January 13, 2004 - In Recovery

Besides, I'm sure I got at least a little bit of exercise by running around, buying presents and such.

But then, the time seemed to drag. This injury, it seemed, hit me at exactly the wrong time: just when I was anxious to step up my exercise plan, in order to make up for my slight holiday weight gain and get back on track.

Ah, well. I often feel as if injuries and illnesses are Mother Nature's way of getting us to slow down, relax a bit. I suppose I needed that. Plus, it gave me a good excuse to throw all my efforts into one of my other New Year's resolutions, reorganizing my apartment. I've even made some progress so far.

One of the things I've been doing is going through the stacks of magazines in my apartment, which have accumulated to an alarming degree. The idea is to tear out any articles I might actually want to read and to recycle the rest. While I was doing that, I'd tear out exercise routines from my fitness magazines, frustrated that I couldn't just go ahead and start them.

Now, after three weeks of an enforced break in my exercise routine, I'm back in the exercise groove, although in a limited fashion.

My normal week day routine included: 10 minutes of abs and leg toning, 50 minutes of kickboxing, 25 minutes of yoga/pilates. Since the abs and yoga/pilates exercise routines use more pectoral muscles, I've temporarily cut those out. When I do the kickboxing routine, I go easy on the punching and upper body movements. I've found one way to remember to do that is to keep my hands open, rather than making fists.

Normally, I would also be sure to work in a long walk for my dog every day, but yesterday and today I've tried to stick close to the house. I'm waiting for a delivery from Land's End, and I want to be here when it arrives. We've ordered The Gryphon a swimsuit so that we can hit the hot tub at an upcoming retreat we're taking with some friends.

Right now, I smell of menthol, because I've put a pain medication pad on my pectoral muscle. It was twinging just the smallest amount, and I should try to be careful.

Hopefully, it won't take long for me to get back to normal. Convalescing is not nearly as fun as you'd think. Especially when you smell like menthol.

Musings an Online Journal of Sorts By Alyce Wilson
January 13, 2004 - In Recovery
	Right before the holidays, I suffered some sort of mysterious pectoral injury. Ever since, it's been a source of constant frustration. When I was freshly injured, the pain was so bad I could barely lift my right arm above the shoulder. Then, with the help of some rest and some heating pads bought at the drug store, the pain became more tolerable. But it would still hurt while doing every day things, such as sitting up in bed. The most frustrating part was a mandatory break in my exercise routine. This was easier over the holidays, when I was rushing around too much to work in exercise anyway.
Besides, I'm sure I got at least a little bit of exercise by running around, buying presents and such. But then, the time seemed to drag. This injury, it seemed, hit me at exactly the wrong time: just when I was anxious to step up my exercise plan, in order to make up for my slight holiday weight gain and get back on track. Ah, well. I often feel as if injuries and illnesses are Mother Nature's way of getting us to slow down, relax a bit. I suppose I needed that. Plus, it gave me a good excuse to throw all my efforts into one of my other New Year's resolutions, reorganizing my apartment. I've even made some progress so far. One of the things I've been doing is going through the stacks of magazines in my apartment, which have accumulated to an alarming degree. The idea is to tear out any articles I might actually want to read and to recycle the rest. While I was doing that, I'd tear out exercise routines from my fitness magazines, frustrated that I couldn't just go ahead and start them. Now, after three weeks of an enforced break in my exercise routine, I'm back in the exercise groove, although in a limited fashion. My normal week day routine included: 10 minutes of abs and leg toning, 50 minutes of kickboxing, 25 minutes of yoga/pilates. Since the abs and yoga/pilates exercise routines use more pectoral muscles, I've temporarily cut those out. When I do the kickboxing routine, I go easy on the punching and upper body movements. I've found one way to remember to do that is to keep my hands open, rather than making fists. Normally, I would also be sure to work in a long walk for my dog every day, but yesterday and today I've tried to stick close to the house. I'm waiting for a delivery from Land's End, and I want to be here when it arrives. We've ordered The Gryphon a swimsuit so that we can hit the hot tub at an upcoming retreat we're taking with some friends. Right now, I smell of menthol, because I've put a pain medication pad on my pectoral muscle. It was twinging just the smallest amount, and I should try to be careful. Hopefully, it won't take long for me to get back to normal. Convalescing is not nearly as fun as you'd think. Especially when you smell like menthol.
Moral: Taking it easy isn't easy when you're a Type A personality. Copyright 2004 by Alyce Wilson Musings Index
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