I made it through seven days straight of working out last week! Woot woot! Now I just need to maintain that habit long enough for my leg to heal so I can make the transition to real workouts! I cannot wait for the day that I get to do some intervals or steady states. And THEN, before too long, I'll be able to run!!!
Sunday, March 31st
10' core and 20' bike
*I was extremely tired from the time I woke up today... even after getting plenty of rest! I decided to make this a "rest" day while still sticking to my workout-every-day rule. I'll be back at the full strength routine tomorrow. :)
Monday, April 1st
30' core and balance, 30' strength, 15' bike
1M walk during lunch
*I ran out of steam (and time) this morning, so I only biked for 15 minutes instead of 30. Other than that, though, it was a good workout. I could easily fill 90 minutes with just core, balance, and strength work every day, but I do want to start getting in some more biking - even if it can't be hard. I walked in our neighborhood during lunch to get some sun and fresh air. My left hip and knee were bothering me (similar to how they did last fall), but hopefully all this strength and balance work will knock that out before I start running again!
Tuesday, April 2nd
35' bike
Wednesday, April 3rd
30' core and balance, 30' leg strength, 20' bike
*Sore femur today so I won't be doing the 1M walk.
Thursday, April 4th
30' upper body strength
*I planned on biking today (and still might), but I woke up at 4:40 this morning and was BEAT by the time my lunch break came around. I went through all the upper body strength exercises I typically do, completing 2 sets of 15 reps as quickly as I could, and then off I went. I have class until late tonight, but I'll catch up on sleep tomorrow and have a solid session on Saturday. ;) I wish I could remember how I managed full-fledged cross country/ track training in college off so little sleep!
Friday, April 5th
50 jumping jacks, 15 pushups, 20 squats, 15 dips, 10 step ups, 10x60" abs (morning)
1M walk (lunch)
*No trip to the gym today. Friday is my sleep late morning (I get home from class close to 11 on Thursday nights), and then I fell asleep immediately after work today. Oops! Guess you give your body what it needs when it needs it. :)
Saturday, April 6th
10x30" abs, 10x30" legs, 10x30" butt (morning)
1.5M walk on the grass track, jogging 100m each lap + upper body strength + 15' bike (night)
*I went to DBU to do my walk tonight and was shocked by how bored I was. I usually don't have any problems at all when I walk through the neighborhood. At any rate, the boredom caused me to jog 100m every lap which felt like HEAVEN!!! Now we just have to pray I can still be active tomorrow! :)
3.31.2013
3.25.2013
Coming out of hiding.
Not because I am doing anything of interest or because I have some spectacular, exciting training going on, but because I need some accountability and motivation! I have become so lazy (or so I feel that way!)!
For almost 8 weeks I've forced myself to stay off my legs as much as possible. I mean to the point of not even biking, doing pushups, or doing planks! Obviously I still had to walk for daily chores, but for 90% of the time they were completely idle and I was a total sloth! :) You don't realize how much you workout and run until you spend a few weeks doing nothing! It can make a 10 minute exercise session feel highly productive! :)
In saying that, I think I've let myself waste away enough and I want to start trying my luck on this leg again. I'm going to take a full day off my legs each time I use them just to be sure everything feels okay, but other than that, I'm going to jump in and see how things go. 7 full weeks off should be enough for me to do some gentle pressure work! I'm ready to feel my heart beating again!!
Sunday, March 24th
4 sets of alternating 7:30 progressive cardio with 7:30 upper body strength (pushing only)
*For cardio, I used the bike, then elliptical, then walked on the treadmill, then the stair climber. I wanted to try multiple low impact options to see what felt best. The bike got my heart rate up easily as increased the resistance and I did not have any discomfort. The elliptical felt awkward, but was still good exercise. Not my favorite by any means though. The treadmill was good for increasing my heart rate as I raised the incline, but I think I will have to walk longer or increase the speed more to really get a workout. I'm not sure how low impact it would be if I increased the speed. The stair climber was my last round and it was the only one where I felt pain. I'm assuming the pain was just from already completing 22:30 of time on my leg, but it may be the actual motion. I might try it first next time and hop off if it starts hurting. It was nice to switch up during the workout though. Made an hour go by very fast!
Monday, March 25th
3 sets of 12 reps upper body strength (pulling only)
*First off, 6 hours of sleep is not nearly enough for me. I was a walking zombie this morning! Secondly, pulling exercises are the WORST! I would rather do bench press and dips over chest rows and pull ups anyyyy day! Now, having said that, I did manage to get in a full strength session and my muscles (12 hours later) are politely reminding me of that. :) Two days down, many more to go!
Tuesday, March 26th
4 sets of alternating 7:30 progressive cardio with 7:30 balance and core
*This time my cardio consisted of the recumbent bike, stair climber, incline treadmill, and rowing machine. I did not get much out of the rowing, but I think the resistance was pretty low. The stair climber was much better this time, and actually was harder than biking. For my strength sessions, all work was balance or core related. Got another hour in! Three days in a row - woohoo!
Wednesday, March 27th
3 sets of 12 reps upper body strength (pushing only)
*My femur was quite achy today, to the point that I wasn't sure if I should go walking around a gym at all. I decided to just stick to the upper body weight machines and then call it a day. It was very quick, but my arms were tight and weak when I finished, so I am considering it better than nothing! :) Hopefully tomorrow the leg will be feeling better. :/
Thursday, March 28th
3 sets of 12 reps upper body strength (pulling only)
*Yep, nothing has changed, I still very much enjoy pushing exercises over pulling ones! Whoever decided that pull ups, bicep curls, and chest rows are good for us is crazy! Oh well, maybe one day I'll have more muscles there and I'll be able to do them a little easier. :) Still soreness in my femur today, so no biking or cardio again.
Friday, March 29th
40' bike + 60" pedestal routine
*I planned on doing a 20' bike and then some core work, but was reading and getting a good workout on the bike so I lost track of time and knew I wouldn't be able to do a full core session. I opted for a longer bike and quick plank series instead. Good enough for me! My femur is still very sore, but the doctor told me I could bike back when all of this started, so surely 8 weeks in it's not making anything worse. I won't do any high resistance or fast biking though!
Saturday, March 30th
35' balance and core work, 35' strength work, 25' bike
*I really took my time and went through some exercises that I usually would cut short or not have as great of quality with, so I'm very pleased with today's workout. I almost got off the bike when I first started because my femur was noticably bothering me again, but, like I said yesterday, if the wise ol' doc says it's okay on day 1, surely it's okay on week 8! Right?! :/
For almost 8 weeks I've forced myself to stay off my legs as much as possible. I mean to the point of not even biking, doing pushups, or doing planks! Obviously I still had to walk for daily chores, but for 90% of the time they were completely idle and I was a total sloth! :) You don't realize how much you workout and run until you spend a few weeks doing nothing! It can make a 10 minute exercise session feel highly productive! :)
In saying that, I think I've let myself waste away enough and I want to start trying my luck on this leg again. I'm going to take a full day off my legs each time I use them just to be sure everything feels okay, but other than that, I'm going to jump in and see how things go. 7 full weeks off should be enough for me to do some gentle pressure work! I'm ready to feel my heart beating again!!
Sunday, March 24th
4 sets of alternating 7:30 progressive cardio with 7:30 upper body strength (pushing only)
*For cardio, I used the bike, then elliptical, then walked on the treadmill, then the stair climber. I wanted to try multiple low impact options to see what felt best. The bike got my heart rate up easily as increased the resistance and I did not have any discomfort. The elliptical felt awkward, but was still good exercise. Not my favorite by any means though. The treadmill was good for increasing my heart rate as I raised the incline, but I think I will have to walk longer or increase the speed more to really get a workout. I'm not sure how low impact it would be if I increased the speed. The stair climber was my last round and it was the only one where I felt pain. I'm assuming the pain was just from already completing 22:30 of time on my leg, but it may be the actual motion. I might try it first next time and hop off if it starts hurting. It was nice to switch up during the workout though. Made an hour go by very fast!
Monday, March 25th
3 sets of 12 reps upper body strength (pulling only)
*First off, 6 hours of sleep is not nearly enough for me. I was a walking zombie this morning! Secondly, pulling exercises are the WORST! I would rather do bench press and dips over chest rows and pull ups anyyyy day! Now, having said that, I did manage to get in a full strength session and my muscles (12 hours later) are politely reminding me of that. :) Two days down, many more to go!
Tuesday, March 26th
4 sets of alternating 7:30 progressive cardio with 7:30 balance and core
*This time my cardio consisted of the recumbent bike, stair climber, incline treadmill, and rowing machine. I did not get much out of the rowing, but I think the resistance was pretty low. The stair climber was much better this time, and actually was harder than biking. For my strength sessions, all work was balance or core related. Got another hour in! Three days in a row - woohoo!
Wednesday, March 27th
3 sets of 12 reps upper body strength (pushing only)
*My femur was quite achy today, to the point that I wasn't sure if I should go walking around a gym at all. I decided to just stick to the upper body weight machines and then call it a day. It was very quick, but my arms were tight and weak when I finished, so I am considering it better than nothing! :) Hopefully tomorrow the leg will be feeling better. :/
Thursday, March 28th
3 sets of 12 reps upper body strength (pulling only)
*Yep, nothing has changed, I still very much enjoy pushing exercises over pulling ones! Whoever decided that pull ups, bicep curls, and chest rows are good for us is crazy! Oh well, maybe one day I'll have more muscles there and I'll be able to do them a little easier. :) Still soreness in my femur today, so no biking or cardio again.
Friday, March 29th
40' bike + 60" pedestal routine
*I planned on doing a 20' bike and then some core work, but was reading and getting a good workout on the bike so I lost track of time and knew I wouldn't be able to do a full core session. I opted for a longer bike and quick plank series instead. Good enough for me! My femur is still very sore, but the doctor told me I could bike back when all of this started, so surely 8 weeks in it's not making anything worse. I won't do any high resistance or fast biking though!
Saturday, March 30th
35' balance and core work, 35' strength work, 25' bike
*I really took my time and went through some exercises that I usually would cut short or not have as great of quality with, so I'm very pleased with today's workout. I almost got off the bike when I first started because my femur was noticably bothering me again, but, like I said yesterday, if the wise ol' doc says it's okay on day 1, surely it's okay on week 8! Right?! :/
3.06.2013
A Step Sideways
I really enjoyed getting out to lift weights and swim or arm cycle last week, but on Saturday afternoon I found myself with a throbbing left femur. Chances are this was just due to more walking than usual at the TWM course that morning, but the increased pain sensations did rekindle a bit of nerves in me so I decided to put the swimming on hold again. As Jake explained, if my leg were fully broken, swimming would not be an option, so until I have no pain whatsoever, it's best to avoid things that will put extra stress on that bone.
Long story short:
March 3rd thru March 23rd consisted of short (60' or less) upper body and core workout sessions on every other day, an iron infusion once per week, and a nice relaxing trip to California. Nothing exciting, trust me. :)
Long story short:
March 3rd thru March 23rd consisted of short (60' or less) upper body and core workout sessions on every other day, an iron infusion once per week, and a nice relaxing trip to California. Nothing exciting, trust me. :)
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