I love the Olympics and with Tivo I won't miss a thing. I love watching gymnastics, swimming, diving, equestrian, I love it all. In the past I marveled as swimmers broke records and a gymnast stuck it off the pommel with a sprained ankle. To me it looked effortless. Now I know better. Watching Michael Phelps win his first gold of these Olympics was amazing, he swims like a seal, all muscle; reading about Dara Torres, a forty one year old woman in her fifth Olympics was almost unbelievable. Her rock hard body is a force to be reckoned with and, for me personally, she is a hero.
I do my Pilates, and hope that my disc shrinks; I'm getting stronger every day. Watching the Olympics puts an extra giddy-up in my step as I go to the pool. During my Pilates class I can feel my muscles working and growing stronger every session. I know I'll never be a world class athlete, but that doesn't stop me from feeling a little Olympic Fever.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Day 28 - Recap
I haven't logged in for quite a few days so here's a recap. Last weekend was very nice. My brother in law threw a BBQ, on Saturday, and it was so nice to sit outside. We started late enough so that all of the crazy thunder and lightening blew through and the sun came out. It was nice to see all of the family and the steak and hot dogs were awesome.
Sunday, I went and picked up Laura and we were off to the pool. All of the chairs were packed so we threw our towels out on a grassy hill and basked in the sun until we were hot enough to to jump in the pool. Instead, I walked my way down the steps into the 3ft area and walked until it was up to my waist. I had to dive under soon it was so cold. Jumping in is always best; first the cold slap of the water then you adjust rather quickly as your head breaks the surface of the water. Ah the pool.
I can't remember Monday, but Tuesday was great. I had pilates in the morning and was psyched that I was strong enough to have the tension on the springs tightened. For those of you who may wonder I work out on an Allegro Tower. At the end Veronica added on some mat work that made me want to collapse and throw up at once . . . but in a good way. In order to stave off sore muscles I went directly to the pool and just lounged on my back and soaked for twenty minutes.
After the pool I come home to clean myself up and head out to Prospect Park to watch, and videotape, my sister's softball game. The park was wonderful. I sat under a tree of the first base line and started devouring my new book, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. It's the fourth, and last book, of a series of young adult, vampire, romance novel. I read the first three in three days then had to wait five days until the final novel came out. My fifteen year old niece is also reading it. We squealed about it during the BBQ.
Today I had acupuncture in the morning and a haircut in the afternoon. Michael calls it short, but it's medium length and kind of like Jennifer Aniston's "Rachael" haircut on Friends and I like it. Michael hates it. I don't know what it is - guy's dislike for short hair on girls.
Anyhoo, as you can tell I've been a lot more active these past couple of days. A month ago I was walking a half hour and feeling beat up. Now I find myself fidgeting, itching to get up and move - to do something! I love it. I can't wait for that crappy disc to shrink away cause boy oh boy am I paying for sitting too much. I can tell I might start to go a little crazy if my body can't move as much as I want it to. But I'll take that crazy over pain and fear crazy any day.
Sunday, I went and picked up Laura and we were off to the pool. All of the chairs were packed so we threw our towels out on a grassy hill and basked in the sun until we were hot enough to to jump in the pool. Instead, I walked my way down the steps into the 3ft area and walked until it was up to my waist. I had to dive under soon it was so cold. Jumping in is always best; first the cold slap of the water then you adjust rather quickly as your head breaks the surface of the water. Ah the pool.
I can't remember Monday, but Tuesday was great. I had pilates in the morning and was psyched that I was strong enough to have the tension on the springs tightened. For those of you who may wonder I work out on an Allegro Tower. At the end Veronica added on some mat work that made me want to collapse and throw up at once . . . but in a good way. In order to stave off sore muscles I went directly to the pool and just lounged on my back and soaked for twenty minutes.
After the pool I come home to clean myself up and head out to Prospect Park to watch, and videotape, my sister's softball game. The park was wonderful. I sat under a tree of the first base line and started devouring my new book, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. It's the fourth, and last book, of a series of young adult, vampire, romance novel. I read the first three in three days then had to wait five days until the final novel came out. My fifteen year old niece is also reading it. We squealed about it during the BBQ.
Today I had acupuncture in the morning and a haircut in the afternoon. Michael calls it short, but it's medium length and kind of like Jennifer Aniston's "Rachael" haircut on Friends and I like it. Michael hates it. I don't know what it is - guy's dislike for short hair on girls.
Anyhoo, as you can tell I've been a lot more active these past couple of days. A month ago I was walking a half hour and feeling beat up. Now I find myself fidgeting, itching to get up and move - to do something! I love it. I can't wait for that crappy disc to shrink away cause boy oh boy am I paying for sitting too much. I can tell I might start to go a little crazy if my body can't move as much as I want it to. But I'll take that crazy over pain and fear crazy any day.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Day 23 - Ups and Downs
I don't remember my first roller coaster ride, but I do remember how I felt standing in line. Terrified. As we snaked our way through the long line my sister told me over and over that it was nothing to be scared of, but my knees trembled anyway. I could hear the click click click of the coaster climbing that first hill, tortuously slow. Like anyone needed more build-up to terror. When I got off I vowed never to go on one again.
When I finally grew to my current height of 5'6" I changed my mind and stood in line, knees shaking once again. To my utter shock and delight I found that I loved the whoosh of the wind going through my hair and the faster the coaster went the better. The more ups and downs, twists and turns the better. Going upside down was even better.
Now I don't know if I'll ever ride a coaster again, but for a long time I've still felt the ups and downs. It would start with an epidural and I would be up and feeling good. Sure that the pain, and the fear were almost done with me. Eventually I would crash down, down, down as the epidural wore off and the physical therapy that was like a work out became impossible to do until I could get the pain, and the fear under control.
I got to the Studio on Thursday morning feeling energized and ready to go. I was feeling so great and was happy when Veronica said she was going to up the tension on the springs so I could really get going. I admit it, I felt a little cocky, and I wasn't paying complete attention to what I was doing when I felt a muscle in my back buckle. It scared the crap out of me. It didn't hurt, but it was a twinge that usually foreshadowed a downward turn. I finished the class making sure to be careful and keep my movements smaller and more controlled, but still I was a little scared.
I felt well enough for the rest of the day, but I admit I benched, or rather couched myself. I took a preemptive Vicodin and laid my butt and lower back down on a heating pad. Today, I decided, would be a day of rest. I feel pretty good now, as I'm writing this, and don't plan on missing any pilates sessions, but I will be taking it slowly for a couple of days. I can say one thing for sure, I won't ever lose concentration again.
Ups and downs on a roller coaster - good. But for now, ups and downs - bad.
When I finally grew to my current height of 5'6" I changed my mind and stood in line, knees shaking once again. To my utter shock and delight I found that I loved the whoosh of the wind going through my hair and the faster the coaster went the better. The more ups and downs, twists and turns the better. Going upside down was even better.
Now I don't know if I'll ever ride a coaster again, but for a long time I've still felt the ups and downs. It would start with an epidural and I would be up and feeling good. Sure that the pain, and the fear were almost done with me. Eventually I would crash down, down, down as the epidural wore off and the physical therapy that was like a work out became impossible to do until I could get the pain, and the fear under control.
I got to the Studio on Thursday morning feeling energized and ready to go. I was feeling so great and was happy when Veronica said she was going to up the tension on the springs so I could really get going. I admit it, I felt a little cocky, and I wasn't paying complete attention to what I was doing when I felt a muscle in my back buckle. It scared the crap out of me. It didn't hurt, but it was a twinge that usually foreshadowed a downward turn. I finished the class making sure to be careful and keep my movements smaller and more controlled, but still I was a little scared.
I felt well enough for the rest of the day, but I admit I benched, or rather couched myself. I took a preemptive Vicodin and laid my butt and lower back down on a heating pad. Today, I decided, would be a day of rest. I feel pretty good now, as I'm writing this, and don't plan on missing any pilates sessions, but I will be taking it slowly for a couple of days. I can say one thing for sure, I won't ever lose concentration again.
Ups and downs on a roller coaster - good. But for now, ups and downs - bad.
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