I know that I am blessed to be able to move and exercise and work out. Let me start with that! I am blessed to only have a 2 or 3 (OK, maybe 4!) injuries that I need to work around. I fully acknowledge that it could be so much worse. It’s why I choose to keep exercising and moving, even when my body hurts.
There are SO many types of movement – it seems there’s always something we can do, even when we hurt or are working through an injury. Movement is an ingredient for health… NOT just something to do to lose weight, drop some sizes, or something we do only when we feel like it. Our brains (and therefore pretty much everything about us) are ‘fueled up’ by motion. Motion is like a switch that turns on our optimal brain function – learning, repair, healing, mood regulation, memory, immune function, a sense of well being, and so on.
I won’t exercise INTO pain, mind you. If a certain movement pattern clearly increases the pain, that’s the time to: 1) check technique/load/intensity/rhythm, etc., or 2) change the exercise all together, or 3) lay off that particular body part, if it’s really bad and just needs some rest (more rest than the usual “rest days” already built into your formal work out routine).
I don’t like to *not* move, though, whenever possible. Movement, and the proprioception it generates, are critical components of healing and pain reduction. Long gone is that outdated advice of “bed rest” when we’re injured! I’ll always try to find a way to exercise ‘around’ an injury. My brain is counting on me to keep moving!
Right now, I’m working around and through an Achilles tendon ‘situation’, a hamstrings ‘issue’, low back pain that flares up every few days this summer, and my old shoulder and elbow injuries.
I sound broken!
I’m not. I’m grateful for my body and all the signals it gives me. I love putting the pieces together and figuring out what’s causing what… and how to ‘fix’ things. I know what’s causing the first 3 injuries on that list. I’ve changed the intensity of my work outs this spring and summer… I’ve added new, more challenging ‘moves’… I’ve incorporated a couple more challenging locations for my sprints… and I’ve pushed myself harder overall.
Oh, and, this has been a much more stressful late spring/summer – definitely feeling the effects of too many demands (most of them placed on me BY me!). That leads to sleep issues, too. Stress hormones galore – leading to inflammation and greater perception of pain. Sheesh! It’s no mystery! Sooner or later, our bodies just stick their tongues out at us and say, “Blech!! This doesn’t work for me. I’ll show YOU who’s boss!!”
Now, I’m just working with my body to find the balance – figuring out how to maintain intensity, variety, consistency AND allow the healing and repair that’s necessary.
Monday:
‘Twas a cardio-type of a day. I’m still laying off longer runs as I figure out my body, so I headed out for a bike ride. It was a such a perfect day for a ride! Gorgeous! I chose a very hilly rural route – did lots of uphill full-out sprints and lots of downhills filled with “holy cow’s I’m gonna’ wipe out”! Fun, hard ride. It was just about 12 miles and somewhere around 45 minutes… not too sure when I’m on the bike.
Tuesday:
Quick resistance training day. (Being careful of hamstrings/glutes issue… entering into lower body moves with caution and trepidation… waiting for feedback from muscles and tendons!) Basically, I’m sticking with the ‘moves’ that don’t hurt, and just doing more of them and/or more variations of them.
100 alternating lunges with a twist onto Bosu ball, holding medicine ball
22 alternating side-to-side push-ups with a “pop up” over the Bosu ball
15 one-legged side squats (on each leg) with 2 x 35 lbs. dumbbells on shoulders and one foot up on chair
12 “chest up” chin-ups (really, by the 11th one, they were pretty much looking like regular chin-ups!)
15 dead lifts on balance disc with 2 x 35 lbs. db’s
24 of the same side-to-side pop up push-ups
15 swings with 35 lbs. db
16 regular chin-ups
15 swings with 35 lbs. db
Total time: 15 minutes.
Then… at the kids’ track practice, I did 200 uphill walking lunges, then walked 1.5 miles.
Quads and glutes feel ‘tight’ today from all the lunges on the hill most likely… but NO “pain”.
Wednesdays are usually a running or sprinting day. I definitely won’t do a long run yet. I might do the sprints or, maybe I’ll just swim today to lay off the pounding on my body. Either way, there will be movement!
For a better understanding of the importance of exercise in our overall health AND in our efforts to create an optimal body composition for life, check out “The 7 Essential Keys to Shedding Toxic Fat & Unwanted Pounds”. It will forever change the way you think about your “weight” and your outward appearance!
