Fitness Monday: Miscellaneous Topics

Come and share and learn and receive support for your Fitness efforts!  More fitness leads to the ability to knock on more doors and help elect more and better Democrats.  

We have had some excellently written diaries lately.  Things are a little crazy around the Casa S, and I've been a bit headachey.  I'd like to open a couple topics for discussion and share a few links.  Also a report on my knees.  

Injures & My Knees

The last couple years I became a long-distance walker.  I finished one marathon and 3 half-a-thons.  It was a lot of fun, and I thought I was stretching enough and probably sliding on strength training.  Lo and behold about 2 weeks after the Des Moines half, I woke up in extreme discomfort with swollen and sore knees.  A week later, after fearing early onset arthritis, i dragged myself in to my doctor.  Diagnosis:  Patella-Femoral Syndrome, or mis-aligned tracking of kneecap due to muscle and stretching imbalances.  

I spent 6 weeks faithfully doing the physical therapy exercises my wonderful doctor provided.  I also did some walking, all outdoors, and some yoga.  In January, I tried to start walking again, but my knees weren't ready for serious mileage.  I hemmed and hawed, and to aggravate the situation, I was steadily gaining weight.  Since last June, I picked up a couple pounds a month.  It's a vicious cycle - joints hurt too much to exercise, less exercise leads to more body weight, more body weight makes joints hurt.  The cherry on top for me is I'm allergic (ASA) to all NSAIDS - aspirin, ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.  I slowly re-evaluated my situation and made a new plan.

This is what is working for me right now:

1.  A rather strict control of diet, even more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.  With one small treat a day.  I am using this book for guidance:  3-2-1 Weight Loss Plan

2.  Lots of ice on my knees.  Lots of dark fruits and veggies for anti-oxidants.  Extra vitamins B & C too.  Dry brushing and other lymphatic massage to counter the inflammation.  

3.  Yoga poses and other stretching for everything from my back to my toes.  I am especially working on the piriformis muscle, hip opening, and inter-tibial band.  My favorite place to find yoga poses is here:  Yoga Journal Pose Finder.  I really love the entire Yoga Journal site.  

4.  Strength training!  Gentle squats and lunges.  I also found a low-impact aerobic/strength video with a stability disk and it is helping a lot.  The 3-2-1 diet plan has a corresponding exercise plan:  3 minutes of cardio, 2 minutes of strength, and 1 minute of abs, cycle through this circuit 5 times in thirty minutes.  

I think this is all starting to work finally.  I have given up on spring marathons, and I will see if I can do anything this fall.  

Nutrition

Are you getting enough calories?  Are you getting enough of the right kinds of calories?  Most women need 1500-2000, and men 2000-2500.  And most Americans have too many calories coming from refined carbs and other nutritionally empty foods.

The basic weight loss formula is to burn more calories than you take in.  The two best weight loss / diet improvement tips I've ever seen are 1.  eat breakfast and 2.  keep a food journal.  

Miscellaneous
Here are a few of my favorite links:
for General Health:
Real Age - Live Life to your Youngest

For online tracking of health information, including food diary:
Prevention Health Trackers

Here's to Fitness!  With or without the green beer :-D  Feel free to share your fitness plans, workouts for the week, or ask any questions.  Hooray for more better Fit Kos-friends!