This past year and a half has been extremely challenging for me in the health department. I have been dealing with extreme SI Joint pain and have been unable to exercise at all. The only way to describe the pain is like there is broken glass in between my joint. I have spent hours and hours looking for relief and stretching. NEVER again will I take the ability to go for a walk, play frisbee, jog, bike, hike or any other form of physical exercise for granted. I am a healthy, formerly active, mostly positive twenty seven year old woman with a chronic issue in my back!
In case you're curious where the SI Joint is:
Luckily these past five months, I have been seeing an amazing Tui Na (tway-nah) therapist in Portland who is making leaps and bounds with my treatment! Although his therapy often feels like torture, I am thrilled to make the hour drive to Portland every week to see him. After about 180 appointments (chiropractors, physical therapy, accupuncture, cranio-sacral, graston work (also torture), etc.) which helped a little, 3 x-rays and two MRI’s (also know as a freaky microwave tube that allow aliens to do experiments on you while you try not to hyperventilate) and one close encounter with a very rude Orthopedic Surgeon, I am hopeful and on the mend. Slowly but surely.
So with my healing in mind I am setting out my Summer workout goals.
The Stats:
Current Height: 5’7” (unless I plan on taking growth hormones this is pretty much it for me in the department)
Current Weight: 124 lbs.
Current Fitness Routine: Occasion walks.
The Goals:
I don't really have any major goals. I simply want to feel strong and healthy for a change!
To Do:
-Buy a scale. I am a former hater of scales. But, when you work hard and eat healthy I feel I ought to check in once a week. Motivationally speaking I think a scale might be a good plan.
-Buy a full length mirror. My husband loves me too much to see what my bum really looks like.
For example:
Me: “Hey honey, should I not be wearing these leggings?”
Kyle: “You have a cute butt.”
Me: “Would you tell me if I shouldn’t be wearing them?”
Kyle: “Yes I would tell you if your bum looked like two hams...not Honeybaked, just regular hams.”
Me: “Oh my God.”
Kyle: “It doesn’t look like that, but I’d tell you if it did.”
Much easier to look in the mirror and skip the husband bum/ham interpretation.
The Plan:
Walk 2-4 miles (5x per week)
Tracy Anderson Mat Workout (3-5x per week)...right now I can only do certain parts of this hour-or-so long mat workout. Eventually I will get to add the Tracy Anderson Dance Cardio DVD back in too.
If you’re not familiar with Tracy Anderson let me tell ya...this trainer will kick your butt via DVD! Having done gymnastics and dance for years, it’s been really hard for me to find an inexpensive workout that I can do conveniently (at home) that is challenging and entertaining. When I came across this trainer a couple years ago I was so excited because it has everything I was looking for.
Here’s video from Oprah about her exercise method:
...and her website...
http://action.tracyandersonmethod.com/
I've also put her videos on my list of favorite things on the right. I've bought all mine via Amazon so that's an easy way to access them. She does have some new videos that I haven't tried, but the ones I put on my list are the two I have and love!