So, let's try this again. a new year (soon, anyway), a new try at this blogging thing. I keep a journal, and have for years, but this space is different. I want to write more deliberately, on a particular topic, rather than brain-dumping or venting my spleen.
Hanne's post about having a body practice, in addition to my new year philosophy of "use it or lose it" got me thinking ... so here I am, blogging again.
quite simply, my body practice would be "use it or lose it". Weight loss, firming, toning, improved cardio-vascular stamina and a smaller backside may all be a natural result, but quite simply, I need to move this body of mine. I have a desk job, and the current incarnation of said desk job has me staring at a computer screen with little cause to move anything but my mouse-hand, for hours at a stretch. (Previously I could count "stuffing envelopes" as an upper-body workout, alternated with delivering mail and packages for cardio and flitting around as everyone's beck-and-call girl). When I do managed to stand and move, I'm like the Tin Woodsman after a rainstorm: creaky and crunchy and whimpering "oil can" between clenched jaws.
I talk myself out of moving because it'll hurt, or I don't feel good, or whatever lame excuse sounds good at the moment. But when I move, I feel good. If I'm doing something fun in the process (splashing in the pool, tromping around cemeteries with my friend, shooting hoops with the boys), I laugh, I enjoy myself, the pain fades from my thoughts and maybe, just maybe, I forget everything that's wrong with me. When I get home, I gush about what a great time I had, and then I sleep soundly and usually wake up feeling rested and content in a way that currently eludes me.
Yes, sometimes I wake up feeling like I've been hit by a truck. It's part of the package deal that is living in this body. I sometimes know my limits, and the morning after a full day of traipsing around the southern half of the state only leaves me feeling a little over-extended. but there are times I push it, and must face the consequences, or the roulette wheel lands on "sucks to be you" and a low-key afternoon stroll sends me to flare-city.
July through October were good months for me, socially. I had plans nearly every weekend with my friend, and we went on all manner of adventures. He taught me to make homemade pasta, and took me to hand-feed hummingbirds. I dragged him through my childhood, past the various homes of long-dead relatives and packed us picnic lunches and manned the GPS (dubbed Christine) as we hunted down various roadside oddities. And i've loved every second of it. i want more of this, this living my life. Is 41 too late to begin living?
So, with that, I am going to take Hanne's challenge. my body practice is going to be to move my body. How do I want it to feel? I want it to feel like I'm alive.
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
taking a syringe to the knee
had my latest follow up with my rheumatologist last week. the results of the blood work warranted him ordering yet another round, this time testing for various B vitamins. he said i was mildly anemic, which i thought was odd considering the whole menopause thing. He wasn't concerned - no orders to take iron supplements or anything like that - but i'm taking it as a sign to eat more burgers and thrown in a steak once in a while.
i have a friend who processes samples at the local lab, so i've been paying more attention to the tubes and stuff when i have blood drawn - the different tubes have different purposes, and the different types of tests require different types of samples. a new one for me: wrapping the vial in foil!! the sample for B vitamins needs to be protected from sunlight, so as soon as it was drawn, the nurse wrapped it up tight. she said some places have black tubes. i'm utterly fascinated that people have figured all this stuff out. if people like me were running the world, we'd still be in the stone age, doing thing the most difficult and inefficient way possible.
the good news is that all of that appeared normal. i suppose it's just the normal ebb and flow of the human body.
Since my appointments with this doc are never just "blood work looks fine, see you in three months," we got into the nitty-gritty of daily life. knee pain --specifically my "crunchy" knees -- is getting to be problematic, rising above all the other things in the Sjogren's stew. Doc quizzed me about it, and i fully admitted that i'd spent the last too many weekend on the couch because of the pain, too hurty and too tired to be willing or able to do anything but stay off my feet. he did not like that. it means i'm letting this thing get me. it's a vicious cycle, and one we need to break. he once again ordered me to exercise. but instead of stopping there, he actually told me NOT to walk. because when i think "exercise" i think "start with walking, THEN move to "real" exercise when i'm in better shape". given the state of my knees, that's actually the WRONG way to go. strength straining (weights/machines) and water aerobics are where i need to be. he told me to "dick around on the machines" in a gym. he always uses that term "dick around" which i think is just hilarious. he told me that I'm "smart enough to figure it out but also smart enough to talk yourself out of it." oh yes, he nailed that one. the other thing he said that haunts me still: I am really quite healthy overall. exercise is the one thing i can do to maintain this.
to jumpstart the exercise and give me some relief, he gave me some knee-strengthening exercises to do at home, and then gave me kenalog injections into both knees. needles under the kneecaps are not my favorite, but in the grand scheme of things (like this!), are pretty cool. this wasn't my first round, so i sort of knew what to expect. last time i remember much more of a numbing sensation initially, which is kinda freaky. the pain isn't totally gone, but it's decreased enough that i can move a little better, and grumble less when taking the stairs.
I promised the doc i'd look more seriously into joining the local YMCA. a friend and her family just joined, so i've got the added benefit of having someone to cheer me on and keep me accountable. she's already taking a couple water aerobics classes and liked them, so i should have a built-in workout partner once i get myself motivated.
now that it's the weekend again, it's time to put this all to the test. my nephew's baseball game was rained out, but that's no excuse to keep sitting here like a lump. so, on the doctor's orders, i think i will remove myself to the car, drive about an hour to where a friend is spending his day at a craft show, and do some shopping.
i have a friend who processes samples at the local lab, so i've been paying more attention to the tubes and stuff when i have blood drawn - the different tubes have different purposes, and the different types of tests require different types of samples. a new one for me: wrapping the vial in foil!! the sample for B vitamins needs to be protected from sunlight, so as soon as it was drawn, the nurse wrapped it up tight. she said some places have black tubes. i'm utterly fascinated that people have figured all this stuff out. if people like me were running the world, we'd still be in the stone age, doing thing the most difficult and inefficient way possible.
the good news is that all of that appeared normal. i suppose it's just the normal ebb and flow of the human body.
Since my appointments with this doc are never just "blood work looks fine, see you in three months," we got into the nitty-gritty of daily life. knee pain --specifically my "crunchy" knees -- is getting to be problematic, rising above all the other things in the Sjogren's stew. Doc quizzed me about it, and i fully admitted that i'd spent the last too many weekend on the couch because of the pain, too hurty and too tired to be willing or able to do anything but stay off my feet. he did not like that. it means i'm letting this thing get me. it's a vicious cycle, and one we need to break. he once again ordered me to exercise. but instead of stopping there, he actually told me NOT to walk. because when i think "exercise" i think "start with walking, THEN move to "real" exercise when i'm in better shape". given the state of my knees, that's actually the WRONG way to go. strength straining (weights/machines) and water aerobics are where i need to be. he told me to "dick around on the machines" in a gym. he always uses that term "dick around" which i think is just hilarious. he told me that I'm "smart enough to figure it out but also smart enough to talk yourself out of it." oh yes, he nailed that one. the other thing he said that haunts me still: I am really quite healthy overall. exercise is the one thing i can do to maintain this.
to jumpstart the exercise and give me some relief, he gave me some knee-strengthening exercises to do at home, and then gave me kenalog injections into both knees. needles under the kneecaps are not my favorite, but in the grand scheme of things (like this!), are pretty cool. this wasn't my first round, so i sort of knew what to expect. last time i remember much more of a numbing sensation initially, which is kinda freaky. the pain isn't totally gone, but it's decreased enough that i can move a little better, and grumble less when taking the stairs.
I promised the doc i'd look more seriously into joining the local YMCA. a friend and her family just joined, so i've got the added benefit of having someone to cheer me on and keep me accountable. she's already taking a couple water aerobics classes and liked them, so i should have a built-in workout partner once i get myself motivated.
now that it's the weekend again, it's time to put this all to the test. my nephew's baseball game was rained out, but that's no excuse to keep sitting here like a lump. so, on the doctor's orders, i think i will remove myself to the car, drive about an hour to where a friend is spending his day at a craft show, and do some shopping.
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