There were some positives and some negatives yesterday, so I figured I would lay those out before I get to my planned topic for today.
I did make the roasted butternut squash soup, using a bit of vindaloo and substituting Greek yogurt for heavy cream to add protein. Woohoo! *snork* Not so much. Apparently, most of my family (sans one child) does not like butternut squash. The two guys tried it, gagged, and set it back down. One girl expressed great gratitude that she was away at college and missed it, and the other girl ate it, but didn't want more. I tried to like it, but failed. Yeah, that pot went down the disposal. Blech.
However, I did do my core workout, and I also used the foam roller to stretch out my back. This segues beautifully into today's topic, which is the idea of using some basic tools to adapt some exercises and also to protect injured or sore body parts.
To do any core work, I use a basic therapy ball. I couldn't for the life of me tell you the brand name, but it cost me around $25 at Target and looks something like this one:
This protects my lower back, and keeps me from having to get down on the floor and back up. And really, for my own body, it's more effective because I can start from a slight arch instead of 180 degrees, getting a better workout for my ab muscles. On adaptation I have made is to lie with my knees on the top of the ball and my hands on the floor. I can do push-ups this way, because it doesn't involve the leg strength and balance that traditional ones do. I definitely get as much of a work out as anyone else, considering I'm starting from nearly flat and then going down and back up. Works well!
Another cool thing I found and asked for at Christmas was this:
You can read the description here: https://www.rejuvenationrehab.com/product/alignment-mobility-kit. (Mine came from Target.)
Now, I have a dear friend who is an athletic trainer who nearly skinned me for using this on my IT (ilio-tibial) bands as shown above. Mine are a mess, but I was honestly stunned at the level of pain I experienced when I tried to use it to massage them. Wow. However, let me say that using this thing on my back, both vertically and horizontally, has been a-freakin-mazing. My back gets really tight really fast, and this has helped me stay loose. I love it. I can also use it on my quads/hamstring and my calves as well.
Let me be clear, though: I am by no means trying to say that people should run out and buy these items. I'm not about product endorsement or advertising or whatever. I am merely sharing what I am using to adapt some exercises and help my own body. If anyone has recommendations or options they'd like to share, I would love to hear them!
Tonight's plan is to do push-ups on the ball and then do all-over stretching. My joints and muscles have been tight, which just makes me more sore in the damp, winter weather.
