Lots of Exercise

Today was a really good exercise day.  I wanted to get back on the elliptical and do some intervals.  But, I didn't want to take any chances with my knee.  So, I did 20 minutes of program 1 intervals - enough to work up a good sweat, increase my heart rate, but (hopefully) not stress my knees.  It felt really good to move, and to push.

Then, I went to yoga tonight, and followed it up with PT.  It's definitely been a strenuous day!  Even though I felt good after the elliptical, by the time I got home from PT I was really worn out.  I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but tonight I am hoping for a good night's sleep!

Ouch!

I did my standard Monday night routine tonight - muscle challenge class followed by yoga.  It's really sad how quickly I seem to have lost stamina over the last two weeks.  I am fully determined to get it back though.  So, tonight was full steam ahead.  And now, it's an early bedtime because I am beyond exhausted!

Therapeutic Tuesday

Today was supposed to be my rest day.  But, I wanted to get in the therapy pool and work on my knee exercises.  So, I spent an hour in the therapy pool doing knee exercises and general cardio.  Even though it was gentle, it was definitely a workout!

Back on the Elliptical

After two full weeks of being in pain, I was finally able to get in a real workout today.  Yes, I've been exercising, but it hasn't felt the same.  I haven't been able to do a full, intense workout.  Today, I spent an hour on the elliptical machine.  It was exhausting, but I was so proud of myself.  It felt amazing to be back, to not be in pain.  I am hoping this is the start of a reboot, and no more pain!

Feeling optomistic

I had a doctor's appointment today, and it went really well.  First, she prescribed physical therapy for my knee. I go for an evaulation on Wednesday.  She said that if the pt doesn't help, then we'll consider an MRI.  I'm really hoping the PT helps!

And, she tested my reflexes.  She actually found one achiles reflex.  For the longest time, I have had no response in either foot.  Today, the right foot had a very weak response, but it was there.  Still nothing in the left, but it's progress.  She says that it probably means the switch in thyroid medication is working.  But, that I need to be patient since it can take up to three months to fully see results.  But, this is progress and I'm happy!

I got home toolate togo to the muscle challenge class, but did make it to yoga.  I wore my knee brace and was very careful.  It felt so good to move.  And, when I left, my knee was feeling OK.  Still pain in some positions, but not nearly as tight as it's been feeling.  It's such a balance between rest and movement to get it feeling good.  I do hope the PT works!

Weekend Update

Just a quick update on the weekend.  Yesterday I did 30 minutes on the bike, today I did two 30 minute sessions.  I'm noticing that when my knee gets really stiff, just riding the bike really seems to help.  I'm not sure what's going on, but if it's helping, I'm happy.

Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment.  I am hoping she will have some good advice for me, for both my knee and my weight.  Wish me luck?

Good Day, Good Plan, Good Workouts

Today was a double exercise day.  When my adrenal issues were really bad, I had suspended my personal training sessions.  And, with my knee problems lately, I was extra concerned.  But, I sat down with the trainer and talked about my concerns, and she really listened.  An additional concern was that I didn't have enough time between workouts - on Wednesdays (when we typically had our session) I was still sore from Monday.

So, we decided to switch our sessions to Fridays, which would give me two and three days between intense workouts.  That makes me feel a lot better, and gives me time to fully recover. And, today, she really paid attention to all my movements to see if we could pinpoint where I was hurting my knee.  We did a yoga based warm up, since that seems to be where I'm hurting it the most consistently.

I think we narrowed it down to a few standing positions where I really need to pay attention to my alignment and leg placement.  And, when I went to yoga tonight, I definitely followed her advice.  And, no additional knee pain.  Yeah!

So, the workout today was not quite as intense as some others, but that actually suited me really well.  I'm really trying hard to work to challenge, not exhaustion.  That needs to apply to all my workouts.  So, this was a great day.  I got in two workouts, and my knee is feeling OK.  The injury is still there, but it's not so bad I can't work through it.  That makes me happy!

Amazing Yoga Tonight

This afternoon I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to yoga tonight.  I was so sore, my knee hurt, and I felt stiff all over.  I guess my knee is still not fully better, and the classes on Monday left me hurting, all over.  But, I'm stubborn and decided to go anway.

I am so glad I went!  Class tonight was challenging, but relaxing.  We did full sun salutations, which we don't normally do on 'down' nights.  And, I am getting better at stepping one foot back at a time from forward fold into down dog.  It's not perfect, but getting better.  I was so proud of myself.  And, by the time I walked out after class, I felt so much better.  My knee wasn't hurting and most of my aches and pains had melted away.  Not all of them, and my knee is still injued, but overall, I feel a thousand times better.

I was thinking on the drive home how amazing it was to feel better leaving the gym than when I walked in.  Then, I started to really think about that.  Isn't the whole point to feel better?  To move better?  If I'm constantly pushing myself to exhaustion, no wonder my body revolted.  Now that I'm really listening to my body, and working to challenge, not exhaustion, I'm feeling great.  I still have a long way to go, but I am confident I will get there!

A Good Day

After being so excited on Friday and really ready to jump start my program all over again, I had to sit out over the weekend because my knee was hurting so bad.  But, the good news is, I'm back.  I found a knee brace that gave me really good support, and used that.

The good news is that my knee was well supported, and I didn't cause it any further injury.  The bad news is that it's really, really uncomfortable for kneeling.  I will definitely have to use something different for yoga. 

But, I feel so much better when I get to the gym and burn off all the stress in my life.  I know that there are lots of benefits to exercise.  For me, it just keeps me sane.  I love being able to work out all my frustrations and then just relax at the end.  It has got to be the best stress management program in the world.

I am feeling good, energized, and ready to face the rest of the week!

TGIF

Sometimes you have to take a chance.  I've decided to put down the deposit on the reunion trip to the Biggest Loser Resort in Chicago.  A friend of mine put up a fundraising site for me, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to raise enough money to go.  But, I'm hoping.  And, who knows, maybe something will happen and our finances will loosen up a bit.  I can only hope.

But, I've never regretted doing something special.  And, I have plenty of regrets about things I didn't do.  If I lost the chance to go, I'd be really disappointed.  So, as of today, I am going.  I don't know how it will happen, but it has to.

And, I told a friend of mine about it tonight at yoga.  She said she'll think about going to.  That would be really nice.  There is just something special about this journey.  You meet all kinds of people, all with their own stories, their own dreams.  I love it when the dreams can run parallel.  And, finding new sources of strength, hope, and courage, is always a good thing.

The yoga class itself was great, as usual.  Before class, she showed us how to roll a tennis ball under your feet (one at a time) to loosen the fascia.  I was skeptical, but it really did work.  I will have to see if I can find some old tennis balls lying around!

Happy Day

I had to take today off because we had a meeting scheduled in the middle of the day.  Since we can't just take a couple hours off, I took the day.  It was so nice to have a relaxing morning, go to the meeting, and then have lunch with my husband.  As much as the topic of the meeting was depressing, it needed to be taken care of.  And, it gave me a pretty easy morning.

Once we got home, I did something I haven't done in a while - a four mile Walk Away the Pounds DVD.  It was like connecting with an old friend.  I didn't really know what to expect, but I was surprised that the DVD was pretty easy.  Even though it was a full hour, my stamina has improved dramatically.  I enjoyed the workout, but it didn't exhaust me.  This is real progress!

Rest and Hope

Today is a rest day for me, and I don't normally post on Tuesdays, but I have something I wanted to share.  A bunch of us who were at Biggest Loser Resort Niagara are having a reunion in Chicago at the end of February.  I really, really want to go.  I miss everyone so much, and I really want to see what the resort in Chicago is like.  And, of course, it would be a wonderful source of exercise to keep me moving on this journey.

But, it's expensive, and I am not sure how much I'll be able to save for the trip.  And, I feel guilty if every penny doesn't go toward Michael and his therapies.  So, a really good friend set up a fundraising site for me.  I hate asking for contributions, but if you are so inclined, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!

Monday fun

I was a little nervous going back to my muscle challenge class tonight.  I've always pushed myself so hard in that class, and I have a feeling it was a big contributor to my adrenal issues.  There were many, many nights when I would come home and go from a sweaty mess to absolutely freezing, a big sign of adrenal problems.

So, I made a deal with myself that I would go tonight, but make a conscious effort to not over-stress myself.  I still did challenging weights, but I didn't push to use the heaviest weights I could manage.  I did all the exercises, but made sure I was confident in them.  And, when class was over, I felt tired, but not completely wiped out. 

Tonight, I couldn't do the yoga class because I had a conflict with another meeting.  But, I have a feeling if I follow the same rules, I'll be able to do the yoga class as well.  I'm thinking it's not the length of the session, or even the intensity, as much as how I respect my body and understand my limits.  It's OK for me to work hard, without pushing myself to the very edge.  I still got a great workout and my body is happier because of it.  This is definitely a journey of self discovery!

Starting to feel better

I think the changes I've been making lately have been helping.  I have been struggling with symptoms of adrenal fatigue for a while now, but I just didn't realize how bad it had gotten.  Two weeks ago, I decided to start taking the advice to heal the damage.  So, for the past two weeks, I've been limiting my caffiene to one dose in the morning, and have been keeping my exercise to the light-moderate level.  I've also been making an effort to get more sleep, and to relax whenever possible.  I think I'm finally starting to see some results.

I noticed this weekend that I'm waking up easier, and in a better mood.  And, I'm not constantly exhausted.  It's not a complete recovery yet, but it's definitely a start.  One of the ways I know it's working is that I did an hour of intervals on the elliptical today, and I wasn't completely exhausted afterwards.  What I did was a five minute warmup, then one minute of high effort followed by four minutes of light intensity.  I finished it up with a five minute cool down.  The nice thing is, I recovered fairly quickly and didn't experience the complete shutdown that I would have expected just a couple weeks ago.  This is definite progress.

The one thing I haven't been very good about lately is my diet.  I have to admit that more sugar has found it's way into my diet in the last few weeks, and that needs to change.  So, starting right now, I'm back on the straight and narrow.  I'm hoping with my slight increase in energy, I'll have the will power and stamina to keep fully low carb again.  Wish me luck!

Feeling Better

After hurting my knee last night, I was really worried about how I would feel this morning. Thankfully, I woke up this morning and it was mostly back to normal. I was able to go to the local Octoberfest and walk around on uneven ground, and then I came home and rode the bike for an hour. I was definitely being careful, but it felt good. Thank you for all the advice last night, it worked!

Great yoga, bad knee

I can't believe I hurt my knee tonight.  Normally, my knee will get sore during yoga, or other activity, but tonight I think I really hurt it.  I was trying to keep my leg straight during a hamstring stretch, and I think I hyperextended it.  I haven't been able to fully straighten it all night.  I am hoping that if I take an ibuprofen and go to bed early, it will heal overnight.  I'm not sure if it's possible, but I am hopeful.  Cross your fingers for me?

Wednesday already?

Wow, I didn't realize I hadn't posted here in so long.  I've been posting updates to facebook, but I guess I haven't written any longer posts.  So, just to have something here, I'm doing a short post tonight. But, I'm tired, so it will be short.

I did get to yoga tonight, and I really, thoroughly enjoyed it.  It felt so good to get on my mat and stretch, and work hard.  It had been a few days since the ASD yoga class with Michael, and I really missed it.  I think I'd be happy to practice yoga every single day.