Though my MO is to go full force and burn out far too quickly, I have managed to stick to a bit lower level intensity and hope that helps me stick it out long enough to once again feel skinnier and more fit. {I am not going for Skinny! I will never be skinny! I came to that conclusion long ago and I am ok with it. My focus is not to be skinny, it is to be fit, healthy, stronger, in less pain, and able to handle the things that get thrown at me!! hah!} I did start out a bit too gung-ho and ended up taking myself out of commission for a couple days! My shins had begun to hurt terribly from the shin splints that decided to rear their ever present by often dormant head. Thankfully, because my Father is good to me and knows my every need, a teacher here at the school saw an update I made about it, and had a pair of shape up sneakers that she is letting me use! They have made a world of difference! I can even feel them helping when I am not working out! It is hard, though to not over do it, as I have always loved the idea of running and being out there on the track with so many other joggers and runners makes me feel like a wuss when I am just chugging along at my 2 mph walk. Thing is, I am horrid at jogging and so always end up running. And I can't do either for long at all, and by the time I am done my 20 feet of running, I am now not even walking at 2 mph cause I have worn myself out! I have managed now to get a fourth of a mile in at a run...but that is total! What I mean by that is I sprint for a bit, go back to my walk, then when I am back at the place where I stopped sprinting I pick it back up and sprint a bit further. I keep that up until I have run around the track once. I managed to do that the other night in just three sprints. {Trust me....that is good for me!} I have also added my PT back into the mix and have been able to get back to three reps of 15 per set on each. It is no cross-fit or P90X WOD, but it is more then I would be doing otherwise.
I also take comfort in knowing that I will be getting some exercise just by going to work! The office has moved back over to the admin building and that is at the top of a ton of stairs! I think of Rocky as I reach the last step inside the building! {We are on the fourth floor. There are three flights worth of steps outside, and then the last flight inside. It is the last flight that always kills me! I have to stop outside of the office and catch my breath so they don't think I was chased all the way there!} Most days I will be going up and down those stairs three and four times a day! {Mondays and Fridays I have one class in the morning and one class in the afternoon. This means I will go to class, then go to the office, go to lunch, then to class, then back to the office before my final trip down the stairs whenever my work is finished for the day. And that is if I am staying in the office the entire time and not having to run anywhere!}
Ok, so photo update time. I thought I was seeing a difference already, but it would seem, after looking at the photos that it is all in my head! lol! At least I am feeling the difference! My pain level has gone back down to a more manageable daily dosage and in fact some days I am in next to no pain! PTL! My hip has been bugging me and I know that my psoas is way out of whack so I am not too concerned by the pain. I am working on getting that to ease up and release. The fact that I can do an entire 15 leg lift without having to use my hand to manually lift my right leg is encouraging! I know that means that I am regaining some of the strength I have let myself loose!
My Mum always had the saying "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" as her motto for work outs. Awhile ago I came up with my reason for walking as "To get the guy, to fit the dress, to have the kids, to keep my legs." {this worked really well when I was walking around a mall that had tons of dress shops that also carried wedding dresses.} I still tell myself that, but I think I want to add one to it. I want to "Walk towards Genesis". Genesis {Or Genny} is what I hope to name my first girl at Lotus Bridge. I am going to need to be able to keep up with the kids at the Bridge and in order to keep my legs from further nerve damage, that means keeping my back in shape! So while I was out tonight walking I pretended I was logging hours in some walk a thon for Genesis! hee hee! Whatever works, right?
