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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

I HEART My Physical Therapist!!

Last week I started physical therapy and I just LOVE Jana.  I know she is going to help me rehabilitate and get back to the level of exercise that I'm used to.  I woke up this morning feeling so rejuvenated!  I had a fun girls' night with a new group of friends (I also HEART sushi!), and was looking forward to my therapy session. 

I was cautiously optimistic to hope that I could return to teaching my classes by May, HOWEVER, Jana believes it will be more like June (growling to myself...).  Here's how she explained it:  even though the machine is now fixed (aka, my injury is healed), it is still not working properly.  In other words, during my healing, my left foot, ankle and calf atrophied and now I must work on restabilization and balance.  I still have soreness and pain, but that's because those muscles are all "waking up" and have to be strengthened.

I LOVE that she has given me clear parameters to my gym workouts: 
-recumbent bike for no longer than 30 minutes and no higher than a 4 (to which I keep my RPMs above 100 and have been getting a great sweat!) - and only every other day
-Swimming no more than 2x a week - 75% breaststroke and 25% freestyle (due to the tendonitis that flared up in my right shoulder)
-Weights: only performing lifts that keep my elbows close to my body (bicep curls, alternating bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep kickbacks). 
-Continuing with leg lifts, strengthening the hips, outer and inner thighs, and adding in clamshells to strengthen the glute muscles that assit in your stride.

Another thing I've been working on is being conscientious of my stride because I've been walking on the outsides of both feet while favoring the injury site.  I've been trying to thinking about it:  make contact with your heel, roll slightly out on the outsides of your feet and finish by pushing off the ball of your big toe. 

Next week I believe I'll begin using the regular bike.  Jana doesn't actually like the recumbants as well because she says they put a strain on your quads and hamstrings and a false sense of stabilization in your back.  I'll be looking forward to transitioning away from them!  (And I'm DYING to get the "go ahead" to attend spin class!)

Here are my thoughts on returning to teaching:  June is looking good for teaching Turbo Kick at a low impact intensity level (no jumping); it will probably be closer to July before going back to Hip Hop Hustle, as that class is difficult to modify.  I also have high hopes to return to PiYo in the next couple of weeks.

I've been feeling so hopeful and energetic ever since learning that my foot has healed.  I'm going to start the Three Day Shakeology Cleanse next week and boost my metabolism even more.

Here's to a great week, everyone!  Keep your chin up and remember this:  SOMETHING is better than nothing.  Find the workout that you can squeeze into your day/week and make it a habit!  I would LOVE to be your coach, so please contact me if you have questions!

I WILL be back to Turbo Kick...VERY soon!  ;)

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