Boy, you'd think I'd dropped off the face of the earth, after that injury last year.
As it turned out, I had what some doctors like to call an Injury of The Olds. I had, through a series of misadventures, managed to cough myself into a herniated disc in my neck, which I then aggravated with certain activities. After a lot of drugs (a LOT), and a good deal of very expensive physical therapy, my neck and shoulder are behaving themselves again. This is a very good thing.
Despite the injury, and the downtime while I was working hard to recover,
Monday, February 11, 2013
Monday, July 30, 2012
Whining From Weathertop
Sometimes, in our quest to push a little, we do something stupid. That's what I did a couple of weeks ago. A while back, I injured my left shoulder, and have struggled to rehabilitate it. I've tried to work on building up some of those muscles, but it's still been problematic for me. You'd think that would mean I'd be cautious about doing anything that might make it worse, right?
Alas. I pushed myself and did a shoulder-stressing pose in yoga, and it felt alright at the time - challenging, but not painful. But then that night, I woke up to this situation (skip to 2:35, the link is fighting me!):
Yes, that's right, if you do too many planks in one yoga session, a Ringwraith will show up at your house and stab you in the shoulder with a Morgul blade. HARSH. And the further bummer about all of this is that Sam and Aragorn haven't been able to find any Kingsfoil for me, and I can't get to Rivendell to see Elrond until the 10th. I have to just ice it and live with it until then, and hope I don't turn into a Ringwraith in the meantime.
Obviously, the lesson here is to make wise, mindful choices about how much I push myself. It's one thing to say, "I can and will get up and move around more." It's another thing entirely to subject an already-tender joint to something I am clever enough to realize will cause it further pain.
Yoga has done so much good in my overall health, and I have no intention of giving it up. But clearly, for now, there are some things that are simply not options for me. Plank is one of them. Putting on the Ring is another.
Lesson learned.
Alas. I pushed myself and did a shoulder-stressing pose in yoga, and it felt alright at the time - challenging, but not painful. But then that night, I woke up to this situation (skip to 2:35, the link is fighting me!):
Yes, that's right, if you do too many planks in one yoga session, a Ringwraith will show up at your house and stab you in the shoulder with a Morgul blade. HARSH. And the further bummer about all of this is that Sam and Aragorn haven't been able to find any Kingsfoil for me, and I can't get to Rivendell to see Elrond until the 10th. I have to just ice it and live with it until then, and hope I don't turn into a Ringwraith in the meantime.
Obviously, the lesson here is to make wise, mindful choices about how much I push myself. It's one thing to say, "I can and will get up and move around more." It's another thing entirely to subject an already-tender joint to something I am clever enough to realize will cause it further pain.
Yoga has done so much good in my overall health, and I have no intention of giving it up. But clearly, for now, there are some things that are simply not options for me. Plank is one of them. Putting on the Ring is another.
Lesson learned.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
On Defeating Balrogs
It's been an eventful spring and summer for me. Where to begin?
Oh, for starters... I did really well on the 10k MN AIDS Walk. I was the team's top fundraiser, bringing in something over $400. Our Geek Physique team ended up raising over $1300 for the Minnesota AIDS Project. Wow! We seriously rock.
In the months of training to prepare for it, I'd set a goal for myself, to maintain a 20-minute mile (or better) pace. The day of the big walk, I actually managed something closer to a 17-minute mile, despite really terrible weather that day. Several other Geek Physique members walked with me at various times throughout the walk, providing encouragement to keep going. Crossing the final bridge merited a bit of the music - and dialogue - from the "Bridge of Khazad-Dum" scene in LOTR, which was surprisingly (and ridiculously) inspirational. Kind of like this:
As I approached the finish line, with my sister encouraging me every step of the way, I found my eyes welling with tears, my throat tight with emotion. A couple of years ago, I would never have been able to do a walk like this. And yet here I was, near the very front of the pack for the walk, having pushed and worked really, really hard. What a tremendous moment for me, and for those walking with me. They have been an invaluable support system for me, and I'm so grateful.
Geek Physique and YogaQuest were participants in CONvergence, the local nerd convention celebrating sci-fi and fantasy, July 5-8. We put posters up everywhere, and offered a well-attended and well-received YogaQuest class celebrating the "Women of the Whedonverse" that Friday evening. We also hosted a Geek Physique "Pre-Party Preparedness Training" party in the Geek Partnership Society cabana room that Saturday evening. It gave us a great opportunity to chat with a variety of CON-goers, and being planted in one spot for a while allowed me to scope out some really awesome cosplay. I'm still geeking out over the Bill Nye cosplayer we met. Ha! I do love me some creative geekery. And I'm already looking forward to CONvergence 2013, and a variety of smaller cons between now and then. (And don't get me started on RenFest...)
Since CON ended, we've achieved a couple of amazing milestones. For starters, in the wake of our participation at CON, we've passed the 300 member mark on Meetup. On top of that, we had our 100th Meetup event this week. And the kicker? That event coincided with our first Xena-inspired YogaQuest event. It was also the record-setter for RSVPs and attendance! We'd bumped up the cap on the class to 40 RSVPs, figuring there's always a few people who don't show up. We ended up with 36 of us in that room. It was wall to wall geeks doing the Xena battle cry! I have never been so proud. I love writing the scripts for YQ, but writing the Xena scripts is near and dear to my heart, and seeing this particular script meet with such approval was deeply gratifying to this Warrior Princess.
Earlier this spring, when I went in for my annual physical, my doctor and I had a conversation about the "numbers" we're looking at for me... blood glucose, blood pressure, lipid panel, and so forth. We looked at the comparison of where I was at two years ago, and last year, versus this year, and frankly, it's amazing to see how far I've come. Compared with my more sedentary past, I'm not borderline diabetic, I'm not on the verge of needing high blood pressure medication, and my cholesterol and triglycerides have responded beautifully to the changes in diet and activity levels.
After reviewing all that, my doctor's response was simple. "Whatever you're doing to accomplish this, keep doing it. It's working." And really, I didn't need to hear that to know it was working. I feel better, being active. I sleep better. My asthma is in better control. And I have such fun with the things I'm doing. But it is tremendously encouraging to get that kind of feedback from a health professional. I used to hate going to the doctor for my exams, but I've reached a point of making peace with the whole process, because if nothing else, it's an opportunity for me to go in and brag about the awesome things I'm doing with Geek Physique and YogaQuest.
In the months of training to prepare for it, I'd set a goal for myself, to maintain a 20-minute mile (or better) pace. The day of the big walk, I actually managed something closer to a 17-minute mile, despite really terrible weather that day. Several other Geek Physique members walked with me at various times throughout the walk, providing encouragement to keep going. Crossing the final bridge merited a bit of the music - and dialogue - from the "Bridge of Khazad-Dum" scene in LOTR, which was surprisingly (and ridiculously) inspirational. Kind of like this:
As I approached the finish line, with my sister encouraging me every step of the way, I found my eyes welling with tears, my throat tight with emotion. A couple of years ago, I would never have been able to do a walk like this. And yet here I was, near the very front of the pack for the walk, having pushed and worked really, really hard. What a tremendous moment for me, and for those walking with me. They have been an invaluable support system for me, and I'm so grateful.
Geek Physique and YogaQuest were participants in CONvergence, the local nerd convention celebrating sci-fi and fantasy, July 5-8. We put posters up everywhere, and offered a well-attended and well-received YogaQuest class celebrating the "Women of the Whedonverse" that Friday evening. We also hosted a Geek Physique "Pre-Party Preparedness Training" party in the Geek Partnership Society cabana room that Saturday evening. It gave us a great opportunity to chat with a variety of CON-goers, and being planted in one spot for a while allowed me to scope out some really awesome cosplay. I'm still geeking out over the Bill Nye cosplayer we met. Ha! I do love me some creative geekery. And I'm already looking forward to CONvergence 2013, and a variety of smaller cons between now and then. (And don't get me started on RenFest...)
Since CON ended, we've achieved a couple of amazing milestones. For starters, in the wake of our participation at CON, we've passed the 300 member mark on Meetup. On top of that, we had our 100th Meetup event this week. And the kicker? That event coincided with our first Xena-inspired YogaQuest event. It was also the record-setter for RSVPs and attendance! We'd bumped up the cap on the class to 40 RSVPs, figuring there's always a few people who don't show up. We ended up with 36 of us in that room. It was wall to wall geeks doing the Xena battle cry! I have never been so proud. I love writing the scripts for YQ, but writing the Xena scripts is near and dear to my heart, and seeing this particular script meet with such approval was deeply gratifying to this Warrior Princess.
Earlier this spring, when I went in for my annual physical, my doctor and I had a conversation about the "numbers" we're looking at for me... blood glucose, blood pressure, lipid panel, and so forth. We looked at the comparison of where I was at two years ago, and last year, versus this year, and frankly, it's amazing to see how far I've come. Compared with my more sedentary past, I'm not borderline diabetic, I'm not on the verge of needing high blood pressure medication, and my cholesterol and triglycerides have responded beautifully to the changes in diet and activity levels.
After reviewing all that, my doctor's response was simple. "Whatever you're doing to accomplish this, keep doing it. It's working." And really, I didn't need to hear that to know it was working. I feel better, being active. I sleep better. My asthma is in better control. And I have such fun with the things I'm doing. But it is tremendously encouraging to get that kind of feedback from a health professional. I used to hate going to the doctor for my exams, but I've reached a point of making peace with the whole process, because if nothing else, it's an opportunity for me to go in and brag about the awesome things I'm doing with Geek Physique and YogaQuest.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Still Alive...
(Sorry, I had to do it. And yes, I had to go with a kids' choir cover of it, because I like the idea of little kids singing a song from the perspective of a murderous computer. They should do it more often, honestly.)
It's been a while since I posted here, but I'm still plugging away. Geek Physique continues to grow and establish itself as an amazing place for people like me to get their geek on while doing something other than couch surfing. I've been writing the scripts for YogaQuest since sometime last year, and love it. We took YQ to MarsCon last month, and will be at CONvergence in July - I am incredibly excited about that, and look forward to sharing the silliness with folks there.
I'm so moved by the generosity of spirit demonstrated by the people involved with Geek Physique these days. Last fall, we did a Geek Physique/YQ fundraising event for the Aliveness Project. Then in December, a group of us got together to sew stockings for the Aliveness Project's holiday stocking program. We made some truly silly stockings, and got some great feedback from them. We have a lot of other charitable opportunities available to us - a nice reminder that while we work on our physical fitness, it's just as important to flex our "deltoids of compassion" and our "abs of being kind" (thanks, Captain Hammer!). Wellness is an all-encompassing concept, and doing something decent for other human beings is very much a part of that concept.
In that spirit, I've been training these last couple of months for the MN AIDS Walk on May 20th. (Yes, the picture there is from when I was a little kid - I was on a community track team, and have the blue ribbons to prove it!) It will be my first 10k! I'll be walking with a team of folks from Geek Physique. I was already feeling really motivated to try to improve my time over the charity 5ks I did last year, but recently I've been inspired by some of the support I'm getting from friends and family. When I walk on the 20th, I will be wearing reminders of some of my supporters' loved ones who've lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. It's a really important cause, and I'm proud to be doing something to help out.
I'll have more to share soon. My training has kept me really busy, but it's having tremendous results in terms of my continuing journey toward a healthier me, so I'm happy. Hope you are too!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
I'm not fat, I have a highly evolved metabolic efficiency.
Last week we had a wellness panel at Geek Physique, involving several health and wellness professionals, covering a variety of topics relevant to the overall theme of developing a healthy lifestyle.
One idea I found particularly thought-provoking was that of our metabolic efficiency, and how we think of it as a curse, to be able to store energy the way we do, because for some of us, it means we tend toward weight gain. The thing that struck me about that is not just that we have this amazingly evolved metabolic system that is geared toward making the most of the fuel we provide it... certainly, that's something worth examination, because it is a basic reality of our genetic inheritance as human beings.
But the question of why we evolved that way is one we should consider. Why would we need to store energy? Why is metabolic efficiency advantageous from an evolutionary perspective? And what does this mean for us now? Obviously, prior to industrialized society, even within an agrarian model, the fickleness of the seasons, and potential for famines and hard years provides some of that answer. Our ancestors needed to make the most of the food they consumed, because there was no guarantee tomorrow's hunt would be successful, or that the growing season would be ideal.
The trick for modern humans is that, for most of us, food is relatively easy to acquire. We don't work in the fields all day, we don't chase down our next meal, we don't hike out into the woods to forage for nuts and berries. We get in our cars, we sit at desks all day, we drive to a grocery store or restaurant, and there's all this amazing food for us to choose from. We go home and spend the evening watching tv, or reading a book, or playing (mostly) sedentary video games. Sometimes we get together with friends, but how much of that time is spent sitting around yakking? (I know I can answer that with "endless hours.")
I like to think that all this evolutionary advantage is something we should embrace. One of the things I focus on here at Geek Physique is a mentality of "playing" with my friends. When I was a child, nobody had to persuade me to get up and chase my friends, or go out to explore the woods behind the house, or get on my bike and ride all over the place. I just did it. I had lots of energy to burn, and I made the most of it. That's the mentality I'm trying to cultivate in myself again. So this idea of our metabolic efficiency reinforces the model I've already been shaping for myself -- I have all this energy my body has stored up, and that means my body wants me to use it.
I don't have to perform manual labor to feed myself, so I need to playfully recreate some of the activity level of our amazingly adaptable ancestors. Those ancestors are the reason why I'm so darn good at storing excess caloric energy, and I imagine they would envy the amount of free time we enjoy. I also wonder at how they might perceive our need to "schedule" time to burn the fuel we consume. I don't need to go out and hunt woolly mammoth, but I really ought to be preparing for the zombie apocalypse at foam dart tag (you know I'm right about this!). I don't need to forage in forests, but there are lands and frontiers to be explored in YogaQuest. I'm unlikely to end up in many sword fights, but just in case some Highlander shows up at my door, I've learned some sweet Aikido Bokken moves, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Our genetic inheritance of metabolic efficiency is not a curse. It's a bit of evolutionary insurance against starvation, which is most definitely a good thing. This efficiency only becomes problematic in a culture with easy and abundant access to food, and an accompanying sedentary lifestyle. There were several great messages at the wellness panel, but I found this particular subject particularly relevant to my current pursuits, as I continue my fitness journey.
One idea I found particularly thought-provoking was that of our metabolic efficiency, and how we think of it as a curse, to be able to store energy the way we do, because for some of us, it means we tend toward weight gain. The thing that struck me about that is not just that we have this amazingly evolved metabolic system that is geared toward making the most of the fuel we provide it... certainly, that's something worth examination, because it is a basic reality of our genetic inheritance as human beings.
But the question of why we evolved that way is one we should consider. Why would we need to store energy? Why is metabolic efficiency advantageous from an evolutionary perspective? And what does this mean for us now? Obviously, prior to industrialized society, even within an agrarian model, the fickleness of the seasons, and potential for famines and hard years provides some of that answer. Our ancestors needed to make the most of the food they consumed, because there was no guarantee tomorrow's hunt would be successful, or that the growing season would be ideal.
The trick for modern humans is that, for most of us, food is relatively easy to acquire. We don't work in the fields all day, we don't chase down our next meal, we don't hike out into the woods to forage for nuts and berries. We get in our cars, we sit at desks all day, we drive to a grocery store or restaurant, and there's all this amazing food for us to choose from. We go home and spend the evening watching tv, or reading a book, or playing (mostly) sedentary video games. Sometimes we get together with friends, but how much of that time is spent sitting around yakking? (I know I can answer that with "endless hours.")
I like to think that all this evolutionary advantage is something we should embrace. One of the things I focus on here at Geek Physique is a mentality of "playing" with my friends. When I was a child, nobody had to persuade me to get up and chase my friends, or go out to explore the woods behind the house, or get on my bike and ride all over the place. I just did it. I had lots of energy to burn, and I made the most of it. That's the mentality I'm trying to cultivate in myself again. So this idea of our metabolic efficiency reinforces the model I've already been shaping for myself -- I have all this energy my body has stored up, and that means my body wants me to use it.
I don't have to perform manual labor to feed myself, so I need to playfully recreate some of the activity level of our amazingly adaptable ancestors. Those ancestors are the reason why I'm so darn good at storing excess caloric energy, and I imagine they would envy the amount of free time we enjoy. I also wonder at how they might perceive our need to "schedule" time to burn the fuel we consume. I don't need to go out and hunt woolly mammoth, but I really ought to be preparing for the zombie apocalypse at foam dart tag (you know I'm right about this!). I don't need to forage in forests, but there are lands and frontiers to be explored in YogaQuest. I'm unlikely to end up in many sword fights, but just in case some Highlander shows up at my door, I've learned some sweet Aikido Bokken moves, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Our genetic inheritance of metabolic efficiency is not a curse. It's a bit of evolutionary insurance against starvation, which is most definitely a good thing. This efficiency only becomes problematic in a culture with easy and abundant access to food, and an accompanying sedentary lifestyle. There were several great messages at the wellness panel, but I found this particular subject particularly relevant to my current pursuits, as I continue my fitness journey.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Floor Bow: Mission Accomplished
Just a quick post about an exciting milestone I achieved last night at YogaQuest. I've been an active participant in YogaQuest for months now, and have noticed definite improvements in my flexibility, balance, and core strength. Still, there are poses that have eluded me, and continue to do so. I keep trying to push a little harder, and figure eventually I'll get there. Last night, I managed one of those elusive poses... Dhanurasana, or floor bow, which resembles an archer's bow when performed correctly. (See the video for a demonstration of the pose... no, that's not me.)
As a person who plays bow-wielding ranger-types in just about every RPG, I've really wanted to be able to do this pose. (Yes, I know, I'm a giant nerd. I'm blogging about my participation in a geek-oriented fitness club, and specifically about a roleplaying yoga class. Seriously. This should not come as a surprise.) It should be my signature pose, man. But no. I haven't been able to use it as my signature pose, because I just couldn't freakin' do it.
Anyway. Every time we've tried it in the past, I've struggled to reach both my feet, and have ended up either contorting to just grab one foot, or have extended my arms backward in the general direction of my feet, and called it "close enough." This time, however, I found that when I'd grabbed one foot, I was still able to grasp the other, and achieved the actual pose. Exhilarating! I couldn't help but declare, "Holy crap, this is the first time I've been able to do this!" The group gave a round of "hoot hoots" of approval and congratulations, which was really very cool. What a supportive, amazing group. I love my YoGeeks!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Life is Fun.
"When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun." --Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of PoohI'm in another one of those busy stretches of time. So many things to do, and simply not enough time for it all. All this activity translated to another good week of weight loss (3.5 lbs!), and continued gains in flexibility, balance, and an overall sense of well-being. Woot. Yay me.
Saturday was the Superhero 5k walk for charity. We had a group of Geek Physiquers out there, all in costume, all walking to raise money to fight child abuse. It was a great day, and a wonderful excuse to spend time with some truly amazing people. The weather was interesting, to say the least. When we first arrived, there were clouds approaching, but it was still sunny and a bit muggy and warm. Shortly after arrival, while some of us were registering for the walk, the clouds gathered, the wind picked up, and torrential rain began to pour down in sheets. It was crazy. We all remained under cover for a while, and the start of the walk was delayed by about half an hour, while we waited for the worst of the storm to blow over. It rained while we walked, and it was a bit breezy, but not quite so... monsoon-like. It was really kind of nice, and much more pleasant than if it had remained sunny and muggy. We managed a decent walking pace, despite the inclement weather, and it felt great to be completing another charity walk.
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