize the effects of falling (trail running and skiing mean some falls are inevitable), I should probably consider adding strength, range-of-motion, and balance training to the endurance training.  I wanted to at least crawl my way back to where I was before everything happened.  

The next step was joining CrossFit.  Again, I was super-skeptical.  I have not heard anything good about this type of training and am not at all the "gym rat bro" type that I associated with CF.  But, I had 5 (very not gym rat bro) friends that were avid members that egged me on until I tried it.  You have to go to 6 one-on-one sessions with the coach to join so as I worked through that, I realized our particular gym does not fit the stereotype at all and that lots of members had joined to address the exact same concerns I had.  I was in such bad shape at that point that I had to heavily modify almost every activity, but the coach was super knowledgeable and helpful (which I know is not true for all CF gyms).  I can still roll my eyes at some of the CF mentality and I do not hesitate for one second to modify a workout to make sure it is not risky for me, but I have to say I am sold.  I go 5 times a week.  

That was the launching point.  I was able to string my small physical gains at CF into longer, faster, and pain free training runs and I was quickly able to stack them back-to-back.  Then ski season came and I was still below my normal pace but found my increased strength and balance (from CF) made hills (up and down) easier, and surprisingly, my stamina increased.  I was able to go longer distances even if a bit slower.  The speed increased and by the end of the season I raced a 25km with a PR pace, winning my age group (which is saying something....middle-aged nordic skiers are some of the fiercest athletes I know of).

The last piece of the puzzle was flexibility.  There is a lot of stretching in CF but I was not making progress and some of my limitations with CF workouts were due to lack of flexibility.  I also was worried about injury potential due to limited range of motion.  So, I added a beginner yoga class in January.  We don't have a lot of options where I live so I could only find one class a week that I could attend.  I enjoy it and continue to attend but needed more.  I talked to my CF coach and he suggested the Pliability app which provides daily really looooong, mostly passive, range of motion exercises that I do at home.  This might be the best addition to my training plan and I saw improvements immediately.  The best one being much quicker recovery after a tough workout or training run/ski.

It has been 4 months since I started yoga/Pliability, 9 months since I started CF, and 12 months since I got Covid.  This is a really important month for me because it is the point in which I compare myself to where I was one year ago, how far I declined, and how far I have crawled back up.

****Background part over****

So, now after that LONG background, my general training goals are:

1. Attend CF 5 times a week, M-F

2. 1+ hour endurance training 5 times a week

3. Yoga and/or Pliability 6 times a week

I am flexible around illness, travel, weather, and other factors but do try very hard to maintain as many of my goals are possible around those events.  Like, I will attempt to get in my runs and even find a local CF gym to drop into during travel but won't allow that to impact any fun plans or other people.  It is currently snowing heavily where I live but the ski trails are closed for the season.  I am in running mode now but Sunday, yesterday, and today would be unsafe and very unpleasant running so I will have to adjust my goals accordingly.  So for this week, I only expect to get 4 runs, instead of 5.

So, my goal for today it to attend CF and do my Pliability workout.

 

[heartlikealion]

Hey, ladies!! My goals and routine have not been great but I’m not quitting. I know progress isn’t a straight line. 

My YMCA nationwide membership is in effect for at least a few more months but the YMCA hours aren’t the greatest. Crunch fitness reeled me in with their 5¢ enrollment fee (down from $59). The one near the kids is open 24/7. I went swimming at the Y near my dad’s recently but irritated my throat (probably because I accidentally swallowed a little pool water). Ugh. But I got in a good workout that night. I’ve been back and used a few machines. I don’t have the endurance?? Patience?? for much rowing but the rowing machine is one of my favorites now. Maybe I’d do better if the machine had a video screen? Lol Like row til you get to land. I used the machine to do rowing and target other areas by lifting the bar (biceps, sitting backwards for triceps). I saw a video demonstrating. 

I still haven’t replaced my pedometer. I might do that this week since I got a tax refund. 

My weight went up a couple pounds with all the traveling and eating out/no access to my stationary bike). I’m home for a couple days and used my bike. My home bike is way more comfortable than a lot of the fitness center ones. My bike seat is wide & cushioned. The bike seats at the gym are narrow and hard yuck. At least on the upright bikes. 

Hoping with my gym memberships I’ll force myself to use them lol 

Edited May 2, 2023 by heartlikealion
Autocorrect said poop instead of pool

[Eos]

1 hour ago, skimomma said:

I have never joined one of these threads but was thinking it might be nice to have some accountability outside of myself, so here I am!

I am starting with a LONG background (in case you want to skip)

****Background start****

I am 48yo and took up endurance sports at around age 35.  Specifically nordic skiing, running, and triathlons.  Before that, I was an avid skier but tended to slack in the off season....which prompted me to take up running and triathlons.  All was good until one year ago when I got Covid (for the first time) and things went downhill quickly.  I happened to be coming off of a two week vacation right before that so my training was already jacked when I had to take 10 days off for Covid.  The recovery was not swift and I experienced issues with heightened heart rate and breathing problems.  I had been training for a half-marathon during this time and knew I would need to take it super slow.  But even with being cautious, I managed to fall on a slow trail run and injured my leg and shoulder during one of my first runs post-covid.  The recovery was very very slow and I was still limping two months out.  My race season was almost completely cancelled.  I managed to eke out one 5-mile race and it was almost as hard as my worse marathon.  I stuck mostly to the pool due to my injuries but was not super consistent (the pool schedule is a scattered mess), was losing stamina, feeling sluggish at all times, and really down in the dumps.  I was camping with friends two months post-fall when someone pointed out how much I was limping still.  I was just so used to the constant pain at that point that I didn't really think much of it anymore.  It was that comment that made me realize I was at a critical junction.  Comparing the then-me the the one-year-prior-me was a stark reality check.  I went from regularly pounding out 10+ mile training runs to driving my car to the campground bathhouse.  I had gained weight, lost muscle, and was generally feeling hopeless.  I knew that I had two choices....allow myself to continue to sink into unrecoverable decline or fight my way back aggressively.  

So, I decided to make a plan.  I had already been to two chiropractors to try to address the injuries.  A friend on that camping trip told me of a practitioner that does trigger point massage.  I was skeptical but willing to try anything at that point.  She is impossible to get into but my friend had an appointment coming up and he offered to give it to me.  I went and that was a game changer.  I will not say I was 100% fixed leaving that appointment but it was the first noticeable improvement so I got very hopeful feeling.  I got into the pool on a dedicated basis while doing more research.

I had known for years that straight-up endurance training is probably not sustainable as I get older.  I knew how important strength training is for bone health.  And I also acknowledged that my fall was not the first one I have experienced, just the worst injury-wise.  And to maybe minimize the effects of falling (trail running and skiing mean some falls are inevitable), I should probably consider adding strength, range-of-motion, and balance training to the endurance training.  I wanted to at least crawl my way back to where I was before everything happened.  

The next step was joining CrossFit.  Again, I was super-skeptical.  I have not heard anything good about this type of training and am not at all the "gym rat bro" type that I associated with CF.  But, I had 5 (very not gym rat bro) friends that were avid members that egged me on until I tried it.  You have to go to 6 one-on-one sessions with the coach to join so as I worked through that, I realized our particular gym does not fit the stereotype at all and that lots of members had joined to address the exact same concerns I had.  I was in such bad shape at that point that I had to heavily modify almost every activity, but the coach was super knowledgeable and helpful (which I know is not true for all CF gyms).  I can still roll my eyes at some of the CF mentality and I do not hesitate for one second to modify a workout to make sure it is not risky for me, but I have to say I am sold.  I go 5 times a week.  

That was the launching point.  I was able to string my small physical gains at CF into longer, faster, and pain free training runs and I was quickly able to stack them back-to-back.  Then ski season came and I was still below my normal pace but found my increased strength and balance (from CF) made hills (up and down) easier, and surprisingly, my stamina increased.  I was able to go longer distances even if a bit slower.  The speed increased and by the end of the season I raced a 25km with a PR pace, winning my age group (which is saying something....middle-aged nordic skiers are some of the fiercest athletes I know of).

The last piece of the puzzle was flexibility.  There is a lot of stretching in CF but I was not making progress and some of my limitations with CF workouts were due to lack of flexibility.  I also was worried about injury potential due to limited range of motion.  So, I added a beginner yoga class in January.  We don't have a lot of options where I live so I could only find one class a week that I could attend.  I enjoy it and continue to attend but needed more.  I talked to my CF coach and he suggested the Pliability app which provides daily really looooong, mostly passive, range of motion exercises that I do at home.  This might be the best addition to my training plan and I saw improvements immediately.  The best one being much quicker recovery after a tough workout or training run/ski.

It has been 4 months since I started yoga/Pliability, 9 months since I started CF, and 12 months since I got Covid.  This is a really important month for me because it is the point in which I compare myself to where I was one year ago, how far I declined, and how far I have crawled back up.

****Background part over****

So, now after that LONG background, my general training goals are:

1. Attend CF 5 times a week, M-F

2. 1+ hour endurance training 5 times a week

3. Yoga and/or Pliability 6 times a week

I am flexible around illness, travel, weather, and other factors but do try very hard to maintain as many of my goals are possible around those events.  Like, I will attempt to get in my runs and even find a local CF gym to drop into during travel but won't allow that to impact any fun plans or other people.  It is currently snowing heavily where I live but the ski trails are closed for the season.  I am in running mode now but Sunday, yesterday, and today would be unsafe and very unpleasant running so I will have to adjust my goals accordingly.  So for this week, I only expect to get 4 runs, instead of 5.

So, my goal for today it to attend CF and do my Pliability workout.

 

Whew, you were through the wringer!  Congratulations on your hard work.

[wisdomandtreasures]

Thursday will mark 4 weeks since my C-section and I am sooo stiff from sitting so much! Now that I'm on my feet a bit more, my daily goals...

Stretch

Arm workout (this one) plus a few minutes of weight lifting to keep my shoulders strong and flexible. Nursing tends to nearly break my back and shoulders so I'm trying to prevent that crippling pain this time around.

Walk on treadmill 2-3 times a day for 10-15 minutes each.

[Harriet Vane]

Hi all!

 I’m back. I was out of town for a couple weeks on an epic vacation—neither of us brought work along. No kids. No elderly people. So much walking and hills and stairs. Such a lovely time. Highlights of our trip: French food. Time with dear friends. A fabulous tour of ancient Pict sites in Scotland. 

So now I’m back, rejuvenated and refreshed. My knees really took a beating on the trip, so I’m taking a day of rest today. Goals moving forward are simply to exercise 5-6 days per week, staying on track with weights/core 2-3 times, gyrotonics once a week, and aerobic stuff (bike, walk, recumbent bike, or elliptical) 3-5 times per week.

My other goal is to use the vagaries of jet lag to now set a healthy, normal sleep schedule (rather than staying up half the night and shorting sleep to work).

[knitgrl]

I just did the dumbbell workout that the cancer center gave me. I didn't do anything last week, so I only did 1 set of everything, but I did pick up some 8lb weights, so I used those for a few of the exercises. My plan is to workout another one or two times this week, and then start doing 2 sets of everything next week.

The metatarsalgia is not going away. I think part of the reason is that I'm having neuropathy as well. I've contacted both the oncologist and podiatrist to see what they think. I suggested massage or acupuncture, and the nurse on the portal gave me some names of private practices that work with cancer patients. So there's that. But I am waiting to see what the podiatrist says.

[Ali in OR]

Yesterday I did my bodyweight circuit x2 in the morning and then took dd on a walk in the afternoon. Today I'm about to do a Fitbymik cardio session.

I mentioned during lunch that my summer goal was to do some hiking and about 5 people chimed in "I'll go with you! Me too!" We're thinking maybe we can get a little group of people together to do some hiking. Which would be good for me since I don't know the trails at all.

[skimomma]

I did my Pliability session yesterday and attended CF last night, as planned.  CF was HARD with lots of push-ups and pull-ups.  Putting my shirt on this morning was tricky.

Today, it has stopped snowing so I will do a one hour slow run, do a Pliability session, and attend CF tonight.  CF is running sprints tonight so that will be two running workouts today which means I will take it very easy on the first one.  I would normally not stack two runs in one day but have been benched from running since Saturday due to the blizzard and am eager to get back to it.  Plus it is SUNNY and I want to be out in it.

[Harriet Vane]

23 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

Hi all!

 I’m back. I was out of town for a couple weeks on an epic vacation—neither of us brought work along. No kids. No elderly people. So much walking and hills and stairs. Such a lovely time. Highlights of our trip: French food. Time with dear friends. A fabulous tour of ancient Pict sites in Scotland. 

So now I’m back, rejuvenated and refreshed. My knees really took a beating on the trip, so I’m taking a day of rest today. Goals moving forward are simply to exercise 5-6 days per week, staying on track with weights/core 2-3 times, gyrotonics once a week, and aerobic stuff (bike, walk, recumbent bike, or elliptical) 3-5 times per week.

My other goal is to use the vagaries of jet lag to now set a healthy, normal sleep schedule (rather than staying up half the night and shorting sleep to work).

Quoting myself here to clarify—

We really treasure the time vacationing with our kids. Just was nice to be alone this time. Simpler, more self-indulgent.

Similarly we have nothing against elderly people. But over the last fifteen years so much of our time was given to supporting loved ones with dementia. The frailty plus dementia was just a ton of work and care. Dh’s much-beloved parents both passed away in 2021, so although we miss them terribly we do not miss all the heartbreaking work of their final years.

[Harriet Vane]

Went to the gym today for weights and core. I may yet try to ride the recumbent bike later to help keep me awake until a better bedtime. Jet lag is a killer.

[skimomma]

I met my goals for yesterday.  I did a slow one hour run with focus on uphills, 20 minutes of Pliability exercises, and went to CF.  CF was running sprints and I am bad at sprints.  It was really hard but I did keep up.

Today's goals are pretty much the same.  One hour run, Pliability, and CF tonight.  CF is heavy lifting today so no worries about running twice again.  It is a complicated lift that I struggle to do properly so I will be lifting lighter and focussing on technique.  My legs are barking a bit after the double runs yesterday so I am going to aim for a flat run today.

[Brittany1116]

Yesterday was a rest day aside from some pelvic floor PT exercises. I have PT tonight for neck and back. I will probably try to bike Friday. 

[wintermom]

On 5/2/2023 at 2:28 PM, Harriet Vane said:

Hi all!

 I’m back. I was out of town for a couple weeks on an epic vacation—neither of us brought work along. No kids. No elderly people. So much walking and hills and stairs. Such a lovely time. Highlights of our trip: French food. Time with dear friends. A fabulous tour of ancient Pict sites in Scotland. 

So now I’m back, rejuvenated and refreshed. My knees really took a beating on the trip, so I’m taking a day of rest today. Goals moving forward are simply to exercise 5-6 days per week, staying on track with weights/core 2-3 times, gyrotonics once a week, and aerobic stuff (bike, walk, recumbent bike, or elliptical) 3-5 times per week.

My other goal is to use the vagaries of jet lag to now set a healthy, normal sleep schedule (rather than staying up half the night and shorting sleep to work).

Welcome back! Any photos to share and inspire us to hike up mountains and ancient staircases? 😉 

You're so smart to let those knees rest up!

[wintermom]

It was raining all day yesterday, and the dogs got their vaccinations, so no walking. I did do my stretching, though. Yay me! I also finished off all the Korean food left-overs from ds's birthday dinner. So yummy!! 😋

I'm playing mixed doubles tennis this evening with dh. Can't wait to get back out on the court!

[Ali in OR]

Fitbymik dumbbell workout today--and I made sure to click on one with STANDING in the title!

[Soror]

Nice to see everyone old, and new. I've got to run out the door for an appt but wanted to check in before I left.

I've still got a cold or allergy issues going on. It's not horrible but I'm just not quite 100%. 

I just got in a really short upper body strength workout Tuesday as I was busier than planned and didn't feel great. 

I've got in my walks every day.

I'm going to try pickleball today with the girls (first time since the injury probably better to try it without people around)

Today I tried Day 1 of Caroline Girvan's Beginner Series on her new app (I'm trialing it).

It was a full body and I've not done that since nearly 4 months ago when I got this injury/sciatica.

It has lunges, squats, and deadlifts. I did lunges and squats but small sets- bodyweight only- slow and controlled. I skipped the deadlifts as I'm pretty sure that is part of what caused this mess. I did bridges w/ a band on the floor instead. It all felt fine- the bridges were the most difficult. I have to be careful with those (before those would have been nothing).

My pain has been considerably better since I started the Omega 3's I don't know if that is coincidental or not but it is supposed to help with inflammation so I'm crossing my fingers this improvement continues. I had some periods where I didn't feel any pain yesterday. I'm still just doing 3 x a day w/ the ibuprofen, twice with tylenol and once with gabapentin.

Edited May 4, 2023 by Soror

[Soror]

Ok I tried pickleball. It is still really rough especially figuring out what I can and can't do. I can't rush after balls. I just can't do the movements. I caught myself moving too fast a few times yesterday. I was just trying to see what would work and not. I was good and didn't try to bend over at all I knelt down when I had to get balls. That big stretch is still a little twingy so I try my best to avoid it. On the plus side, sometimes it is good for me to slow down so that's a positive. IDK jury is out. I'll probably try again next week if I feel ok today and tomorrow and don't have any big setbacks.

I do have more pain today but it isn't terrible so far. We'll see how the day goes. I probably shouldn't have tried to strength moves and pickleball on the same day but that is how it fell. Fingers crossed.

Today's plans: walking + core (trying out a new video on the CG app)

Edited May 5, 2023 by Soror

[Eos]

On 5/2/2023 at 11:00 AM, wisdomandtreasures said:

Thursday will mark 4 weeks since my C-section

Ah, it was you who had the baby April 6 - congratulations!!

[Eos]

Only my morning routine for the last couple days while at my mom's and wow does it feel awful.  I have done one short walk but she is barely walking, dd is here and jet-lagged and I'm losing it with needing to move. Sister came down last night so she might want to walk with me.

Today I will go for a walk in the rain and contemplate Quill's cold water presence.  I often see (and drink from) beautiful mountain pools I'd  like to get into, and I do a lot of swimming in lakes and ocean in summer. Breathing through the nose and cold water baths for training...

[Wheres Toto]

I've been doing pretty good with food.  Big salads when I get home from work instead of snacking, not eating late evening treats.   Not as good with the exercise, I've had really bad cramps due to the progesterone doing what it's supposed to do.  I'm hopeful it won't last very long.   

The rain finally stopped so I'm going to take a long walk after work.   I only teach one class today.  

[wintermom]

49 minutes ago, Eos said:

Only my morning routine for the last couple days while at my mom's and wow does it feel awful.  I have done one short walk but she is barely walking, dd is here and jet-lagged and I'm losing it with needing to move. Sister came down last night so she might want to walk with me.

Today I will go for a walk in the rain and contemplate Quill's cold water presence.  I often see (and drink from) beautiful mountain pools I'd  like to get into, and I do a lot of swimming in lakes and ocean in summer. Breathing through the nose and cold water baths for training...

I hear ya about needing to move or the body gets cranky and sore! Hope you can get some regular walking in. 

Re: cold water swimming/wading. I kind of wonder if the best way to do the cold water emersion is to just decide to do it, or have it decided for you. I've fallen in to water up to my waist when the ice broke one winter. It actually wasn't that bad as long as you get out fast and don't linger too long and let the core body temp drop too much. There's no training going to save you from hypothermia. 😉  

[wintermom]

2 hours ago, Soror said:

Ok I tried pickleball. It is still really rough especially figuring out what I can and can't do. I can't rush after balls. I just can't do the movements. I caught myself moving too fast a few times yesterday. I was just trying to see what would work and not. I was good and didn't try to bend over at all I knelt down when I had to get balls. That big stretch is still a little twingy so I try my best to avoid it. On the plus side, sometimes it is good for me to slow down so that's a positive. IDK jury is out. I'll probably try again next week if I feel ok today and tomorrow and don't have any big setbacks.

I do have more pain today but it isn't terrible so far. We'll see how the day goes. I probably shouldn't have tried to strength moves and pickleball on the same day but that is how it fell. Fingers crossed.

Today's plans: walking + core (trying out a new video on the CG app)

So glad you were able to play! I think that game would be great, as the court isn't very big so you don't really need to take many steps. Have your partner pick up the balls until you are ready to do that. Or maybe you can learn this first method to avoid bending down. The pickle ball and racquet are a little different than in tennis, but the first method shown might be possible.

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by wintermom

[wintermom]

Tennis yesterday was fun, but seasonal allergies, also mold issues with prior flooded tennis courts, as causing some breathing and "sleepy head" problems. I'll yawn a bunch of times to try and catch my breath (also use my puffer), and between the foggy head and yawning, while standing around a good deal in doubles play, just make me want to sleep. So my timing with the shots was slow and inaccurate. I may need to play more singles, where I have to keep moving the entire time.

I'm going for a dog walk today with a friend joining me. Should be great!

I'm also going to get started on my pergola project now that the rain has stopped. Today's task will be to find out where to place the foundation blocks, then dig and and prepare them. Can't wait to get going!! ☺️

Edited May 5, 2023 by wintermom

[skimomma]

I did meet my goals for yesterday.  It was brutal.  I did a slow one hour trail run, Pliability lower back session, and went to CF last night.  CF was a heavy lift day and the lift was a complicated one that I struggle with.  I kept the weight lighter than necessary and focussed 100% on technique.  I feel I made some progress in that regard.  I have been very sore this week, mostly due to CF.

Today's goal is to do Pliability and attend CF.  I have already done my CF session.  It was double under jump roping and a simpler heavy lift.  I can only get about 6 double unders in a row so I am pretty slashed up.  I even wore a long sleeve shirt in an effort to minimize the tiger stripes but I am still stripey.  With the lift, again, I went lighter than absolutely necessary to focus on technique.  I find Pliability to be a very nice break in my work day (I work from home) so I have no doubt that I will get that done later.  

To meet my goals for the week, I really should run today as well, but I have a long trail and hill run planned for tomorrow and given how sore I am, I think I will not run today.  So, in order to meet my weekly goal, I will also have to run on Sunday.  I lost three potential runs to a blizzard early in the week so it was mostly out of my control.  I did see some brave souls running in that weather, but the wind alone was enough to scare me off.  I like to leave Sunday as a rest day so I will have to choose between getting rest or meeting my goals.  If I do a Sunday run, it will be low and slow.  I will make that call after my long run tomorrow.

[Harriet Vane]

Yesterday—some recumbent biking and a quick walk down the lane. Today likely nothing between babysitting and then driving out to ds’ campus for graduation in the morning.

[wisdomandtreasures]

8 hours ago, Eos said:

Ah, it was you who had the baby April 6 - congratulations!!

Thank you! 🙂

[Toocrazy!!]

I don’t remember the last time I posted, but this was kind of a slow week. I did my resistance /weights on Monday. Last night I played pickleball for 3 hours or so- total- breaks between games. Today I had my training session and the weather was finally nice again so had a nice doggy walk through the trails. 

[Laura Corin]

Sorry I haven't been around. I've been trying to take pressure off myself in various ways. So I am just making sure to move in some way each day. Trying also to take time every day to be still and breathe. 

[Soror]

(hugs) @Laura Corin do what you have to do to reduce your stress. We'll be here. 

@skimomma Have you read any of Dr. Stacy Sims work? She used to compete in endurance sports and then started studying women and training. Most of the info out there is not geared to women as we are not adequately studied. She specializes in looking at the effect of our physiology, hormones, etc on our training and performance. 

I get in my walk, steps, and short core video yesterday. I could do more of the core stuff than I thought. I still cannot do anything like a reverse crunch but did the deadbug variations just fine (not perfect but ok).

Today- walk already done; CGX App- Beginner Day 2- 30 ish minute- full body strength - again modifying lower body moves as needed for injury and bw only for them

[Ali in OR]

Did treadmill yesterday and a shortish yoga this morning. This Saturday is not so sunny and pleasant as last Saturday. A little rain. Will still try to do something outside--maybe another trip to the garden store to pick up a planter or two for herbs on the patio.

@Toocrazy!! I think our dogs could be twins! My nutso lab already did yoga with me, mostly stretching underneath my own downward dog, or trying to get a belly rub or ear rub from me. Now she gets to go on a run with dh.

[lynn]

Posting for accountability.... back up to full speed with lifting finally,  added a mile run into my morning walks.  I've caught myself eating my feelings and have put on a few pounds so working on controlling that.

Hope everyone is doing well.

[Wheres Toto]

Yesterday ended up being a bit of a dud.   Started doing some yoga and was interrupted to deal with an ongoing issue with the location of my business (I was yoga'ing in my classroom).   Then my walk after work was postponed because (TMI!) I was bleeding like crazy.   

Today went shopping at BJs so did a bunch of walking around there, then went to the lake. Some walking, some sitting in the sun and fresh air reading.  Just being outside felt really really good.

One of my issues lately has been dh and I are sharing a car.   It makes it harder for me to find time to walk, etc. but I think Monday I'm going to have dh drop me off a mile or so from work and I'll walk the rest of the way.   

I'm planning to get back into doing yoga and tai chi in the mornings.  One of my hold-ups is that I do them at work before everyone else arrives (no room at home).   I'd like to do more but I don't have any place to shower at work so I can't get too sweaty.  I can change clothes and wash up some but still wouldn't want to get super sweaty.  Anyone have any suggestions?  I do have access to a tv/youtube so can watch videos.