Not quite all better

Well, I am terrible at following through with updates I guess...it's been a few weeks since my last post.

I still have some trouble with my neck, but not so much that it is slowing me down anymore. It's just more annoying now, than anything.

My husband and I joined a gym. I know that my whole practice is built around how to get fit without going to a gym, but I really like going to a gym. And if a client wanted to go to a gym, I would create a fitness plan to include the gym.

Since I am starting to feel a lot better with my neck, I have decided that my goals of being able to successfully hold a proper crow pose and forearm stand by the end of 2015 are still valid goals. At this point, I can successfully hold downward facing dog. HAHAHAHA!!! I know it's not even close to the same thing, but, it is where I am at right now.

I am working on my core and upper body strength. Those are key to being able to perfect my form. I have a guide that tells me what moves to focus on to get me there. It will happen. I just have to be patient, which isn't my strong suit.

The weather here has me in a funk. I'm glad it has raised out of the negatives and freezing temperatures, but it still is in the fifties, and it's the end of April. I'm not saying I want it to be 90, I hate it that hot, I'm saying I want it to be in the mid to upper sixties. With a bit of sunshine, and a light breeze.

Joe seems to be so hungry all the time. And his sweet tooth is terrible!!! So, today, I made him a special smoothie/shake. He was going to eat a bunch of sugar cookies, and I couldn't allow that.

I took a tray of coffee cubes from my freezer and threw them in the NutriBullet. (Seriously the only thing besides my coffee pot and microwave I allow to stay on the counter, I use it all the time!!!) I then took the last two chocolate greek yogurt popsicles from the freezer and threw them in, added a banana, peanut butter, protein powder, cocoa powder, oatmeal, and almond milk. Popped the base on and blend it all up. It tasted like a thick, rich chocolate peanut butter milk shake. I could barely drink it. He LOVED it!!!  I'll have to remember this one for future episodes of Joe is starving and going to die!!!


Now, go out and move.

Neck, update

Alrighty folks. If you've been paying attention, you will remember that 3 weeks ago, tomorrow, I was sidelined by a neck injury. It sucked, it sucked big time. The doctor said at least 3 to 6 weeks for recover. I was not happy. The pain sucked.

Fast forward...Tomorrow it will be three weeks. The minimum expected recovery time. And I have to say, I may not be 100 percent, But I feel a lot better.

I am pretty sure my bosses at work have already forgotten that the injury ever happened. I mean they don't seem to be allowing me to "take it easy" anymore.

Yesterday, my one boss asked me to completely rearrange the shop...I still struggle with lifting because my arm muscles are directly connected to my spine!!! Certain positions really hurt still. But I am doing a lot better.

I watched an 18 month old last night...that meant a lot of running around and lifting her up. By the end of the night, my neck was pretty stiff and sore, but I took one muscle relaxer and went to bed. Woke up this morning feeling pretty much good as new. So, yay!!!

Speaking of taking a pill, I didn't take any prescribed medication for it last week at all!!! Super huge improvement! I'm pretty sure that at my follow up on Tuesday, he's going to release me to full duty. I can't wait, that means that the following week, I will start working out again.

And the only reason I am going to wait a week is that my work schedule next week is pretty intense and crazy. Looks like it's going to be a 60 hour work week.

Well, I'll check back in after my follow up, but things are looking better!!!

Sidelined by A Neck Injury

Good Afternoon, Everyone!!!!

I know it has been a while since I've touched bases, and for that I am very sorry. About a week and a half ago I slipped my C5/6 vertebrae in my neck. This has caused me a lot of difficulty.

How did it happen? Oh, you know, I was asleep in bed, rolled over, stretched, and pop goes the neck. Happens a lot my spinal specialist assures me. Let me be clear, I have NEVER heard of anyone slipping the discs in their neck sleeping, ever.

Treatment plan? A week of Prednisone, muscle relaxers, Ibuprofen 600, and rest.

Yep, you read that right, rest. Haha. My doctor actually suggested that I take time 3 weeks off from my jobs so that my neck can fully heal on its own. Now, I don't know about all of you, but I cannot take 3 weeks off of work and survive. My bills won't get paid, food won't get purchased, etc.

So, I am working, but that's it. No running, no yoga, nothing. It is one of the hardest things for me to do.

I am the woman that loves to move. I love to run, jump, cycle, dance, and just generally move around. Neck injuries are horrible. Everything runs through my neck!!!

If I walk too quickly at work, my neck spasms. If I turn over in my sleep, my neck spasms. If try to swallow too much, my neck spasms!!!

So, for the next few weeks, we'll be going over my, I'm sure, slow and steady recovery.

It will probably be helpful for those of you that have suffered from injuries in the past. And it'll be therapeutic for me.

Just a recap of how the last week and half have been:

-Monday, a week and a half ago, I spent the entire day in the ER getting and MRI and trying to figure out what had happened. Even through 10 mg of morphine, I was in intense pain. There was numbness and tingling on the left side of my face and my left arm. Diagnosed with bulging C5/6 discs.

-Tuesday: started my medications and went to see a spinal specialist. He said it was nothing to worry about and would resolve itself in about 3-6 weeks. Realized I always felt intoxicated, my world was spinny and I was nauseated.

-Wednesday:  I was scheduled to work at both jobs. Completed 2, of my 4, hours at the first job before having to go home from the pain. Went to my second job. Barely made it, by the end of the shift I had no feeling in the left side of my torso and face. Gave away all of the shifts for Thursday and Friday at that job.

-Thursday: Went to work, made it through 3 of the 4 hours I was scheduled to work before leaving in pain.

-Friday: Completed 6 of the 6 and a half hours I was supposed to complete!!! Yay!!!

-Saturday: Rested all day. Took my medicines as prescribed. Pain is starting to go away while at rest.

-Sunday: Worked my full shift, intense pain by the time I was done, but I made it. Went home rested the entire night.

-Monday: Back at job #2, the much more difficult job. Pretty much completed my shift, it was difficult and hurt, but did it.

-Tuesday: Rested pretty much all day. No pain with rest!!! Awesomesauce. Decided to go to the mall that night, discovered that walking actually vibrates through my neck and causes pain. Not good.

-Wednesday: Worked at both jobs. Pulling doubles sucks for my neck. Pain had been improving by the end of the night I was in tears.

-Thursday: Slept over 12 hours, every time I tried to wake up, the pain made me fall back asleep. Presumably from working at both jobs Wednesday. This sucks. I have to take it much easier. Cried all day uncontrollably from pain. Also, tried to not take any medications. Maybe there is a correlation. This was my first attempt to stop taking pain pills/muscle relaxers. I guess I'm not there yet. The shift at work was really, really difficult. Couldn't take enough pills to help. I'll have to keep a steady stream in my system again. Yuck!!!

-Friday (today): Woke up in pain, again. Immediately took my medications upon waking. I have to work tonight, and Fridays suck, they're always hard. I'm sure it will hurt.

I work at the less difficult of the two jobs this weekend. That should help my neck rest, some. My next full day off is Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll see some improvement after that.

I've been working on range of motion exercises everyday to make sure that my neck doesn't stiffen. I'm pretty much back to full range of motion, with just a small amount of pain. I guess I should be glad for some improvements.

Well, see you all in a few days. Here's hoping for improvement.

Mental Toughness

Fridays are my hardest workout day...also my second shortest workout. It is on Friday that I do my high intensity interval workout. It is only 30 minutes long, and I usually follow it up with a nice long yoga relaxation session in which I stretch all my sore muscles from the week. I then finish up with a few minutes of meditation.

I find it the most difficult to motivate myself to do this workout. I know that the long relaxation and meditation session are going to feel oh so good, but to get there, I have to do a 30 minute hard as balls, sweat dripping off my body, muscles shaking workout.

The hardest part of the whole thing? The first 10 minutes. I know that it would seem like it would be the last few intervals, but those are easy peasy piece of pie!

Those first 10 minutes are the longest of my life!!!

I do my intervals on the treadmill, because 1) it's colder than Hoth outside, 2) I can't quit my sprint without physically pushing the slow down button, and 3) I can control the speed and incline, therefore increasing it as I progress and tracking my progress easier.

While doing the first ten interval sets, I am battling my muscles that are still trying to accept that the workout is going to happen, and my mental self. I have to tell myself, over and over again, that it will be ok. That I am tougher than I think I am. That I have done this before and survived.

Then, I pass the tenth interval, and I'm all like, "woohoo!!! I just completed a third of this bad boy!!!"

After that, it's all a matter of pacing in 5 minute paces. I mean, I finished ten minutes, why not do five more. 5 minutes later, I've finished half the workout, why stop there. What, I finished 20 minutes and two-thirds of the workout, why on earth would I even think about quitting now. 25 minutes completed? Sweet 5 more minutes to go, 4 more, 3 more, 2 more, last minute.

Hell yeah!!! I am officially a bad ass!!!

Once I have completed my 30 minute HiiT workout, I feel like I could actually complete the feats that I do when I play video games. I feel like I can take on the world,

It's just getting off my couch to get there,

The hardest part of any workout is getting past yourself and starting it.

Now, get out there and get it!!!

Body Image

Sorry I missed last week. I had professional photos taken last Tuesday. Let me let you in on a not so secret. I have huge body image issues. Not matter how much a person reassures me that I look great, I feel like I am super out of shape and fat.

Getting professional photos done DID NOT HELP. I just got back the rough images yesterday. I could see each and every imperfection I had. I mean, I deliberately didn't do a ton of make up, so that they would be natural. And I didn't tan my body and glisten it up, so it would look real...but dang, it's crazy how bad I feel like I look. I, personally, feel like I am so frumpy and lumpy.

Remember, these were just the rough cuts, taken in front of a white background so that the photographer could drop different backgrounds in during post. I just felt so, I don't know...

This has been a sneak peak at those pics and into my mindset.

Fit vs Skinny

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. How many of you have seen this meme, or a version of it? And there are several different versions of it. Some better, some worse. 

It makes me so mad when I see it. It sends all the wrong messages.

 1) It is so important to eat properly. Without proper nutrition, your body can't function properly. You're setting yourself up for a poor immune system, broken bones, hair and nail issues. Not eating leads to muscle weakness, not just in your arms and legs, but all muscles, including your heart and all internal organs. This weakness can lead to death. 

By stating that "Nothing tastes as good", it implies that a person shouldn't eat. It encourages eating disorders instead of healthy eating. According to National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, up to 24 million people in America have an eating disorder. Seeing "motivational" memes like the first 5 is mentally and emotionally devastating to them. 

2) The ultimate goal shouldn't be "skinny". These memes send the message that the only goal should be thinness. Muscle mass isn't skinny. Fit isn't skinny. If you have a bony collar and shoulder, you don't have a lot of muscle tone in your shoulders and chest. 

Muscles are important for movement and support. Our muscular system actually helps us move and breathe, and digest food, and move the blood through our bodies. Muscles are necessary. Strong muscles aren't something to be ashamed of. 

Resistance training won't cause you to bulk up, It'll actually cause you to build muscle mass. Remember, muscle is denser than fat. This means that it takes up less space than fat. Muscle also burns more calories than fat. That means that if you eat right, and workout regularly, you will build muscle and tone up. This should be the ultimate goal.

It's important that we start sharing motivational memes that encourage healthy eating and exercise. We need to STOP spreading memes and pictures that are devastating to the minds of our society. 

Our society already puts so much pressure on young girls to have the "perfect body". I beg of you, please help encourage all of our friends and family members to be healthy.  Healthy is good. Healthy is strong. Healthy eats properly. No more starving, no more eating disorders. 

Just one last thought:

Eating right and actually being fit! That's what I'm talking about. A truly motivational meme!!!

Yoga...ahhhhh

I haven't been on my treadmill in almost 2 weeks. Yes, you read that right, 2 weeks. And the little cardio lover in me misses it terribly. Don't worry, I'll be back on her this Sunday. I was just taking a quick break to get my yoga instruction certification.

That's right, folks, I am officially certified to teach one on one and small group yoga. I have always done yoga after my runs to help stretch my tight and tired muscles. So, I figured why not get certified in it. I completely agree with the mind-body connections that are stressed through yoga. The centering ones thoughts and focusing on our own inner strength.

What I haven't done, is full length, one hour classes...that is until now. And holy crap, that stuff is hard!!! I sweat more while doing yoga than when I run. My muscles ached so much more after doing a yoga session than when I focused on resistance training for the day. It was mind blowing!!! I am officially hooked. This ain't your mama's yoga people. This is hard core, make you sweat and hurt yoga. It is amazing!!! I can complete a session of Insanity with barely a shaky muscle, but I struggled to complete these yoga sessions. WOW!!! I now know what I am doing on my non-running days.

But what about cardio training?

I wore my heart rate monitor while doing these classes. Not only was I sweating like crazy, but my heart rate was in the working zone pretty much the entire time! I didn't know that was possible "just stretching".  Speaking of stretching, I am so much more flexible now than I was just 2 weeks ago. This stuff works, it really works. And at the end, you relax, and reflect, on yourself and how YOU feel.

Namaste, everyone.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!! I hope that you're all having a great start to your new year. We here in my household are. 

I know that it's winter and, at least here, dangerously cold outside, but that doesn't mean that you should forgo you workout. 

Bring your workout indoors!!! I know it is really hard to stay motivated when you have to put on about a million layers just to go outside. So workout inside. If you want, you can invest in some hardcore workout dvd's that promise crazy results in as little as 30 minutes a day if you workout 6 days a week and eat only foods off the approved diet guide. 

But isn't it depressing enough that you can't go outside and enjoy life? 

I think that best way to combat the winter blues is to put on some really fun, upbeat music and have a dance party in your living room. You can follow choreographed workouts, which are a lot of fun, get some dance party/workout games for your gaming system and dance it out while trying to get a high score, or just crank that cd up and dance however feels right. All of these are great ways to burn calories and put a smile on your face. And if you're an "adult" like me that owns their own furniture, you can even add some difficulty to your dancing by dancing on the couch!!! Seriously, I do this all the time. I tend to hop on the couch and dance around, the springiness of the couch adds a lot of difficulty, imagine walking on sand, but it's still fun. After a good 20 or 30 minute dance party, you'll be dripping with sweat and smiling from ear to ear. 

Take that Winter!!!