February 23, 2024

 The FIRM Lower Body Sculpting.

This is SO good for my piriformis, it's got almost everything my physical therapist wanted me to do.  I did clamshells and then exercises from the PT video I previously posted.  My feet, knees, legs, and lower back are SO.MUCH.BETTER.  Yay.  #Grateful 

I really wish Lower Body Sculpting was for sale on DVD. I only have it on VHS. It's a classic, only 21 minutes of actual floor work, but so well done. The FIRM's Anna Benson was the best.  What a beautiful gift she gave us, and her workouts have withstood the test of time. 

I'll likely be doing this daily for awhile. I was supposed to when I saw my PT a few years ago. I've been hit or miss on that.  Time to add Joyce back in!

Piriformis Pain

For several years, I've had a LOT of pain stemming from my piriformis.  I went to an awesome physical therapist who worked in the same hospital I worked at, and he gave me exercises. He said that my gluteus minimus muscle was also weak and gave me exercises.  I complained of IT band pain, and he gave me exercises for that.  I do them, on occasion, usually when the pain comes back. 

photo credit: https://www.circleoflifewellness.com/post/the-glutes-are-they-the-cause-of-your-pain

photo credit: https://backmusclesolutions.com/blogs/the-ql-blawg/seated-piriformis-stretch

The exercises help, as does stretching. Yin yoga, holding the stretches for 3 minutes, is lovely.  However, it's not enough.

I love my treadmill. We got a great deal on Craig's List years ago for a gym-quality treadmill (Landice) thanks to a divorce. The husband got custody of the wife's treadmill and sold it to us for a song. 🤣 Here's the thing, though. Every time I walk on the treadmill, I get piriformis pain.  Bad.  My pain is exactly like the second photo, a "line" across my lower back into my hip.  My hip hurts bad, and the pain extends down the side of my leg. I thought it was IT band pain.

The exercises I have just aren't enough. These muscles are weak, and so I went on the search for more info.  I found this video, Your Piriformis isn't Tight, it's Weak!: 

I got on the floor and did the first exercise, where you turn your thigh up.  Oh my gosh, it was instant relief. It was hurting bad today, and just that one set that he did in the video was like a magic eraser for the pain.  The pain was 80% gone. Wow.

So I'm going to follow his recommendations for a couple weeks and get this muscle built up.  I will also be doing this workout:

The FIRM Lower Body Sculpting 

This video has all but one exercise I was given by the physical therapist.  The other is the clamshell, which I can do on my own.  I wish I had this on DVD.  I have it on VHS. It's now OOP and I'd give anything to have the DVD so I could get rid of the VHS player.  For now, I am renting from the Fitness Favorites website, but it's $20 a month. This is an exercise I can do upstairs, not in my gym, and I prefer to do it upstairs because my dogs like to help me and they aren't allowed in my gym. 🤣 

So I'll continue my treadmill walking, and I'll be doing these daily, as prescribed by my PT in 2020. I need to get serious because the pain is for real, and it wakes me at night, and it makes me dread the treadmill and working out in general, which is stupid because I love to workout.

So there you have it, my cure for piriformis pain.

February 20, 2024

Today, emotionally, I felt good. In fact, yesterday and today both, I felt better than I have in a VERY long time.  Exercise is known to do that.  I hit 14,000 steps yesterday.  I was productive, got a lot done around the house.  Today I did some food prep, I baked 10 pounds of ground beef into hamburgers, and froze for future.The one thing I do not care for about being keto/carnivore (ketovore?) is that I hate cooking, but it's a requirement. We do not eat out. COVID stopped us going to restaurants, and we got out of the habit. We are both fine with that. Husband goes to Taco Johns twice a month, but I don't eat there.  I really have no desire to eat out. Now if there were a Starbucks in my town, I'd go for coffee. I do go for coffee with friends here sometimes, but the coffee is meh -- I'm going for the friendship. Starbucks, I go for the coffee because I love it. 

Tonight I did not want to walk after dinner.  Just wasn't feeling it.  Then I remembered a cognitive behavioral technique from The Beck Diet Book.  No choice. I have no choice, I must do it.  And with that, I chuckled, and I went and did a 35-minute walk and a 20-minute stretch.

One delightful thing: A couple years ago husband bought me a nice (under $100, but not cheap) pair of wireless headphones that completely cover the ear. I have always loved headphones, but these are awesome.  I lost the charger immediately, so I haven't used them.  I mentioned it in passing, and he gave me a new charger. Wow, are they amazing on the treadmill.  I love many genres of music, and music is my motivator.  Tonight it was Big Band again.  Mostly I like rock 'n roll.  Those earphones are just the best.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to pick up a dumbbell again.  Right now I'm establishing the cardio pattern, and it's time to add to it. 

February 19, 2024

 Morning: 36 minute treadmill walk followed by 20 minute stretch. Big band music--nice, energetic, happy change.  

Evening: 31 minute treadmill walk followed by 35-minute stretch. 

I felt REALLY good today, better than I have in a long time. I got so much work done around the house.  I'm betting I'll sleep very well tonight!

February 18, 2024

 After breakfast and lunch, I did a minimum 10 minute walk.  Nice and easy zone 2.

Breakfast dessert: 

 Lunch Dessert:  

(I walked only 15 minutes.) 

After dinner, I walked 35 minutes on my treadmill. After, I put on some yoga music and did a 21-minute stretch. It was wonderful.

A New Chart

 

Last night I made this chart in Word so I can put the date in each time I do one of these workouts. My theory is I can be more balanced with which workouts I'm doing, and also eliminate those I do not like.  I'll do Weight Training Made Easy one more time, but it was the only Joyce workout I did not like.

J&M = Joyce and Marthe. Marthe is her daughter and I like those workouts because Marthe counts the reps. I also included Cathe Friedrich's Pyramid workouts, and her Gym Style series.

A Better Day

 A little bit of sunshine is coming back into my life.  It's been dark for so long, that it's very welcomed. I actually laughed out loud last night--what a beautiful thing. I believe things are shifting for the better, but I've been doing a lot of hard work to get here.

Today I walked 45 minutes on the treadmill and did this yin yoga workout. I like the shorter 30-minute session, and it felt good. I think for me, though, the longer sessions are better.

I like Devi, I like her energy, and her practice.  She's definitely my first choice for yin.  

February 6

 We took a long, lovely walk with our dogs today in unseasonably, beautiful weather. Snow never melts before April in north country, but it has this year and it's such a special treat. I know it won't be good for summer, water, drought, etc., but I think we can at the very least enjoy the warmth of it in the now.

Feb 1st 2024

 I've been really sick with a painful skin infection.  blergh  Thankfully, finally on the mend.

Half hour on the treadmill.

Enjoying unseasonably warm weather--the snow has melted, and it's never done that in the couple decades I've lived in north country. Ever, in January.  I know, it's Feb 1st, but the snow was mostly gone yesterday.

Getting back in the swing of things.

Crush it.