Still 'out with injury' but on the mend thanks to Shockwave Therapy

I mentioned in my last post that I had over-extended by Sacoriliac joint and that the muscles in the are (read - buttocks) had gone into open rebellion.  I had tried a few different treatments with only short term relief, that is until I retreated to my Chiropractor for Shockwave Therapy.  I should obviously have done this sooner, as it is making a big difference!  I got back in the pool yesterday, swimming 42 laps of the 25m pool at Virginactive gym - thoroughly enjoying it and feeling fit.  I had a hit of tennis with my 11 year old in the afternoon and have pulled up fine.  I have another treatment tomorrow, but I plan on getting back to my PT next week.

Where is your SI Joint?  Well it's here (see left)  That drawing is not of me - I am a brunette.



So what is Shockwave Therapy?  Well you can read about it  here.  But from a patients perspective it is a non-invasive non painful treatment that gives lasting relief.  I am very lucky that my Chiro with whom I have a long relationship has it, as it is not to be found in that many practices.  George used to be the Chiro for the Aussie swim team, so his knowledge of treating sports injury is very sound.  I have actually heard that it is more commonly found in the practices of Physios.  It certainly is doing the trick with my Acute Muscle Spasm, hand in hand with my Chiro working on the joints in the vicinity.

This Youtube video will give you an idea of what's involved - here

While weight lifting and intensive cardio has been out of the question I have been trying to keep the focus on my eating habits and have been watching my weight come back down from its post Summer holiday high.  I've lost over 2 kgs and only have a a little over a kg to lose to get back to my happy weight - Body Fat % is a bit of another matter :-/

Review of my Phuket holiday

I am often struck by what a pool of talented women make up the group of mothers at my children's school and one of them is Seana Smith who is an Author of many books such as Sydney for Under Fives, Beyond The Baby Blues, Superfoods Index, Australian Autism Handbook, and Sydneys Best Beaches for Kids.

She was commissioning articles recently for her Blog Sydney, Kids, Food + Travel and I volunteered to write a review of our Family Holiday to Phuket.  That review has been published today and I am well chuffed!  Please click on the Blog link to check it out.

Injuries in the Gym - Assisted Pull Up Machine - Ahhhhh

From time to time I am reminded that although I am mentally enthusiastic about weight training that I need to be a bit more cautious in order to avoid  injuries which can derail my fitness program.  My current injury occured about a week ago when I got a bit cocky about my strength on the Assisted Pull Up machine.  That is not me in the picture, and it is not even close to what I would wear to a gym :-0 but that is an example of the machine that I hurt myself on.

I did one chin up - narrow hold not wide and said to my trainer - too light!  So he made an adjustment and all of a sudden I was straining through 10 reps.  Thankfully I was sensible enough to do the next two sets at a more friendly weight - but I was to find out later that it was already too late.  When you try to lift weights that are too much for you you lose your form.  If you are on the 'hyper mobile' end of the scale you can also mess up your joints and then muscles can tighten to a frightening degree to try to support the now dodgey joint - anyway, that is what happened to me!

Here is a link to an article in the Huffington Post on how to use these machines (I might forward it to my trainer)  My Massage Therapist (magic hands Margaret) - thinks I may have let my 'traps' rise up … as well as having put to much strain on my 'lats' and now my right lower back and 'glute' are in open rebellion.

Fix Your Form - How to Use the Assisted Pull Up Machine

So far I have had one Osteo visit, two massages with another booked, a stretching and foam roller session for an hour with my trainer, and I have booked an acupuncture treatment as well.  I've had to cancel my training session for today and am hopeful that I can attend on Thursday.  Walking is still ok, so I have a 2 hour bush walk planned for later in the week too.  I am getting by with Ibuprofen and heat packs.

So it is a slow start to my fitness year.  Needing to peel back a few Summer Holiday kgs, and get back in shape may take a little longer than initially projected.  But as I am oft reminded - results are 70% about the diet - so I can do that.  It has been 1 year since I signed up with Vision and they have been great overall.  I can't see myself giving up on them anytime soon.  Whether I can justify another year of having two gym memberships in another matter.

How long are the School Holidays?

Insert exasperated sigh!  For my children's school the answer is 49 days but it feels like 149 to me!  I love my kids and they are great - not particularly challenging in their behaviours or unusually demanding and all healthy - for which I am grateful.  But I am obviously not cut out for this part of the parenting calendar.  I miss my routines.  I miss my friends.  I miss 'MY' time.  Meanwhile, my husband is back to work - long hours, travel, the whole shebang and I just get plain lonely without adult company to keep me stimulated.  When I catch up with my BFF's and their kids they are just as distracted and challenged as me and the exchange does not really provide the relief that it usually does.  I can even complain about taking my middle child to the beach for surf lessons 4 days in a row … (please don't slap me!)

My diet and exercise is shot.  I have put on 2kgs last time I looked, but maybe it is more by now.  I have lost my motivation to move.  I am trying to keep my PT appointments but dragging 3 kids to my gym is not very practical.  Trust me I tried it this week, and it all would have been just bearable till 2 other women turn up with their kids.  Vision is not the kind that has the facilities to entertain them.  Actually my other gym has facilities but my kids have ceased to be cooperative about going there since they were about 4.

I am literally thinking it would be easier to work FT!  At least I would have some kind of routine and I would have some adult company in a non-child friendly environment!  But who am I kidding!  By the time I found a suitable job that justified the disruption to all of our lives and paid for the childcare I would be kicking myself for ever having considered doing it and piling myself high with guilt and shame for not handling it better and for not realising how good I had it in my full-time SAHM life.

I feel ridicuous complaining really.  Maybe I am over-reacting, but my feelings are valid for me aren't they?  Bring on the school year.  Stay posted to hear me complain about:

• rushing to get out the door in the morning
• all of my children's extracurricular activities
• school gate politics
• the shortness of the school day
• lost pieces of uniform
• not knowing what food to pack for the kids each day
• etc.

Here comes 2014

I just about have a year of 'My Time' under my belt.  And that's great!  I am a a lot fitter and smaller - although with puting my gym membership and a lot of my regular activities on hold during these long summer school holidays, I may well have some catching up to do.  But I am actually looking forward to it!  I think that what I want to do this year is:

• be more organised, as when I am organised I am more relaxed
• do more Yoga, as when I do Yoga I feel more relaxed and my body feels more balanced
• study - not sure what yet … but due to family commitments it will still have to be quite flexible, so probably online.
• seek out freelance writing work - because I think I have something to say :-)

I feel like not only did last year represent a major turning point in my life - i.e., my youngest off to school, but with that year behind her my daughter is more independant and my boys are getting easier too!  So I kind of feel like I am over the mothering hump and I might be able to relax and enjoy my role a bit more this year

We have had a magnificent holiday in Thailand earlier this month, and when my review is published I will put a link to it on here, which really illustrated how different life is with our kids now.  I can jump in a car now with no additional supplies!  No nappies, changes of clothes, snacks, concerns about toiletting etc etc.  They are more and more like real independent beings!

Things that worked well last year that I will continue will be

• my relationship with my gym/personal trainer,
• tennis lessons, 
• my awareness of macro nutrients and the right balance between protein, fat and carbs 
• and my general 'can-do' attitude.

2014 is looking good from here!

What are your plans for 2014?

Off to the races!

Having continued my regime with my PT, plus some tennis, walking and occasionally a few laps - I am still shrinking and toning.  For the first time since 1996 I have weighed in under 60kg's.  The latest thrill I have had (besides people complimenting me generally ;-)) has been during what is ususally one of the most distressing times to be a couple of sizes too big ... Trying on dresses for special occasions: Yes that old chestnut.  In times past I would take my SPANX with me shopping, and still struggle with zippers and only select styles in black and other fabrics and designs ideal for confusing the eye.

This week however I took myself shopping for an outfit for Melbourne Cup.  My DH received a corporate invite to an 'enclosure' at Flemington where my only job is to look fabulous and charm our hosts and the other invitees (all while cunningly winning a pile of money on the ponys ;-))

I had a designer in mind - Alannah Hill, because not only do I love her feminine olde worlde designs but because I knew that she can be a one stop shop for the Shoes, hat, belt, gloves, tights, etc etc.  And I do like things to look like they were meant to be together.

But I did not make a bee line straight for her, but instead went into Review.  Not as expensive but also quite feminine designs that flatter an hour glass figure.  I tried on dress after dress without the embarrassing struggle with the side zipper.  Without the need for SPANX and with a great deal of ease and joy.  In past years I would have been happy to find one dress that I thought flattering for my figure, but on this ocassion I could have walked out with any of them.  This is not what it is ALL about, but it is close!  I felt guilty walking out of their without buying anything - even though there was one dress which I was completely in love with, but I really wanted to give Alannah a shot before committing.  Plus the dress I loved did not come conveniently with a cardigan or jacket for if the weather is cooler.  Which in Melbourne there is always a good chance that it will be.

Off to Alannah then.  Now normally I would not be on my own with such a mammoth task, but my BFF was taken away suddenly on family business, so as a compromise I was sending photos kindly snapped by my shop assistant to her and to my DH.  BFF was responding with valuable feedback while my DH was egging me on to buy them all (I don't think he was serious and luckily I am too sensible for all that).

Into the feminine pinkness that is the Allanah hill store and up to the first shop assistant who presented her self and the instruction given to Melbourne Cup me up!  Once again the outfits were flowing and I had choices.  CHOICES I say again loudly.  What lady doesn't love the ability to choose between several outfits that fit like they are supposed to!  I have never appreciated my proportions so much as I did that day.  Thinner women than me were bemoaning their shoulder breadth or their lack of bust or their bottom one size bigger than their top.  NOT ME!  Do you really hate me yet?

Honestly!  I bought my "LBD" from this same shop for NYE, in a size 12 and I had to wear my SPANX with it and was not entirely comfortable. So please allow me this moment in the sun without needing to chop the head off this Poppy just yet!  Now I am a size 10!  That is Australian sizes obviously - that is a size 6 USA.

I will never have a 6 pack, in fact the skin over my tummy will never fully recover from 3 children in rapid succession from my mid to late 30's, but I am not talking about buying a bikini, so happy I shall be and for this post especially, I shall shout it from the rooftops.  And to be on the safe side I shall still wear my Simone Perele silouhette loving pants :-) - with my hair down ...

8 Problems you want to have

1. All your clothes are now too big!

2. You have to sort through your wardrobe and consider whether to store or donate all the clothes that no longer fit you.

3. You can't buy clothes online anymore because you need to try on styles you haven't worn in years. I love Birdsnest but still can't bring myself tonhitnthe buy button since dropping a couple sizes.

4. You have to consider whether just because you CAN wear something means that you should (over the age of 40).  For example my DH bought me a couple of pairs of Nike running shorts on a recent business trip.  One pair I have re-gifted the other I will hold onto just in case.

5. You can shop for things OTHER than shoes and handbags when you need a retail pick me up.

6. Small children no longer ask you if 'you have a baby in your tummy'

7. You have to wear a belt with all of your jeans, pants and shorts.

8. You can happily look at photos of yourself without seeing all of your 'problem areas'