<p>No candy here, either. Rib Eye steak and corn on the cob, grilled outside. That’s better than candy anyway. And, I have to admit, the ol’ (formerly) fat guy’s legs looked pretty good in those new Nike shorts, even if they were that “damn Yankee after a long winter” shade of pasty white. At least I don’t wear the official beach walking attire of the “damn Yankee tourist” - black socks and sandals.</p>
<p>There are actually not lots of options. That’s one mistake people make. When you work full-time, you can’t choose something as your fitness activity- much less your passion- that you can do once a week ( or less, depending on weather). I have a few options- just a few- for maintaining weight/fitness. Hot yoga is my best option. I hate that it is expensive and keeps me inside. It is the only kind of yoga that works for me and for this injury. I’ve done other yoga. UhUh. There are logistical problems, though. I can’t do it on business trips and it’s a 90 minute workout. </p>
<p>There are a lot of reasons I have run for 35 years. It fits into my life and has always been an important part of my social life. We all get injured. It all comes and goes. It just feels like there is no end in sight and the older you get, the harder it is to come back.</p>
<p>so mowc…why does the yoga have to be hot yoga? I do yoga when I travel…just get right down on the floor and do it - either strenuous poses or more relaxed meditative stuff depending on what I need. I have a yoga playlist on my ipod. Maybe turn the thermostat way up if that’s what you like… I agree that having something you can do anywhere is impt…</p>
<p>Hot yoga is a set series of poses. Always the same. No variation. None of them bother my hamstring/butt (with a few small adjustments) and it helps the injury. It also provides an intense cardio workout because of the heat (105 degrees) and the way the poses are sequenced. It’s hard to explain unless you’ve done it.<br>
I can’t do vinyasa yoga (sun salutations etc) just as I can’t do burpees with this injury. </p>
<p>Hot yoga (Bikram) isn’t just a yoga class held in a warm room. It is very specific and every Bikram studio has to meet the standards to be licensed to claim the Bikram name. Some people hate it. More and more runners are doing it. Other yoga classes can be very harmful and while I
do a lot of the postures as stretches on my own, I think a lot of people get hurt trying to do yoga DVDs without an instructor to correct improper form.</p>
<p>I compare hot yoga to the effort level of an 8-10 mile run.</p>
<p>MoWC - I hope I didn’t sound patronizing. I certainly didn’t mean it that way. Running, biking and swimming are part of who my DH is - they are not things that he happens to do - they are more than that. Along the way, he has had some injuries and sometimes he thought he would NEVER get back to running or cycling. Oh, he went to the PT, he did pilates, tried riding with towels rolled up, bought a new mattress. And finally, for some reason he got better. Who knows why. Was it the supplement? Was it the PT? He was trying so many things there was no way of knowing why or how his body healed itself. </p>
<p>I just know our bodies are capable of healing. And what seems impossible now may change. I also think Sarno has a lot of merit - and the more we are tense and anxious about an injury, the worse it gets. I have been occasionally crippled by back spasms. Back spasms that you can see, that twist my torso, and drop me to the ground. If I hadn’t read Sarno I would have been in the ER begging for a steroid or surgery. Deep breathing and time made it come around. </p>
<p>All I am saying, is keep your flashy running gear. It’s not time for you to put it on ebay (but please let me know if you do). I don’t have any answers or magic regimen - I just really think it will be ok and it will be ok sooner if you can try not to fight it. </p>
<p>I am now running for my life before you take a swing at me :)</p>
<p>yeah…my sis hurt her back big time from a yoga dvd. I have gone to classes for years so I know what I can and can’t do. That said, I clearly don’t know what hot yoga really is. Must be lots of sweat on the floor! Although some of the yoga I’ve done is quite strenuous and does get the heart rate up (and cause next day soreness). Certainly not a 10 mile run though! Maybe spinning?
Anyway, probably not a good time to be constructive about alternatives given how quickly things have turned. You have a right to be grumpy right now…</p>
<p>I didn’t plan it this way, but no Easter candy and running out of tangerines on a holiday and I had a seriously lo carb day. </p>
<p>Bacon and 3 eggs for brunch.</p>
<p>12 ounce ribeye steak and corn on the cob for dinner.</p>
<p>A couple handfuls of dry roasted peanuts (finishing off a 12 ounce jar I bought 3 weeks ago – take **that **binge-snacking monster!)</p>
<p>**1764 calories</p>
<p>69% fat
21% protein
10% carbs**</p>
<hr>
<p>for the week, I averaged:</p>
<p>**1810 calories per day</p>
<p>49% fat
23% protein
28% carbs**</p>
<p>Wip2- no problem.</p>
<p>My frustration is that I spent a year on the left side injury, have been able to run for a couple of months pain-free and now it’s back on the RIGHT! I have never had a right side injury. At least I don’t have the pinched nerve or weakness on the right. I suspect it will eventually resolve. I just don’t think I have it in me to do all the PT, all the stupid exercises and hurt every time I have to sit down.
I have a good PT. I’ll see what he says on Tuesday.</p>
<p>I’ve been through this stuff with tennis where joints can take 3 to 9 months to heal and with pain doing everyday things. It stinks but you look for other things that can safely be done. Hopefully this goes away with time, rest, or training.</p>
<p>I did six minutes of a power stretching video this morning. It was actually quite tiring - I think that it’s a combination of pilates and yoga and a little stretching. Looks to be a good video and I’ll try to do more of it in the future. Actually more of it later today. It’s nice because it appears that there are no exercises that are jarring to the joints.</p>
<p>3 sets of 3 reps each hang clean with 145 pounds.</p>
<p>Tabata Something Else:</p>
<p>Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.</p>
<p>Average heart rate: 152 BPM and max of 173 BPM.</p>
<p>Then I rode the stationary bike for 15 minutes…</p>
<p>hops:</p>
<p>You are an animal. I could maybe do the first eight intervals. 10 seconds between sets is not enough for me.</p>
<p>Ran two miles at the Y. I wanted to keep it light as I picked up the pace yesterday and a few things were sore that aren’t usually sore. So I went a mile on the treadmill and it was oppressively hot. There were a huge number of people there (reminder: don’t go to the YMCA at 6:00 PM). I decided to go out on the track as the temperature in the indoor track is the same as the outside temperature (54 degrees). It felt wonderful and I could watch the hockey and basketball players and peek in on the tennis players. It made me start thinking about doing sprints on the track. Maybe later this summer. The thing about the track is the turns and they can put a bit of stress on the knees so it takes a bit of getting used to.</p>
<p>New Rules of Lifting for Abs today. Stuck with my new plan of four sets each of the two strength portion supersets. Cranked up the weights a little here and there, like going up to two 35lb DBs for the bench press (supported only by head and shoulders on the stability ball.</p>
<p>Rear foot elevated split squats are still killing me. I’d like to bump the weight up (I’m stuck at 40 lbs), but I’m just not feeling that strong with the current weight. Single leg deadlift felt great. I’m up to 45 pounds on that one. I also bumped up to 45 pounds on the plank position single arm row (one hand on bench, legs out in plank position). This might be the best exercise for the love handles in the world!</p>
<p>Loved the med ball overhead slams. Really getting the hang of working the abs and core hard on that.</p>
<p>Substituted TRX plank and side plank for the turkish getup again. That gets the abs burning, too.</p>
<p>All in all, a good solid “punch the clock” workout. Probably have to force a day off tomorrow since today was six days in a row of hard exercise – my self-imposed limit.</p>
<p>On second thought, I think the clock punched me. My glutes stiffened up and I can barely get up and down the steps. Might have been those single leg deadlifts.</p>
<p>BF and I weighed in today - I’m still hanging around my 119-120 mark and he lost 5 lbs… which he was pretty excited about. This time of the year he goes golfing once a week and plays tennis after work, so it’s pretty easy to lose a couple.</p>
<p>Thanks to those who suggested L. L. Bean - I have occasionally bought boots from them but didn’t think about them for pants. But today I received in the mail two pairs of pants, one a size smaller than my current safety-pinned ones (which are even a little loose) and one two sizes smaller (which are not loose and may be going back - I don’t know that I am the kind of person who does thermometer clothes well). I haven’t decided whether I should donate and replace the too-big skirts or have them altered.</p>
<p>I thought I would also mention that L. L. Bean is now offering free shipping, I think permanently.</p>
<p>Glad the LLBean pants worked out. Places like that are a good source for basic staples for us “middle aged” folk!</p>
<p>I don’t buy pants there just because I’m fortunate to be able to find most of men’s staples for half the price at Marshall’s, but their stuff is consistently high quality. I have a closet full of t-shirts from LLBEAN and Land End – both brands run circles around the cotton t-shirts in the stores, even stuff like the Nike branded cotton t’s.</p>
<p>I’ve given up on alterations, unless it is a very expensive piece of clothing. Most of the popular men’s pants now come pre-hemmed in various lengths, so I can find exactly my size off the rack. A brand new pair of men’s pants (cotton or synthetic) is cheaper at Marshall’s than the cost of getting a pair of pants hemmed at my local tailor. So for me, the alternations don’t make much sense.</p>
<hr>
<p>The way to do thermometer pants is to leave all the tags on, so you can return it if you don’t get there. That way, it doesn’t cost anything to have a pair in the closet. It really is a terrific motivation to try them on every few weeks and see them start to fit.</p>
<p>Missed you all! Have been crazy busy around here. Had to nurse my knee over the long weekend but did manage to get some walking in. No candy here either over the Easter weekend. Family had filets and shrimp on the grill, green beans and salad. Dessert was chocolate dipped strawberries and I allowed myself just one. Yum! Got lots of compliments on my Easter dress so that will motivate me to stick with this new lifestyle! ;)</p>
<p>MOWC…oh,no! So sorry to read about your setback. I know you can figure this out! I have confidence in your mental toughness and competitive spirit. Make sure to post what your PT has to say. Sending {{{HUGS}}} and prayers for healing!</p>
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<p>That sounds like a pretty darn good holiday weekend of nutrition. I think a chocolate-dipped strawberry would be on just about anybody’s approved “splurge” list! Filet and shrimp on the grill with green beans is about as “healthy” as it gets.</p>
<p>You’ve worked hard to get those compliments on the new Easter dress. Enjoy them! I bet you look fantastic.</p>
<p>I’m moving the fiber discussion over here.</p>
<p>I picked up a loaf of Trader Joe’s Low Calorie Fiber Wheat Bread. 11 g carbs, 5 g fiber, I think three g protein, 0 g fat, 1 g sugars. 40 Calories per slice. That’s a lot of fiber per calorie. My TJs didn’t have the nonflour nut bread. I suspect that the nut bread is made of nut flour. The fat content alone is a dead giveaway.</p>
<p>Ran 4 miles today. Down a pound from last week, right on schedule.</p>
<p>I can’t believe how easy this is compared to what I was doing.</p>
<p>Chomping down a salad right now. I’m going to make a turkey sandwich later tonight with the new bread. I’ve only had 300 calories today until I got home at 8:00 PM.</p>