A GOOD YEAR: Celebrating victories great and small

Here we are!  Month four has come and gone.  Beth was right when she said I was a little nervous about writing this progress post. 

That said, how did I do?  Really well!  Since we published my first blog on July 2, 2013 I have lost 11 pounds and dropped:

• 2 inches in my bust 
• 1 inch in my hips
• 1 inch in my waist
• 1 inch in my thighs
• .25 inches in my arms

I doubt I really lost much weight until I started watching my food intake at the beginning of August, but since then I've seen an average loss of about a pound a week.  I'm limiting myself to about 1500 calories per day because that is reasonable and I don't feel deprived or "on a diet" which would be contrary to the lifestyle overhaul I am seeking.  I still have my Saturday outings with my friends where I don't really worry to much about what I eat, which also helps this not feel overly confining.

What's also cool is that by adding the weight routine in, even just two days a week, I dropped four pounds in just two weeks!  I had read that lifting weights and gaining muscle could have a greater impact on weight loss than pure cardio but was shocked to experience the difference myself!  I also learned that telling Beth something is so easy (like leg lifts) means she will find a way to make it infinitely more difficult the next time - just try last months resistance program and then try this months resistance program to see for yourself.

In addition to these measurement based victories I've seen what I learned are called non-scale victories (NSVs).  Some of mine include:

• Walking up the stairs without getting winded
• Keeping up when I go on a hike, even on steep hills
• Fitting into a pair of jeans that I haven't been able to wear in years
• Being able to go to kickboxing and keep up

My identity is still so closely aligned with the scale that I can feel pretty down if I'm not happy with the number I see.  But so much has happened emotionally during these last four months that really aren't reflected by pounds or calories or inches.  And what I've ultimately found is that I am doing something just for me every time I workout.  Whether that's hitting a bag until I can't feel feelings, accomplishing something I never thought I'd be able to do again because of my weight (kickboxing, hikes up crazy hills) or just enjoying the beauty of the neighborhood I grew up in - all of it is just for me.  And that has meant so much more than I can measure.

 

Me and Olive (who has also lost weight) on October 12, 2013

"If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too." - Dr. Seuss

A GOOD YEAR: Live through this and you won't look back

Greetings from Kalamazoo!  I've been away from my blog posts for a few weeks and have SO MUCH TO SAY!

When Beth and I thought through how I would share my adventure we decided a weekly post would be frequent enough to capture the various emotions - good and bad - that I experienced while implementing a fitness plan.  I always knew that this blog would acknowledge that where I was starting on my fitness regimen was largely based in having recently undergone a personal upheaval with the divorce.  However, somehow I saw myself as being able to put a wall between the two - my divorce and the feelings about how that has impacted my life on one side and my health and the feelings that go along with working toward living a whole, healthy life especially after a traumatic event, on the other.

Well it's not that simple.  There is no wall.  The two are so inextricably linked that I can't deal with the feelings behind one without also dealing with the feelings about the other.  So in my last post, two-and-a-half weeks ago, I mentioned that I was dealing with some emotional challenges and went on to describe the role that the physical pain played in that.  Since that post I haven't been able to write anything without feeling like it would be too personal, too painful emotionally, and too intrusive to have just anyone reading this blog know about. 

Grief is a winding road with a number of twists and turns. Eight months after pushing the eject button on my life in Atlanta, I still feel like my feet get swept out from under me by emotions that seem to bubble up out of nowhere.  Or I'll find that I have very powerful reactions to things that, at this point, have no bearing on my life. 

My intention with this is not to be all vague and cryptic to leave people who know me guessing what may or may not be going on.  My intent is to let you know that sometimes I don't make my self-imposed weekly deadline because I cannot write without a massive over-share that ultimately would leave me feeling too exposed.  At the same time, I really can't talk about the experience of Rolfing without talking about feelings so this is actually a (long) good tie in to that adventure.

This is Little Guy, my cat.  This is also a metaphor for what I've been doing the last two weeks.

I talked about the pain that really had me reeling physically and emotionally a few weeks back. Beth  told me from the beginning that I was likely going to need to financially invest in my health as part of this experience but I assumed she meant a gym membership or signing up for classes.  It never occurred to me that I would NEED a deep tissue massage or NEED someone to help loosen me up to move forward without pain.  So to maximize my return on investment in treatment, Beth (being a physical therapist) really spent a lot of time thinking about the best path for my specific needs. While the pain was presenting itself in my feet, she was confident that the issue could be traced all the way up to my hips and muscle tightness and fascia issues were the cause, so we went with Rolfing.

To backtrack a little, I have had foot problems since high school soccer.  I have also had stress management/anxiety problems since high school soccer (actually long before that). About two years ago, when I was living in Chicago, the emotional stress (that I was oblivious to at the time) began to express itself again but this time in my right leg.  I was knitting in front of the TV and realized that I was clenching that leg at the hip. Clench, release. Clench, release.  It was pretty much constant and I couldn't make myself stop.  I still catch myself doing it when I'm worrying about something or feeling anxious.

So years later that brings us to Rolfing.  I didn't really understand what rolfing was, even after I looked it up on Wikipedia, until I went.  What I see now is that rolfers look at your body holistically and recognize imbalances that can create problems further down the line and work to address them by rebuilding fascia.  Fascia is kind of like the white stuff that you see when you are preparing chicken - it's a membrane that holds things together.  Kim Tillman, the great physical therapist and rolfer that Beth sent me to says more about it on her website.

The rolfing process is split into a 10 session series, with each session working specific areas.  There is no requirement for how frequently you go (I'll be going every three to four weeks) but after the 10 sessions, they recommend strongly you wait 6 months to a year before you begin another rolfing series.  After that point you can do a three-session maintenance series to keep from regressing.

When I got to Kim's office we sat down and discussed my issues - physical and emotional.  She immediately thought she could see some imbalance based on how I was sitting but needed to look more carefully.  Really, the experience felt like a lighter deep tissue massage. The first session targeted my arms, chest, hamstrings, and back.  She focused on loosening up the fascia in those areas which can tear and regrow in ways that limit your flexibility.  By massaging it out, fascia re-forms and lengthens to allow you to move more freely and achieve better balance in your shoulders, hips, etc.

Working through each of the areas she immediately saw posture issues at the shoulders and pointed to how my shoulders and neck were aligned forward from sitting at a computer all day.  She also found a lot of tension in my hips, hamstrings, and back.  Working that out hurt.  Like the massage I had at the Turkish bath in Istanbul - that kind of awesome hurt.  But I felt better afterwards and while my foot still bothered me the next day I think that this will definitely help in the long run.

So this is where the feelings part comes in.  One of the things we talked about is muscle memory.  The concept that muscles can hold pent up feelings that emerge when the muscle is released.  Kim said that she never believed that until she started to notice that she felt irritable after she would get a massage or do yoga.  It finally dawned on her that she bottles up a lot of anger and that by releasing those muscles she was releasing that pent up anger as well.  She went on to say that it's a lot like dusting your house - you can't dust without stirring stuff up.  My doctor-therapist rolled her eyes when I told her that and said she saw it more as a result of synapses being connected to muscles and information being stored there.  Regardless of how it happens, both saw validity in the concept and so do I.

I have experienced a lot of feelings this past week mostly centered on anger. The anger kicked in the day after my rolfing session when I was leaving one yoga class and then again during a second yoga class.  There were also some other things throughout the week that really kicked that anger up a notch.

I don't deal with anger well.  I bottle it up until it physically hurts in my chest or I'll get so mad that I cry.  I have traditionally had no clue how to let it out. 

This is where emotional intertwines with fitness.  Exercise has been an enormous outlet for anger.  Monday night I went to kickboxing and punched and kicked and punched and kicked until I couldn't punch or kick anymore.  I came home exhausted but calm.  Tuesday the anger was back and I was supposed to do a 25 minute walk but it felt so good to go out and stomp around the neighborhood that I was gone for an hour.  Wednesday I did my hill walk and again stomped out the anger.  Every time I worked out and really pushed myself, I was physically exhausted but felt so much better. 

Today I feel much more at peace.  I'm calm and have perspective and feel good.  This emotional wave appears to have passed.  But I know there will be another one.  As I said, grief is not a straight line.  It will probably catch me off guard the next time as well.  But each time I fall, I seem to overcome the emotional strain more quickly and exercise gives me an outlet that helps things not feel as painful as they would have otherwise.

Lyrics from a song I love "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" by Stars

A GOOD YEAR: A third of the year completed!

This month Cathy embarks on month 4.5.  She has been at it for a quarter year!

This post is a whole lot of my voice, later this week Cathy is posting her measurements, and weight loss.  She is a little nervous.  I assure her there will be changes!

Weight is one way to monitor, but Cathy also has measured body parts, and is going to tell us about any  wardrobe changes!

For this month, I kept MOST of Cathy's program the same for a couple reasons.  I look at the whole week for each and every one of my clients.  How many effort sessions?  How much weight lifting?  How is her body responding to what we are already doing?  

Cardiovascular Exercise and Effort Sessions:

Cathy does a few high intensity sessions a week.  They include: kickboxing, and two interval walking sessions.  The other two cardio sessions are relatively a recovery session, definitely not easy but not as hard as the other three.  I do this because it allows for variety of effort.  Cathy is so strong, but if every session pushes her to a max effort, she risks injury.  Also I try to provide a lot of variety! Every week is slightly different, and the first week of the month, is just a bit of a recovery, with minutes scaled back a bit. There are two purposes for this.  The body adapts to exercise pretty quickly, so varying the physiologic demand keeps it guessing.  And mentally I want to keep Cathy stimulated, and also a scaled back week allows overall recovery.  Cathy enjoys walking and kickboxing, if she did not we'd be doing something different!

Cathy is getting is a variety of moderate to high intensity exercise and exceeding the 150 minutes recommended for decreasing heart disease, the diabetes, cancer, and all that!

Resistance sessions:

Keeping it at two a week because Cathy gets some of that in kickboxing and yoga as well.  In yoga, holding a position is an isometric muscle contraction, not as exact as what we are doing in our planned resistance sessions, but I am sure downward dog is getting easier to hold!  In her kickboxing class, Cathy does some conditioning.  I did take and shift her moves to more advanced things!  Almost every move is a two-fer, working multiple muscle groups.  I am very careful to keep her in safe supportive positions until her back and feet are feeling better.

This is Cathy's other arm of fitness, resistance training protects against obesity, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Today we ran through this program on PowHow, this is a link to my profile on PowHow if you are interested in getting into an exercise program or advancing or mixing up your current program.

http://www.powhow.com/classes/go-training

Cathy has a bit-o-ongoing-foot-and-low-back-pain, not incapacitating but present. And she has voiced foot issues for a long time.  Since her pain is stable, not really worsening and managed by ice and other anti-inflammatory measures, I am not making too many changes to her plan.  SO this pain, is not necessarily brand new, and is also always kinda present, and that is so not cool!  

I think a lot of us on this earth cope with minor to moderate ouchies, thinking they are ours for the duration.  Cathy has also expressed a desire to maybe return to running.  And we need to get the feet right to do that!

This is the point where we have to explore other measures to control and solve these issues.  The first line of treatment we are pursuing is rolfing.  Cathy has tried physical therapy, and orthotics.  Time for a new approach!  Why rolfing?  Rolfing established by Ida Rolf in 1971 is like taking your fascia to a restoration expert.  All the tiny and big physical assaults that accumulate over a lifetime heal.  But sometimes that healing results in scar tissue, malalignment, and restriction.

I have tried rolfing with amazing results!  I have walked out feeling, with better alignment every session.  I only stopped as we moved out to Oregon and am now working through a recent rear-ending.  I will definitely include this is my recovery plan, right now I am employing my PT knowledge, the skills of chiropractic (a very gentle soul!), acupuncture, and a massage therapist who specializes in injury recovery.

Cathy is going to a rolfer is Milford, Michigan who is a rolfer AND a physical therapist!  She-bang! Two-fer! 

Here is a great starting point to research rolfing on your own!

http://www.rolf.org/

OKAY, month 4.5 in all it's glory!  When Cathy finishes this month, she will be 1.5 months from halfway through the GOOD YEAR.

Here are the details for Cathy's next month!

Plus, some options for free online you tube videos for when she is traveling and unable to do her usual at-home walking routes.

Oh, and if I have not posted it elsewhere...

Last months resistance program!

Squats - 12 total

Side squats - 12 each side

All fours hip extension, so sticking leg straight out - 12 each leg

Upper body extension, superman upper body only - 12 reps

you can even assist with your hands

Roll to side, side leg lift, one side only -12 reps

Roll to back , crunches 12

Bridge - 12

Roll too other side leg lift - 12 reps

5 pound bicep curl 12 reps

5 pound bent over row 12 reps

Repeat one time.

NEW!!!!! This months Resistance Program

Squats plie styles, with overhead push R times one to L time one - 12 each side (total of 24 squats)

Squats with bicep curl - 12 each side

All fours hip extension pose, with arm extension a 10 seconds, followed by ten leg lifts 

Superman upper and lower body - 12 reps

you can even assist with your hands  LEGS TOO

Roll to side, Leg circles forward and back, lifts and pulse - 8 reps each exercise

Roll to back , crunches with both legs lifted to 90 degrees

Stay on back, Bridge with chest press - 12

Roll to side, Leg circles forward and back, lifts and pulse - 8 reps each exercise

Repeat one time

HOW TO DO YOUR INTERVALS

• 20 minute interval walk:

5 minute warm up and cool down, 1 min on, 1 min off X 5

• 25 minute interval:

5 minute warm up and cool down, 4 min on, 1 min off X 3

• 30 minute interval walk:

5 minute warm up and cool down, 3 min on, 2 min off X 4

Weather Substitution!

IF weather hems you in for your 20 or 25 minute walk, 

do this program.

DIsclamier: Leslie is such a good lady, but it has a cheesiness component for sure!  Just see as 

a training course to sharpen your midwestern dialect!

Leslie Sansone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df2gn6-w0dE&list=PLQZnPB5LOhqxsr99fSIY4n_oaT2Z2dKFQ

IF weather hems you in for your 30 or 35 minute walk, 

do this program.

Leslie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cE1jxDS3HY&list=PLQZnPB5LOhqxsr99fSIY4n_oaT2Z2dKFQ

If weather hems you in for a 40 to 60 minute walk,

do this program.

Leslie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoN_rvyeG0Y

Chris Freytag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0C8awjNIQ&list=PLmYXtysa4h2_2ljEjXyjUy7pezTXbGrQE

A GOOD YEAR: 97 days strong!

I want to wave a "That's Pretty Awesome Flag!" for Cathy. Cathy worked out for three months before missing a workout.  Almost a hundred days, without a miss!  Cathy had ONE rough week and called feeling a little melancholy.  I pointed out some things that can be helpful when you feel off your game.

She has successfully modified her life and is working out consistently for 150 minutes or more doing cardiovascular exercise.  This karate chops her risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes!

She is strength training two times a week, also decreasing her risk of disease!  

She is also stretching and performing yoga, addressing her flexibility! 

What got in the way?  She has some foot pain cooking up.  Her left foot has been as issue, and I recommended taking one week off of kickboxing and we subbed in a 30 minute circuit style workout with low impact moves. 

I want to point out to all that if injury comes your way, baring fractures and things where usage would make things worse, there is a way to get around it, keep getting fit, while you figure out the source.

Here is a note from Cathy!  Next week we will reflect on her progress and lay out her next week of working out.  In the next month, I would like to add one more day of strength training, to keep helping Cathy build muscles!

My challenge this month is for her to find a practitioner to help her mitigate the ouch.  I have suggested a rolfer or a really great injury recovery masseuse!  

Be Well,

Beth

I have to be honest, the last few weeks have been challenging emotionally.  I have been dealing with some tough things and it's really thrown me for a loop.  A lot of times my workout routine will lift me up or at least give me some good adventures to write about on this blog.  But I've haven't really been inspired to share much.

Part of the problem is that I have been in pain.  The pain was partly because I was so sore from aerial yoga and partly because my feet have been giving me a lot of problems. And with me feeling so blah on top of that I've had a hard time focusing on the positive.

Fortunately I have Beth.  And Beth dropped a huge accomplishment bomb on me when, after missing a workout on Sunday, she pointed out that for the past 97 days I haven't missed a single workout. Not one.  

• Legal frustrations with the divorce? I still worked out. 
• Days where I was overwhelmed with feelings? I still worked out. 
• Crazy work schedule? I still worked out. 
• Feet hurting constantly? Yeah, okay I need a time out. 

Ninety-seven days not missing a single workout is pretty amazing.  I've never come close to that before.  Although, I've never been this organized in my workouts before so it has been a huge eye opener to see how powerful it is to plan my workouts ahead each month.

But when pain sets in you need to rethink what you're doing and allow your body to heal.  Beth pointed that out.  And as frustrating it is to change up a routine that you like and is working, she's right.   

All of this started a few weeks ago when I went to that aerial yoga class.  Watching the instructor move through poses on each on a hanging silk, a trapeze, and a silk fabric hammock was amazing. I tried each apparatus and really gave it my all.  But it was crazy hard.  Do you remember the rope climb in middle school?  Um, yeah.  If you see someone who does aerial dance regularly do not mess with them. They are insanely strong and could probably crush you with their thumb. 

At the end of the class the instructor told me that I would be sore the next few days.  But I didn't have the ability to wrap my mind around the ridiculousness that would be the next week of my life.  I could barely move and I was not able to straighten my arms.  I looked like a t-rex with my tiny, folded-up arms that couldn't reach anything. 

Exhibit A: Me trying to reach things

The pain lasted until the following Sunday when yoga finally loosened me up.  But, when I went to my kickboxing class Monday night I had a ton of trouble keeping up. Even though I wasn't sore, my muscles were still really tired and it slowed me down.  That was really discouraging.  I really don't like to be the guy who can't keep up in a class setting.  Normally that's been kind of a good thing because I push myself harder.  Monday night it really left me feeling super insecure.

On top of everything else, I noticed that I was icing my feet multiple times per day because they hurt pretty much all the time. I've had problems with my feet since high school. I've tried seeing a podiatrist. I've tried using orthodics. I've tried physical therapy. I've tried sucking it up and pushing through the pain.  Eventually I just stopped trying.  Since not trying is not an option this time, I need to figure out another plan.

I talked to Beth and about it and we decided to change some of the workout plan for the next few weeks. For one, I skipped kickboxing on Monday. It pains me to not go. I worry if I miss even one class I won't go back to it (I'm still working on the black and white thinking). Instead, I did a great online workout with Beth that still kicked my butt. We are also adding more weight training to improve strength. I've read that is better for weight loss so I'm curious about what kind of changes I see.

Next weekend Beth has suggested I take my measurements again so I can see the changes.  If there are changes I think it will really help with feeling discouraged about my feet.  If there aren't changes... well, I'll deal with that when it comes.  Either way I promise to share my progress.  

A GOOD YEAR: Kapow! Bap! Thwack!

I just got back from Portland and it was an AH-MAZING trip. I got to go on beautiful hikes in Forest Park, take a couple of yoga class (including aerial - more about that next week,) try out a new workout video, go to a kickboxing class with Beth, drink skim lattes with fancy designs in the foam, meet goats living in a field designated just for them in the middle of the city, drive to the coast, and eat amazing food. There are so many other things I got to do and every day was super fun. Honestly, between my cozy room, the great workouts, and Beth's wonderful massages I really felt like I was at a health spa. The difference was that I was hosted my kind and caring brother and sister-in-law who are truly the best. I'm sure my stories from the trip will continue to show up in my blog posts as time goes on so I'll stop gushing for now. 

So in the week leading up to my trip I tried my first kickboxing class here in the Detroit area. I've had an on and off relationship with kickboxing over the last 10 years - I'll go for a while, get super into it, and then stop going for no good reason. Through it all kickboxing has proven to be my favorite fitness activity. I love my gloves, I love the way my body feels hitting the bag, I love the way the music syncs up with the timing of your feet as you bounce from one foot to another. 

But it's been a long time and a lot of pounds since I went to a class and I know this is an intense workout. I wasn't sure if I was at a weight or level of conditioning where I could make it through an entire hour. I mean I've been doing awesome with the program so far but I have always loved kickboxing so it would be heartbreaking if I got myself to class and couldn't finish. But Beth was great. She really encouraged me to just show up and try and do the best that I can.  

So how did it go? First of all, it was hard. Crazy hard. The class started with a 25 minute intense cardio session where you hop from foot to foot in a sparring stance while you deliver jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts and front and side kicks at a quick pace, just not on the bag. Jumping is hard. Have you done any plyometrics? (Yeah, I'm using technical jargon now.) It's one hell of a workout. So even with just the hopping foot to foot, the back of my legs immediately cramped, locking up from my ankle to my hip. I pushed myself to keep up but had to step touch my feet instead of hopping around. That was discouraging because when I "used to" go to classes, years ago, I was able to keep up without a problem. Why I expect that to be the case three years and 50 pounds later is, well, something I should probably talk to my therapist about. 

With me struggling to keep up, unhealthy thinking found an opening and took over my head. I could see in the mirror how my weight hindered my movement. It made it hard for me to just execute the moves let alone keep up. With mirrors on every wall in the gym, I watched myself struggle and then proceeded to size up everyone in the class only to decide I was the heaviest person there. 

Fortunately I'm stubborn. And I'm competitive. And I was not walking out of that class having quit after the first ten minutes. So I just kept trying, continued to just step-touch instead of hopping and I got through the pure cardio portion which lasted about 20 minutes.

After we finished cardio we moved to the bags. That was when it all came rushing back - why I love this sport, how good hitting something can feel, and the strength I often forget I have. I began with jabs, then moved to hooks (my favorite) and then to combos (jab, cross, hook, hook, uppercut, uppercut). I hit that bag over and over again and each time I could feel the painful emotions that had taken up residence within me over several years just pour out. Sorrow, anger, frustration, guilt, and pain all went into that bag with every hit and kick. It was freedom and I remembered why I loved it.

We finished the class with an intense core and butt workout (fire hydrants, row boats, kneeling leg lifts) and I walked out of that building feeling like I was ten feet tall. I was proud of what I accomplished, I was proud that I still had good form all these years later, I was proud that I kept pushing even when everything in me wanted to stop.  I was also pretty sure my muscles had liquified. 

In spite of how great it felt to hit that bag, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I felt like 11 year old fat Cathy for a few days. Watching my body struggle with the first part of class was a big blow to my self esteem. Additionally, for the rest of the week my body was so sore that it was challenging to do basic things, like stand up and sit down, which are important to be able to do it turns out. I also had trouble with my feet for a few days from the impact (most kickboxing classes are barefoot) which made my walks a lot harder and required a lot of ice packs. 

But all of that passed. When I went with Beth to a class in Portland it was still a really hard workout. But having Beth there helped push me to keep up and motivate me to try harder. I pushed my heart rate to the max. And you know what? I kept up the entire time. 

I'm really glad I procrastinated on writing this post because on Wednesday I went back to the class here in Michigan. I was nervous about how making it through the hour because the last two classes were such a huge challenge. But right away I saw a difference in my mentality. I didn't feel like the fat girl in class. I didn't mind being surrounded by mirrors. I was proud of what my body could do and excited to try again. When class started I immediately noticed a huge difference in my ability to keep up. I was able to bounce from foot to foot most of the class and pretty much kept up the entire time. And as my first jab landed on the bag, joy crashed over me like a wave. 

So here is my advice to anyone trying a really challenging class based purely on my experience (I am not a professional):

1. Go in with the goal of finishing - Don't worry about getting every move right or keeping up. You won't. Do the best you can so that when you go back you will know better what to expect. 
2. Go to at least three classes - Give your body time to get comfortable working new muscles before you decide it's too hard. I know class three was a game changer for me in terms of what I was able to do. 
3. Just showing up the first time is the hardest part - But being the new guy is not fun to me. I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing. But if you'd never done this before how can expect yourself to be perfect the first, second or third time you try something? I made a whole bunch of excuses of why I shouldn't go on the day I went to my first class. Fortunately Beth saw right through them and pushed me to try. Just trust that it will get easier. 

I have not traditionally made the best decisions when it comes to releasing stress. I usually tried to stifle my emotions and distract myself from what was bothering me by drinking too much or going on an online shopping bender. Facing this realization has helped me rethink how I deal with the things that bother me. The best way to release stress for me is to hit things. Fortunately, there is a healthy way to do that without getting arrested for property destruction or assault. Kickboxing needs to be a part of my life and I am so grateful to Beth and Go Training for helping me find my way back to it. 

Cathy takes Portland!

Cathy came to visit Portland! And she kinda tore it up! Fearless is this lady!

Here is Cathy's story from the beginning, if you would like to read her insights from day one, and where we started her journey.

1. A GOOD YEAR: Getting Started
2. A GOOD YEAR: Let's Get Moving
3. A GOOD YEAR: Fitness Challenge: Yoga
4. A GOOD YEAR: Month One...Check!
5. A GOOD YEAR: Olive the Dog
6. A GOOD YEAR: Taco Bell Fiasco

She is my sister-in-law, friend and this past week, my exercise partner.  She is well on her journey to making healthy choices.  She will be blogging her journey with GO Training for the next year.  She is 2.5 months down already! As a physical therapist and personal trainer, I get to be part and parcel of this sweet transformation.  It also shows my style of training and my perspective on getting people started.  And I am so happy she agreed to blog about it; her voice is relatable and honest and funny.

Here are months 1and 2 of Cathy's workout plans.  She has done every workout thus far!

Month One Challenge: Yoga!

Month Two Challenge: Kickboxing! Done week 9!

Then there was a couple in between weeks before Cathy came here and during her visit.  We decided to use this time to discuss what is working, readiness for resistance exercise.  And work out together!

Exercising side by side was great.  Cathy loves the walking portion of her program, and is READY for resistance exercise!  She is also committed to attending kick boxing weekly.  Going to a kick boxing class together here in Portland we problem solved modifications for some plyometric moves.  Plyometrics is a type of jump training which definitely can help in the future but right now Cathy has some issues with lower leg muscles and feet, so I am recommending she modify, or do just one or two moves a class that way until performing those moves is not pain provoking.

We also did a resistance training video together and she followed along great!  I am making a video for Cathy and will post it here for her base resistance program tomorrow.

Big change for month three is rolling in resistance training, which I am going to start out with basic moves and one or two dynamic moves, and lots of core training. Once Cathy does a month of this, we can discuss how she is feeling and progress from there!

Hill Walk: same all month!

Hill repeats:

5 minute warm up,Find a small to medium hill, 4 X up and down, 5 minute cool down

Intervals:

Week 11 and 12: 20 minute
5 min warm up
2 min on, 30 seconds off X 4 repeats Effort: 10 point Berg 6-7
5 min cool down

Week 13: 25 minute

5 min warm up
3 on, 2 off X 3 repeats Effort  10 point Berg 6-7
5 min cool down

Week 14: 30 minutes

5 min warm up
3 on, 2 off X 4 repeats Effort: Effort: 10 point Berg 6-7
5 min cool down

Month 3.5 is on!

BY the hair of your Shinny Shin Shin!

Shin splintz! That's the 90's way to spell it...I started this post a while ago, when Cathy started her program and wanted to make sure it was informative but not too long, I am not sure I have achieved either...BUT I do feel super proud chest and confident you WILL possess solid knowledge about shin splints after this post.

Also known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS), shin splints is a catch all term, it is the universal "my shin hurts" term.  But the pain could be lots of things, muscular irritation, compartment syndrome, stress fracture, or sometimes the actual periosteum of the (perisoteum is a thin connective tissue that is the most outside covering of a bone) of the tibia.  How do you know what's contributing?  Read on my friend!

The number one reason for shin splints to arise from the musculoskeletal abyss is usually/always too much, too fast.

I also want to say that shin splints are pretty normal, and manageable.  Easing into walking, aerobics, running, whatever your flavor of exercise is, will mitigate the ouch.

Reasons why shin splints arise:

• A too large increase in mileage, speed, or terrain change for walkers/runners.
• Any scenario where you are increasing the demand of shock absorbing and work in foreleg muscles, will stir up this super unpleasant sensation. 

First, I just want to remind all of us, myself included, that the body likes a little prep.  The body will respond to stress and get stronger.  The smart way to train is to gradually increase that stress over time to let your body get a little inflammation, rebuild tissues, and get back at it!

On the front end of my weight loss journey (30 down, 20 pounds to go), I weighed 183 pounds, at 5'2".  And one day, after a stirring talk with my buddy Angie, I jumped on my weight loss train with gusto, toot toot!  I remember my first run after being pretty patchy with exercise for about 7-8 months.  It was intense/terrible/uncomfy. Shins a'fire!  My caveman crazy brain over rode my physical therapist brain, and a walk with intervals, or just a walk the first time out would have been a great call.

Please ease into your program! But if you got a little wild and crazy read below, and we will talk about bone structure, anatomy, and some strategy to make shins go right!

Let's get all sciencey about shins.

Boney anatomy and bone irritation:

Shins have two boney maroneys. Then tibia on the inside, and the fibula on the outside.  They articulate at the foot with the talus.

How does the bone get irritated?  The tibia flexes back just a wee bit as we strike the ground with our foot.  When we train too much, too fast the bone tissue gets broken down faster than it can be rebuilt.  It's akin to you cleaning up after one 2 year old pretty good.  But if you had to keep up with a room full of  2 year olds and they had popsicles and several bins of toys, you could clean up a bit but you would never clear the room, and every person in the room would have sticky hands.  Same idea with bone stimulation, and bone building.

Weight bearing,  cyclical,  repetitive exercise stimulates bone growth, but the growth needs time to happen.  You pull the trigger on bone building when you do more than your normal level of activity. That tells your bone to start building up that area of bone, and it triggers bone building cells called osteoblasts to make stronger bone.  This tissue turn around usually takes about 6 weeks.  Longer in those with healing issues, and maybe even shorter for others.  This process of rebuilding tissues after stress is called Wolff's law, a link is provided if you want to delve another layer deep into the theory and physiology.  If the stress of the new activity is too great, the bone cannot remodel fast enough to recover from the stimulating inflammation, and irritation of the outer layer of bone (called the periosteum) occurs.  If you keep training hard, this inflamed periosteum may start to fail and a stress fracture may happen.

http://www.atlantaequine.com/pages/client_lib_sequestrum.html

It would be rare to have JUST boney inflammation without a mad tendon or muscle too.  And why is that muscle mad?  Usually a weakness or tightness SOMEWHERES in the biomechanical chain.  Or maybe you kept going when you were pretty fatigued.

Muscular anatomy:

Many muscles that attached to the lower leg are also movers and shakers of the foot.  They contract to decelerate and accelerate your body and maintain your balance as your foot strikes the ground while walking or running.  Dorsiflexors live on the front outside of your shins, and pull your toes up and plantarflexors point your toes, and live on the back side of your calf.

Academics divide the bottom of foot into four layers of foot muscles, ligaments and tendons because there is so many important structures there. Lots of tiny muscles here flexing, extending toes, spreading toes!

Most dorsiflexors and plantorflexors also do other jobs, like pulling the foot in or out, flex or extend toes! Muscles work in concert with each other during the running cycle, turning on and off as needed.   Also rotation happens at the foot causing pronation and supination of the foot.  Just throwing out this info to illustrate how complicated the anatomy and function of our glorious lower legs and feet really is, and why getting shin pain if your go out to hard is so easy to bake up.

I found great images of muscles on a massage therapy sight, and encourage you to visit this link http://medicfrom.com/publicpress/Massage/Basic_Clinical_Massage_15.html.  Scroll like a champ down to the foreleg pics and just 'preciate all the LAYERS of muscles and tendons that surround the leg and foot!

Overuse and irritation in these muscles may be the source of your shin pain. And treating the muscles will aid your recovery.   If your foot is slapping the ground as you walk or run it could mean weakness and tightness in the calf is making it hard for you to pull up your toes.  MAYBE an old ankle sprain may have left you with decreased range of motion into pointing or flexing that wasn't really called out as a problem until you started walking or running.  All of these issues may not be part of your story but even a mild asymmetry in core, hips, knees, or ankles can cause big problems if your are progressing into running.  Even mild injuries from the past, if not addressed or rehabbed may have left a small mark in your symmetry.

Most of these issues are totally addressable and the comments above are not a full list of causal reasons for shin splits, just keep in mind asymmetries and weaknesses even from years and years ago CAN be improved.  I am talking to you "I have always had weak ankles" people.  Your body is strong and if you have never TRIED to strengthen a weakness, please don't assign yourself a label!  (Last two sentences....a physical therapy rant!)

What to do?

So with front of the shin pain, most likely caused by a jump up in training, here are some recommendations.

1. Just be aware of other shin ouch sources and make sure this isn't your kind of pain:

• Stress fracture: stress fractures require the attention of a physician and imaging to rule it in, and will require rest from running to recover and heal it.  Women typically are more vulnerable to this injury, and it may be characterized by pain lasting after a run, an ache along the tibia or fibula, painful to touch along the bone.  It is a weakened spot of bone that cracks a bit from repetitive stress.  A stress fracture can also happen in the bones of the foot.

• Compartment syndrome: so think of your leg as a container.  When you exercise blood flow increases to your legs as the muscles demand fuel.  Sometimes the swelling or flow of blood causes pain because the container fills up and is not relieved of this fluid shift fast enough. The lower leg is divided by fascial compartments, and a compartment may get too full pressing on blood vessels and nerves and due to it not being real stretchy.  Muscle groups are covered in connective tissue that can trap the blood flow and cause pain, pins and needles, redness, and can be serious.  If the pressure in the compartment is high, tissues actually cannot get blood flow and tissue death can occur.  Totally not fear mongering here! It is rare but possible source of shin pain with exercise.  Compartment syndrome in the lower leg is much more common in trauma situations (fracture, crushing type injury, gun shot wound)  where there is a lot of damage and the swelling response is significant in a short amount of time. 

• Check out the links for the above issues to allow you to explore the above issues deeper.

• WHEN EVER IN DOUBT, stop, collaborate and listen, but also see a physician.

2. Self Massage and stretch:  Roll out the affected muscles with a can, tennis ball,  golf ball, or foam roller.  And do some good stretches!  Never stretch cold by the way!  Check out this video I made for Cathy, the author behind the Good Year series, who went out too hard at the beginning of her program and has had some shin splint issues.  Always remember, when addressing a really mad muscle, you may get more muscular relaxation or tissue softening with a gentle approach.

VIDEO!  Disclaimer:  It's long! 13 minutes worth, and I am talking to Cathy, and I was going to remake it for public use cause I don't LOVE my outfit, but as this is my Portland launch month who knows when free time will arise again!

3. Ice: the magic elixir!  10-15 minutes at a time with a towel or other barrier to protect the skin several times (4-6) will help reduce pain and swelling.  Always check your sensation and skin make sure that you are not "burning" your self with the ice.  A good safe way to ice is to let the tissue come back to normal temp before reapplying more ice.

4. Rest: Definitely give the running or walking a rest.  Bike, swim, and let the inflammation go down. When walking no longer reproduces pain, start back with a gentle walk, and reassess before you jump right back into running.

5. Elevate: elevating your feet above your heart will help to mechanically tilt the swelling away from your shins and back towards your heart.

6.  Address muscular imbalances:  Is one of your gastrocnemius (calf) muscles tighter than the other?  Is one hip stronger than the other?  Is your core getting tired out as you walk or run and then your form degrades?  There may be something in your biomechanical chain (pelvis, core,  hip, knee, ankle, and any of the stuff that attaches to these arts) breaking down a bit for you, and seeing a medical or fitness professional might help you get there!  Or sign up with me and we will figure out your imbalances!

7. Give yourself time to build up.  SO remember all the muscles that just make up your foreleg and foot?  And how your core, hips and all kinds of other factors affect your walking and running gait?

The study listed below followed collegiate athletes and monitored those who got the MTSS.  Those with less than 5 years of athletic experience, orthotics, and a prior history of stress fracture or MTSS were most likely to get  MTSS.  Through my therapy eyes, I would say anyone with orthotics is already predisposed due to someone in there course of life saw a motion that needed to be controlled by an orthotic.   And I also want to highlight the years of experience and maybe throw out that the larger base of strength in hips, pelvis, buns, calfs, quads the less likely you will have glaring asymmetries or weaknesses.  This month we are kicking off a strengthening program for Cathy, so check it out if you are interested in a nice base strengthening program.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Mar;41(3):490-6. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31818b98e6.

8.  TLC.    Establishing a relationship with any of the take-care-of-your-body professionals. Rolfers, massage therapist, acupuncturist, etc may be necessary to help you stay as fit a s a fiddle!  Maybe even a physical therapist?

Summary:

• Start slow!  Slower than you think.  
  
  
• Address tight and sore and weak muscles! 

• REST, ICE, ELEVATE!

• Make sure it's not something else that needs the help of a medical professional! (Pain that does not go away when you stop exercising, numbness, tingling, loss of feeling or strength in the shin muscles)