Working it out

There is a very simple component to a healthy body that is so often overlooked, that many people don't even realize that it should be in their everyday routine.  That thing, my friends, is stretching.  Now, I'm not talking about doing Pilates and Yoga til you can apply to Cirqu du Soleil as a contortionist.  It doesn't need to be that strenuous or extreme.  But the benefits of stretching are numerous, and if you already have an issue with a joint of muscle, it's almost mandatory.

Tight joints and muscles are much more apt to be sore and painful, even before exercise.  Gentle stretching loosens up the fibers and allows for greater lubrication and blood flow, thereby reducing the risk of injury.  Remember to stretch slowly, though, and never bounce; this leads to muscle tears.  And for the love of Mick, please, please do NOT do that one stretch that used to be so popular among the runners I knew.  It involves sitting with one leg extended straight, and the other leg bent back such that the foot points away from the body, to the outside.  This stretch has been a staple for years, but it so, so bad for the knees.  My youngest, the Ambassador, is a soccer addict.  (Yeah, I said it.)  But any time he gets a coach who starts with this stretch, I  forbid him to do it.  His Osgood-Schlatters Syndrome aside, it's just dangerous for the knee joint in general.  If you have access to a trainer, or a physical therapist, I implore you to seek the counsel of a professional before really getting into any heavy stretching.  Don't risk an injury.  If not, your doctor can help, instead.  Don't make the mistake of blowing this off as something that's easy or unimportant.

Increasing flexibility also improves balance.  Now, not everyone who has a disability or limitation will have concurrent balance issues, but the vast majority will.  If you don't know the reason for this, Alvin and the Chipmunks will be happy to educate you on the topic!

It took me a while to learn this too, really.  But it's true that everything is truly connected.  My injury is in my right knee.  However, in addition to my balance, both of my hips and lower back are very much affected simply because I stand and walk differently than the human body was designed to move.  Same goes for someone with a shoulder injury; it will affect their arm, neck, and back as well.  It may not seem like that would impair balance, but trust me when I tell you, it does.

Stretching before exercise is a great warm-up for the body, but most people forget the fact that stretching after exercise is almost more important.  When we work out, muscle fibers break down and can tighten up.  Stretching gently loosens them up again, and helps the healing process improve.  It keeps the blood flowing through the joints, which prevents swelling and soreness from exacerbating. 

Even if you aren't sure what stretches are right for your body, here's one that almost everyone can do after a workout: Lie flat on the floor; doesn't matter if you're supine or prone.  Whichever is more comfortable is fine.  Try to reach your toes to the other side of the room, and your fingertips to the opposite wall.  Hold for ten seconds and relax.  Repeat two more times.  Obviously, unless you're in a really, really small room, this will not be possible.  But the light, all-over stretch will loosen the spine and the major joints, and feel really great.

We'll make ourselves into rubber bands in no time!

Deprived? Hmm. Maybe not...

When the topic of exercising with physical limitations comes up in conversation, it's often met with a flippant response of, "Whatever.  Just swim instead."  Well, sure!  I'll just come home from work, make dinner, and hop right into my indoor, heated lap pool that I had installed last month.  Oh wait...

There are hundreds of "guaranteed weight loss" machines out there, just waiting for the desperate people, hoping to lose some of their fluffiness with the very least amount of effort.  Problem is...most of these are absolutely not possible for people with orthopaedic impairments.  This constant barrage of "it's so easy!" being met with, "yeah, but I can't use it" can get old very fast, creating a huge level of frustration.

To try to alleviate some of that frustration, and help my fellow Adapters to realize that we don't have it quite as bad as we thought, I offer up the following examples of exercise equipment that we cannot use:

First up, I give you the i-rider horseback riding machine.  (Just gonna take a second and let that name sink in...)  You can ride your way to a stronger core, and um...well....maybe give yourself a nice ride while you're at it!  With the instability in my leg, along with the lack of strength, there is no way I could handle this.  And somehow, I'm glad!  Want to see a video of this little beauty?  Oh yeah, baby.  You know you do!

*cough*

Ok, moving on.  Here's another gem of a machine that has all the ladies lining up.  It's called the Ab Circle.  this little wonder has you on your knees, leaning over, and either swinging your bottom half back and forth like a cat in heat, or opening and closing your legs like a...well, I won't finish that one.  Instead, I'll just let you see for yourself:

Don't bother with the whole thing.  Just watch the snippet starting at 1:20.  It'll be enough.  Every man wants to buy one of these for his woman, but gentlemen, please take my advice and don't do it.

And of course, we always play fair at the Imperfectionist.  Men have their "special" equipment too!  From the time they are adolescents, boys need a way to strengthen their arm muscles.  Poor little scrawny boys get picked on!  Let's help them be the hot, buff Adonises that they want to be.  Get every boy their very own Shake Weight!

So you see, you don't necessarily have to feel left out of the mainstream, simply because your body won't allow you to use popular exercise equipment.  Sometimes all you need is a partner!

Up the yin yang

Yeah, ok, so my sense of humor is a little warped.  No big surprise to those who know me, I'm sure.

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.