Musculoskeletal System

I have a history of back problems and come by it honestly as it is something that has been "handed" down through the generations. I'm pretty used to my back going out on me and have learned how to deal with it.

My pain normally manifests in my lower back and hips. In fact, a couple of years ago when I participated in walking a Half Marathon, one of my hips slipped out of joint on me and by the time I got to the end of the race I could no longer bend my knee and was literally 2 inches shorter on one side of my body. That was when I started to go to a chiropractor on a regular basis. He helped get me adjusted and aligned, after many visits over a couple of years. He lectured me on posture and how bad sitting hunched over a desk all day working on a computer was for my whole skeletal system and how issues with the back caused all sorts of other medical issues. But he was focused solely on the "skeletal" and didn't really give me a lot of direction in the best ways to protect the skeletal by working on the muscles.

I stopped going to him, obviously, when I moved to California. Luckily, I found something out there that I liked even better than having my back cracked and it had many more benefits....Pilates. For the last year out in California, I was doing Pilates once a week and had far fewer back (hip, knee, neck, shoulder, etc.) issues than the many previous years and I know it was because I had done so much work on strengthening the "musculo" part of the "musculoskeletal" system. Sadly, I haven't continued doing Pilates since I've returned to Texas and I'm starting to see/feel the muscles atrophying. Yesterday during my walk the old hip started to slip again and I had to limp around for a couple of hours trying to stretch and pop it back into place, which eventually it did go back into place.

So, you may be asking "what will you be doing about this?" Well, I'm going to find another Pilates instructor here in Texas and start working out again. I know it works for me. I know it does the body good. I don't know why I waited this long to actually follow through on doing this.

Project A.C.E. Is Underway

Project A.C.E. = Andrea's California Exodus

I went to Pilates today and met with my trainer, and friend, Abby for the last time. As she pulls out the workout sheet that she created for me so that I could continue my Pilates work after I've returned to Texas. I immediately started crying... it started very suddenly and unexpectedly. I realized that this is really happening and I have SOOO much that I need to do and SOOO many people and things that I really am going to miss. Not only do I have all of the spots that I have yet to see, although I think it is going to have be moved to another list of things that I want to do when I come back and visit.

This week my list of things that I need to accomplish:

1. Finish quilts and get them mailed off (not really part of Project A.C.E., but needs to get done)
2. Pack up my sewing equipment (after I finish #1)
3. Go to storage unit and get wine boxes and then get additional boxes from BevMo
4. Sort through clothes and determine what is going to Goodwill
5. Shred and pitch paperwork
6. Have a nervous breakdown (one of many, I'm sure)
7. Get a couple of good walks in

So, back to my final workout with Abby.... One of the items that she had me do towards the end of the workout was called "swimming"; which is basically laying on your stomach and making that swimming motion, which is supposed to work the stomach and back muscles. Anyway, I immediately start singing R.E.M.'s Nightswimming. So, that is the ABBA soundtrack entry for the day.

And as a side note... One of the lines in the song is "...September's coming soon...." Freaky, huh?

Preparing for the Week

Well, it is Sunday afternoon and I'm sitting here thinking about what all I need to do this week and what all is currently on my schedule. I'm trying really hard to take every body's advice and find that work/life balance and I'm doing better. I'm also trying really hard to live a healthier lifestyle. Last week I managed to get a walk in every day after work, except for Tuesday, when I worked from home and went and walked in the mid-morning up to Noe Valley, which was very pleasant. Saturday, I went to another session with Abby the Pilate's instructor and she had be stretched in ways that I didn't think my body could do.

So this week, this is the plan:

Monday - Wrap up the crap that I have to do for the quarterly Quality Initiatives. Review the Policies and Procedures and update those. Update and print off resume. Walk the 3.3 mile Dish walk with Sam.

Tuesday - 7:00 AM Pilate's session with Abby. Do some number crunching and analysis to present some good, hard data as to why and who is screwing up so terribly at work. Go meet a recruiter to see if she can help me find another job.

Wednesday - Meet with the PWC auditors to talk about our processes. Continue with the number crunching. Walk the Shoreline and stop at Target.

Thursday - Spend all day in tiring meetings with the customer. Get completely aggravated by the people that I work with. Walk the Dish with Sam.

Friday - Crossing my fingers that I can have the day off. If I have the day off, then I'm sewing and taking a walk to Grace Cathedral Labyrinth and have a whole zen thing.

Saturday - This is still very open, but I'm going to shoot for getting a walk of some sort in and probably some REALLY fun things like grocery shopping, dusting, and vacuuming.

And that takes us back to Sunday. Who thinks I'll actually manage to accomplish all of these things?

Steps to Better Health

As you all may recall, I've been mentioning for some time off and on that I need to get healthy. I've been inspired by the Queen and her eating habits and workout habits. And, I've been inspired by Sam and her eating habits and workout habits. And, of course my parents. But inspiration doesn't necessarily always equate to activity. That is until yesterday....

Yesterday I went to my first Pilate's session with a great instructor, Abby at a very nice down-to-earth studio called Ellie Herman Pilate's Studio. Sam had taken me to another one a little over a year ago, which seems awfully pretentious to me, but this one was great. I actually walked there from my apartment (since Tuesday is my work at home day) had my workout, which at first didn't seem that tough but I definitely broke a sweat and am pretty sore this morning, and then walked home. So I not only got my class with stretching and muscle building but I also got probably close to a mile and a half walk in.

Of course I'm now also inspired by Abby as she is such a unique and interesting person. First of all, she has the sweetest personality and second she is somebody who has truly followed her dreams. Besides being a Pilate's teacher, she is an acrobat, trapeze artist, burlesque dancer and belongs to a bonafide circus. She was talking recently about a place where a person can go and learn how to swing from a trapeze.... Who knows, I might just be doing that some day!!

So, in closing, a thank you goes out to all those people who have inspired me recently to take better care of myself. I'm trying, I really am!!