Exercising Off My Feet?

As you guys know, I have a torn fascia, along with PF, which means being on my feet for too long leaves me in quite a bit of pain.

Even things like shopping for too long can leave me debilitated later. The other day I walked around Target for about an hour and spent the rest of the evening in terrible pain. So…walking is out.

The podiatrist told me that the PF is going to take 3-4 months to fully heal, and I don’t want to stop working out for that length of time. I’m close to my WLS goal requirement, and I don’t want to let this injury prevent me from getting it. Ironically enough, one of the treatments of PF is losing weight.

My go-to workouts lately have been biking (both outside and on the recumbent bike at the gym) and swimming. But those are so limited. As the weather turns cold, I’m less likely to want to wet (not to mention the curly hair factor). Biking is good, but it can be so boring, no matter how great the workout playlist I’m listening to is.

I know I need to hit an aqua aerobics class, but again, the being-wet-and-cold-in-winter factor. I think I’m just going to have to get over that one and not be a wimp.

So, I’m turning to you guys. What suggestions do you have for “off my feet” workouts that can help me get my cardio in?

(Keep in mind that I’m not supposed to be barefoot, so as much as I’d like to do yoga, I don’t think it’s an option right now).

Amber @ Hungry 4 a Healthy Life suggested working out with a big exercise ball, which reminded me that I bought a series of DVDs 3 years ago that use the ball. I think most of those are strength training, but there might be a few heart-pumping moves I can check out.

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Countdown to Christmas Weigh-In: JC Week 12

‘Tis the season! Which means that the world turns sparkly, the weather turns chilly, and 2012 is almost over. I’m looking at this time of year as a Countdown to Christmas – focusing on my weight loss and achieving my pre-surgery weight loss requirement. Achieving that will be the best gift of all!!! Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend.  This is the time of year when food and celebrations are plentiful and the last thing on most people’s minds is weight loss.  I’m going to show that weight loss can happen during the holiday season. My Sunday progress updates will be called Countdown to Christmas Weigh-Ins.

To put it plainly, Week 12 sucked.  I stuck to the food 100%, didn’t exercise at all, and was hit and miss with my water intake.

So, what did the scale show?!

This morning I weighed in at 298.0, which is a gain of 2.4 lbs this week. Which means I have 17 pounds to go to reach the pre-surgery requirement. This back and forth is killing me.

Recently Carina described PF as a vampire bite – once “bitten,” you’re cursed with it forever.  That’s how I felt this week.  The pain came and went, but it continued to take a lot out of me, and at the end of the day, I just didn’t feel like going to work out.  That’s really on me, because I wouldn’t feel much pain riding the bike or swimming.  I just couldn’t muster up the energy to get to the gym.  It’s also the end of the semester at school, so I’m swamped with grading, and again, taking an hour out for some stress-relieving workouts would have been a good choice, but unfortunately, it was a choice I didn’t make.

The good news is, later in the week I found a pair of shoes that are like a miracle for me in terms of relieving the pain from the torn fascia/PF – Orthaheels!  I bought the Elisa in black, but I loved them so much that I bought them in mustard, too, to wear with brown clothes.  (I didn’t buy the straight brown shoes because they were a strange brown, and I’d rather go with a funky choice like mustard, because it coordinates well with the more earth tones.  Plus, my school colors are blue and gold, so these go perfectly for Friday color days).  These shoes are made for people with PF, and the footbed is designed to hold the heel perfectly.  I put them on and I instantly felt little to no pain.

I did get a bit overconfident while wearing these shoes, and I tried to take Sofi for a walk like I normally do, but after about 15 minutes, I was in a lot of pain.  I’d pushed too hard.  So for now, I’m going to stick to exercises that keep me off my feet.

At Jenny Craig I asked them to give me the menu for the next step down, even though my weight hasn’t quite met their guideline.  This week I’ll be dropping down to 1500 calories, instead of 1700.  The change is really only in the accompanying foods – one less fruit per day (3 instead of 4), one less dairy (4 instead of 5). I have to make the most of the remaining weeks I have left.

This week I’m committing to going to the gym, even if I’m tired, in pain, etc.  Because I’m feeling the pressure of a dwindling bank account – I can’t pay many more weeks of Jenny Craig.  I’m going to have to make the most of the 4 weeks I have left and then I’ll have to see what I can do from there.  I’m way too close to my goal to let anything stop me.  I have to keep going.  I just need to remind myself of this when I feel like giving in and skipping the gym.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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#30DaysofThanks, Day 29: A Diagnosis

This month I’m participating in 30 Days of Thanks (#30DaysofThanks) by writing a blog post about 30 things I’m thankful for. To join in, go to the link above. The best part is, you don’t need to have a blog or even be on social media to take part in the project; you just need to be thankful. I can’t wait to see how my life might change by spending the 30 days in November giving thanks for things in my life — every single day.

Today I’m thankful that my podiatrist was able to give me a diagnosis on the newest issue I’m having with my left foot.

You remember that I got a steroid shot a couple of weeks ago, and since then, things have been great.  The pain had mostly dissipated, and it’s been back to normal life.  Until Monday, that is.

I was on a normal late afternoon walk with Sofi, when all of a sudden, I took a step and felt a something in my heel tear apart.  The pain was instantaneous and excruciating.  And of course, I was only halfway through with the walk, meaning I had to walk about 15 minutes to get home.  I’ve got a high tolerance for pain, but tears stung my eyes as I hobbled home.  Poor Sofi kept looking back at me as if to say, “why are we going so slow and why are you walking that way?”

Since the initial rip, I’ve been worried about what actually happened.  I finally got in to see the podiatrist today, and after X-rays, he told me that I tore my fascia.  He said that while he knew it was incredibly painful, in a way it was a blessing in disguise, because the tear had actually stretched the fascia, which is akin to what they would’ve done in surgery.  He said that now I’ll be able to heal, as long as I keep up with the exercises/stretches.  The downside is that I can’t get another steroid shot for 3-4 months, and it will take at least that long for it to heal.

So I’m also thankful that I walked out of his office with an RX for prescription-strength Motrin to help me manage the pain.

In addition, I’m incredibly grateful to my friend Heidi, who is letting me use her night brace.  My doctor told me that it’s going to be an essential part of my recovery. I just hope I can sleep with this thing on!

I’m thankful to know what’s wrong with me and approximately how long it will take to heal, but I have to be honest, having plantar fasciitis and now a torn fascia sucks.  I have to admit, I’m not at all thankful for that.

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Fabulous Fall Weigh-In: JC Week 5

Autumn has arrived! Which means that life is back to normal – school’s in, my schedule is busy, and obligations abound. But I won’t use those as excuses to slack on my goals. The great thing about fall is that the weather is cooler and there are no holidays or other social commitments to derail me from strictly adhering to my food and workout plan. I’m determined that fall 2012 will be when I achieve my pre-surgery weight loss goal. Since weekday mornings are hectic, I’m moving my weigh-in day to Sunday. Sundays are the perfect day to weigh in because I don’t have any other morning obligations and can focus on my weight loss. Plus, Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend. Throughout the fall, I’ll be giving Sunday progress updates called Fabulous Fall Weigh-Ins.

This week was fantastic!   I stuck to the plan all week, got some great (sometimes frosty) workouts in, and just felt really motivated and proud of myself.

That’s wonderful Bella, but what were the results on the scale?!!

This morning I weighed in at 303.6, which is a loss 2.8 lbs this week. Which means I now have 23 pounds to go to reach the pre-surgery requirement. Even though I didn’t lose all of the weight that I’d gained last week, I did lose more than half of it, and 2.8 is completely on track for my December goal.

All week I felt confident and happy about what I was doing to promote my weight loss.  I didn’t let the pain of the plantar fasciitis get the better of me, and I braved the freezing pool twice.  I also got in a dance party and a kickboxing workout.  I tracked my food, stayed on plan, and drank my water.  My goals were to get back to basics, and that’s exactly what I did.

This morning I went to the new JC center, and I love it!  The center itself is bright, clean, and very organized.  I felt happy just walking in the door.  My consultant, Sherri, was wonderful!  She’s energetic, knowledgeable, and so confident in the information that she’s giving.  As she was asking me questions about myself and my weight loss goals, her responses let me know that she really cares.  Their scale had me down almost 4 lbs today (I think the two scales must be weighing differently, which is another reason why I’m glad that I do my official weigh-ins at home), and Sherry was so enthusiastic and positive.  She high-fived me!  Talk about a turnaround compared to my old consultant – night and day!!  I am so happy that I made the change, because I know that I’m going to look forward to my Sunday morning JC weigh-ins now.

Sherri also gave me a really great tip that I thought I’d share:

Another great thing that happened this week was that I woke up pain free this morning – that hasn’t happened in more than a month!  I took two rest days in a row on Friday and Saturday where I didn’t even give Sofi a walk, and I think that did the trick.  I’ve also been good about doing the stretches and taking Aleve to help with the swelling.  Even though I know I might have lost more weight if I’d gotten two additional workouts in, I think it was more important to get some relief  from the pain.  I feel like a new woman, ready to get out there and tackle anything that comes my way.

My workout plan this week is to continue with swimming, but rather than fight the elements at the unheated, outdoor pool, I’m going to start swimming at 24 Hour Fitness.  I avoid swimming there because it is so heavily chlorinated, but with my foot being the way that it is, swimming is one of the best options I have.  I will also ride my bike (or the recumbent bike at the gym), and go to Saturday morning Zumba.  5 workouts equaling at least 225 minutes of exercise this week.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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Fabulous Fall Weigh-In: JC Week 4

Autumn has arrived! Which means that life is back to normal – school’s in, my schedule is busy, and obligations abound. But I won’t use those as excuses to slack on my goals. The great thing about fall is that the weather is cooler and there are no holidays or other social commitments to derail me from strictly adhering to my food and workout plan. I’m determined that fall 2012 will be when I achieve my pre-surgery weight loss goal. Since weekday mornings are hectic, I’m moving my weigh-in day to Saturday. Saturday mornings I go to Zumba, so I’m already focused on health and fitness; it’s the perfect day to weigh in. Plus, Saturday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend. Throughout the fall, I’ll be giving Saturday progress updates called Fabulous Fall Weigh-Ins.

Week 4 on Jenny was a struggle.  The main reason was the pain I’m experiencing due to the plantar fasciitis.  It’s difficult for me to do simple activities like standing all day while I’m teaching or walking Sofi.  I let myself make excuses for why I could skip workouts, rather than finding workarounds, like riding my bike, swimming, or taking an aqua aerobics class.  This week I also gave into the feeling of wanting to snack on all things salty, and ate a few bags of buttered popcorn.  I also didn’t drink my minimum of 8 glasses of water each day, and I was lax about tracking my food in MyFitnessPal.  Then last night, I made some really poor choices late in the afternoon and through dinner.  I knew this morning’s weigh in wasn’t going to be pretty.

Okay, Bella, so what were the results on the scale?!!

This morning I weighed in at 306.4, which is a gain of 4.2 lbs this week. Which means I now have 25 pounds to go to reach the pre-surgery requirement. I’m disappointed that I let the pain get to me this week.  I’m frustrated that I basically wasted the money I spent on this week’s Jenny Craig food.  But I am proud that I faced the scale this morning, faced my JC consultant at my appointment, and faced all of you as I write this blog post.  I’m not hiding my mistake, but I am moving past it.

Even with this gain, I can see the difference this weight loss is making in the way that my clothes are fitting.  Now that the weather has gotten a bit crisper in the mornings and evenings, I’m wearing light cardigans and fleece sweatshirts that were much snugger on my hips last year at this time.  When I met up with BeautyJunkie824 last Sunday, she said she could see that my face was much slimmer than it had looked the last time we saw each other, about a month and a half ago. These little changes spur me on to keep going, because I know this program works, if I follow it.

This coming week is all about going back to basics for me.  Literally.  Even my menu plan for the JC food is back to week 1.  That’s the week I lost 9.6 pounds, and while I’m not expecting a huge loss like that, I do expect to take off all of the weight I gained this week, and then some.  I know a lot of the weight gain was water weight because I ate so much salty food this week, which means that it will come off fairly quickly as long as I stick to the program.  Here are my goals for this week ahead:

• Eat on plan 100%.  This isn’t difficult because the food is tasty and satisfying.  I just have to talk myself down from cravings that might crop up. I had a string of success the first 3 weeks, and I can use that to motivate myself.
• Track everything in MFP.
• Drink 10 glasses of water each day.
• Get in 45 minutes of activity every day.  Some days this will  be cleaning and walking Sofi.  Some days this will be more intense, like Zumba or riding my bike.
• Take care of my plantar fasciitis by fulling committing to the treatment plan.  Daily exercises/stretches morning and night, ice/heat therapy, tennis ball/frozen water bottle massage, and a Dr. Scholl’s insert (buying that later today) for my shoes.
• Blog more often and read more blogs.  I’ve been having trouble keeping up with this, but I need to make it more of a priority, because this wonderful community helps me stay on track,and I need to be more active in my participation in it.

I have faith in myself!

This morning I took one step in the right direction by deciding that I’m worth better service than I’ve been receiving at my JC center.  I’ve been less than happy with my consultant, who has a very negative, low energy personality.  She is far from motivating, and always seems like she just rolled out of bed at our morning appointments.   The entire center seems somewhat disorganized, which I can’t stand.  Also, this center isn’t open on Sundays, so I’ve been trying to make Saturday morning appointments work, but with my schedule, something’s gotta give.  I’ve been missing Zumba because I can’t make it back home from my 8am JC appointment to put my groceries away, eat breakfast, and make it to the gym by 10am.  Plus, at least once a month I proctor the SAT, which means that I have to move my appointment from Saturday morning to Friday afternoons, which again, throws things off.  So this morning I called another center, which is just a bit farther from my house than the first one, and I made an appointment for next Sunday at 8am. Now I can make my 10am Zumba classes on Saturdays again!   I also think the change in center/getting a new consultant will be good from a motivational standpoint.  This change to Sundays means that my weigh-in posts will also move to Sunday.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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