I Hate Sit-Ups. (Do This Instead)

I'm getting my calves reoriented to running! Last Thursday I managed a 4.37 run/walk using 2/1 intervals. It took a full hour, which COULD be discouraging, but after about a half-hour, my calves FINALLY started to feel loose and NORMAL again! Perhaps I should have pushed harder and longer when I tried it on Wednesday.

Sit-ups have always been rough on my back (being a bit top-heavy, I can never seem to keep my low back flat to the floor), so when my husband told me about this article he read last week, I had to go find it for myself. 

Five Reasons to Never Do Sit-Ups / Crunches again. (BONUS: it's VERY short.)

Of course, this does NOT mean I get to skip my core work: planks, side planks, side planks with pulse, Russian Twists, nearly anything with a Bosu Ball... Especially with all I've learned from my physical therapy sessions the past few weeks, I absolutely need to work that core for a healthier, stronger body!!

Here are some of my favorite options (and some I want to start using):

Basic Plank (classic; I do this all the time, always challenging

 

Side Plank (I also like to do this one with a "pulse" - point your arm to the ceiling and :pulse: your hips to the side (up toward the ceiling) 

Lunge with Rotation (This looks difficult to me; haven't tried it yet, but it incorporates a lot of what my PT is wanting me to work on.)

 

 

 



Bosu Ball Forearm Plank

http://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/workouts/bosu-ball-exercises

Bosu Ab Twist

Here's one on the Stability Ball:  Back Extension Rear Leg Raise

Check this out for other options!  25 Variations on the Plank

In my hunt for pics / video I found this terrific list of Bosu exercises:  41 Exercises to Do on a Bosu Ball.

I also referenced these articles:
Best Ab Workouts for Women
8 Killer Ab Exercises (Active.com) - looks like you may need at least the free Active.com membership to read this article.

Physical Therapy: Euphemism for Torture?

I've had this nagging pain in my left foot, and a recurring issue with my hip, and then there's the chronic back pain.  (Welcome to Being Over Thirty-Five, right?)

I went to my doc a while back to check on things, my biggest concern being the potential for developing a stress fracture in my foot.  I figured I can expect to live with the back pain but once he suggested a physical therapist, I decided to make sure and get help from them on the hip and back pain as well.

My first visit was last Wednesday, right before heading out of town for work.

Overall, the diagnosis is that I need to develop a LOT more flexibility in my hip flexors and my calves.  (And that the high heels I favor are not helping.)  I also need to build strength in my hip flexors.  The PT, Josh, did a whole lot of muscle massage before having me do some specific stretches to work on these area. He took some photos (definitely the MOST FLATTERING photos EVER taken of me!) of the various stretches and whatnot that he wanted me to work on as my "homework" and sent them to me.  By the time I left, my back, at least, was completely pain-free.  I bought a foam roller on the way home and I've been doing these a couple of times a day ever since.

I went back yesterday for my second visit.  Uh, let's just say the Gloves Are Off!  I had Josh working on me and then an intern.  They had me do three new exercises, MUCH harder than the stretches I've been doing, and really worked me over.  This was no massage; this was a beating!  They did clear me to do cardio and strength training after my appointment, just avoid the legs.  So I hit the gym and hopped on the bike for 20 minutes and then did arms, back and core work, NO LEG WORK.  Josh warned me I would be feeling it today, and he was right.  It felt dangerous to walk around the office - I worried my hip may actually dislodge from its socket if I wasn't careful.  

I was worried about trying to run after work but decided to give it a try.  I decided to just go by feel, not have any set distance or time, just try some intervals and walk whenever necessary.  It went okay.  Coty and I walked our normal half-mile to start, then tried some 2-minute running intervals.  My hips felt... weird, but alright.  My calves were another story.  They were so tight I had trouble WALKING once I started running, but when I was running, they just BURNED.  This was a tough workout, and it only lasted 30 minutes!  

I have another appointment tomorrow and we'll see how it goes from there.  I sure hope I'll be able to run Steamboat - just 10 days away!  It's only 4 miles, and I was just thinking this morning about how if this lovely weather holds out, I ought to be able to finish around 48 minutes this year, even if I take a walk-break half-way through.  (And yes, I checked my race history and that would be a 3-minute PR.... I want to keep my streak going!)

On that note, I gotta go stretch and make friends with my foam roller.

Oh one more thing:  weigh-in on Sunday was a plus:  down 0.2 lbs! First loss in a while, so I was pretty happy about it, even though it's basically a goose-egg.