anniemiz

Workout Wednesday: Cred

I seem to have gotten my first workout-related injury, thereby immediately earning some serious workout cred (in my mind, at least).  This injury's worse than the bowling injury that beset my right middle finger for entirely too long, keeping me away from the lanes for over a year and putting a serious crimp in my bird flipping.  I think I did something to my Achilles tendon.  This website is very informative about Achilles injuries and notes the symptoms:

• Pain—aching, stiffness, soreness, or tenderness—within the tendon. This may occur anywhere along the tendon’s path, beginning with the narrow area directly above the heel upward to the region just below the calf muscle. Often pain appears upon arising in the morning or after periods of rest, then improves somewhat with motion but later worsens with increased activity.
• Tenderness , or sometimes intense pain, when the sides of the tendon are squeezed.  There is less tenderness, however, when pressing directly on the back of the tendon.
• When the disorder progresses to degeneration, the tendon may become enlarged and may develop nodules in the area where the tissue is damaged.

I have the first two; fortunately, I haven't noticed the third thing yet.  I started feeling sore about a month or so ago and mentioned it to Mike the Trainer Guy who cut out the impactful exercises.  In the past, we had discussed doing an outdoor session at the high school track, but never got around to doing it.  It came up again, but Mike said I prolly didn't want to do it what with my leg hurting and all.  I said, Let's do it!  How bad can it hurt?

We had the session this past Saturday and by that afternoon my leg hurt, as they say in the vernacular, like a mofo.  I did the RICE thing (rest, ice, compression, elevation) -- actually, I did the RCCE thing bc I didn't have ice cubes so used a bag of frozen corn kernels instead -- and that helped somewhat, but still!  And the next morning!  Who knew a body part could be so sore?!  Sunday, I woke up -- so far, so good -- sat up and swung my feet to the side of the bed and owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Merely hanging my leg unsupported in the air hurt!  I took more aspirin and did the RICE thing some more, but basically shuffled around the house like somebody's ogre sidekick.  Fortunately, it felt much better by Monday morning.  Oy.  I was just about to write, 'I'll never be that stupid again', but didn't bc that's not true.  I will be at least that stupid again and most likely more stupid, but perhaps I can confidently say I won't be that stupid in that particular way again.

Workout Wednesday: Status Quo

Not much to report on the workout front.  I can say that walking to work has been a big hit.  Whoever invented walking gets a gold star, that clever dog.  It's not strenuous, but there are multiple benefits to walking to work:

• It's regular, if relatively brief, exercise.  Even at 15 minutes each way, that's 1/2 hour 5x/week, in addition to working out with Mike.  More importantly, it's 2.5 hours of walking/week I wasn't doing before.  0 to 2.5 in 5 days, that's me.
• I've come to appreciate the transition time between work and home.  Even with a such a short drive, walking is much more relaxing than driving.
• I can listen to some tunes!  The drive time is so short that I'd barely get a decent headbanging going before arriving at my destination.
• I like walking through my neighborhood, up/down Main Street, past businesses, running into people I know, checking out storefronts, etc., basically, nosing into things as I walk by.

We'll see how long into the colder weather I keep up this healthy habit.  I didn't want to walk to work during the summer bco the humidity.  I didn't want to feel hot and sweaty upon arriving at work.  That's a gross feeling and it kinda stays with you all day.  Ick.  Part of me figures I'll not want to walk to work during the colder months.  Another part of me says, If Kevin can walk back and forth to the train station (mind you, that's about half the distance to my work) through the winter, I can walk to work through the winter.  It's kinduva macho thing with me.  Booyah!

I may need to get some gear.  Something reflective seems to be in order.  With the recent time change, it's dark when I leave and already my wings have been almost clipped a few times.  And so many people are flapping their gums on their cell phones while they're driving, blazing through stop signs, etc.  Grrrr.  I feel a rant coming on and rants aren't good for my qi.  Or something.  So I'll just let it goooooo.....

But as for walking: I highly recommend it!  Try it!  You'll pick it up in no time.

Workout Wednesday: Wow

So.  Picked up again with workouts a week or so ago.  Mike the Trainer Guy asked me how I was digging the workouts.  I thought I noticed that the workouts were increasingly emphasizing cardio and Mike confirmed that he had changed things a bit.  This came up when he was talking about how the workouts - any activity, exercise, etc. - has to be fun or else you won't do it.  He asked me what I enjoyed about the workouts.  I really enjoy the weights.  When I work out regularly with the weights I always feel good: stronger, better posture, just generally more capable.

So the last couple of workouts have marked a return to more weight work and all I can say is, 'Wow', with an emphasis on the 'ow'.  I enjoy the actual weight exercises more than the strictly cardio stuff.  That's probably at least in part bc I'm not that good at the cardio stuff.  I mean, I do it and I do okay, but when there was more of an emphasis on cardio, in quanity and intensity, I found it very, very taxing.  And so I didn't look forward to it and had a bad attitude toward it.  Sure, I could change my attitude, but it might be easier and more productive to find cardio I like.

Now, Mike still incorporates cardio, but in slightly different ways.  E.g., these woodchopper things: feet apart; bend at the knees; hold a 10 lb. medicine ball lightly out in front; raise the ball from just outside my right ankle and then lift it up and across to my left side (then a set the other way).  It kind of mimics the move you make when you chop wood.  And by 'you' I don't mean anybody in particular.  And then there's always the classic jumping jacks, which I really didn't like at first.  Maybe I wasn't used to the impact, but my knees killed the next day.  But I'm used to them now and have fun jumping jack around the room, adding variations here and there to make it a little more interesting.  You can't go wrong with jumping rope either, although I do it at a pace more like when I was little, with that little double jump in between, not the boxer's rapid single jump.  I can't keep that up for very long.  I also like the shadow boxing bc it's fun.  It's very engaging in that Mike moves around and I'm to move around too, adjusting to better hits the mitts.  Plus, I get to punch stuff.  What could be better than that?

So it's great having two workouts with Mike per week.  What I have to work on is making my own activity on other days happen.  My appts. with Mike are like any other appt.: it's there to keep.  My own plans for activity are very vague and nebulous.  It would be good to figure out a way to make them more like appts. with Mike.  Perhaps I'll have some insight for next time.

Workout Wednesday: Busted. And I didn't even do anything.

And that was the whole point behind getting busted.  I worked out w/Mike the Trainer Guy tonight.  The last time I worked out with him was September 3rd -- 26 days ago.  In that time, I had the flu, I had a breast biopsy and Mike went to Italy.  So I was out of commission for a bit due to the flu and the biopsy, but I certainly wasn't out of commission for 26 days.  And Mike asks, what, pray tell, did I do workout-wise during those 26 days?

[cricket sounds]

Yup.  Nothing.  Zip.  Zero.  Zilch. Oh, sure, I went for a little walk here and there, e.g., to the carnival a couple of times over Labor Day weekend (where I ate zeppoles and funnel cakes), but that's about it.

So tonight we got back into the swing of things with (let's see what I can remember and these aren't in any particular order and most were multiple sets):

• shadow boxing - seems I do better when Mike wears the mitts and I hit them v. just swinging away at nothing; I think it just feels more natural actually hitting something (bc, you know, I do that kind of thing all the time)
• jumping jacks
• crunches w/weights
• dips
• lunges (oooooooooooh I feel this already)
• bicep curls w/the long bar
• presses w/the long bar
• something else w/the long bar that I forget the name
• on and off that damn bosu ball
• Superman!

So it was a good workout for getting back into things.  The weights did feel a little heavy tonight...hope to get past that soon.

Another thing I did not do for 26 whole days is write down what I eat.  I really find accountability is key.  I just stopped tracking it once I knew I wasn't going to see Mike for a couple of weeks...it's not like I'm going to read him two weeks worth of eats...so why bother tracking that whole time?  There is some logic to that...but it's subversive (as an aside, that's a really good word.  It sounds good: subsersive.  Say it with me: subverrrrrsive.). 

Sooooooo, back at it, working out with MtTG a couple of times/week and planning activity on at least 3 other days.  Of course, the eats journal.  I started another blog to track this stuff so that I can do it from anywhere in the world.   But it's a private blog bc I don't want my transgressions (miniature Reese's peanut butter cups anyone?) out there for all the world to see.  I'm self-critical enough for all of us...all 7 billion of us in the world.  The world can safely leave self-criticism to me.

Benign

I previously posted about maybe getting a breast biopsy done to check out a 'dense area' in my right breast.  It was spotted during a mammogram.  Had the biopsy done and got the results today: benign.  I asked what it was and it was a collection of calcified something-or-others and fatty tissue.  Sounds about right.  That's good.  I wasn't too worried bc so many things about the thing on the images pointed away from malignancy, but it's nice to know for certain.  Plus, I'd had one false alarm before so I was a little...oh, jaded is too strong...but I was less likely to freak out.

I didn't know what to expect around having a biopsy.  For anyone thinking about having one or about to have one and wondering, here's my experience:

• Everyone at Carol W. and Julius A. Rippel Breast Center was very kind and sought to be as helpful, informative and reassuring as possible.  I'm sure most, if not all, of the professionals who saw me and my previous images would judge the blob to very likely be benign, but they treated me with great care throughout.  I don't know that they would have been even more solicitous had my images suggested otherwise, but they certainly seemed excessively attentive.
• I wasn't to wear lotions, deodorant, etc.  I'm not sure that that had anything to do with the biopsy itself, but rather with the mammogram that followed immediately thereafter.
• I was also to avoid using certain pain relievers during a certain number of days before the procedure.
• The doctor performing the biopsy marked my right clavicle with a magic marker to indicate that it was the right breast to get biopsied.  Taking a biopsy out of the wrong breast is not in the same league as amputating the wrong limb, but I suppose the reasoning behind the practice is the same.
• I lay down on my stomach on a table with a hole for my right breast to fall through.
• I got a shot of lidocaine in the breast.  They said it might burn quite a bit, though instantaneously, but I didn't feel any burning.  I did feel something throughout part of my breast which I'll guess was the numbness setting it. 
• I had what's called a stereotactical breast biopsy.  Images are taken while I'm laying there, to guide the doctor to get the biopsy device (I'm not sure what kind I had, needle or vacuum assisted) to the right spot.
• So the images are scrolling away.  My breast is numb.  So numb that I had no idea where the device went in.  I was surprised afterward to find that they entered from underneath.  A small cut is made.  The device is inserted.  Samples are taken.  They said I should certainly feel pressure, but not pain.  If I felt pain, I should say so, they'll stop, give me more lidocaine, wait a bit, then start up again.  I feel I have to say that bc I did feel some pain, but didn't say anything.  I think the kind of device used was the kind that goes around clockwise, taking a sample roughly at each 'hour'.  I made it through 6 beeps, which I equated to scoops o' stuff, and figured we're halfway done and I could just suck it up for 6 more beeps.  It was a pain, but not even a grit your teeth kind of pain.  I want to be clear that it wasn't like getting teeth pulled w/o benefit of novocaine, i.e., it wasn't that level of pain.  Of course, everybody's reaction to pain is different so your mileage may vary and anyone reading this should certainly stop and ask for more pain medication if they want it.  If I were to do it again, I might stop and ask for more juice, I might not.  It only lasted maybe two minutes so it wasn't an interminable time.
• After samples are taken, a marker is placed at the site in question.
• The device is removed.
• The nurse assisting at the biopsy puts a couple of strips over the incision.
• I take a little time getting up...it's kinda funky laying like that through having some pictures taken, waiting for the numbness to set in, throughout the procedure, etc....and they say that getting up too quickly can be dizzying.  I don't need to be any dizzier than I am already, so I took my time.
• I get one of those cold packs to hold to the area and wait for another nurse.
• This nurse checks out the site and puts a bandage over the strips the previous nurse put there.  Then she wraps my breasts with an ace bandage such that I'm left feeling downright Elizabethan.  Then she puts on me a bra that I'm to wear for the next 48 hours, even while sleeping.  It's not crucial that I wear that particular bra, although they would prefer it, but that I wear some bra for continuous support for a couple of days.
• I'm not to get that general area wet for 48 hours.  I can shower after 48 hours. 
• After 72 hours, I can take the bandage off, which I did to great success.  There is some bruising there.  Whatever strips they put there seem to take care of getting the broken skin growing back together.
• I did feel some soreness in my right breast for the first 48 hours or so.  It was not comfortable sleeping on my stomach, like I often do, unless my right side was raised a bit.  Again, a little sore, not greatly sore.  If I wished, I could take Tylenol for pain, but was to avoid other pain relievers which I shall not list here bc I'm certain to get it wrong.
• I was also to avoid strenuous activity for 3 days.  Lifting anything heavier than 10 lbs. for 5 days.  Blah blah blah.
• They would telephone with results within 3-5 business days.  I got this done Thursday; they called at 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning.  The woman calling with 'good news' said this was the best part of her job.  I didn't ask about the worst part; I reckon that's obvious.

I was coming down with something at this time, so was sick for the day after the biopsy and wasn't into showering anyway so all's well that ends well.  And that, dear readers, is the story of one person's breast biopsy.

Workout Wednesday: Not as painful as I thought.

That's a positive post title, innit?  Last Wednesday, I mentioned how I'd slacked off for quite a bit for 11 days.  I thought it might be tough working out last night after not only slacking off exercise-wise, but eating almost everything within reach, but it was not that bad.  And I'm only a little sore today.  I'm always sore the day after a session (and sometimes later that night!), but today wasn't worse than usual.

Later last night, I was thinking that it's sometimes refreshing to take break from exercise, healthy eating, perhaps anything you do for similar reasons, i.e., bc you have to or for your own good.  In a word: vacation.  Now, in this situation, I felt pretty comfy slacking off bc there was an end in sight: we had a session scheduled for last night (and I admit to hoping thinking I was coming down with something on Monday night and maybe I should cancel Tuesday's session, but did not).  I'm 99.999% certain that if we hadn't had a session on the books, I might never have got back on the wagon.

There's nothing like a little external accountability to get one back on the wagon.  Ideally, internal accountability should be enough, but we all know I'm weak that way. The other thing is that I never work myself as hard as Mike does so if he's coming over I can count on it being a kickass workout.

Kevin and I went for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner tonight.  Mike suggested what's now known as 'the Walmart walk', a trek into the hills section of town and including what Mike calls 'a good up', i.e., a rather steep hill.  The first time I did that walk a coupla months ago, I swear my heart was going to beat right out of my body like a cartoon character.  The walk we actually did had a coupla smaller inclines; it took about an hour, but we stopped a coupla times (to drop off some books for a neighbor who's currently on crutches, to drop off some newspaper plastic bags for neighbors who have dogs [i.e., poo bags], to chat w/my co-worker/friend/neighbor/fellow asshole Stephanie) so 1 hour less chat time and it was prolly really only 30 minutes.  That's going to have to do bc I just don't have the time to do these monster walks.  Sure, if I didn't want to do anything else tonight, I'd have enough time, but there are other things I want to do in life.

Found the equipment picture I couldn't find last week:

I'm pretty pleased with what I paid: $100 for the weight set and $125 for the bench.  As Kevin pointed out later, I prolly coulda got them for less than the asking price, but I think I was just so happy to get the stuff for less than new that I didn't even think to offer less.  And it's good stuff, too; the bench, especially: it's a tank.  Well, I think that's enough navel gazing for tonight.

Workout Wednesday: In the Beginning

Say hello to a new blog category: Workout Wednesday!  Recently, I somehow had the good sense to hire a personal trainer to teach me how to work out effectively and funly.  This category will help me:

1. track my progress
2. share my nascent workout skillz and experiencz

Right here is where I was about to insert a pic of my newly-acquired-via-craigslist-so-thrifty -- and green! -- weight set and benches, plus some other fun gear, but I can't seem to find the picture.  So.  Dig if you will the picture of:

• a basic weight set: 100 lb. in total; long bar and dumbbells; Joe Weider brand!
• a mat
• weight bench
• exercise ball
• jump rope
• shadow boxing: pair of gloves and a pair of mitts

This past Sunday, I did the following routine -- designed by Mike the Trainer GuyTM -- twice!

• shadow boxing - 3 min.
• jumping jacks - 50
• jump rope - 1 min. (it's harder than you think!)
• shoulders - 15 front raises on the bosu w/a 10 lb. wt.
• situps - 25 on the bench w/a 10 lb. wt.
• shoulders - 12 military press w/the long bar and 25 lb. wt.
• jump rope
• biceps - 12 dumbbell curls on the bosu ball (hateful thing!  hateful!) w/ 12.5 lb. wt.
• shadow boxing
• jumping jacks
• biceps - 12 long bar curls w/25 lb. wt.
• situps
• jump rope
• triceps - 12 pushups; these were not very deep, but it's getting easier to do a set of 12 w/o having to stop or falling flat on my face (hint: use a mat)
• jumping jacks
• shadow boxing
• situps
• triceps - 20 dips off the side of the bench

And let me tell you, those arm exercises came in mighty handy tonight.  Kevin and I went bowling as part of a fundraiser for the Parsippany Animal Supporters Society (PASS).  Bowling...what a pleasant pastime.  I might have to get my own shoes and get on the bowling league bandwagon.

But Mike is away for a few days and I'm booked on some of our regularly scheduled workout days and I have to admit I've been slacking off big time.  And the food!  I keep track of what I eat and every once in a while he has me read it off to him and let me tell you that while the trainer's away, the trainee has been eating everything not nailed down with a power tool...it would seem the entire world will soon be in mah belleh...from north pole to south pole and all points in between.  I gotta put on the brakes soon and repair the damage before next week when Mike gets back.  This is what I feel like:

Any road, I have a spare.

Off today for a couple of appointments.  I had a breast MRI this morning.  I'd had a mammogram a couple of weeks ago.  There was a dense area in my right breast that was not there on previous 'grams so I went back for more pix.  They also did an ultrasound that day.  Then they decided that I needed an MRI, which was this morning.  I didn't expect to hear back for a couple of days at least, but the doctor reviewing my films and MRI called this afternoon.  Apparently, odds are that, whatever it is, it's benign... a cyst or, as they say, 'debris'.  How vulgar.  The ultrasoundist (?) mentioned that there weren't any signs of blood flow to the area in question, i.e., it doesn't look like there are any blood vessels feeding the area, which makes it less likely that it's malignant.  So today's doctor suggested two options:

1. Get a biopsy done.

2. Get follow up 'grams and maybe further tests done in 6 months to see if there's been any change.

My ob/gyn is closed for the day today, so I'll talk w/my doctor tomorrow and see what he thinks.  Today's doctor put it this way: 1) If I can't sleep at night wondering what is that thing in my breast --> get the biopsy.  2) If I'm deathly afraid of needles and the idea of getting biopsied freaks me out --> do the follow up in 6 months.  I'm neither 1 nor 2, but I think I lean toward just knowing sooner rather than later.

This afternoon we brought Edison in to AERA for a lesson on how to express his bladder.  As mentioned the other day, he's had some problems urinating.  The short story is that he's had numerous exams/tests, been on numerous drugs, tried a special diet (it was disgusting as special diets often seem to be...dunno why they bother), been in the hospital for observation and, finally, had surgery last week.  He should be able to urinate easily post-surgery and early reports from the hospital post-surgery and then at home indicated that he could do so.  But then he stopped urinating of his own accord.  Kevin brought him in on Sunday afternoon for expressing.  We tried again last night and even Stephanie of Du, The Incontinent Cat came by to try...nothin'.  We ended up heading out to AERA late last night, but apparently just the thought of getting squeezed by the doctor there got him urinating and defecating (bonus!) in the carrier before we got very far.  We had today's appointment already scheduled so we went ahead to learn how to express him.

It was not as easy as I thought it would be and I was unable to squeeze anything out of him.  The doctor ended up finally squeezing something out of him.  We'll try a slightly different combination of his drugs and see if that helps.  I sure hope he improves.  The positive is that at least now he can be expressed, we just have to learn how to do it properly.  He was near impossible to express pre-surgery and often had to be catheterized.  Being expressible, he should be able to avoid potentially fatal toxin build up.

Well, I'll be a dirty bird, but I cannot find an appropriate cheezburger cat for this post!  Either a) there is one and I just haven't found it or b) there isn't one, thus the end is surely near.

Back On The Wagon

I rejoined Weight Watchers recently.  I do this once in a while.  Join, lose some weight, quit, time passes, rejoin, lose some more weight,....  So, yeah, it's time to rejoin.  Down 6 lb. so far this time!  Go. Me.  WW has two plans.  On the flex plan:

Every food has a POINTS value, which is calculated based on a food’s calories, fat and fiber. POINTS values help you keep track of what you eat, so that you stay within a daily POINTS Target that’s personalized for you, based on your height, weight and other factors, such as gender.

Along with your daily POINTS Target, you also get a “Weekly Allowance” to use for a special occasion like a night on the town--so you can still indulge sometimes, without going off track.

On the core plan:

The Core Food List is based on the science of energy density. It contains foods that are low in energy density, meaning they contain a small number of calories per ounce. That means they’ll make you feel more satisfied while you are actually consuming fewer calories. You can mix and match these foods as much as you want, and you’ll learn to stay aware of hunger and fullness, so you won’t overeat.

Along with eating any Core Foods you want, you get a “Weekly Allowance” for foods that aren’t on the Core Plan. You can use them for daily treats, a night on the town, or a special occasion--so you can still indulge sometimes, without going off track.

I'm on the flex plan. I don't think I've ever done the core plan.  There are so many things I enjoy eating that are not on the core plan and the weekly allowance wouldn't be enough to accommodate them that I just want to cry, but then I get ahold of myself and decide to follow the flex plan.

So, like I said, I've done this before.  However, this is the first time I've gone an entire week tracking my points.  I usually give up tracking a few days into the week, even during that gung ho first week.  Well, set me up and knock me down!  From whence did that diligence come?  Who cares, as long as it continues.

Successfully staying within points does require some planning.  And I did go over the weekly allowance last week.  I don't believe I planned well for the end of the week and I made some less than optimal choices while dining out.  It's a learning process.  I identified what I think I did wrong and hope to do better next time.  I'm very pleased that I've been so diligent wrt tracking.  It's a first for me.

So, yeah, planning is key!  Like someone said, If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  That is a tidy little message, innit?  Planning to follow WW should include failing, though, or perhaps the expectation of failure is a better way to put it. It's highly unlikely that anyone will follow it absolutely perfectly until they're done.  It's possible, but it's more probable - and human - to screw up here and there.

So I'm at work, thinking about what to have during my dinner break.  I think I'll go with fettucini with vodka sauce.  I'll ask for the sauce separate from the pasta so I can control how much sauce I eat.  A cup of pasta and a 1/2 cup of vodka sauce = 7 points.  I can work with that.  I often get Japanese if I eat out during break bc Japanese is so cheap points-wise, but I'm kinda Japanesed out at the moment.

It would appear that there's an LOLcat for every occasion:

Backyardigans

Just hanging in the backyard, blogging while I keep an eye on my kitty.  Nosey loves coming outside.  He's the only cat that comes out all free and easy, without a leash or stroller.  He sticks pretty close to home.  Compared to the others and I think most cats in general, he's relatively slow so even if he does try to broaden his horizons too much, he's easy to corral.

The neighbors two doors down like to play music loud while they're hanging out out back; I don't mind.  Anyway, it sounds like the grandparents have control of the radio dial tonight bc it's oldies night.  It concerns me that I know so many of the songs.  Now, I do have some excuse in that I couldn't help but learn a whole mess of old ditties when I was at the nursing home (as a volunteer/employee, of course, not as a resident).  I used to know so many pop songs and used to be able to name the titles and artists of so many one hit wonders without missing a beat.  Beat? 'Heartbeat (It's a Love Beat)' by Tony DiFranco & the DiFranco Family anyone?

It's so nice to be outside on a great day...the sun is shining...the neighbors' lilacs' scent is wafting by on a light breeze....  I caught a virus last week and I holed up inside until Monday.  Nothing you can take for a virus, though the doctor did suggest Claritin-D to manage the symptoms.  I took one today; meh.  How do people who use it regularly for allergies afford it?  A pack of 5 was $10...that's $2/pill!  Sad to say, it appears I may have regifted my virus to Kevin.

Moving along...watching CNN's coverage of today's primaries.  Wolf Blitzer having a field day in THE SITUATION ROOM (dun dun dunnn).  John King playing with his map.  Talking heads talking over around each other.  Why am I watching this?  Click.

Wait!  Off to hear what Hillary has to say.