an amazing wife, friends and family, and a great job. There are always challenges, it is how they are approached that matters. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and for my friends in other parts of the world being thankful does not need a holiday just a little self reflection and appreciation especially at this time of the year - But a holiday is good too <Grin>.
Talking about being thankful, since the tooth was removed the pains in my head and face have slowly gotten better and I am really grateful not to be experiencing the pain. The socket is now mostly healed and since last Monday I have been pain killer free. The first few days were a challenge but I pushed through and I have been able to see small improvements each day. Night and sleep is still the hardest to deal with as I am woken by pain a few times a night but even there I am seeing improvement even if it is slower than I would like.
The tooth worked out to be a 15 day setback as I was forced to deal with the symptoms and then the subsequent recovery. During those 15 days I certainly seized up more due to a lack of movement and exercise. It is strange how the mind just wants you to curl up in a ball and stop moving when in most cases that is absolutely the worst thing to do. On Thursday, Thanksgiving day I started my Foundation Training and floor exercises again and was shocked at how hard they were compared to 15 days earlier.
On Friday I added in a 30 minute recovery ride on my trainer bringing the total exercise time up to around 70 minutes a day. Training everyday is tough as quite honestly I don't always feel like it, but I almost always feel good about myself afterwards, satisfied that I am taking my recovery seriously and doing what I can to get back to full mobility and back out on the road and trails training.
What am I dealing with now and what's the plan? is the question I ask myself daily.
Goal: To regain full mobility and regain the level of fitness I had prior to the accident.
What am I dealing with: Right now the challenge is mid back, shoulder and neck mobility pain and tension. The neck brace effected my mid back mobility and the injuries account for the rest. Whilst I have gained a lot of neck mobility back rotating my trunk causes pain in the chest and ribs. Turning my heads generates pain in the neck and shoulders.
Current Plan: In these early stages the plan is being monitored daily. For the next week I will alternate floor exercises daily with one day focused specifically on Foundation Training with a small number of foam roll exercises and the next incorporating light free weights and additional floor/foam roll exercises in with the same Foundation Training. The first day is around 20-30 mins and the next day around 40 - 50 mins. In addition to the floor exercises I will incorporate a 30min recovery ride on the trainer focusing on heart rate and good peddling form. Although my mind is telling me I could probably work harder on the bike I have decided to ease back into it and when ready start with a base building training plan (tbd). To challenge myself on the bike I am focusing on smoothing out my pedal strokes.
What is going well: When recovering or even training I find reflection on what is going well a really good motivator as it is something to feel good about even if you are not where you want to be. I am now able to perform all of my floor exercises and all of my Foundation Training exercises and this weekend I was able to take on a new Foundation Training client. Taking on a new client is a big step as I promised myself I would not take anyone on until I could perform the moves strongly myself.
A word about diet. I cannot stress enough the importance of a good diet and I know that many people aspire to a good diet but when it comes right down to it the pleasure of old ways out weight the potential benefits no matter how much they are desired. It truly is a challenge and in my humble opinion one well worth investing in. My weight prior to the accident was around 152lbs and my weight this morning was 150lbs. My diet helped me avoid putting on pounds and has sets me up for a much faster recovery which includes keeping inflammation in my body to a minimum and bolstering my immune system, aiding in the ability to exercise and gain improved mobility.
I am optimistic that the set backs are behind me but given the severity of the accident I am also prepared to work through anything that comes up. I am truly thankful to be at a stage in the recovery that allows me to focus on daily improvements rather than investigation and damage limitation.
For those interested here is the training I did this morning:
Floor Exercises: Lying on my back
- Foundation Training - Supine Decompression
- Foundation Training - Left and Right Cross overs
- Core - Arm and Leg lifts with 5lb hand weight x 10
- Foundation Training - Bridge
- Foam Roll - Mid back flexing x 5
- Foam Roll - Back Roll
- Foam Roll - Shoulder stretch (lying length ways on the roll)
- Foam Roll - Shoulder Press 10lb weight x 10
- Foam Roll - Alternate leg balance lying length ways on the roll
- Foam Roll - Tricep lifts 10lb weight x 5 (each side)
- Foam Roll - Shoulder rotation lifting 5lb weight over head x 10
Floor Exercises: Lying on my Front
- Foundation Training: Back Extension with Tracing (50 Seconds)
- Neck stretch each side
- Plank 30 seconds
- Side Plank 30 seconds each side
- Plank to Hover 20 seconds
- Down Dog with Marching
- Plank to Hover
- Foundation Training: Back Extension with Tracing (50 Seconds)
- Neck stretch each side
- Yoga pushups x 8
- Yoga Childs Pose (front, left and right)
- Pushups x 5
- Foundation Training: Back Extension with Tracing (50 Seconds)
- Foundation Training: 8 Point Plank (50 Seconds)
- Foam Roll - T Band x10 each side
Floor Exercises: Kneeling
- Arm raise/rotation x 10 each side
Floor Exercises: Standing
- Foundation Training: Standing Decompression
- Free weights: arm raises (Side) 5lbs x 5
- Free weights: arm raises (Front) 5lbs x 5
- Foundation Training: Founder with Integrated hinging x 5
- Free weights: shoulder curls 5lbs x 5
- Free weights: shoulder shrugs 10lbs x 20 (with neck stretch)
- Foundation Training: Woodpecker with 5 Woodpecker rotations (each side)
- Foundation Training: Lung both sides
- Foundation Training: Founder into a Forward Fold and x10 foot lifts
- Foundation Training: Alternating windmills
- Foundation Training: Founder
- Foundation Training: Standing Decompression
Bike: 30 Min Recovery Ride
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