So, this May I rejoined my gym. I had let the membership lapse for a little over a year because I was having all kinds of issues with my feet....plantar fasciitis in one foot, tendonitis in the other. Even walking my dog around the block, was extremely painful. My foot stuff led to a host of other problems because I was walking funny, all lopsided.....low back issues, hip problems, pulled muscles in my ass, etc. Lovely, right?! I hobbled around like a 90 year old woman. It sucked! After a summer full of physical therapy, massage, chiropractic treatments, and 3 cortisone shots (ouch!), my feet seemed to be on the mend. Then winter came and I was too lazy to drag myself to the gym when it was cold, snowy, and dark @ about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The joys of living in New England. Ummm.....not sure what my excuse was for not going back in the spring. Pure laziness? Anyway, I eventually got annoyed with the weight I had put on from my lack of movement for so long (I guess all the snacking didn't help either). Plus, I just felt so sluggish. Time to get moving again.
I hate to admit that since I rejoined the gym, I haven't been so diligent about going ......I've only gone a handful of times. Getting in the routine of going is the hardest obstacle for me. If I can just get myself there, I almost always feel better after exercising....more energized, stronger. I think I need to go in the morning...otherwise, the day gets away from me, and after I get home and walk the dog, the draw of the couch and reality tv is much much stronger than how great I will feel after I spend 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer. So far, I've been proceeding with my workouts pretty cautiously, because the feet are not 100% healed. When I overdo it, I definitely have pain. I'm just trying to keep it manageable....
I have ridden the recumbent bike (which I hate!), walked on the treadmill, and done the elliptical trainer. 30-45 minutes is about my max right now. Throwing in some yoga here and there too. I love it, but haven't braved the hot yoga class since I've been back. Maybe tomorrow morning. Anyway, today, I decided to go swim laps. In addition to my foot ailments, I also have had carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists for the past 4 years. Unfortunately, it has gotten much worse lately. Swimming seems like the best exercise for all my ailments....I thought maybe getting back in the pool would alleviate some of the pain.
Now, back in the day, I used to be a swimmer. Swam on my community pool swim team in middle and high school, and on my high school team in PA. Even participated in clinics with Junior Olympics coaches in the wintertime. And every morning during the summer for more years than I care to remember, I would get dragged out of bed @ 8am and taken in my grumpy state to Wedgewood Pool, where I would have to jump in freezing cold water and swim 50-100 laps, some of which would be sprints. My obnoxious coach, Jackie, would stand by the edge of the pool, all toasty in her hoodie and sweatpants, and yell at us to swim faster.
When I compare my performance in the pool today to back then, I can't believe I used to be able to swim that much. I would complain about practice, but it wasn't a big deal for me to swim nonstop for @ least an hour every morning M thru F. In comparison, today I was able to swim for a total of about 15 minutes (and that time may even be generous, as I stopped a few times to catch my breath and adjust my goggles). I felt like I was going to die! In fact, I think I spent more time in the hot tub afterwards. It's funny, my legs and arms weren't tired.....what got me was my heart was beating out of my chest and I was totally out of breath. I do feel pretty good now, so swimming is definitely something I want to keep doing. Hopefully, I'll be able to last longer than 15 minutes next time.....baby steps!
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