Let's get this SI joint moving already!! :)

Last week was the start of my physical therapy sessions. I'm definitely confident in my therapist and am super impressed with how knowledgeable and professional she is. She and I are close in age and she ran for Baylor in college. On my first visit, she had me explain all my symptoms, checked my alignment, and then had me move in certain positions while she felt a few joints. It turns out my sacroiliac joint on the right side isn't moving. This fits in with everything else because it basically stops your glute and hamstring from firing properly, which means my hip flexor and quads were working overtime. The most obvious sign to me was when she applied pressure to the side of my leg and asked me to resist it. No problems at all on the left, but I had NOTHING on the right. And yes, I do the same leg lifts and lateral lunges on my right side that I do on my left side!! You can read more about sacroiliac joint dysfunction here. Looking at the images and reading about it a bit more, I have no doubt this is a big part of my problem. I have pain in my groin, glute, hamstring, and on the SI joint, and it's definitely worse with prolonged sitting. In fact, we just got home from the movies and I'm in considerable pain smack-dab on the SI joint. It definitely doesn't feel like this when I'm standing at my desk during the day!

After warming it up on Tuesday, my therapist tried mobilizing the joint but it wasn't budging. I'll be going back at least twice a week for a while, which means lunch-break workouts probably won't happen as much, but I'm looking forward to getting it fixed. Both times I went in last week, my legs were significantly out of alignment, so I'm hoping that maybe correcting this will help me stay in alignment better as well!!

Jake and I before seeing Lone Survivor. Not one I would want to see again, but it was fun to spend the time together! :)

Here is the spot that's actually hurting me as I type this! Funny because I complained about this exact spot back in December, and that's actually why we requested a bone scan! We thought it was maybe a sacral problem!

*Picture Source

Anyways, here's the outline for this week! By the way, just so there is no confusion, this is really just a time blocker and way for me to choose workouts each day for now. While I'm not running, I don't have any structure with my training... and I thrive on structure. Even with work and regular life, I like to have an idea of what I'm going to be doing and when. That being said, since I start my weekly post on Sundays, I use this as a way to block off chunks of my time for each day. It also helps me know what type of workout to pick when I get to the gym! SO, if it says 1 hour of strength, chances are I am only in the gym 45 minutes or so, and I probably spend a third of that time stretching and warming up and walking through drills. By the end of each day, I log in and update the details for that day with what I actually did! :)

Sunday, January 26th

30 minutes of PT exercises. Same exact ones I did at physical therapy, plus a few extra core exercises. The physical therapy exercises are unique and would take a lot of typing to explain, so if anyone is curious, let me know. I can film it when I do them tomorrow to save my hands and some time. :)

Monday, January 27th

Before work: Around the World core routine.
During lunch: Full body strength circuit (below). Didn't go to the gym before work due to ridiculous winds (26 to 50 mph all night and morning) and I thought the strength work was more important than lap swimming, so that's what I did!

Tuesday, January 28th

During lunch: Leg day! This is one of the shortest (written) leg workouts I've ever done, but I was literally shaking for the entire round of deadlifts and calf raises! I will definitely keep this one in the mix! I actually planned on doing leg press instead of deadlifts, but the machine was being used and I didn't have time to wait. The trick to getting the most out of this workout is going slow! Pause at the peak of each movement and slowly return to the starting position! I only had 35 minutes and used the full time up (that's how slow each movement was!), but if I'd had more time there are a few more exercises I would've liked to do. Next time I'll probably add hamstring curls and lateral lunges with dumbbells. FYI, no swimming again today. I keep waking up with nasty green mucous (sorry if that is TMI!), and until that trash is gone I don't want to be back in cold water.

Wednesday, January 29th

Lunch: 20 minute yoga workout from Yoga Centre. It's a nice website that provides yoga videos for you to do on your own at home. I really enjoyed the one I did today, and will want to do longer sessions more often now! 
Afternoon: Shoulder workout from Cathy Savage's Warrior Guide workout book. Shoulders/ upper back is definitely my weakest muscle group, so they deserve a full day dedicated to them more often! My legs are crazy sore today and I forgot to drink my Ionix last night, so it's my own fault, haha! Definitely will be drinking a double dose before bed tonight! At least I know yesterday's workout is a keeper! :) Still battling the sinus pains, but my nose is runny this afternoon which I'm hoping will help it pass more quickly!
After work: Physical therapy visit #3!!

Thursday, January 30th

Before work: 45' of full body strength. This was a weird one! I made it the through the first set of an upper body circuit before I realized that it was my full body day!! Ooops! So then I switched to a full body circuit, but skipped some of the arm exercises, haha! Still good though and my leg soreness is going down some! :)
Lunch: 35' yoga session. This was a frustrating one! I was fully dressed and packed for the pool at 11:55 and then had to take a random work call at 11:59 and didn't get off the phone until it was too late to make it to the pool! Booo!! I did enjoy the yoga, but it's certainly nothing like the thrill of getting your heart pumping fast.
*No PT exercise video yet!! So sorry! I will have more time tomorrow so hopefully I can fit it in! :) 

Friday, January 31st

1 hour of lower body strength. PT during lunch.

Saturday, February 1st.

Rest day - My family is coming to visit!! Woohoo!