Workout plan...FINALLY!

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all are enjoying this weekend so far. I am so excited to report that I can finally have more variety in my workouts! I've been doing random workouts at home, what I call my Arm Blasting Workout (ABW). I am still going to incorporate these into my workout routine because I have been getting so sore and really feel the difference these high-intensity toning exercises are making in my body. However, I saw an orthopedic surgeon yesterday who gave me some information on what is wrong with my knees and also gave me some strengthening and workout tips to get me back into running shape! Basically, everything that could be wrong with my knee is wrong with my knee...just kidding (kind of). I don't want to get too technical, but basically she believes I have ileotibial band syndrome, patellar tendonitis, and meniscus tears (non-surgical) in both my knees. There is also significant breakdown of cartilage in both my knees, which means that running has started to take its toll on my joints. I've always had bad knees, so I am not surprised that the breakdown has started already. But! There is hope. She believes that if I incorporate regular strengthening exercises into my routine for my quads, hamstrings, and calves, the strength in my legs can support my knees, which will in turn enable me to run again. Stretching also has to be a crucial part of my routine in order to prevent further injury. Lastly, she is going to send me to a physical therapist for some additional strengthening and correcting.

With that said, the approved workouts I can do are:

***Elliptical, bike, walking

***Leg extensions (quads), leg curls & dead lifts (hamstrings), and calf raises (no lunges or squats for now!)

***Obviously, upper body and abdominal workouts!

***NO running for at least 8 weeks

I was able to do 20 minutes of the elliptical today and then worked on my quads, back, and abs. With some stretching to top it off! It felt so good to be able to go to the gym again! So here is my workout plan for this coming week (stretching is a given everyday so I'm not going to put that down; and ABW takes anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes! Check back to previous posts for the ABW workout!)

November 24-November 30

11/24: Elliptical 15 minutes, bike 15 minutes, hamstrings, triceps, biceps

11/25: Elliptical 20 minutes, calf raises, ABW

11/26: Bike 15 minutes, quads, chest, ABW

11/27: Elliptical 30 minutes, hamstrings, back, TIU shoulder routine

11/28: Elliptical 45 minutes, calf raises, ABW (extra long today because...well...you know...THANKSGIVING!)

11/29: Elliptical 20, bike 10, quads, bi/tri

11:30: Elliptical 15, bike 15, hamstrings, back, ABW

That is the tentative plan for this week! Of course, I may add some TIU workouts here and there once they post their weekly schedule! I'm excited to add more variety into my workouts and hopefully build up the strength I need in my legs to start running again in a couple months.

New Shoes and Workout Routine!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all have had a great start to the week. I woke up this morning certain it was either Wednesday or Thursday, but no, it's only Tuesday (sigh). Oh well! 

I thought I'd write this post as an update to my hip/knee injury journey. I was lucky enough to have my cousin Jimmy, who is a Certified Athletic Trainer, come and take a look at me yesterday to try and figure out why I have been experiencing these aches and pains lately. We went to a running store near my house, where I learned that I should have changed by shoes once I hit the 300 mile mark, which was a while back since I have ran at least 650-700 miles in my current running shoes! This could definitely have contributed to my aches and pains! I tried on a variety of running shoes and finally picked one that seemed to work for me (more on this later). After we got the shoes, Jimmy did a few tests on me and realized that I am incredibly tight. I have very little flexibility in my hamstrings, quads, and hips, which contributes to an increased risk of the injuries I have been experiencing. So here is confession time:

I am a horrible stretcher. As in, I NEVER stretch. Once I'm done with my run, I get lazy and just decide to head home. I've tried to get myself to stretch in the past, but my motivation only lasts about 2-3 days, and then I get back into my old, harmful, injury-provoking habits. Talking with Jimmy last night helped me realize how VITAL stretching is to my fitness and health, and how important it is to incorporate it into my daily routine if I want to run the mileage and distances that I am used to.

SO! Jimmy gave me 3-5 stretches to do each day to help loosen up my muscles and get me back to running form soon. I am also going to lay off the elliptical for the next couple weeks and just do some easy walking in order to loosen my muscles and not put any added stress on my already tight joints. I started my new "routine" this morning, and it went pretty well! I laced up my new running shoes and had a banana and some nuts before heading to the gym:

I bought a pair of New Balance running shoes that are light and easy to walk in. At the running store, we learned that my usual Brooke's were over correcting my feet. They are made for those that pronate, and, even though I slightly pronate, I don't pronate nearly enough to use the Brooke's shoes. I decided on the New Balance because they didn't hurt my hip while I was walking around the store, and are made for those with regular, "medium" arches, which is me! I was excited to break these in this morning, even if it was for a short and light walk.

I walked 2 miles on the treadmill, on a 3.5-3.7 mph (NO incline!), which took about 35 minutes. Walking was a little painful at the beginning, but once my body loosened up, it felt great! I followed my walk with about 15-20 minutes of stretching, which is a HUGE accomplishment for me! I was so proud of myself for being able to stretch for this long and really be patient with the process. After stretching, I did the TIU Short and Sweet Shoulder routine, which has grown to be my favorite shoulder workout! 

Overall, I had a great morning and a great workout. I am currently icing all my hurting parts and snacking on some strawberries and a peanut butter wrap.

Side note: I tried cutting out the inflammatory foods for a few days, but it kinda made me cranky and didn't help the pain. So I decided to go back to my "a little bit of everything, what works for me, I love healthy food" mindset! :)

I am hoping this process of walking, stretching, and icing will help correct my tightness and help me get back to the level of running I want to be at, while being more balanced, flexible, and not hurting myself in the process! :)

Have a great Tuesday everyone! 

Injury Update & Workout Schedule! 10/21-10/27

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I had a very restful weekend mixed with good people and good food. I tried out an amazing Indian restaurant on Saturday night and had lamb, which is NOT a usual food for me, and loved it!! I had to provide a picture below! :)

I also went to a fun pumpkin patch yesterday, which made it finally feel like Fall, minus the hot weather we are experiencing here. Overall, it was a great weekend!

Injury Update:

My hip and knee have been healing nicely ever since I have been taking it easy activity-wise. My hip pain is 90% gone, but seems to have moved on to my knee. Thankfully, this pain is subsiding as well. My cousin gave me some great icing and stretching tips, which have been working out great! I have also been doing the elliptical for about 30 minutes a day, which helps me get my cardio in without being too strenuous on my hips and knees. Since my pain has been getting better, I am hoping to fit in a short run later on this week, depending on how things go! Here is my tentative workout plan for the week!

**I also decided to provide the machines/exercises I typically do for my toning work instead of just the body parts I work. I hope this helps! I plan to get more and more detailed as I go along with my workouts and schedules, and once I have more time after I take my RD exam!

Monday 10/21

I did 35 minutes on the elliptical this morning, followed by chest and back work.

Tuesday 10/22

Elliptical 40 minutes, biceps, push-ups

Wednesday 10/23

Elliptical 30 minutes, triceps, shoulders

Thursday 10/24

If my hip and knee are feeling better, today is the day I am going to TRY a 1 mile run, along with 20-30 minutes on the elliptical, chest, biceps

Friday 10/25

30 minutes elliptical, back, triceps

Saturday 10/26

1-1.5 mile run, 20-30 minutes elliptical, shoulders, biceps

Sunday 10/27

2 mile run, 10 minutes elliptical, chest, triceps

**Toning:

Chest: chest press machine

Back: Lat pull down, mid row machine

Biceps: seated bicep curl machine, seated bicep curls with dumbbells

Triceps: tricep extension machine, tricep dips on seat

Shoulders: Shoulder press machine, shoulder press with dumbbells, and I also LOVE the TIU shoulder routine! Found here :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA8acVEBn0k

And that is the plan for a week! I am feeling optimistic and hoping that I can actually run my intended 2 miles by the end of this week. I hope you all make this week a great one!

Training with an Injury

Today marks about 5 weeks until my half-marathon! It also marks that time that I had shooting pain down my back/hip/bottom while running and almost fell off the treadmill :( I have been trying to do 2-3 mile runs ever since my hip decided to grace me with its painful presence last week. I was doing well until this morning. The minute I hit mile 3, I had the worst pain shoot down my left hip/bottom, which is crazy because it is my RIGHT hip that always gives me trouble! I decided, or rather, was forced, to get off the treadmill immediately and do some stretches in order to be able to just walk out of the gym! After stretching I did some arm work and was definitely done with my workout. I immediately got to work on my half-marathon training plan, taking my injury into account. I know that rest, icing, and the lovely smelling icy-hot are going to be the only things that will help my pain and allow me to successfully run my half-marathon in 5 weeks! As hard as it is for me to rest, I have been reminding myself that resting now means better success later. After reading up on my pain online and seeing that rest for a few days up to a week is necessary, I have tweaked my plan and am going to hopefully be running again in a few days! Here is my tentative plan for training with an injury this week:

10/14 (today): Cardio: 3 mile run. Toning: biceps, triceps, back

10/15: Cardio: rest from cardio! Toning: shoulder routine

10/16: Cardio: rest OR try a cardio barre class. This workout could either stretch out my hips and help the pain, OR make the pain worse...I will definitely be listening to my body with this one! Toning: chest, triceps, push ups

10/17: Cardio: 2 mile run OR rest. Toning: shoulder routine, back

10/18: Cardio: 2 mile run OR 20 minutes ellipitcal. Toning: Frisky fall toning routine (minus lunges/squats) from a fall challenge group I am a part of with Tone it Up! (www.toneitup.com)

10/19: Cardio: I am being positive and planning to run 2 miles today! Toning: biceps, triceps, push ups

10/20: Busy day planned out so this will probably be a rest day overall! Maybe some quick toning work in the morning :)

Stretching will also be HUGE as I try to overcome this injury. I have never been a good stretcher, which I know is probably why I get injured like this! Not only will I try to get better at stretching, but will also continue to stretch even after my pain is gone in order to prevent future injuries! Hopefully I can be pain-free in a few days and pick up my running and training for my half-marathon!

Hips Don't Lie...Unfortunately

So this morning's workout was not that great :( I have been nursing a sore hip/knee for a few days now, but have been able to run through it. Yesterday, I was not very good about icing my knee and hip, so when I ran this morning, I was only about to run 2 miles. I usually push through pain, which can be a good and bad thing. About a year and a half ago, I had the same kind of hip pain I am experiencing now, except I ran through it for 2 weeks until one morning, I couldn't get out of bed because of the pain. The doctors told me that it was an overuse injury and rest would be the only thing that would heal it. I ended up having to take an entire week off of working out...not only running, but even things like the elliptical or power-walking. It was so hard for me because I look forward to my workouts every day and love working myself hard! Which is why this morning was so disappointing for me. I have a hard time with anything that prevents me from running the distances I want to, or with the intensity I want to. But I am holding on to the fact that resting now will mean better success later, especially because my dad and I signed up for a half marathon last night! The marathon is in about 5 weeks (on November 17th!)...or in about 37 days to be exact haha :)

...so I definitely want to make sure I am healed up and at my best for that day! This will be my 5th half-marathon ever, and I am so excited for it!

So for now, I am icing my knee more regularly, scaling back on my running, and trusting in the process of resting and letting my body heal. I also think God is SO great for bringing this verse to me this morning in not only one devotional, but TWO that I read this morning! God is so good and provides exactly what we need at the right times!

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."Matthew 11:28

I hope you all have a wonderful day everybody!