PIYO Week 2: Update and Results

 

 

We have another week done with Chalene Johnson. I have to say she is by far my favorite trainer, no matter what workout I am doing I feel amazing after the time stops! And sometimes it feels like you have just started a workout and you are already done. Time flies (literally). I cannot believe I am half way through month one.  I have to be honest, I did not think PIYO was going to be enough. Even though cardio is not my favorite but I do like to get my heart rate moving. But even if you are aren't jumping around doing agility you still work up a sweat & you are still moving. You are moving in a different way, but you will work you bootay off!

 

Thirty minute workouts give or take low impact do you think you are going to get something out of it? You are using muscles you truly do not use in your day to day routine. When starting any new routine you get nervous and worried you will not see the results, but you have to trust the process. And I truly believe that is why some people do not stick to programs in the first couple weeks and throw in the towel. WHY? Because sometimes they do not feel challenged enough. It isn't hard enough. This program is something they typically do not do normally. You just want to give up and go back to your "normal" routine. That is where most people fail and hit a plateau. If you stay in your normal routine you continue to work those same muscles & you won't see results as much as you would like too. You have to step outside your comfort zone every once in a while.  Work new muscles, try new things...you never know what could happen?! Try the program for 30 days..see it through to day 30; following the program to a T, then make your decision about quitting & moving onto something else.

 

Bummed Knee

Unfortunately, when it came to working out I did not have a choice. If I wanted to get back to it PIYO was the only thing I could do or lightly walk. You can't see the picture to good, but my knee gets tapped every time I go to PT so I can warm up with running. It's not comfortable believe me. The white tape is the bottom layer & the brown tape we push my knee cap over from the right side to the left so it is "centered." The goal is to keep it on for 48 hours, if it is uncomfortable it can come off. It hasn't lasted more than a day, but I do honestly try to keep it on that long & workout with it because if it helps, then it could help my knee issues a little bit. But I must say I am very glad that PIYO is the only program I can do, because I truly enjoy it. I get frustrated sometimes because my muscles need stretched and it hurts, BUT it is working! It tests me and it is mind over matter. I try to push myself a little further each day.

Believing you can is the first step. Next come up with an action plan. Write a schedule of your workouts down (even though you get a schedule), but that way it is visible and you know what you are doing each day. If it helps start creating a vision board with your goals (weight loss, what size you want to be, maybe your future swimsuit you want to wear). When you put your goals in front of you where you can see them everyday, it makes you work ten times harder.

Motivational/Goal Board

What does week 2's schedule look like?

Monday - Sweat
Tuesday - Define: Lower Body
Wednesday - Core
Thursday - Define: Upper Body
Friday - rest
Saturday - Sweat
Sunday - Core

I can't exactly say what my favorite workout of Piyo is just yet. And I only say that because I have not done all of them yet. From the ones I have completed so far I would say Sweat and Upper Body. Upper body is a little short for time but you still can get a great workout, you can always add something else to workout longer.

I have been delaying writing this post not because I don't have words to say or I don't like piyo. It is because I didn't really give my all. It has been getting to me. I had a bad week during physical therapy. I really was struggling with not being able to workout during PT days and when I was having a hard time running,I just felt defeated. It's hard to accept I can not physically run when I want and some plyometric exercises still bother me. It is hard to be "restricted," but I have to learn to work around it and do what I can. If I push myself harder, I could hurt myself more & set myself back. And if I quit what does that say about me?

So onward and upward. I gave myself some time to sit and think about where I am, how far I've come, and where I want to be. It is just a chance for me to regroup and get my mind right. So, I have the right mindset & ready to kick butt on week three.

 

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REAL TALK: Look how far you have come

I've actually had this post in mind for about a week. I have delayed writing it. It's almost like I lose my words when I start writing & stare at the blank screen.

Why? Because last Thursday to be exact was one month of physical therapy. One month and I was to be done and back to "normal" (is what I thought). And here we are five weeks in and my therapist drew out another months plan to get approved, but we are trying two weeks to see where I am. 

When week four hit, I was so excited & anxious to get back into running or start cardio again. I never in a million years would have ever imagined hearing me say, "I miss cardio." But I do. So, on Monday we decided to try running on the treadmill...slow jog. If it started to get painful I was to get back to walking. Not even three minutes in & I was feeling the pain. I had to instantly stop, got off the treadmill, and I was limping. My therapist looked at me and said, "okay so we learned-you are not ready to run yet." I literally looked him the eyes (disappointed) & said... maybe I am just not meant to run.

 

 

He told me I am, just not right now. I thought about how this really affected me at that moment. How I really felt & I was so upset, that I was not 100% and could still not run. For four weeks, 2 times a week, for at least an hour each time I would go to physical therapy and for what? Was it working? Is it worth it?

 

It is worth it. I am always telling myself progress vs. perfection. I may not be able to run & get cardio in. But the bigger picture is I have come much further than I was on day one. On day one I had no strength or flexibility. I was moving like a snail on every single exercise & almost in tears. I couldn't walk, my knee never relaxed, and I was just uncomfortable. Even though I am not done, I have come so far. My strength and flexibility have improved greatly. I am moving faster through my exercise, upping my reps, using more resistance.

 

You may not be where you want to be  at that moment, but take it all in and remember where you started.

 

So, I will admit I was down because I am STILL going to physical therapy. And still have at least one more week if not more. But I know to trust the process and be patient. Everything happens for a reason and I am only going to come back stronger!!

 

IT Band Injury

Are you a runner? A sports athlete? Physically active?

You may be curious as to why I am asking these questions & what it has to do with IT band syndrome. If you workout, run, or play sports this injury is mostly common. 

How do I know? I was diagnosed with about a week and a half ago. I was running with my friends & (I haven't ran much in a while, but I workout daily so I thought my stamina was up). We ran & walked five miles around a local park. I was starting to feel pain, but thought it was just muscle cramps from the heat or beginning to run. Around the last stretch I started to get sharp shooting pains in BOTH knees and at that point I clearly knew something wasn't right. I was in shear-utter pain...could not even walk in tears kinda pain. Came home and just had to ice my knees & try to relax the best way I could. Didn't do any physical activity, but was scheduled to run a 5K that Saturday. I should not have ran 

Saturday comes I get up & I'm super nervous for this fun little thing called run or dye. But promised myself to do what I could. I'm not even sure I ran a whole mile. At one point I caught up with my mom and we were running together, we started going down a grass hill & I just had to stop and go to the side. I was getting the pains again, but this time it felt like someone was stabbing me (not that I know what that feels like) just unbearable pain. Tried to pick up in run, then I'd stop. I heard someone say this is it, the finish line is there so I ran at a slow turtle pace, but did it & right at the end I hit a ditch & knew that was it. Crossed the finish line & so many emotions were running through my head....I was sad, hurt, upset, in pain, emotional, scared, and the list goes on. I stood for a moment looked for my mom & who we can with, when I found them it was a sigh of relief & I just broke down in tears.

Made a doctors appointment, wrote me a script for an MRI- which it came back for Illiotibal Band Syndrome, but wanted me to see an orthopedic because it could have been something more. Started to rest & ice til then. But if you've ever had a injury you know it can be painful & IT WAS! It was a struggle to walk at work, up & down steps, get in & out of the car, & push the pedals while driving. I never felt like I could relax it at all. It always felt tight & tense. And sleeping on my back was the only way I could get "comfortable" ....NOT. Worst way to sleep ever.

So here we are and I had my first physical therapy appointment :

 

 

Nervous and butterflies in my stomach is the best way to put it. My evaluation was surprisingly awful. I had very little strength when he was telling me to push against his hand. I was uncomfortable and uneasy, super sore from just the evaluation. Something just wasn't right & that is because my strength in my muscles & flexibility is slim to none. WHY? I had to ask, I mean I highly active & I stretch and I take care of me. BUT he said it is common in athletes and people who workout daily. When running your hips should be even and sometimes you aren't always, which causes you to put more pressure and shift your hip out, and strain your gluetes, it band, everything else....which in return causes the inflammation I have been having. 

 

I have been given some exercises to do at home twice a day, plus I have to go back to physical therapy twice a week for at least two weeks and if I feel better after that I can knock it down to one. They don't want me to push myself too hard where it starts to hurt like running that 5K, but I have to push myself to where I see results. I haven't ran or worked out since the beginning of June and I just feel lost. I can't relax my knee, I always feel like I'm flexing, and when standing you can tell a difference because my left leg is perfectly straight and the right is bent so I feel lopsided. I feel like it could also be something else, because the other night we were sitting outside just talking and I was getting a tingle feeling & I noticed my knee down to my toes were swollen. I wanted to burst into tears, but I held them back, I got to a point where I couldn't bare the pain anymore. I told them and they are unsure, so I have to monitor it, in case it could be something more serious.  When you are starting to workout, whatever you do, make sure you get a good stretch before & after. They don't just tell you that for your health, it is so important to get a stretch in so your muscles are loose and you don't strain or pull something.

 

 I know nothing more than what they are telling me, but I have started to do research. I plan on keeping everyone in the loop, how physical therapy is going, when I am in pain, what stretches are truly working and which aren't, plus I will answer any questions you may have. Feel free to ask me anything & share with anyone who is going through the same thing. It is never easy when you have to slow down and give up something you love, but to go through it alone is a bit hard as well. Having someone there, knowing how you are feeling, gives you a little comfort.

 

 

 

I am keeping a positive attitude even though I am uncomfortable. I can move a little better than before, but still uncomfortable. Sometimes we have to go through setbacks to get where we need to be. And this is just the beginning of my journey.