Daily Workout Thread-Wed March 15

[akw94]

Good morning,
Blenheim, I believe that I had a bulging disc in my back. Doctors use more than one term so I always forget which thing I have. Can''t remember if that''s the same as herniated disc or not. That is crazy that your insurance wouldn''t pay for your MRI. Did you find out for sure why they refused it? Mine was paid for, I just needed the referral b/c at the time I had HMO insurance. I also had my chiropractor and physical therapy paid for. I also had this other thing done..can''t remember what it''s called but they stuck little needles all over my leg/back, something related to nerves I think. Of course, it determined that nothing was wrong...not surprising!
Have you ever considered seeing a naturopathic doctor or acupuncturist before surgery? I think many dr.''s don''t see that as a true alternative but I know many people who have used natural methods that have worked. I also considered surgery and considered the epidural shots. I tried all these other things hoping they would work before going that far though. I heard a lot of stories about how even the epidurals and the surgery didn''t work and could end up causing more pain. I''m sure it''s not that way w/most, but it was scary enough to make me want to seek out other alternatives. I''m also not that trusting of dr.''s so I like to at least try other methods. I tried heat and ice too and various pain relievers but nothing really worked for me either. I say that, but actually, I really don''t know what worked. It may actually have been a combination of everything I tried b/c now, the pain is rare and certainly manageable when it occurs. It defiintely wasn''t that way before. It was taking over my life.
Physical therapy and chiropractic methods definitely are more aggressive but acupuncture can be very mild. My problem w/the acupuncture is when he was doing it for awhile and not seeing results, he wanted to go that extra mile and I did not react well.
I''m so sorry!

As for me, my workout will happen this afternoon. I''d like to try an interval pre-set routine on the treadmill today at the gym if there''s a treadmill available. I''ve been doing my own version but want to try theirs and see if I can do it. I''m trying to start running more; I actually stopped the little I was doing before due to my back. I''m a little concerned about doing more due to it bringing up the pain again but have been going very slow. I would love a great massage right now!!
My eating still isn''t too good, not terrible but I need to get back on track.

Have a good day everyone.

 

[coda72]

I''ve been absent from this thread for a couple of days, but then again I haven''t been working out! I did a workout last night, and it went pretty horrible. But I''m going to keep plugging at it until I see the doctor in less than a month. For some reason, I can''t progress beyond 3 miles, and I have no idea why. In fact last night, I ran a mile and felt so winded that I had to stop and walk a bit before I could continue.

I tried on a bathing suit for the first time this year, and boy do I have a lot of work to do! I couldn''t even stand to look at myself in the mirror. So, I''m going to have to get a lot more strict about my eating habits and keep exercising at some level even if it''s not at the level I want.

I hope everyone else has a good workout today!

 

[lovelylulu]

good morning all.

fortunately, with the exception of my blisters

, all my parts are in working order. i hope that the ladies here that are in some pain get some relief soon!

i worked out on the elliptical yesterday for another 40 minutes at a vigourous pace. this machine is different than the others and i feel it much more in my hamstrings, where on the others i get a burn in my calves. i suppose it''s the incline. but it''s a nice change.

i also am noticing that i am feeling less exhausted when i get home! before, i would work out pretty intensely and then come home totally spent. in fact, i even popped in my winsor pilates tape and did that workout too. i think it''s a nice compliment to the cardio and it''s really doable. good to notice improvements that aren''t necessarily weight-related.

 

[stermag]

This morning''s workout felt good, and I felt light and fit (it''s all relative, of course).

We did a 2-mile fartlek, which was great fun. For those who might not know, it''s a variety of interval training where you run whatever distance and speed you wish, varying the intensity, and occasionally running at high intensity levels. For us, this meant alternating who leads the run and who follows - every three quarters of a lap, we''d switch, and the person running behind would have to sprint to pass the leader, etc... etc...

Following the quick run, we did 15 minutes of rowing followed by 15 minutes on the bike, with some stretching in between.

I''m happy to say the state of my feet (blister, plantar fasciitis) is improving and everything seems to be on the mend. They do require a bit of daily attention, however: I have cushioning pads for blister-prone areas, some tape for extra arch support when not wearing my running shoes, and some inserts I popped into my Asics. On days that I run, I give them a quick ice massage as well. My hope is that my feet and I can be friends again soon.

We have less than 8 weeks until our 10k, and currently running roughly 20km a weeek, give or take a couple. Overall, I''m pleased. Losing a pound a week still, and feeling progressively stronger.

Hope everybody has a great day.

 

[Mara]

for those gals who are having health problems, or need to do something easier on the body, i TOTALLY recommend walking....

i have been doing it for about a year now religiously and have found that combined with a strict healthy diet and by doing about 10 miles a week (an ipod is a must have for that!!) and mixing it up with a kboxing class once to twice a week and doing some stuff at home too that my body seems really happy with the balance and i see changes as well which is positive. the walking for me is relaxing and fun and i can work on things like stride length and posture etc..and just daydream. i work up a good sweat after about 2 miles and my legs and thighs burn as well so i know something is happening. not a slow walk, a brisk walk but nothing like a speed walk...i''m not into that too much. i also get bored fast so i have to keep mixing it up...walking various areas, the trails, the park etc.

so anyway just though it''d throw that out there, aka coda, if you can''t run and you feel like you are just killing yourself to do the 3miles, try walking the 3 miles instead. at least it''s doing something and you may feel more positive than depressed after it''s done. blenheim, can you do walking or is that too rough on your body? im thinking with the right shoes to cushion your back?

i don''t know if i will work out today, maybe 2 miles around the park outside, but it''s looking rainy out again, big surprise, so tired of this!!! also i dont want to overdo it and my stomach area still is sore, so i may just rest up today and make sure i eat correctly...salad for lunch, had a high fiber kashi toasted oat cereal with bananas for breakfast, and dinner...am thinking maybe i can convince my better half to take me out for sushi, fresh tuna yum!!

on a random note, has anyone seen that commercial where the girl is eating yogurt (lowfat) and the song is itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini and it''s hanging on her wall in her apartment and she always walks past it eating yogurt? i was thinking now THAT would inspire me if my bikini was staring me in the face all the time. i may actually hang my bikini on the door in my closet so i can see it all the time and see if that works at all. hhaa. not like we have any big plans to go on vacation this summer, so who knows if i''ll even get to wear it (and we dont have a pool at our complex) but hey it''s the thought right? hehee.

 

[lovelylulu]

mara: the omni-present bikini is a great idea

i have my wedding dress to look to for motivation and it''s been quite effective in getting me off my butt!

when you started describing the commercial i thought at first you were referencing this really strange one with a young woman who is bopping around, dancing and wriggling while eating yogurt. the ad campaign is something about yogurt being alive and i guess if you eat it you are more alive -- but i think highlighting the active cultures is nasty!

 

[Blenheim]

Amy, I''m so sorry to hear that you''ve been having back problems too. I thought I remembered reading about someone with similar problems a while ago when I was still lurking, but couldn''t remember for the life of me who it was.

Bulging disks and herniated disks are the same thing, and I believe that there''s one other common name out there.

I talked to my mom on the phone today about acupuncture. My dad''s actually going to see our othopaedic surgeon on Friday anyway, so he''s going to discuss all of this stuff with him as much as possible, even before I have a consultation with a back surgeon. He''s actually a doctor too, so I trust him to ask better questions than I''d probably think to ask. Plus he''s super-protective as far as his "little girl" is concerned.

My anesthesiologist told me that epidural blocks only work on about 75% of people who try them, and often don''t completely take the pain away. Some people get rid of 90% of the pain, and are fine living with that. The first one helped a lot (as in, I didn''t need to be on narcotics all day long), but I just haven''t gotten better since then. It''s limiting what I can do quite a bit, and I''m so young and so active that I know I just can''t live the next 60 years (or whatever) like this. The epidurals cause more pain for a day or so since the needle has to go through tissue and they''re injecting stuff into an area with no extra room, creating pressure. (Sorry if anyone''s squeamish.) The cortisone becomes more potent over the course of 10-14 days, so the relief isn''t immediate.

Oh, and the only reason that the insurance company gave over not approving the MRI was that it "was not medically necesary."

After appealing their decision about five times and then paying out of pocket, my mom and I both cracked up when we saw the films. And we''re not radiologists. And it wasn''t even that funny, actually. It was just that the insurance company didn''t think it was medically necessary, and then our untrained eyes immediately found what the doctor later called a severe degree of herniation.

Oh, and I swam laps for 42 minutes today. I''m headed to visit a grad school until Sunday, so I''m not quite sure how I''m going to do in terms of working out over the next few days. I hope that it goes well for everyone else!

 

[stermag]

Blenheim - I meant to ask you this before but I may have forgotten: is this due to an injury? did something happen? did you lift something heavy? did you fall? Or was it a long, gradual process?

My fiance''s brother is an osteopath in England - I could ask for some general advice... Not that I think your doctors aren''t perfectly competent but, you know... it couldn''t hurt.