A minor setback

March 22, 2004

Hi everyone!

I am not sure if you remember my posts from a few weeks ago. I was

really depressed and down in the dumps about the way I looked and

felt. I was all set to get back on my BFL program and ended up

injuring my back in clinicals at school. (New lesson learned:

never, ever try to move a patient by yourself, no matter how tiny

they are!!). So I've been lying flat on my back for the past 1 1/2

weeks, taking Soma, Vicodin, Robaxin, and whatever else my doctor

has tried. I've been to the stupid chiropractor (which I don't

believe in, but it's a family friend and free) and still, my lower

back hurts. My doctor was happy to hear that I don't have pain

shooting down my legs or any paresthesia occuring. Guess that means

no nerve damage in my spine. I'm praying and hoping that it's

muscular because this means it will heal eventually.

I went to work on Friday after not being up for over a week. My job

is labor intensive (12 hours of turning patients, scooting them up

in bed, holding up various limbs, etc) and it was really difficult.

I made it 8 hours and then decided to cut my day short. I was

supposed to work a 12 hour shift the following morning, but my back

was aching, so I opted to call in and preserve what back I had left.

Today is Monday and although I still have this nagging pain in my

lower back area (around L3,L4, and L5), it's not so bad that I can't

walk around or sit. I stepped on the scale and about burst into

tears. I'm up to 162 (I have NEVER been this weight) and my bodyfat

according to my wonderful friend, Mr. Tanita, is 37%!!!! Oh,

sheesh...that did it. I put on my workout pants and tied up my

laces with the determination that even if I can't follow the BFL

program exactly right now due to my lower back hurting, I can at

least go to the gym and get my big fat butt onto the treadmill.

Well, I spent 35 minutes, walked 2 miles and burned up 250

calories. I alternated between walking at 3.5 mph at a 10% incline

and 4.0 mph at a 5% incline. I didn't do anything that caused my

back to hurt and made sure to hold in my tummy and keep my pelvis

tucked under (which really helps ease the pressure off my lower

back). I really felt great when I finished and hope that this is a

start to getting my old self back again, body and mind.

Oh, I also saw a recommendation from Yogagirl's website for a yoga

video called Candlelight Yoga from Crunch. I just received it last

week in the mail and did it the other night. My back never hurt

while doing the video and it really made me slow down and relax. My

biggest problem is that my mind is always racing and thinking about

what to do next. It stresses me out and I always feeled pulled in a

million different directions. This yoga stuff really makes you STOP

doing all that and just be calm. I was forced to slow my breathing

down, the stretches were all great and it's not a difficult tape to

follow if you aren't familiar with yoga positions. I did learn that

I have great balance and parts of me are much more flexible than

others (my hips are much looser than my hamstrings).

Oops..sorry to write a darn novel again. I get carried away with

words sometimes. I just wanted to thank everyone again for the

support and although I am not back in the saddle completely, it's a

start. I also have realized that it's so much easier for me to eat

healthy on the days when I workout so that's another goal of mine.

As long as my back is still not 100%, I will at least go to the gym

for a light workout or at least take a walk around the block. This

will encourage me to put healthier things in my mouth, which will

lead to some weight loss in itself.

I will post when I'm ready to actually begin a challenge and take

new photos and stats.

Thanks again for all the support!

M.

March 25, 2004

Thanks !

An ice pick is exactly what it feels like in my back. I'm not sure if the pain

is less or I'm just acclimating to it, but I figure walking on the treadmill

can't hurt too much. And I really think the yoga will be beneficial to my back

in the long run.

Thanks for posting the link to Yogagirl's blog on your site. It makes me

homesick for Houston reading her entries, but I enjoy the advice she posted on

yoga tapes. I think that's the reason I never could get into yoga before. The

tapes I've used were boring and uninteresting. The candlelight yoga is a great

tape (I love most of the Crunch series...my favorite is A Better Butt with Janis

Saffel). I'm going to check out the YogaBasics and Yogabutt as soon as my back

is better.

M.

Skwigg <skwigg@...> wrote:

Ooh, I love the Candlelight Yoga. I have a high-stress job and I'm not very

patient or very good at relaxing. That workout really calms me down... if I can

hold still long enough to do it. :-)

I also have a lower back injury that feels like an ice pick in my spine. I've

gotten really good at not hurting it. I can do just about anything if I avoid

hyper-extensions and running on concrete. About once every year or two I manage

to accidentally cripple myself. I usually fully recover in a week or two. I find

that I can still walk and do things like bicep curls and tricep kickbacks even

when I can't stand up all the way. Congratulations on getting on the treadmill.

Hang in there!