An Inconvenient Motivation

I don't know why I'm so motivated when all of a sudden I'm pregnant again. The two do not go together. I wanted to get up early, before the tot, & take the dog for a little walk/jog. I don't sleep much anyway. As it happens though, I couldn't talk my tired pregnant carcass out of bed that early. I did, however, smush the tot into his snow bibs and take him for a short, half mile-ish walk. After nap perhaps I'll let him ride his bike so I can get my jog in.

1/2 mile stroll w/tot & dog

In spite of planning for more outdoors time yesterday, it didn't happen. A haircut for the tot did, along with the longest "rinse-off" bath in history. Bath crayons really make the time fly!

3, 2, 1...oh wait.

So last Monday (the 26th), I headed off to crossfit.  It was really the first work out I haven't hurt at in the last, oh, 7 or so months.  It was so freaking sweet!  This was the WOD:

Strength: Backsquat 3 RM…how much can you squat 3 times?

WOD: 12:00 AMRAP

10 Push Ups

10 Supine Ring Rows

20 Sledge Hammer Swings (10 each hand) (8-50lbs)

275M Run (the building loop…no garage door action )

I worked on Backsquat with some chicas...did 3s up to 115, where I only got 1 (but yay!).  I did 3 rounds (+15 hammer swings) of knee pushups, 10 ring rows, 20 hammer swings (8#) and the 275m run.  Gotta start somewhere!

Before my awesome workout, I thought I would go to crossfit twice during the week.  Starting small.  Afterward, I thought, "there's no way you could keep me away from this. I'm going 3 times this week."  Then some weird stuff happened.  I burned out my sinuses and couldn't breathe without pain.  I didn't sleep much on Monday night, less than 2 hours to be exact.  Then I didn't sleep at all Tuesday night.  Zero sleep.  Wednesday was a bad day for attitude.  By that night, I was exhausted for sure, and got a long night of sleep in.  Since I wasn't feeling particularly well-rested, I skipped crossfit the rest of the week.  I did do some walking in the mornings with the dogs.  With a new week and a little better handle on the allergies, my goal is 2 or 3 crossfit workouts this week.  And maybe getting back to regular duty.





Easy Does It

I have been going to crossfit rather sporadically over the last month.  When the new barbell club plan came out this week, I decided to give it a try because I've lost a lot of strength over the last 6/7 months of not exercising.  This is what the plan looks like:

Barbell Club

8/22/11- 8/27/11

Warm up with the class.  Write down your numbers on the tracking sheet with comments.

Day #1 Max Effort Deadlift
Start with bar.  Do sets of two, adding weight until it gets hard.  Then, go to 1 rep until failure in form, not failure of weight.   After getting to single attempts, try to do no more than 3-5 singles.

Accessory Work
3 Sets of 15 reverse hypers, add weight each set.
3 Sets of Glute Ham Raises (let your legs do the counting, but if you can do more than 20 add weight)
100 Hollow Rocks (broken into as many sets as needed)
Foam Roll, and stretch for recovery.

Day #2 Dynamic Squat (50% with 25% band tension)
Do the posted WOD
Accessory Work
Skill work, GHD and reverse hyper.  Prowler Drag, heel first and pop your hips to move the sled.  This is not conditioning, so no running.  Do a pass in the gym and add weight.  Keep going as time allows.

Day #3 Max Effort Floor Press
Start with a barbell.  Gradually add weight doing 2 reps per set until it gets hard.  Start doing one rep each set until failure of form, not failure of weight.  After getting to single attempts, try to do no more than 3-5 singles.

Accessory Work
3 Rounds:
Max Reps Chin ups
Max Reps Dips
Max Reps Rows with barbell

Day #4 Dynamic Bench
9×3 with bands and 50% weight

WOD:
Team WOD or
5 rounds
3 Stone to Shoulder
6 Dips (with weight on Matador or on rings)
9 Kettle Bell Swings (Heavy)

So yesterday was Day 1, and it went well.  My new deadlift 1 rep max is a whopping 135#.  Part of my little victory is just being able to lift.  Since this started, I've gained about 5 lbs.  It isn't much, but I notice quite a bit of change in body composition.  My clothes have gotten uh, tighter.  In the past, I've had great success with losing fat and maintaining that loss with lifting.  I try to eat fairly healthily, but I'm not very strict and love some good comfort food.  So it will probably take me awhile, but as long as I can keep chipping away, I'm good with that.

Following my workout, I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Sean's PA.  I showed her where I was having pain, and she thought it is from an inflammed bursa along my pelvis.  She shot some cortisone into it and told me to take it easy for the rest of the day.  I contemplated going to work, but was sooo glad I didn't.  As the evening wore on, I hurt more and more and may have gotten to a level 6/7.  I feel better today.  I'm not sure that's the only place where I had pain though.  I go back in a week.  Maybe it will be somewheres else then.  It kind of seem like we're dealing with all the residual separate issues that are related to the si problem.  Hopefully when it's all said and done, I'll be back 100%

Shot +1

Yesterday, I decided to go ahead and get scheduled for physical therapy.  I've never done physical therapy though, so I did not realize I should have a doctor's order.  I also don't know if that means my doctor wanted me to wait until after my follow-up appointment in a week, or if he forgot to give me an order or what.  I called his office at around 2:30 yesterday to find out.  Can you believe he and his nurse were already gone?  Good for them.  Being in public service, I'm happy when people can take time, especially for holidays to spend with their family.  As for me, I will have to wait until Tuesday for answers to my questions.

In the meantime, I feel okay, but not spectacular.  I think I overdid yesterday because by the evening, I was in quite a lot of pain.  I'm going to take it a little easier today.

I started back to my previous exercises yesterday, but only did 2 rounds of 10 each.  My goal was 3 rounds throughout the day and 2 half mile walks, but I was hurting too much later.  I did get in crunches, leg lifts, v-ups, reverse back extensions, back extensions, supermans, spinal balance, tail wag, donkey-pee, and bridges.  I threw in some squats, pushups, and ring rows for good measure.  And took the dogs on a half mile walk in the morning.

Mostly it was all the running around I did yesterday that wore me out.  Perhaps I'll do some housework today and keep it light.  It's 48 hours after my injections, so I can apply heat today.  I think that will be in the form of a relaxing bath later with my new eucalyptus bath salts.

guh ugh

The title sums up how I feel today.  I would like to blame the beer I drank after a long week of work and of being on-call for work.  On-call is generally stressful in and of itself because work is always in the back of my mind.  I have to be connected 100% of the time and even sleep worse than usual.  But I have a job though, right?  I've noticed that sugars (like bread and alcohol) make me hurt more.  Maybe it's in my head.  Maybe it's because they're inflammatory.  Maybe it's because beer is a diuretic.

Whatever it is, I woke up stiff and painful today.  Dragged my bum to yoga.  I really hate yoga.  It hurts me to do.  Afterwards though, I love yoga because it stretches me out.  The hate makes it difficult to get motivated to go.  The love is a nice reward.

After, I went to crossfit.  I didn't do much weight on anything and just felt achey.  At least I went and tried though.  I probably feel better now than if I wouldn't have gone.

I wish it were more upbeat, but today just isn't.  Maybe if I go throw down some cartwheels, I'll feel happier.  Yeah, I can still do cartwheels.

Good Day in the Books!

Yesterday was a good day!  It was very much needed.  Hubs and I were both off work, but he sleeps until about 3 pm (yay night shifters!).  I planned the early part of my day all around my back.

1030-1130 Yoga
The instructor was new to me and perhaps better than the lady who does the evening classes.  Her poses were very different, and it felt less like she was trying to cram a bunch of everything into the hour.  Forward folds and down dogs are still kicking my butt.

1200-1300 Crossfit
I heart being able to go to CC's class.  He had me deadlift out of the rack to protect my back, and I only picked up 113# from there.  I'm not worrying about what my previous PR's were because that's a good way to get frustrated.  Everything starts over, and I just have to laugh and shake my head at my numbers.  I did the WOD in 17:15, scaling 15# dumbbells for the bar on squat cleans, a 4# ball on wall balls, and assisted dips.  I actually wouldn't really describe what I was doing as "cleans" either.  I was really just flinging the dumbells up to my shoulders.  Hey, it didn't hurt my back that way.  It felt so good to go there and workout with my peoples.  I loved it.

1400-1430 Good Doc
Okay, Good Chiropractor, whatev.  He ultrasounded, manual therapy'd, and electrified my back.  Don't you wish I knew the names of what he was actually doing?  Sometimes I ask, then I forget.  He said my back felt better...not so tight and icky.  So I don't have to go back for a week and a half.  I told him about all my core exercises, and he was down with that.  I've also been rolling my back and legs on my foam roller pretty hard core the last few days.  It's heavenly.

Then I went home, made Hubs take me to get the oil in the car changed.  I freaking hate getting my oil changed.  I hate that the dudes lie about what needs to be fixed.  I know they're just trying to make a buck off of an ignoramus, and I'm not down with that.  Hubs has a mechanic that we use because we trust him, and he doesn't jerk us around.  I wish I could find an oil change place that was the same way.  This place has been telling me I need new rear shocks for the last two years.  The mechanic tells me otherwise.  Yesterday, they told me I needed new rear brakes and a new air filter, as well.  I don't know anything about cars, but I do know how to change my air filter.  Go me.  And it isn't like I'm going to trust them about the brakes thing now.  grrr.  I would complain, but I'm afraid they'll sabotage my car or something.

Back to my good day, Hubs and I went out to eat.  I was still running on the Clif Bar I had eaten around 0930.  Then he bought me a giant exercise ball.  Yes!  I'm going to sit on it at my desk because sitting on my little one at home hurts less than sitting on a chair.  I'm sitting on it now.

Yeah, it was a nice little Monday.

New Core

I added and changed some of my previous core exercises.  This is what I have been doing this week:

1) bridges x20
I did the full yoga bridge things for a few days.  Yesterday, I tried and failed because I hurt too badly and my form was off.  So I did the mini-bridges.  I thought it would be better to do the easier ones right, rather than do the more difficult ones wrong.

2) crunch/leg lifts/banana x20 each
I've still been doing these.  They are getting easier.

3) reverse crunch/reverse leg extension/supermans x20 each
I did full on 12 reverse leg extensions in a row before my back spasmed.  That's way up from the 3 or 4 I started with!

4) Donkey Pee
x40 alternating sides (20 each side)

5) Side Bridges x20 each side

6) Pikes x20

7) Ball Roll x20

8) Spinal Balance
x40 alternating sides (20 each side)

Also, yoga'd twice last week.  I skipped yesterday and rolled around on the floor in pain instead.  Today, I have an appointment with the Good Doc.  Tomorrow I see the specialist...finally.

Core-Slash-Ab Exercises

If you don't read the title and giggle, it's because your husband and his best (dude) friend don't do P90X ab ripper and make jokes about it all the time.

I'm going to tell you what core exercises I'm doing this week.  The piddly little ones GD gave me, and the ones C.C. also showed me.  I should make a video of me doing them, but there would be too much hot pink/lime green/spandex, and I would be laughing the entire time.

1) bridges
On back, knees bent, feet on floor.  Lift hips to make straight line from knees to shoulders.

2) mini-crunches
On back, knees bent, feet on floor.  Mini crunch.

3) leg lifts
On back, hands under tailbone.  Lift straight legs.

4) v-ups
Mini-crunch and leg lift at the same time.  The guy in the video goes a lot higher than what I can.

5) mini-back extensions
Lie on belly.  Lift chest off ground.

6) mini-reverse back extensions
Lie on belly.  Lift legs off ground.

7) mini superman lifts
Lie on belly.  Lift chest and legs off ground.

8) donkey pee
On all fours.  Donkey kick a leg behind you (knee bent, thigh parallel to floor, foot parallel to ceiling).  From there, move leg out to side like a dog peeing.  Put that leg down and do the other side.  Donkey kick + dog pee = donkey pee.  This is from C.C., so blame him for the name.

9) booty shaker
C.C. called this the tail wagger or something like that.  On all fours, scrunch your side and pull your butt and head toward each other.  It helps to look for your butt over your shoulder.  Then look at the other side.

Oh, and in all of the exercises, you have to keep your core tight.  Not like you are straining or anything, but not sagging around everywhere.  Sometimes I forget on the last 2.

I've been doing 20 of each exercise, one set in the morning and one at night.  Some of them hurt me more than others, so I rest during those sets (mostly just reverse back extension and superman).  I'll be able to do 4 or 5 reps, then get a spasm, shriek a little, and have to rest for a bit before doing 4 or 5 more.  Hey, it's better than when I started out a few days ago and could only do 3 at a time.  As they get easier, I can increase the range of motion and then add the swiss ball to increase difficulty.  Right now I'm working on being gentle.  grrr.

There'd be days like these, my mama said...

I know I slept last night because there were some crazy dreams going on about people who I wouldn't normally have seen last night.  No, I don't have THOSE kind of dreams, at least not with anyone you want in them.  I felt like I was awake all night trying to go to sleep and hurting so bad.  Ah, well.  I'll sleep tonight.

I hurt yesterday and today more than usual.  Besides lack of sleep, I wonder if I'm becoming extra sensitive to the weather.  The fellas and I were leaving lunch, and as I sat in the back seat, pain shot through me, and I had to take a walk around the parking lot.  Of course, they are actually 12 year olds, so one of them started making fart noises at me.  Yes, these are your tax dollars at work, people.

There have been several changes to my routine, so I don't know if I should blame weather, physical therapy, or even the yoga I did Friday morning.  I do yoga for the stretching and balance stuff, not the ohm.  Before my injury, yoga kicked my butt.  Now it knocks me flat on said butt.  I was going to start with swimming yesterday, but the thought of an over-crowded pool on a Saturday (with awesome weather) made me think twice.