Life and the universe is getting in the way of my exercise routine this week! I haven't been since Monday, mostly because of work. I'm rather used to my daytime being my own.
I'm very tired, and very tense, and I feel like a workout would help a lot. But no time, ho hum. Because I've been at work and I'm finding it mentally taxing, I've been drinking tea and eating rubbish and I feel worse for it. My own fault but I'm not bothering for the moment.
In place of my yawn-inducing gym diary, here is another update on The Boy :)
Yesterday he had his second round of mesotherapy and steroids into his SI. They decided not to medicate the spaces in his vertebrae this time, because steroids always pose a risk of laminitis and they didn't feel he needed another dose. So that's pretty good that he's needed less drugs this time around. He also had another dose of Tildren.
Everyone at the practice adores him from what I'm told, they love his cheeky personality and think he's a little star. I think he'll be missed. At the weekend, when it's quiet, he has free roam of the enclosed yard, and tries to help make up feeds for the other patients *lol* I'm very lucky to have a great friend in the area who visited him today, so he got some carrots and some kisses.
There's already talk of a ridden physio programme. I am happy to keep working him in-hand until he's a lot stronger but I'm thrilled that he's come so far so quickly.
6 sleeps until he is home. It's ironic that I'm now in the office, I could really have used the time off to make all the phone-calls and do all the shopping I need to. And it's hard to concentrate on what I'm supposed to be doing, when all I can think about is playing ponies!
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Monday, 27 April 2009
Busy busy
I am earning a crust in the office this week, so I got to the gym at around 6pm.
It's so different at this time of day, I managed to nab myself the one free treadmill. Every other machine was occupied! I forgot my headphones so was without my own tunes. It wasn't so bad, I just watched The Simpsons without sound *lol*
The gradient on the treadmill was ramped up to it's maximum, and I power-walked solidly for a half hour. Concentrating all the time on lengthening my stride and trying to maintain posture. I did catch myself in the mirror a few times and saw my bottom trailing behind the rest of me, rather in the fashion of farmyard poultry! But I tried :) I didn't feel too tired by the end and to be honest could easily have walked for longer, but the weights machines were free so I had to grab my chance! So I'm really pleased with how well my puff is improving.
Upper body weights this evening, I was feeling smug that I am now able to lift slightly heavier weights. The improved tone in my arms also means that movements are more smooth and fluid, I don't have to throw my weight behind what I'm doing. I can start to rely on the strength I'm developing. I didn't get to complete my session as one of the machines I needed was busy with people chatting and using it, so I gave that a miss. I also couldn't warm down because the mats were full!
I wish the gym wasn't at the opposite end of town from my office! I could go early in the morning...I don't mind going in the evening but it is a little frustrating when I can't complete my session, especially when I was so full of enthusiasm and drive. I hope at least I don't lose that....
It's so different at this time of day, I managed to nab myself the one free treadmill. Every other machine was occupied! I forgot my headphones so was without my own tunes. It wasn't so bad, I just watched The Simpsons without sound *lol*
The gradient on the treadmill was ramped up to it's maximum, and I power-walked solidly for a half hour. Concentrating all the time on lengthening my stride and trying to maintain posture. I did catch myself in the mirror a few times and saw my bottom trailing behind the rest of me, rather in the fashion of farmyard poultry! But I tried :) I didn't feel too tired by the end and to be honest could easily have walked for longer, but the weights machines were free so I had to grab my chance! So I'm really pleased with how well my puff is improving.
Upper body weights this evening, I was feeling smug that I am now able to lift slightly heavier weights. The improved tone in my arms also means that movements are more smooth and fluid, I don't have to throw my weight behind what I'm doing. I can start to rely on the strength I'm developing. I didn't get to complete my session as one of the machines I needed was busy with people chatting and using it, so I gave that a miss. I also couldn't warm down because the mats were full!
I wish the gym wasn't at the opposite end of town from my office! I could go early in the morning...I don't mind going in the evening but it is a little frustrating when I can't complete my session, especially when I was so full of enthusiasm and drive. I hope at least I don't lose that....
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Lazy Sunday
Rest day today because yesterday's session has left me aching!
It was my mini-triathalon day. 15 minutes of rowing, 15 minutes of cycling and 15 minutes of running. Rowing was ok, although I seemed to be rocking on one seatbone so I finished quite sore. Only one seatbone, the right one...wonder why I'm sitting oddly?
Anyway, cycling went as well as ever. I pushed hard and sprinted, my face purple by the end. But I felt ready to run. Sadly only two minutes in and I got pains in my chest. I am of the opinion that my cleavage is too big for this running lark, coupled with my lofty gait I think it's hurting my chest? I don't think I'm built to jog so I will continue to walk for now. My heart rate doesn't change whether I walk or run, I just don't cover as much ground. Although, my hip flexors are still are tight as a drum so for now we shuffle...
The remainder of my session was upper body training. It gets easier with each attempt :) It was mostly using the machines, my arms tremble towards the end, it must look so silly but that's really how lacking in substance my upper body is! I did have some free weight work to do too. And more abdominal crunches!
Lovely day off today, and back into it again tomorrow
It was my mini-triathalon day. 15 minutes of rowing, 15 minutes of cycling and 15 minutes of running. Rowing was ok, although I seemed to be rocking on one seatbone so I finished quite sore. Only one seatbone, the right one...wonder why I'm sitting oddly?
Anyway, cycling went as well as ever. I pushed hard and sprinted, my face purple by the end. But I felt ready to run. Sadly only two minutes in and I got pains in my chest. I am of the opinion that my cleavage is too big for this running lark, coupled with my lofty gait I think it's hurting my chest? I don't think I'm built to jog so I will continue to walk for now. My heart rate doesn't change whether I walk or run, I just don't cover as much ground. Although, my hip flexors are still are tight as a drum so for now we shuffle...
The remainder of my session was upper body training. It gets easier with each attempt :) It was mostly using the machines, my arms tremble towards the end, it must look so silly but that's really how lacking in substance my upper body is! I did have some free weight work to do too. And more abdominal crunches!
Lovely day off today, and back into it again tomorrow
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Quadi update
Since I'm having a rest day (from the gym anyway!), here is the latest on the patient:
All signs are good. The physiotherapist checked him earlier this week and he is not reacting to palpation of any previous sites of pain. This made me very happy to hear. He is coming along nicely in the Pessoa. Tries to evade a little bit to start but once he's working correctly he sticks with it. It will take a while to increase strength in his abdominals and his back so hopefully this need to evade will decrease with every session, and disappear altogether over time. I'm sure a lot of it is also muscle memory, and developing trust in us that what we are asking will no longer hurt like it has previously.
He is wearing heart bar shoes behind, and has plastic resin wedges along to the heel. In addition to this, he has a sort of putty filler along the sole which is intended to increase the weight bearing surface of the foot. He was taking a lot of weight around his heels, and this needs to change. Hopefully this current, short term set-up removes the pressure on his lumbar region and his stifles. If I'm honest his feet are the part that worry me more than his body. I don't think I'll truly unclench until he's out of the heart bars! I don't like heart bars at all...
The great news regarding shoeing is that he can be safely turned out this way, with boots and supervision. So he can get out and get moving once he's here :)
It's very important for me to remember that he will never be cured. I suppose you could compare this to something like laminitis or ulcers, in that you can never get complacent and it's a lifetime management issue. He used to get physio with me every six months, just for a check-up. It will have to be more frequently now, but the hope is that if he reaches a healthy plateau we can gradually increase the space between check-ups.
Likewise, I must pay constant attention to his reactions to touch. Any changes in behaviour, or resentment towards grooming, being handled, mounting, riding are symptoms. Not that I ever think of horses as naughty, behaviour like this is communication of a problem. If he does show signs like this, it's best to be safe than sorry and nip any backward steps in the bud. It's going to take a long time to get him sound and keep him sound, and it wouldn't be difficult to undo all that good work.
He is due to receive his second round of mesotherapy before he comes home. Which is in less than two weeks. And I'm still not sure I'll see his lovely face before I leave!
All signs are good. The physiotherapist checked him earlier this week and he is not reacting to palpation of any previous sites of pain. This made me very happy to hear. He is coming along nicely in the Pessoa. Tries to evade a little bit to start but once he's working correctly he sticks with it. It will take a while to increase strength in his abdominals and his back so hopefully this need to evade will decrease with every session, and disappear altogether over time. I'm sure a lot of it is also muscle memory, and developing trust in us that what we are asking will no longer hurt like it has previously.
He is wearing heart bar shoes behind, and has plastic resin wedges along to the heel. In addition to this, he has a sort of putty filler along the sole which is intended to increase the weight bearing surface of the foot. He was taking a lot of weight around his heels, and this needs to change. Hopefully this current, short term set-up removes the pressure on his lumbar region and his stifles. If I'm honest his feet are the part that worry me more than his body. I don't think I'll truly unclench until he's out of the heart bars! I don't like heart bars at all...
The great news regarding shoeing is that he can be safely turned out this way, with boots and supervision. So he can get out and get moving once he's here :)
It's very important for me to remember that he will never be cured. I suppose you could compare this to something like laminitis or ulcers, in that you can never get complacent and it's a lifetime management issue. He used to get physio with me every six months, just for a check-up. It will have to be more frequently now, but the hope is that if he reaches a healthy plateau we can gradually increase the space between check-ups.
Likewise, I must pay constant attention to his reactions to touch. Any changes in behaviour, or resentment towards grooming, being handled, mounting, riding are symptoms. Not that I ever think of horses as naughty, behaviour like this is communication of a problem. If he does show signs like this, it's best to be safe than sorry and nip any backward steps in the bud. It's going to take a long time to get him sound and keep him sound, and it wouldn't be difficult to undo all that good work.
He is due to receive his second round of mesotherapy before he comes home. Which is in less than two weeks. And I'm still not sure I'll see his lovely face before I leave!
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Top of the class
That's me!
I toddled off to the gym mid-morning, lady of leisure me. Confession time: it was such a thought to do today's work. Day 2 on my programme is cycling and leg work. Or Torture Of The Lower Limb...
Here's the good bit. My cycling training, when I adhere to the script, is interval training. So, 5 minutes on a high resistance setting, followed by 2.5 minutes on a low setting, and so on. I did this today, and I pushed hard. After 30 minutes though, the only reason I had to stop was because I had run out of water :) I felt I had more in my legs but I was so thirsty I didn't want to make myself ill. So I guess I'm progressing quite quickly. My legs have always been muscly, they're just hidden under cellulite these days :o
What is niggling me though...I was paying attention to my the movement of my legs. The right knee, the one I hammered off a tree at a fast clip years ago (on a horse of course!), bends in, so it's not running true. And I feel like I put more weight down my left side. I tried so very hard to keep my leg straight. It hurt a bit, I guess that's the out-of-place muscles voicing their objections to being worked in a different way. Not sure how to change how I sit, that's part of the bigger picture. It's a little overwhelming right now to address the squintness...head is firmly buried in the sand at this point!
I followed the cycling with my lower body training. Calf extensions, they burned. Weighed lunges, they burned too. Actually, they really hurt my hip flexors. Only for a while after, they're not sore now. I can't be surprised, I spend every waking day sitting down...I tackled my leg raises one limb at a time. Lifting both together is impossible as I have zero core strength, I sort of end up half sitting up and half lifting my legs instead!
Oh, I mustn't forget. 120 sit-ups! Forty straight up, and forty working each side of my obliques. My tummy muscles were scorching by the time I'd finished, I felt sickly. But I pushed. I do think perhaps I ought to do my sit-ups prior to to any cardio. Cardio makes me so thirsty I consume a lot of water. So when sit-up time came, every time I engaged my tummy, there were sloshing and bubbling noises. Somewhat embarrassing *lol*
My knees and back are sore tonight. I am undecided between this being a necessary evil to break the bad habits of my posture, and warning signs that I am doing something wrong. I do wonder if I should take ibuprofen and push through, or...well, I don't know what else I can do?
But in summary I am quietly pleased with myself today, just that I found my motivation and I gave today my greatest effort. I felt great for it. I enjoy the exercise for what it is, I'm not worrying too much about what I'm working towards :)
I toddled off to the gym mid-morning, lady of leisure me. Confession time: it was such a thought to do today's work. Day 2 on my programme is cycling and leg work. Or Torture Of The Lower Limb...
Here's the good bit. My cycling training, when I adhere to the script, is interval training. So, 5 minutes on a high resistance setting, followed by 2.5 minutes on a low setting, and so on. I did this today, and I pushed hard. After 30 minutes though, the only reason I had to stop was because I had run out of water :) I felt I had more in my legs but I was so thirsty I didn't want to make myself ill. So I guess I'm progressing quite quickly. My legs have always been muscly, they're just hidden under cellulite these days :o
What is niggling me though...I was paying attention to my the movement of my legs. The right knee, the one I hammered off a tree at a fast clip years ago (on a horse of course!), bends in, so it's not running true. And I feel like I put more weight down my left side. I tried so very hard to keep my leg straight. It hurt a bit, I guess that's the out-of-place muscles voicing their objections to being worked in a different way. Not sure how to change how I sit, that's part of the bigger picture. It's a little overwhelming right now to address the squintness...head is firmly buried in the sand at this point!
I followed the cycling with my lower body training. Calf extensions, they burned. Weighed lunges, they burned too. Actually, they really hurt my hip flexors. Only for a while after, they're not sore now. I can't be surprised, I spend every waking day sitting down...I tackled my leg raises one limb at a time. Lifting both together is impossible as I have zero core strength, I sort of end up half sitting up and half lifting my legs instead!
Oh, I mustn't forget. 120 sit-ups! Forty straight up, and forty working each side of my obliques. My tummy muscles were scorching by the time I'd finished, I felt sickly. But I pushed. I do think perhaps I ought to do my sit-ups prior to to any cardio. Cardio makes me so thirsty I consume a lot of water. So when sit-up time came, every time I engaged my tummy, there were sloshing and bubbling noises. Somewhat embarrassing *lol*
My knees and back are sore tonight. I am undecided between this being a necessary evil to break the bad habits of my posture, and warning signs that I am doing something wrong. I do wonder if I should take ibuprofen and push through, or...well, I don't know what else I can do?
But in summary I am quietly pleased with myself today, just that I found my motivation and I gave today my greatest effort. I felt great for it. I enjoy the exercise for what it is, I'm not worrying too much about what I'm working towards :)
Monday, 20 April 2009
Knuckling down
Oof!
Of course I haven't lifted a finger since my last blog. Terrible. Today I decided I would jump back into my training programme with alacrity. Both my big feet first of course!
Day One is power walks on the treadmill and upper body. What in fact happened was I got a stitch after only fifteen minutes, what a poor specimen I am! Cardio was hastily completed on the bike, sitting down seemed much easier!
The weight work was hard, and I can see, whilst using the free weights, how my arms are developing differently. There is a school of thought that limbs should be worked individually but I worry I'll strain my back if I do that. Perhaps this advice only pertains to lower body? I still haven't bought a shoulder brace and am unlikely to what with Quadi coming home. I've been very busy buying grooming kits and things instead...*g*
I also feel like my muscles are holding themselves into knots in my back, I can feel that when I use the free weights too. Not sure what the answer is there, will have to ponder that problem some more...
My mission for tomorrow is to phone around the vets up here and see which ones will be best to continue his treatment, and also which one uses the farrier(s) I like to complete his remedial shoeing work. And to find out how The Boy Himself is getting on, last report was that he is being a star :D
Of course I haven't lifted a finger since my last blog. Terrible. Today I decided I would jump back into my training programme with alacrity. Both my big feet first of course!
Day One is power walks on the treadmill and upper body. What in fact happened was I got a stitch after only fifteen minutes, what a poor specimen I am! Cardio was hastily completed on the bike, sitting down seemed much easier!
The weight work was hard, and I can see, whilst using the free weights, how my arms are developing differently. There is a school of thought that limbs should be worked individually but I worry I'll strain my back if I do that. Perhaps this advice only pertains to lower body? I still haven't bought a shoulder brace and am unlikely to what with Quadi coming home. I've been very busy buying grooming kits and things instead...*g*
I also feel like my muscles are holding themselves into knots in my back, I can feel that when I use the free weights too. Not sure what the answer is there, will have to ponder that problem some more...
My mission for tomorrow is to phone around the vets up here and see which ones will be best to continue his treatment, and also which one uses the farrier(s) I like to complete his remedial shoeing work. And to find out how The Boy Himself is getting on, last report was that he is being a star :D
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Baby steps on big boats
Not so much snacking today and no tiredness :)
I probably won't tackle the gym on here, so no exertion until Friday, or possibly Saturday. I do have the extrordinarily tight calves. The steps on boats are steep and, coupled with my inactivity on here, they are really knotted! Too much sitting hunched up, it's no wonder my body is out of kilter!
I probably won't tackle the gym on here, so no exertion until Friday, or possibly Saturday. I do have the extrordinarily tight calves. The steps on boats are steep and, coupled with my inactivity on here, they are really knotted! Too much sitting hunched up, it's no wonder my body is out of kilter!
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