Weight: 196.8
12:30pm
30 minutes on elliptical, level 5 to get circulation pumping
15 minutes hot tub w/jet massage
10 minutes steam
Total calories: -460
Good session, got the blood pumping, noticeable decrease in finger tinglies.
Did you know that the cubital tunnel is the medical description of your funny bone? I didn’t. I knew the ulnar nerve passed through the elbow, but didn’t realize that it was the cause of my tingly fingers. Sure enough, I pressed on my elbow and zzzzzzinnngg!!! The exact point. And there I was thinking that spot I had been stressing was halfway up my arm.
“Well, NO WONDER…” I thought. That elbow rests on so many things in my daily life – the arm rest on my chair, the edge of my desk, on the door when I’m driving my car… duh. I knew the position of my arm to desk is what was applying the aggravating pressure, but didn’t realize it was my elbow. Thanks so much Mister!
From what I’ve ascertained thus far treatment is pretty straightforward: rest the elbow (change typing & driving positions) and improve my bodily circulation (workout rather than lay around.) I’ll also be upping my antioxidant intake. It can take a few months for symptoms to go away. If they persist longer, surgery is an option. Personally, I prefer to let the body heal itself whenever possible.
So I have to change the position I type in. Keyboard is now on my lap and elbows off the arms of my chair. And I HAVE to exercise. No choice but to get the blood pumping and get rid of this annoyance. I don’t know when I’ll be able to lift hard and heavy again. Will re-evaluate after a week or so of elliptical and aquatics.
Time to rearrange the office again!
After taking a month off for the holidays and dealing with a pinched nerve, (annoying as hell) I finally made it back to the gym today for a light workout. Call it a sign from the universe or whatever, but there was an extended citywide power outage today. No internet, so I couldn’t work. No television, so I couldn’t distract myself. The result? More productivitiy!
I cleaned up a pile of bills, made some calls I had been putting off, and went to hop in the shower only to discover/realize that tankless water heaters require electricity to run their temperature control… doh! Since I was beginning to smell a bit ripe, I figured I would go take a shower at the gym. I called them to see if they were affected by the power outage and happily they weren’t.
I had let my training fall off long enough that, as happens to many I suppose, I wasn’t overly eager to jump back in. I had replaced the habit of training with the habit of not training. Work seemed more important. Holidays seemed more important. I had let the workout priority slide.
Since I was powerless (all pun intended) to use any of my usual distractions as excuses and really needed that shower, I knew it was time. And there was no way I could justify paying the gym for a shower. So off I went.
I did the usual 10 minute warmup on the spin bike and some light stretching before moving on to the weights. My hand is still tingly so I wanted to take it easy, plus I wasn’t feeling particularly energetic, so I rotated through some high-repetition/low weight upper body exercises: cable rows, pulldowns, barbell shrugs, incline bench press, dumbell shrugs – my own little “mini-circuit”.
Next it was off to the pool. The rec center has several pools for aquatic therapy, one of which is essentially a small indoor waterpark ride. It’s fun to float around with the current, but I turned against it – using the water pressure as gentle resistance against my pseudo swim strokes. By changing the angle of my hands I could control how much resistance they were getting while letting my legs and core work a little harder.
After 10 minutes of that, I went to soak in the outdoor hot tub for another 10 minutes. Those few steps from the door to the tub, dripping wet, in the winter mountain air… that’s BRISK baby!
As luck would have it, one of my fellow soakers happened to be a physical therapist. I explained I was doing some light rehab work on my pinched nerve, he asked me a few questions and showed me the location of the cubital tunnel on the elbow, which is where the ulnar nerve passes through the bone. We chatted for a few minutes and he said he thought my self-diagnosis of a pinched nerve coupled with carpal tunnel was spot on.
Weight: 198.6
12:30pm
Getting back in the flow of things. 20 minutes of spinning followed by some light circuit-style upper body lifting. Aquatic resistance and hot tub soak to finish up.
Cable Rows: 80×20
DB Incline Bench: 30×20
BB Shrug: 45×20
Pulldowns: 80×20
DB Shrug: 45×20
10 minutes aquatherapy
10 minutes hottub
Total calories: -270
Total weight: 8000 pounds
From RedCross.org:
“In the 48 hours since the earthquake struck in Haiti, the American Red Cross has received nearly $35 million in donations, and we are thankful for this unprecedented outpouring of support.
More than half of the donations have been through online contributions, with strong support as well from corporations and the unprecedented activity over the past two days in mobile giving.
The American Red Cross has already released $10 million for relief efforts in Haiti. That is only our initial commitment, and based on the amount of money we’ve raised already, we will certainly add more. Future allocations will be made once we know more about the situation on the ground in Haiti and the greatest needs in both the short-term and in the long-term.
The response to the emergency in Haiti has been impressive and moving, and the donations to the American Red Cross have exceeded the totals amounts received in the first 48 hours of both Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.”
Follow progress and help out at American Red Cross, www.state.gov, interaction.org, or www.usaid.gov.
No doubt times are tough here, but they are far tougher there. A 7.3 magnitude earthquake is no joke. Many thousands of human beings with far less than us could really use our help. Please help if you can.
As always, be sure to investigate the avenues through which you give before donating. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to profit from this disaster.
Pinched my left ulnar nerve while sleeping (I guess) a few days ago. Either that or perhaps a carpal tunnel flare up. Haven’t been able to hit the gym, but have been doing some isometrics, ab work, stretches and got in a good 30-minute walk today. Also learned yesterday that aqua-aerobics is supposed to be a great way to work through injuries like this – do some active recovery (get the blood pumping, but don’t create a training effect) with some light resistance. Have to give that a try tomorrow if I’m not 100%.
A friend said, “That’s what happens when you get old, dude.” Harrumph. As another acquaintance of mine has said, “I reject your reality and substitute my own.” Nyah!
I’ve eaten so much tuna from the can over the years it’s gotten to the point that I can’t stand to think of it. The new way of packaging it in foil is definitely more convenient and healthier (less mercury content, among other reasons) but it does nothing to change my acquired tuna aversion.
Then I saw Alton Brown make tuna croquettes on Food Network one night. They looked so good I actually made a batch that midnight. Although I couldn’t get the boy to try them, they were quickly devoured by my mom and her husband. They’re a great way to get more fish and protein in your diet without adding a ton of calories.
Here’s the original clip, and my tweaks to the recipe are below:
Ingredients:
1 (7-ounce) pouch albacore tuna, drained and hand shredded
1 cup dried, chopped onion flakes
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs (panko would probably be better)
Olive oil (for sauteing)
Directions:
Put 1/2 cup of bread crumbs on a plate.
Combine everything else (except olive oil) in a medium mixing bowl.
Use an ice cream scoop to make 8-10 individual balls of the mixture and drop onto baking sheet or cutting board.
Let rest for 15 minutes to firm up, otherwise they’ll fall apart.
After resting, gently form into discs and coat each in the bread crumbs.
Heat up a 12″ skillet with just enough olive oil in it to cover the bottom. Add the croquettes and cook about 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels for a few minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Bye Bye Pete – Thanks for the good run and good luck in Seattle!
Excerpted from a good article on performance, weight management and nutrition:
“For a number of sports, losing weight, and in particular, reducing body fat, can mean the difference between finishing in the middle of the pack and standing on the podium. Dropping a few pounds may confer an advantage, because it increases your power-to-weight ratio, a term that describes the amount of power you’re able to generate relative to the pounds you’re packing. For a Tour de France cyclist on a mountain stage in the Alps, having the same or more muscle power while carrying less body weight means faster ascents. For runners, every pound that you’re not schlepping around a track or course has a positive impact on pace. Other athletes wish to lose weight to compete in a specific weight class or because appearance is an important element of their sport.”
Full Article at Powerbar.com
Many of us resolve to get in better shape, eat healthier, take better care of our bodies every New Year’s Eve. These resolutions often have strong beginnings (ever notice how much busier gyms are the first week in January?) but will often fade after a week or two. Life gets busy, people get sore, tired, or lose motivation to train.
I would bet that most people who resolve to get in better shape for 2010 haven’t been working out much in 2009 – working out isn’t a habit for them. While there’s no hard and fast rule on how long It takes to break a habit, plan on it taking about three weeks. Time to break the habit of NOT working out and create a new, more positive habit OF working out.
Three weeks to change your life for the better – who can’t do that? You CAN do it. Commit to it, make it a priority, and see how your life changes for the better: Better mental outlook, better sleep patterns, better body composition (less fat/more muscle), better self-image and thus more confidence. In short, a better, more enjoyable life.
Here’s a simple solution that will help you make it through the habit transition time, make your workouts more enjoyable, and make the time pass more quickly – group workouts. Here’s why groups are a great way to get (and keep) you going:
- Group workouts have a set time so you know you’re supposed to be there. By registering for them, you have an implied social obligation to show up.
- You can make new friends or go with existing ones. Either way, you’ll know people who are going to be there. Just about everything is more fun with friends.
- Time flies when you’re playing. Whether it’s a spinning class, aerobics, zumba, dance, yoga or a host of other options, you won’t notice the time go by as much when you’re in the company of others.
- Everyone is there for the same reason. Whether you’re just starting out or training for a specific event, each and every person in the class is only there to improve themselves.
- Competition and social pressure. While you may not naturally be endowed with that ‘competitive spirit’, by being in the same room with a bunch of people trying to do the same thing you are doing can often fire an unexpected, perhaps primal, urge to outdo them. Maybe less so if they are total strangers (hence the suggestion to make new friends) but nonetheless we are all human beings with an innate survival instinct. Take advantage of your biology!
Time and time again research has shown that the true “magic pill” for human beings is exercise. As humans have moved into the Information Age, we have so much available to us, at our very fingertips, that we no longer need to be active to survive. But we need to be active to thrive, our bodies need exercise to function properly.
It IS that simple. Overweight? Don’t take some pharmaPill, make better food choices and get active. Back hurting? Don’t rely on drugs, strengthen your abs and back through exercise. Want to add distance to your golf game? Don’t get a new driver, get a gym membership. I know that I can drive the ball 20 yards further when I’m working out regularly.
BIG REMINDER: Don’t overdo it! Listen to your body! Ease into working out. If you’ve been inactive for a while, try starting out with a 30 minute walk every other day. Feel ok? Do it every day. Not willing to go every day? Up your walk time to an hour. If you’re hitting the weights, take it easy for a few weeks – your body needs to adapt and adjust to the new workload you’re putting upon it. You won’t feel like going back if you’re so sore you can’t move. Make it a habit, a regular part of your life. It’s not a sprint for instant results, think of it as a lifelong marathon – slow and steady wins the race.
It will probably take some sacrificing on your part – be mentally ready to give something up. If you’re not willing to give up after work happy hours, have kids, or often have to work late, consider getting up an hour earlier to get your workout in before the demands of the day kick in. (If you’re efficient, you only have to get up 35-40 minutes earlier to get in a 30 minute walk!)
Always remember to embrace your victories! For some, just making it to the gym or a group class should be considered a win. For others, just finishing the class is a win. See how far you can go this year and amaze yourself at the changes you can accomplish!!
Have a happy, healthy and fit and fun 2010!!
FitBob