Exerciers with physical health challenges new check in

Hello all! This is just the thread that I needed, thanks for starting it Cendrine. I'll try not to be too long winded.

For starters, I'm another member in the bad back club. When I was 11 I broke my lower back in an accident. It could have been much worse, so I consider myself lucky. A few years ago, I had massively herniated discs which caused severe sciatica in my right leg. I had two surgeries in two years. First for L5/S1 and then L4/L5. The nerve damage in my right leg has been severe. I also lost muscle in that leg. I'm sure it is probably related to this that my right knee is not strong.

Also like several of you I suffer from food intolerances and food allergies and I suffer from IBS. Probably related.
Also, I'm in the pre menopause stage as we'll and it has been kicking me in my backside.

After my back surgeries I was laid up for quite awhile and really packed on the pounds. A few years ago when I started feeling better, I lost over 90 lbs, thanks to my Cathe collection and a much cleaner diet. However, my skin did not go back into shape. The extra skin was a burden in working out and causing me other health issues. Last fall, I went ahead and had a breast reduction along with a full tummy tuck with abdominal repair. My surgeon stated that my abs were some of most severe she had seen. They were basically no longer attached. After that I was not able to work out much until recently. I tried a few times but the bloating (which happens with this type of surgery) was too severe. I just had my one year checkup and the surgeon is very pleased and has lifted all of my restrictions.

I am now on my quest to lose the 15 pounds that I gained and get my physical activity level back. Before surgery I was in the best shape (again thanks to Cathe). I've been working out for the last couple of weeks and getting it back. Still can't do much ab work, it gets to me quick. Did what I could in MMA Boxing this week and have been sore ever since (and I only did a little, no weights). Today I did X10 (X77 premix). I do my own modifications to make it work for me. For example, she does several burpees quickly in this one. I just can't get up and down from the floor this fast (back). So I just kinda stay in a squat position. Or jump rope in place bothers my back, but running in place does not, so I just do that.

Now this check in will not only help me be accountable, but get useful information from some of you. I made a note to look into those oils. I look forward to getting to know you all.
 
Lisa, I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I'm leery of chiropractors after my experience, and I certainly will not go back to the one I was going to. Unfortunately, I've had bad experiences with other types of practitioners as well. But like you, I've also found some great ones.

Today I walked about 2 miles and lifted weights (back and biceps).
 
Welcome, catgirl! Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sorry to hear about your trials, but am glad things are looking up now. It's interesting how we all seem to have so much in common. Checking in with all you guys will be nice because we mostly understand what each is talking about.

No workout for me, today. I work out Monday's through Friday's for the time being.

Today is ds's 11th birthday. We will be spending the day celebrating him. He wants to eat at his favorite pizza place where they make a Mac and cheese pizza... of course I'll be smuggling in something else to eat....

Weather's still nice, so we'll probably go do something outside as well.

What do you guys do? And other info like that?

I'm a school teacher turned homeschool mom to my two children, dd8 and ds11. I am a bookworm if there ever was one and love cooking healthy meals and treats. I also love all sorts of art and crafts, sewing, creating of all kinds. I really enjoy walking and hiking, biking and floating down rivers on rafts. I was born and raised in Switzerland and moved here 16 years ago now. I lived in California for the first 14 years and then we moved to Oregon for a new job for dh.

I would love to hear more about you guys so I can get to know you better!
 
Hi Ladies,
Wow, all of you have had some tough issues to deal with, my arthritis seems so mild in comparison. Keep exercising to stay fit! I could have given up when the pain stated but working out is the only thing that keeps me sane!

Lisa, I have been considering HRT but still have a monthly period so I am going to wait a little longer. I take a herbal remedy called Maca HRT, prog cream, and pyhytoestrogens which all help. So far, no hot flashes, mostly mood swings and anxiety. I get myself so worked up about trivial things, I never used to be that way so it is driving me crazy. I increased the prog cream dose I am using and that seems to be helping.

Welcome Amy, congratulations on your wt loss!! Low Max is a fun w/o. Do you have any of the low impact series? I really enjoy all of the w/o in this series, I probably do cardio supersets the most.

Have a wonderful sunday.
katie
 
Did step today (old 90's VHS) and Cathe Xtrain core 1. I don't have a set day off schedule, I just reserve it for if I wake up with back issues. I pick up tapes and DVD's at Goodwill all the time to mix things up, so today was a blast from the past.

Cendrine, I am always amazed at stories like yours where you moved here from Switzerland. I still live within 90 minutes from where I was born, never lived out of Illinois. I married a man (25 years now) who moved around constantly throughout his childhood and even lived in Canada for several years. After that he just wants to stay put.

To answer your question about backgrounds and hobbies:

I am 47, married with two cats. I am a stay at home housewife now. Until recently I was an IT project manager for a large corporation. I am also a HUGE bookworm. I often have more than one book going at a time (one on my iPad and a print book). I love to cook and will be whipping up a large batch of healthy chili today. I am addicted to puzzle games of all kinds. My older brother recently passed away so I have had to spend a lot of time helping my parents settle his estate. He was a bachelor with no children. My father is in bad health and my mother is blind. It has been a challenging couple of months. Fortunately, I have a wonderfully supportive husband.
 
Hello ladies, seems we are all in good company! I did do a 2.5 mile dog walk and then XT legs, wow after spinning my glutes were fried. I'm 50, in Colorado, married, 2 grown boys (YES!), last year I got laid off again from a major computer company for the umpteenth time (catgirl, could it be the same big blue company?), I was a programmer. I'm happy to just be a housewife now (although I did just start into a direct sales for a nail wrap company--- they are so cool). For the last year I've focused on getting me back to me :)

For you back people, would stretches help? Reason I ask is I had lower back muscular issues after neck spine surgery and now as DH has gotten older and his occupation he had some issues. My massage therapist gave us both the lieing twisted spine stretch (not sure that's the right name), you lay on your back, bend your knee and bring it over while keeping the shoulder on the ground (Cathe does it in Yoga max, but that's the only place), I ALWAYS do this one everyday, it's really helped me. It basically is twisting the quadratic laborioum (QL) muscle as that is the best way to stretch it. Prior to doing this stretch, I'd have pain in my butt dimple area. I also have to make sure to stretch out the hips as well as that seems to contribute. HTH.

Sorry for lack of personals, I have to start getting packed for the RT! Woot!
 
Fitover40, not big blue but same kind of thing. Yes, I do that stretch regularly. Cathe has it in two others that I know of offhand, yoga relax and stretch max 1.

Very jealous of the RT!!! But have a Blast and make sure to tell us all about it. Have a safe journey.
 
I did cardio supersets and stab ball abs from ab circuits today, stacked firewood, and plan on walking the dog soon. She doesn't require a long walk so it will probably be the normal 2 mi walk. I am 52, live in allentown. pa. I was an ICU nurse but haven't worked in a few years. I am looking into going back to school and finding a new path in life. I have no idea what that path might be but need to find something else to do that is less stressful. I have 3 sons, all grown up and living in other states so we travel to see them often so a flexible job would be nice.
Welcome catgirl! Hopefully this checkin will keep us accountable, and allow us to meet people we never would have met if it wasn't for our love of working out and injuries.
Katie
 
Today I took a 2-mile walk. I'm trying to get as many walks in as possible while the weather will still permit it. I will also lift weights later this evening (chest, shoulders, & triceps tonight).

Katie, Low Max is the only video I have from the low impact series so far. I almost got Cardio Supersets, but I'm not quite ready for pushups and slide n glide discs yet.

Lisa, I do that same stretch you are talking about. My PT called it a lumbar rotation. I find the stretches helpful. Other ones I do are child's pose, cat-cow, nerve glides/flosses, hugging my knees to my chest while lying down (one knee at a time), and piriformis stretch.

I'm 40. I work from home making indexes for books. My hobbies are music and genealogy. I live with my daughter and cats in the St. Paul, MN metro area. I am in a long-term relationship.
 
Today I only did a dog walk of 3 miles, my lower back, gluten, hamstrings are tight so took a bit more time stretching than normal. Amy, I find pulling knees to chest (I do both) helps when my back is tight too, a Pilates teacher told me about all of those and said my back is very tight.

Katie what kind of dog do you have? I recently got a Shiba Ina just so I'd have a reason to walk, she is 16 months old (she was born 2 days before my surgery so I say she was meant for me because she's been a motivating factor for me too). My cycles stopped at 46 and I slept like crap, I thought that was how I was supposed to feel being menopausal, but turns out I wasn't in meno, I just quit making estrogen, no wonder I felt like crap. I think even after meno women still have a low level of estrogen but in my case I had none.

My hobbies are reading, and quilting.... too bad they don't burn calories!
 
Hi Ladies,
I cleaned today so no w/o. When i was younger I would do a w/o and then clean but those days are long gone. My back hurts most of the evening after I clean, I am sure I have some arthritis developing there as well.
I am driving to hershey pa tomorrow to see my son so no w/o tomorrow.

Lisa, I have a bison/toy poodle mix. She is 5 and so cute!! We also had a portuguese water dog but he was 14 and died last year. I really miss him but it allows me to spend more time with Bella. They really do keep you motivated, I prob wouldn't be taking any walks if I didn't have her and feel responsible to keep her active.
My problem isn't low estrogen, I have estrogen dominance, that is why I needed to increase the prog cream. It seems to be helping my anxiety and mood swings for now. This pre-menopause is so annoying, why at 52 do I need to still be dealing with periods, acne, mood swings etc... I really wish these docs could figure out something to help without all the side effects of meds.

Amy, the low impact step video is pretty good. It used to be one of my favorite w/o before I hurt my knee, it has a learning curve but once you learn it it really is fun. Step seems to aggravate my knees, so as much as it pains me to I avoid it. Step was how I first started with cathe, I would do it everyday!!! i also enjoy turbo barre and athletic training from that series.

Enjoy your evening, it has been a beautiful day here, to bad I was inside cleaning most of the day.
 
Today I did Supercuts extreme premix. My new goal is to be able to do that ending sit-up/push-up combo. That was hard on my abs, just did what I could.

Lisa, I have suffered from insomnia for years. Once I went pre-meno, I can barely sleep 2 hours a day. They just put me on a sleeping pill this last week. don't like taking it, but at least I'm getting some sleep (I cut the pill in half). They told me they couldn't test my levels because I have an IUD.

I agree that I wish reading and crafts burned calories!
 
I did my workout this morning, sts legs meso three disc four. But I could not check in because we hit the ground running on Mondays with a homeschool coop where I teach two classes. So I'm finally coming up for air now...

I agree with the common consensus that it's too bad reading and crafting don't burn calories... Lol!

Katie, before I had to go off a lot of stuff because of my intolerances I was on progesterone cream as well. It helped keep hormonal migraines and acne at bay very well. I have switched to Dalmatian sage oil because I didn't test negatively to it and I have minimal acne, usually just right before my period using it once a day. Since I'm doing so well with it im not going to go back to the cream.
I can only imagine how stressful being an ICU nurse must have been! I don't see myself going back to teaching when the kids are grown, so I have been giving my new career path some thought as well. I would love to be a proof reader for a publishing company, since I love reading so much and I always seem to find a mistake that got overlooked... Hah! I might enjoy being a life coach too, or a chef for some rich, private health conscious person... Lol! Not sure any of those are realistic.... So maybe I'll get into blogging...

Lisa, I'm very impressed with you being a programmer! I have just started a programming course with the kids for windows and we are learning very slowly with lots of checking of the course book for our coding... Lol last week we learned how to make a button to say either "good morning, good afternoon, or good evening" depending on what time it is when you click the button.... I'm trusting it gets easier as you get familiar with the code language...
Is the road trip during the week or this weekend? In any case, have a blast!

Amy and catgirl, we have a cat here as well. She's a black and white short haired 16yr old cat. Not your typical lap cat, unfortunately. She favors dh, I mostly avoid her now because my asthma started getting worse. The kids really want to get either a lap cat or a dog. None of them are conscientious enough to fully care for a dog, and I don't want to become the default dog walker... Lol, not that I have anything against dogs, I just have enough on my plate not to need another dependent.
 
Today was a rest day for weight lifting for me, and I only got a short walk in (about 1 1/2 miles). Mondays are usually pretty much my off day. I always do my stretches right before bed so I can do them on the bed. For some reason my low back digs into the floor when I stretch lying on my back, even though I use a mat.

Katie, I'm sorry you have to avoid step. I still have the step I bought in the 90s. It's still in great shape since I hadn't used it for years.

Cendrine, I always seem to find mistakes when I'm reading too!
 
Today was 30 min of jumpboard with light springs on the reformer (for core work) and 3.3 mile dog walk.

Katie, that dog sounds soooooo cute! Yea, I was estrogen dominant at around age 40, then at 42 it was so awful heavy I had an endometrial ablation, who would have thought I'd only get 4 yrs out of that! Even gyn was surprised. Aha, so that's why I can't clean as much after a workout?!?! Never really dawned on me (I just don't think of myself as 50). I was just comparing to how I used to do it in my early 40's (in between my layoffs).

Amy, I don't feel I get as good a stretch on the bed, maybe mine is too soft (I do like me a soft bed, especially with my neck/shoulder issue), but then I did try to stretch on the bed in a hotel room in between big hikes and it seemed the same. I did well with the hikes though, I think it was the hot tub at the hotel. I plan to get in the hotel hot tub at the RT

Cargill, I'm not sleeping as well lately (the last year. I just crashed from healing from surgery my body just needed a lot of rest for healing), I really miss the GOOD sleep. Ambien doesn't work on me, I love me some Valium (took some last night), they gave me that for muscle spasms, it relaxes me a lot. Then I have some Gabapentin that they tried for the nerves last year, that knocks me out, so I'm using that. I did read a internet study that Gabapentin (neurotin) helps with hot flashes and sleeping. When I go to gyno next yr I will have to have something else. It will be a new/old doc, what that means, is he was my old doc when I had kids, I got tired of driving to Boulder, so found one by me for old lady time, she retired and is referring everyone to my old doc.

Cendrine, I think to be a programmer you have to think a certain way. My skills are very old legacy skills, maybe one day they'll want to pay me well for those skills when all the youngsters only know the new stuff but there is a lot of old stuff out there, and most of us are retiring. I leave Thursday morning for the RT that starts on Friday. Lots of getting ready and "meeting " people online. Funny thing, I met a Cathe person that lives 10 min from me! Small world!
 
Workout was an hour on the treadmill doing intervals with incline. I had forgotten to use my inhaler, which I need to do before workouts, otherwise I get tight mid warmup. But since seeing the acupuncturist and doing the extra magnesium and vit c my naturopath told me to take for asthma, I have been able to make it through the night without an inhaler, so I was too lazy to stop my interval app and podcast and decided to just see what happens... And I made it through the entire hour breathing well! I'm very happy about this! Something to share at my aptt today! We've been going at this for three months now and I'm finally seeing my body 'yield' to the treatments. It felt like it has been fighting every part of the way...

Speaking of magnesium, you sleep troubled ladies, have you tried magnesium before bed? Supposedly magnesium taurate is easiest on the stomach and best for right before bed, although any kind works for me most of the time unless I'm really wired or did screen time too close to turning in. And the other day I bought raspberry leaf tea to try ease my pain during my period, it didn't help with that, but within ten minutes of drinking it I swear I could have lain down and gone to sleep at the snap of a finger.... Have you guys ever tried that?

Amy, I wonder if this has happened to you too, while we notice mistakes in books, the auto correct features on phones and iPads drive me crazy, I keep seeing mistakes I know I typed right and the auto correct messes things up and then I'm too lazy to go fix it....

Lisa, I'm sure that your skills will be coveted again, I for sure would not be useful at this at all... The reason I thought I'd join the kids in the programming course is because the language of coding has become so much simpler... Still plenty new and unintuitive to me for now.... But it's like with any other new language, it's awkward at first and the best thing for me is to just keep at it!

Im off to the acupuncture appt. I'm hoping to get desensitized to pumpkin and pumpkin Seeds today. Fall is here and orange wants to be in my kitchen....
 
Did step again today (old 90's VHS). I have most of Cathe's step, but I have a hard time with her routines (outside of the athletic step ones, I love those). Just not very coordinated. Followed this with Yoga Relax.

Cendrine, congrats on making it through your treadmill workout without your inhaler. That is definitely a breakthrough. No, I haven't tried Magnesium or Raspberry leaf tea, but I made a note to add to my list.

Lisa, Ambien doesn't work for me either. I've tried Valium and that doesn't either. A lot of the sleeping pills (even over the counter) either don't work on me or give me really bad nightmares. After much trial and error, last week my doctor seemed to find one that is working, but I can't come out of the full dose, so I've only been taking half. I've been a programmer, systems analyst and project manager mostly on legacy systems. Same with my hubby. I agree with you that you have to think a certain way. There is going to be a problem with a lack of us legacy people in the future. So many systems, especially back end and batch depend on it. Every time I go I to Costco, I see them on a green screen.

Funny about noticing typos, I just ran across one in my book last night. Drives me nuts. Autocorrect drives me nuts too.

I have two cats. Both are eight. One is a huge lap cat. It is funny though that since it turned cold, both have been attached to me. I am basically a big heating pad.
 
Today I had to get my car fixed, so I got my walk in while my car was at the dealership. It was right near an interstate highway, so it was a very noisy walk. I got 2 miles in, and weight lifting tonight was legs and abs (I also do the bird dog exercise on an exercise ball whenever I do abs and back).

Lisa, I can definitely see the downside of stretching in bed. I don't really like sinking into it. I probably get less of a stretch because of that.

I have sleep problems too - a Circadian rhythm disorder (delayed sleep phase). Melatonin is the only thing that works for it, but I think I'm building up a tolerance to it.

Cendrine, that's great that you made it through your workout breathing well!

I rarely seem to notice autocorrect mistakes on my phone until after I've sent them. But sometimes I leave them on purpose if they are funny and I think the person receiving the message will know what I meant.
 
I had to change my schedule yesterday and wait to see my son on until thurs., so today I did afterburn. Today I am going to PHL to shop with my friend, no w/o today. I really need a few rest day, my entire body is sore!!!
I used to have trouble sleeping as well, I did not do well on ambien. I took melatonin for awhile but noticed I developed a tolerance to that as well. I take 1-2 benadryl nightly and that works great for me.
Have a great day.
Katie
 
Hi Ladies, just a quick check in, I did 60 min spinning and a 3.6. mile dog walk. I have to do some last min preps before the RT!

Katie, Benadryl used to help, I'm getting less sleep than I did, but feel ok, so maybe I'm just used to the massive sleep my body needed for repair this last year.

Cendrine, woot for breathing! I can empathize only a little, I can get wheezy when out hiking and breathing thru my mouth and there is something in the air that I'm allergic to in the spring. My lungs can hurt! And my voice sounds 'tight'. Glad you are working thru your issues.

Amy, I have same probs with auto correct, if I miss them I figure why fix them, someone else has probably already seen them!

Catgirl, sad that I know what a green screen is! lol

I may just fly by during RT to post a pic of CATHE and ME! laters!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top