I need you.

C

cathe4me2

Cathlete
I have been on this forum for many years, and I have taken much more from all of you than I have given back. I really need you now!
I have been studying hard for the past 18 months or so to be in the medical field. I have 6 months to go!!! I had become very stressed out and overwhelmed, so much so, that I was very tense with my workouts. This caused me to injure my neck severly with compression from the base of the occiput through C5-7, and some lower lumbar compression.
I had to have a 4 month Sabbatical, in addition to my not keeping up with my regular workout schedule previously, which has caused a tremdous amount of weight gain which settled in the abs and hips, of course! In addition, I have to sit for many hours during the day. I know that does not help the hips either ;(

I guess I just need your rooting spirit, your enthusiasm, your helping me to decide what to do first in my workout program. After all of these years (18) I should know, but sometimes one just gets very overwhelmed with Stuff, that they would like a direction.
I just need the educated crowd's opinions.

I know I have to be careful lifting weights, especially over my head. Do you think I should concentrate on the cardio to get the weight and the hips under control?

Thanks everyone for listening to my complaints. :(
 
Hi Wanda! I know how hard you have been working this past year and a half. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch much lately. We miss you here. I can so relate with the injury and being so discouraged with your body. Hang in there and eventually you will be back where you wnat to be. Did you buy Cathe's Basic Step & Body Fusion? I think these would be a good start but not push you too much. You could do any weight workout just by lowering your weights dramatically til you see what you CAN do. I'm sorry you are having to deal with the injury on top of the stress of your studying. Come and pop in here when you can and someone will be around to cheer you up. I promise! :7 Nice to "see" you back!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH (AKA "Den Mother Debbie")http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Hi Wanda--maybe easing back into things w/pilates and/or yoga would be helpful. If you work with weights, you should probably start very light w/high reps & if you feel any pain whatsoever stop. And you could definitely do some lower body stuff, which would help you lose the weight. Good luck! :)
 
I don't have any suggestions since I would hate to advise something that might aggravate your injuries, but I want to offer my support.

Please keep in mind that you are having a setback and not a disaster. Life is a rollercoaster ride where it takes a long time to go up, but no time at all to come back down. Given the amount of stress you have in your life, no one would fault you for needing a break from your workouts. And now that you're getting back into it, you'll need to take it easy and realize that it's OK to slowly work your way back into your old workouts.

Check in and let us know how you're doing. We're all here for you!

Lunacat
 
Hi Wanda,take it easy. In your situation I would use the Basic step/body fusion dvd. Patience.I have been injured in the past and I know your frustration.We are here to help you.



Hugs




Mariángeles a spanish terminator and TAEBO junkie. :) :)
 
Thanks Debbie,

EEEEKKK, I didn't buy the Basic step. I got the High step one that was in that series. I have a bunch of other instructors like Gen Miller, Karen Voight, yep even the Firm, etc. I most definately cannot do Imax 1 or 3 at this point,way way to much jumping for my little compressed vertebrae.

Thanks for the suggestion about the weight work. Ah..sometimes the deep inner self really knows the answers to ones problems and frustrations. but the present self gets lost on the highway. :)
How wonderful to have friends and Cathe's forum. One does not have to be lost, discouraged, and groping for answers. One can be working out instead. ;-)

((((hugs))))
 
Thank you so much everyone. Wow! I feel like I just received a great big hug. :) :)

I will take your advice use low weights, low cardio, and go slowly. I will put in some pilates too. I really feel pilates helps the core to stretch as well as strengthen. I will have to be careful not to pull or let the neck do the lifting, especially since my abs are weak right now. I realize that the abs are supposed to lift the back off the floor and not the neck. You all have some wonderful advice that I shall heed.

The minute I knew I was injured, I had been doing situps with an 8# dumbell over my head. Before that I had been using a 20# dumbell (which I was used to doing) for overhead presses and then pilates. My whole left side was weird after that. I was feeling tingly, shocklike waves going clear down to my toes. My toes would curl under and I had a hard time getting them to straighten out.
Then the pain in my neck and shoulders was awful. I put up with it for 2 months, thinking I was just tensed and it would go away, before I went in for x-rays.

I know things will get back to normal. Thanks for reminding me of that. You guys as just awesome, as Cathe says. :7 :7

I need to check in more often! ;-)
 
Hi Wanda! i was wondering where you have been the other day:) i am so sorry to hear of your injury! that sucks! i don't have any advice...just wanted you to know we have missed you and i hope you feel better soon! Good luck with your studies! You're almost finished and you're doing great!


jes:7
 
Wanda,

No specific advice, but lots of support. I too would hate to see you complicate your injury by trying something your body isn't ready for yet. Take a deep breath and commit to a slow and steady rate of exercise and weight loss. Don't try too much too fast. You'll only get frustrated. Keep in touch.
 
Hi Wanda. I normally don't talk about this on the forums, but I can relate to your situation. I work and I study hard as I want to go to graduate school next year and I need a couple of courses approved for the school to accept me in the computer engineering program (My two B.S. degrees are Computer Science and Mathematics so I need about a year of additional courses that I'm taking slowly because I work and I'm planning to start graduate school in Fall 2006). Sitting for long hours is hard on the back and neck and it makes you get that dreaded "chair butt" which I normally have because of my hispanic heritage, but it gets worse because I'm sitting all the time.

I don't know where to start (should I start with the neck or should I start with the butt :7 ) Let's see. Sometimes my neck gets so bad I can't even drive especially I'm studying for a test and I have an important project to finish at work at the same time. When it gets like that I try not to do weights. I normally do a yoga workout and for cardio I try to do something that doesn't have a lot of impact to it. I also try to relax. To make the most out of the little time I have to sleep I bought a memory foam topper for my bed and a memory foam pillow (I spent about $300 on that but I swear they were well spent). That has helped me with neck and back pain. If you can get a couple of appointments with a physical therapist or someone that can give you weekly massage treatments in those areas that can help too. For the lower body, as I have been mentioning this week, the best way to slim it down is cardio. For the past couple of months I have been doing at least 3 hours a week of cardio and about the same for weights. I do the long cardios alone (no weight training) and the days I weight train (if the workouts are short) I add a short cardio after weights. Another thing I read and I try to do when I'm sitting at my desk at home for long hours and that is do 25 squats and stretch every time you feel discomfort. When I'm sitting for long hours (at home not in the office) I do the squats and stretching about every hour or so.

You know it's funny you started this thread as I was looking for a back cushion on the internet. I think that will help me a lot with my back pain and with my posture in general so I will buy one of those this weekend. Maybe you should consider that too. Last but not least I don't know how are you doing with your diet, but one of my biggest problems is to eat junk food when I'm stressed out. For the past couple of months I've been controlling it and I have been doing pretty good so that's another thing to watch out for if you're gaining weight in the lower half. I think that's about it. Lots of success Wanda! Hang in there!
 
Deb, Maximux, Lunacat, Mariangles, and Jes A great big THANK YOU!.

Mariangles, you know I think of you every time I see that pink outfit Cathe wears in the Hardcore series. ;-) How do you like those outfits by now? Mine is okay if I wear a long t-shirt to cover the abs and hips. LOL

Jes, thanks for the vote of confidence in my studies. I have been so very stressed out over my grades. I wanted to ace all my grades, but that is not a reality now. I have 15 tests yet to go so I hope to be "up there" with a low A average.
For awhile I had pressure at home to hurry and graduate in order to get a job. Let me tell you, you cannot learn this language overnight. It will even take quite awhile on the job to really get the 'hang' of it.
I worry about my typing (I only type 70 wpm) because I will have to type 1500 lines a day on the job. I still have to reference some terms, check verb tenses and plurals, I am only at around 700 lines per day. So I tell my husband I am typing as fast as I can. LOL
I know some in this field that type 120-200 wpm. Yet if you do not know the terms, the faster typing doesn't help that much.

I hear Cathe say: "You're gonna make it. Just tell yourself that." LOL
 
Thanks Robin. I need to learn to take things in smaller increments.
Set smaller, reachable goals instead of looking constantly at the long term. I am extremely hard on myself and I need to lighten up.
 
WOW you guys, I am going to have to get a folder to hold all of your great advice in. ;)

Rose, Thanks for the info about the exercises, sitting too long ect. My diet has been too many Cliff bars. I must rid myself of the addiction. I love the Peanut Toffee bars and I do know one can gain weight because of the sugar overload in them. I must let go of them.
I am too tired and mentally stressed to do any cooking, so aside from the Cliff bars, we eat out. I eat lots of salads (Wendy's Spring Mix)
I am thinking of going into protein shakes as a Cliff bar tradeoff.

What cushion did you find on the internet? I would like to look into that as well. One thing I had noticed with my computer monitor, I was having to look up too high. Talk about strain on the neck and shoulders! I have since remedied that problem. Boy, when you get injured you find out all kinds of stuff that aggrevate the injury that you didn't know was hurting you before.
 
Maximus, I was wondering if lower body work would really help. I am getting weaker in the legs from no activity. I couldn't decide what to concentrate on first, cardio or lower body work. Common sense tells me not to hoist the heavy loaded barbell on my back while doing squats etc. ;-) I will take your advice and go light.

So I think I shall do lots of cardio, do lower body with low weights, do pilates, yoga, and put less emphasis on the upper body at the present time. Life is so much less stressful when one has a plan.

Now to address the diet! LOL
 
Wanda,

((HUGS)) I have 2 mildly hernatied discs C5-6 and C6-7 so I feel some of your pain. What helps me is to be sure to LISTEN to my body, catch it BEFORE it gets aggravated. I don't know if you can do stretches or ice, etc. but that helps me tremendously. I can still lift and do cardio but until you are recovered, I'd be very careful on lifting. Also diet will help altho it's hard to stay on track when we are stressed.

I also see a Bowen Therapist www.bowtech.com It is the only thing that has reduced my pain med intake.

Colleen
 
Wanda,

Hang in there! I want to congratulate you on you commitment to your education!!!!!!!

What has your physician told you about exercise? Be sure your physician knows what you are used to doing. I am sure you are much more compliant than I and have already discussed this... I am the typical nurse and am not compliant... I just want to ask. I agree with Rose about a PT. You are smart to be careful and not cause further injury. My DH had surgery on his cervical spine in December for ruptured discs, so you are smart to take it easy.

I hope you recover quickly.
 
Wanda,

I'm sorry to hear about your back! I don't have any specific advice, but I know that when I don't do ANY form of exercise I get more stressed and more depressed. So anything helps. I personally dislike (ok HATE) strength work, so of course I approve of your concentrating on cardio...it's more fun! :) But there are many here who are more educated on the subject of cardio/weight workout balance than I so we should both probably listen to them. <whisper> but cardio's funner! ;)
The most important thing is to give yourself the proper time to heal, but being in the medical field I'm sure you know that!

Oh I just thought of something, if you use an 8 in step for the more basic cardios, then you are building you legs up a little AND burning more calories than a 6 in step. And since you won't be doing any jumping it won't be that bad for your back. Also for the squats without the barbell, could you wear a weighted belt? A weighted vest probably holds more weight but then it might make your injury worse.

Ah just brainstorming here (my DH HATES when I do that!) :)

Things WILL get better, you'll finish your schooling (you're in the home stretch now!) and you'll get back to where you want to be with weight wise. You've done it before and WE know you can do it again! Think happy thoughts, we love you!

EDITED TO ADD:

Feel free to join us in the "No sweets in June" challenge, it's not to late to join and it helps keep us more honest if we have to check in with each other. We'll kick that Cliff bar habit!

<<hugs>>

Nadine

~~Happiness is an Attitude~~

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=3517754&
 
I've been looking for an orthopedic back cushion today and I'm not sure which one to buy at the moment. Meanwhile I'm seating on a padded chair and I added two cushions on top. It's way better than sitting on the padded chair alone. I'll let you know if I end up buying one on the internet.

I had a carbrite bar addiction about a year ago, but I'm over it. I substitute it now with fresh fruit or yogurt or a serving of unsalted nuts every once in a while.

I also wanted to say that the squats I do when I'm sitting for a long time are without weight. Just 25 squats, then I stretch my neck, back and legs.

I hope you get better. And yes I'm glad you noticed that having your monitor too high puts strain on your neck. It should be at eye level. You have gotten great advice!
 
I want to thank EACH and EVERY ONE of you for your support, advice, and suggestions.

Since I was here last, I used your suggestions and did Lowmax with
8" step, Gym style legs with no or minimal weights, Winsor Pilates hip/thighs and Karen Voight Core essentials, and 10-10-10 triceps. I feel soooo much better to be able to move. I can do some situps as long as I have neck support. Other than that, I just have to be careful, not overdue stress on the neck.

Thanks for the website suggestions Colleen. I will look into that.

Autumn, you know how we do Cathe rotations with a variety of DVD's? I took 3 months worth of the rotations I had been doing, complete with pictures of Cathe in the Hardcore series workouts. His reply, after taking them home to study. "Where are you headed? You are going 90 mph and I don't see a direction?"
I haven't had a chance to explain my direction as he has been concerned with my injury at present. But I lift weights for muscle/strength, do cardio for my heart, crosstrain for endurance, pilates/yoga for flexibility, and core work to build strength in the power house. I know this is what it takes to get in great shape. It takes variety and not just a concentration of one thing. All cardio is not good. All weight work is not good. I will have to explain to him that I am not an outdoor sports person, I need something I can do everyday, wind, rain, and sleet. Cathe has gotten me in great shape before, no doubt she will again. However, I must be more cautious with my poundage, my form, and learn to control stresses in life so as not to create an injury or to compound the one I already have.

For the moment it is baby steps. I want to do kickboxing like real bad. My lower lumbar region cannot handle it at present. I am thinking of doing the modified version where you do the sidekicks like the Heisman moves. You bring you bent leg up sideways to your hips and keep it flexed as opposed to executing the kick. ???

You guys have been so wonderful to me. Thank you so very much.
 
Hi Wanda,

I'd like to suggest getting a Rebounder for using with a lot of the higher impact cardio. I do my high impact Cathe on a Rebounder, as I have a disc bulge at C6-7 and need to be careful. Also, impact bothers my low back. I'm also not allowed to do any overhead weight lifting and I'm not allowed to do some other movements that require supporting yourself with your own body weight.

I hope this helps somewhat. I don't know what I'd do without my rebounder. It really helps me get my heartrate up without the impact.
 
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