Staying Positive When The Going Gets Tough......

It seems that this past 2 years have been a challenging and depressing time for me, both health and fitness wise. If I'm not ill, I'm injured. I'll go a few weeks and start gaining fitness only for another obstacle to jump up in my field of vision! As a result, I've gained weight and feel terrible :(

So how do I continue when I have to put up with these obstacles? With great difficulty, let me tell you. Finding a goal and sticking with it is particularly hard during these times. I always start off so well, Gung Ho, enjoying every moment then BAM! I'm back at square one. I often think "I'm not getting any younger" (42 years of wear and tear thank you very much) but then I think "That's just a BULLSHIT excuse!" I might have a bit of a sook (and I often do, I'm a very emotional person) But I tend to pick myself up and find another way around that nasty obstacle!

Maybe I can't go to the gym because of an injured back, maybe I can't run because I have sore knees, maybe I can't do those pushups because of a previous wrist injury. Whatever... I will always find ways to improvise.

I had plans to take part in the Eureka Stair Climb this year, sadly with my sore back that's not likely. Instead I have decided to volunteer on the day. It's not something I've ever done before, I'm usually that person who is taking part. So this will be the first time I've actually volunteered at an event and I am really looking forward to it! I figure if I enjoy it I'll do more of it (only if I'm not able to take part of course!)

One thing I do have to look forward to is moving house. Not the moving part of course. My fella and I will be moving into a bigger apartment in the same building. (No removalists, up and down the lift, so much easier) The new apartment has a massive terrace. I'm already planning how to use the space. Besides building a small herb and vege garden, I plan to utilise the space for jumping rope, short sprints, etc. As well as enjoying being outdoors and getting more air time than I do in our current apartment.

I'm also trying to convince him that we NEED a BBQ!

How To Alleviate Back Pain

Wouldn't you know it? Once again I find myself in a dilemma. Just over a week ago I hurt my back. In the past I have always gone to Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Doctors and even Massage Therapists to alleviate the pain. NO MORE I say! It proves to be far to expensive (an expense I can ill afford) and depletes my Private Hospital entitlements!

I have suffered from lower back pain for many years. One Doctor suggested I had a Herniated Disc, others suggested Piriformis Syndrome which in turn causes Sciatica pain. So I have been treated for all. The pain can be incredible at times, from sharp pains to nagging pain in the buttock and leg. It can be experienced as leg numbness, tingling like pins and needles or sharp pains when sitting or standing in one spot for too long (generally 30 seconds or more), it's basically a constant pain on one side.  It doesn't even subside when trying to sleep! Annoying!

Anyway, instead of going to the Docs or Physio I decided to to try a combination of exercises to see if I can gain any relief or improvement. So far so good! But if the pain persists in another week (it's improved in this past week already) I will definitely seek an expert opinion.

Meanwhile these are the exercises I have found to provide me with some relief:

- Lots of walking. I've been making a conscious point of exceeding my 10,000 steps per day when I can. Sadly I can't run without pain at the moment or go to the gym, so I've been enjoying the nice weather and walking to the beach, around the Botanic Gardens and along the Yarra.....

- Hamstring Stretches. I only do these when laying on my back. This means my back is supported and I'm not doing any further damage by twisting. I must say, I've noticed how tight my hammies became when I hurt my back!

- Prone Back Extension. Laying on your stomach and propped up on your elbows. Slowly straighten the elbows to feel a nice stretch. This one is a favourite of mine, having done it since my gymnastic days. And it feels sooo good!

- Lying Piriformis Stretch. Another one that feels really good, stretching out the buttocks. Laying on your back, rest the right ankle across the left knee. Slowly pull the left leg towards yourself holding for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. This one is a great stretch for the Piriformis and Gluteal muscles.

Anyway, so far so good. The pain is still there but has been downgraded to a dull ache. Mind you, I am so much better after a few days away from the work computer (now I need to find a way to avoid my home computer!)

How Do You Beat Your Cravings?

Well, I am finally back into the rhythm of working out and exercising almost daily. The only obstacle I have now is FOOD!

My eating habits leave a lot to be desired. They were pretty good until I fell ill. During my illness I basically ate anything I could tolerate, and most of the time it was comfort food, not clean eating as I had been doing. Needless to say, the other week whilst being weighed at the Blood Bank I discovered I had put on 5 KILO'S!!! Not happy!

Now I have the problem where I am constantly craving bad foods. My fella and I do like to go out for dinner a couple of times a week, that's our time for us (Date night so to speak) so I try to be somewhat sensible on those days. But the remainder of the week is so hard!

I'm a shift worker, so eating at regular intervals when on night shift is not something I usually think too hard about. I am in the habit of taking healthy meals and snacks to work, but they often get left in the lunch box in favour of all the naughty snacks my workmates bring in! And, let me tell you, at 4 am I am NOT craving healthy foods!

So, what do you do to beat cravings? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sandbag Workouts

I've recently discovered Sandbag workouts. To be honest, these workouts are the kind of thing I was doing when still living with my parents. I was busily lugging around bags of chaff and hay bales (my folks own a horse farm) and damn, let me tell you, that is a great workout all on its own. Sandbags are a similar concept......... They have a very uneven distribution of weight.....

My nearest beach is Port Melbourne, but I plan to head down to Sandringham/Black Rock where the sand is a tad cleaner than Port Melbourne/St Kilda. I will take a sieve and get me some sand, package it up in some plastic zip lock bags (double bagged of course) duck/duct tape the bags and use them in a bag bought from Aussie Disposals. That's the plan at least!

I'll use these bags for my workouts, a combination of stair running (I live in a rather tall apartment building, I plan to use the emergency stairwell) , squats, lunges etc......

I'll let you know how it all goes!

:)

How Much Water Is Enough?

I'm a big water drinker. I don't drink soda's (Coke, Sprite etc) unless it's as a mixer with Vodka (which I probably drink too much of as it is..... call me crazy, but I love to have my vodka on hand at the end of a hard working week). Generally I drink Water, Coffee and Peppermint Tea and that's about it!

But how much water is enough? Some report 2 litres, some say 3 litres. I know that it is possible to drink too much water. Drinking too much water can cause a condition known as Hyponatremia. This is an extremely dangerous condition. Basically, too much water can alter your Salt balances.

If water is accumulated in the body at a higher instance than it can be excreted, Hyponatremia can occur. Generally you will find athletes who consume too much fluids during an event can be affected by this. (ie marathon runners)

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and headaches. Also fatigue, muscle weakness, cramps and most seriously, coma.

So how much water is too much? The medical field recommends 2 - 2.5 litres per day. I used to drink 3 - 3.5 litres per day until my doctor suggested I ease off! I now aim for 2 - 2.5 litres per day.

And another thing. There is really no need to buy bottled water. Australia has the cleanest water in the world. Fill a reusable bottle straight from the tap! And don't use a plastic bottle you've used in the past. Buy a reusable bottle that can be washed properly with hot water.

I remember as a kid, we used to drink water straight from the garden taps! Do people even do that anymore or have we become paranoid of poisoning etc? Personally, I probably wouldn't help myself to a neighbours tap water anymore, I would rather carry my own bottle or look for a drinking fountain. But sometimes it's a necessity when on a long run etc. Nobody wants to carry a bottle of water out on a long run.

Water is also what I reach for before a snack. Often I find when I feel hungry, I am actually thirsty! A glass of the clean stuff can curb the nasty junk food cravings!

So, I say, go the H2O. It has to be better than that other "Crap" out there!

Learning To Improvise When Injured

There is nothing worse that injury to put a spanner in the works of your workout regime. I've been suffering with a dodgy wrist for months now, so I have had to learn to improvise quite a few exercises.

I broke my wrist quite severely when I was a teen and I've had problems with it off and on over the years. Sadly, my job means I am on a computer and joystick much of my 12 hour shift. I have re-learned how to use a mouse with my left hand, but after a 12 hour shift, my wrist still feels so achy and sore, it's frustrating!

Push Ups are absolute agony at times. Putting my wrist in the Push Up position and then putting weight on it really HURTS. I had to buy Push Up handles. But they do the trick.

Basically anything that involves bending my wrist is agonising. Any other exercise seems fine! Kettlebells, weights etc are fine, thankfully. But, damn I miss doing real Push Ups :(

Eventually I will get around to having my wrist looked at, meanwhile I will persevere!

My Workouts This Week

So, I managed 7 days straight of workouts, not bad for someone as unfit as I am.










Todays workout was as follows:

100 x Skips
5 x Step Ups with 20kg Weight (Left Leg)
100 x Skips
5 x Step Ups with 20kg Weight (Right Leg)
100 x Skips
5 x Pull Ups (Assisted)
100 x Skips
5 x Pull Ups (Assisted)
100 x Skips
10 x Lunges with Kick Up (Left Leg)
100 x Skips
10 Lunges with Kick Up (Right Leg)
100 x Skips
5 x Chin Ups
100 x Skips
5 x Chin Ups
100 x Skips
10 x Crunches
100 x Skips

Total of 1000 Skips (exhausted)
15 - 20 minutes of Weights/Body Weight routine

This is just an example of my workout routine for seven days straight. I had one day off and today is day two of my second week. Skipping is my cardio and I like to skip between sets to keep my heart rate up. This is also why I don't do heavy weights as I would be too exhausted! Needless to say, the Skipping Rope does slap me hard when I get fatigued!

I've still got a long way to go to rid myself of the ugly belly fat I accumulated when ill.

:)