Thankful and Healing

Things I'm thankful for today:

#1 I am not in any pain for the first time in a year. Honestly, I've gotten so used to being uncomfortable that it kind of freaked me out. 

#2 Physical Therapy. I love it. I've been going for the last few weeks to fix a problem with my shoulder. It was causing constant, painful headaches for about 6 months. Today, I have no headache. It's pretty amazing. My PT also told me that my ankle is strained tendons and nothing more serious. Very happy about that.

#3 Taking a long walk in the sunshine with my Moon Dog. It has been warm and sunny for two days now, and I am loving it. Went for a 3 mile walk with the pooch this morning, and it was pain free! Amazing. 

So, the last few weeks have been pretty rough. I was in a lot of pain and feeling pretty run down. My body felt like a 90 year old (or how I imagine it feels, anyway). I've been trying to exercise while also resting both my ankle and my shoulder. I'm trying to focus on letting my body repair. The final tournament of the season was last weekend, and I can finally relax a little and focus on feeling better. I have to admit, I have been pushing myself even though I should have been resting. 

I've been careful with my eating and with my movement. I have been doing everything I need to do to combat my medical issues and staying well hydrated. I feel better. Not 100%, but so much better than before. I already feel so much better.

I've also been trying to stay positive and calm. I've been meditating regularly. I usually follow my own plan, but it's seemed like too much work lately. I don't want to have to think about it, so I found a guided meditation app that looked like what I was looking for. I wanted something simple and something that would keep me consistent. It's called Headspace, and they offer 10 days of 10 minute meditations for free. I just completed day 10 (admittedly it took me more than 10 days - life doesn't always cooperate). It's great. It's simple and consistent, and I don't have to think about it (or anything else). The subscription fee is really low, and I plan on subscribing and getting even more meditation packs. The calm I feel is totally worth it. 

So, that's it. Nothing too exciting. It's been a week of healing. Exactly what I needed.

Listen To Your Body

Week 2 of awesome workouts started strong. It's ending....not so well.

I'm at the end of a month of stress at work. I've been in the producing role for two musicals that happened back to back as well as being the choreographer for one and running the front of house. For a theatre person that means hell week, show week, hell week, show week. No sleep for a month. Very little time to eat. Plus, you know, the rest of my life...

I've been making time for exercise, but without adequate sleep and food, my body doesn't recover as well. Yesterday, I crashed and burned.

The day started out well. I got up and did a good workout. I felt pretty energized at first, but as the workout went on, I started to struggle. More than I should have. It was a short, not-too-intense workout, but I had a hard time completing it.

Friday's Workout:

Dead lifts 95# 8 reps
Won Hyo (my pattern) x2
biceps curls 15# 8 reps
*all exercises x2

Dead lifts 105# 6 reps
Won Hyo x2
front row with 15# dumbbells 10 reps
*all exercises x2

Dead lifts 115# 4 reps
Won Hyo x2
overhead tricep extensions 15# 12 reps
*all exercises x2


The last set was brutal. I almost gave up. I knew something was off, but I assumed it was due to the heat/humidity we've had all week.

About an hour later I was sick. Nauseous, sore, raging headache, slight fever. It was awful. I had to go in and get things set for the show, and by the time I got home I could barely move. I tried to do some house work, but it got worse. I took an hour-long nap that felt like I had just blinked my eyes. I am not a nap person, but yesterday it couldn't be helped.

Then I had to work the show. I did okay hiding the fact I was sick, but I made some really stupid mistakes because all I could think about was how much my head hurt. The show went great, and I didn't pass out. I crashed as soon as I got home.

This morning is a little better. The headache is gone. I'm a little queasy but not overheating. I think I just really need some rest and recovery time. It's been a brutal month.

Today, I had planned on doing some abs and yoga, but I think it's going to be a full rest day instead. We have two shows today, so my time is very limited. I think I just need to take it easy and try to eat good, healthy food. Sometimes it's not about what's on your training plan. It's about listening to your body.

Week 3 should be better. Less stress and back to my usual routine...until we go on vacation...