Snapshots From a Week of Glorious Orange

Man, I feel good.

It’s quite a pleasant change from my usual angsty-teenager-why-do-I-have-so-much-homework-and-a-confusing-life half-existence…I’m trying to come up with the cause for this sudden bout of serotonin wave ridin’, but ultimately…I’m just happy right now. 🙂

Of course, there are things that are probably fostering this pleasant mood-swingy week…

Could it be the orangeness of my socks right now?

‘Cuz they most certainly are. And don’t start with the lamenting the utter childishness of my (fuzzy, polka-dotted) bedspread…I like it. It suits me.

 

Could it be the fullness of my suitcase for NY right now?

Ah it’s such a loverly blend of fancy clothes and food. 🙂

The toilet paper roll is keeping my necklaces from getting tangled…don’t worry, I’m not weird enough that I would just pack something like that… 🙂

 

AND LOOK AT THE NECKLACE LOOKLOOKLOOK AT THE NECKLACE IT’S ORANGE AND IT MEANS “CREATE” AND IT BOLSTERS MY COURAGE!! IT IS A PRESENT FROM MOTHER DEAREST I MUST THANK HER MOST HIGHLY!!

Could it be the amazingness that is my fellow chocoholic friend?

http://instagram.com/p/ZneOYVFYlY/

 

Awwww yeah.  I’ve got some support in the friend department here.  This gal is my enabler.

Could it be last Friday of downtown-wandering, pizza-consuming, and social mingling?

No pictures were taken (both phone and camera were dead) but it was really refreshing and…emotional.  Since we are all dispersing  to our various schools next year, this time of year is just so bittersweet…I’m going to miss the lovely little private-school familial thing we’ve got going on, even though we have our spats.  Thank goodness most of my really good friends will be going to the same school as me…

OR COULD IT BE THE RUNNINGNESS THAT IS MY LEGS???!!

Let’s hear it for sweaty awkward selfies!!

Yeah that’s right folks YOU HEARD ME correctly. (!)  A couple of weeks ago, my physical therapist gave me a tentative sort of go-ahead for running–

http://instagram.com/p/ZW6FiilYu_/

(Please ignore my random thumb)

–with some instructions pertaining to cadence, posture, form, etc.  (Apparently I am not a very intuitive runner–the form that I naturally use was uber-hard on my knees!)

So during this week I’ve been breaking in the electric melons, and doing some “microruns”–really, each under 1 mile.  I’m still experiencing some pain, and of course I’ve lost speed, but as per the wisdom of Kiss My Broccoli, I shall focus on the now of my running, not comparing myself to the past or the future.  Really, all things considered (things being the fact that I have not ran in–what, 6 months?), 3/4 mile in 7 minutes really isn’t…too awfully bad…

 

Whatever it was that made this week so awesome, I’m incredibly grateful.  I remain excited about the future of my runningness and my impending New York trip!!  (Vlogs to come…) 😉

–The Girl in the Orange

 

Working Out As It Stands Now

The title of this post was a pun.  If you’re a regular here, you know all about my knees and their lack of function.  I‘ve honestly lamented them to heck and hope they stay there…there won’t be a lot of standing for me for a while.   😉

Since I’ve been living with these excruciating joint maladies for four months now, I’ve had to find some form of exercise to keep me sane.  While I’m still not at optimum activity level, and on a “bad knee week” I barely move, much less exercise, necessity has driven me toward some creative solutions for my daily endorphin fix.  I really, really wish I’d had someone to write this post for me when I was first injured, so I didn’t waste a few months of complete inactivity, thinking that I wouldn’t be able to exercise until the pain was completely gone!

*On that note, my little disclaimer here: I am not a certified or registered dietician, doctor, personal trainer, or anything.  All “advice” taken from me is meant to be taken with a grain of salt!  I could prove quite dangerous!  If you are experiencing severe abnormal joint pain PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE consult whoever your regular physician is–“working through pain” is never a good idea.  With my knees I try simply to work “around” already-diagnosed pain, because I have a doctor’s OK, and because I’ve found some exercises I can complete without aggravating it further.  Stay safe, kids.*

The Girl in the Orange’s Post-Injury Exercise Routine (Tips for Would-Be Runners!)

The biggest shift in my exercise routine, post-injury, has been the transition from mainly cardio (running) to mainly strength training.  I strength train almost every other day now, and while I don’t feel like it quite satisfies the runner’s need for cardio–the need to have your cheeks red and burning with your breath catching in your throat at the end of a workout, the need to push yourself faster and farther–it’s something.  Problem is, the majority of colloquial strength training exercises involve weighted bending of the knees (squats, anyone? lunges? dips?), which, to put it mildly, would feel like a dagger being driven under my kneecap and twisting to pry the kneecap from the bone…SO I obviously needed a workaround. 🙂  Many of the exercises in my Bum Knee Workout have found their way into my regular strength-training routine, even though I don’t really perform the workout verbatum (can you perform a workout verbatum?) often.  Bicep curls, for instance.  Lots of work with the resistance band.  My arms are getting a whole lot of focus in my training, but I’ve also shifted to include more ab work–planks, crunches, V-Ups, and the like.  Check out the Fitnessista Ab Burners for quickie ab workouts when you don’t have enough time for a full sweat session!

Physical Therapy has been working on my leg strength–I only wish I’d started doing the exercises WAAY earlier.  They’re simple–I’m doing leg raises, side leg raises, and bridges.  All things that involve little or no bending of the knee or stress placed on the joint, and yet when done daily they’ve proven to be really effective at increasing muscle mass and toning.  (Happy aside: during my session today I’ve been proclaimed as making mass improvements, and may be able to start up that introductory running routine as soon as two weeks after spring break!  Gaah!)  If you’re injured, building the strength in your quadriceps is really crucial in helping with alignment of the joints, and when you do get back to “regular” activity, a strong muscle will help you from placing so much stress on the joint.  Three cheers for leg raises!

If you get bored of simple calisthenics, there are SOME mild forms of cardio us cripples can partake in.  Hula hooping has proved pretty painless for me, plus it whittles your middle!–but I agree that you can only hoop for so long. 🙂  If you have access to some basic exercise tools, there’s always the WaveMaster (aka punching bag)

ready for a good pummeling when you are.  Sure, you may not be able to kick, but you can probably get in some wicked uppercuts and practice your fighting stance.  As a bonus, you feel beastly afterward.

Other simple weight training tools include inflatable exercise balls, dumbells (duh), and a weight cage with pull-up bar…maybe refrain from hack squats with iffy knees though. 😉

Oh, and don’t forget yoga!  While you want to be careful of poses that aggravate your condition, (Warriors, Crescents and Dancer–I’m lookin’ at you) most yoga poses will provide a gentle stretch that, for me at least, has proven to be very therapeutic to ailing joints.

Any fellow cripples out there with advice to share with the group?  If you remember one thing going into a sports-injury recovery period, I would say keep focused on doing your best NOW–not aggravating your condition, listening to your physical therapist, etc., and being patient with yourself (honestly, you’re not going to keep your chiseled abs with so few exercises available to you, sorry).  But there’s certainly no harm in looking forward to the future when you’ll be back to full health! 🙂

Physical Therapy, Week 1

So hopefully I won’t start giving you a weekly play-by-play of the things I’m doing in physical therapy/diagnosis updates, because I know the vast majority of you could care less, but at any rate this makes me very excited.  You see, I had my first hour-long session with my physical therapist on Thursday and I have two more scheduled for the next two Thursdays!

As I’ve mentioned and bemoaned, my previous visits to orthopedists did not really bode well for me.  The first was of the opinion that I had some sort of rare autoimmune disorder (um, #fail), and the second speculated that, no, I probably wouldn’t be able to take distance running back up.  Ever. (waaaaahhhh…)  Now, the latter may very well be right, but I prefer listening to my therapist, who was of a much sunnier outlook.  According to her, my condition is considered “highly curable”, meaning that as long as I come to my regular therapy sessions and practice my exercises at home, I’ll be able to start an “introductory” running program back up again in 1-2 months!!

(Therapy does kind of make me feel like a little kid, and not in a good way–I mean, I have to practice walking.  Walking.  And I have to think about it as I do it–“heeltoe heeltoe heeltoe heeltoe”–and I have to practice spending an equal amount of time on each foot, and…yeah.  Kind of humiliating humbling.)

http://instagram.com/p/W8QfQPFYju/

^I practice walking back and forth on a masking-taped line, no less. 🙂

Right now, I’ve got a ~10 minute program of careful leg raises and quadricep-strengthening exercises, along with some walking exercises, that I do twice daily (in the hopes that stronger quadricep muscles will pull my kneecap into alignment–ugh, doesn’t that sound, um, painful??).  These are mind-numbing (and they make my booty sore), but I’ve been promised that we’ll soon graduate to some more “exciting” exercises (gulp) that will be easier to muster up the will to perform twice a day.  Really, though, I’m TOTALLY FINE with the leg raises–I am just THRILLED that we are actually DOING SOMETHING in terms of getting me back to running and off my sedentary-for-four-months bootay..I am SO READY to run again.  Running brought a wealth of invaluable things into my life, not just in terms of health and physique (though hello didn’t my calves look nice) but also in, well, SANITY–I suppose “mental organization” would be a more accurate term here.  I never ran with music–I just took that nice thirty minutes of running, that addicting hybrid of calm and exhaustion, to think over my life, compartmentalize the things that were bothering me, and, I guess, “find inner peace”. 🙂

Man, WHEN I get back to running–don’t ever let me take it for granted, anyone!

Le Diagnosis

GUESS WHAT!!!

GUESS WHAT!!!!

GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT!!!!!

I am DIAGNOSED!!!

Knees knees knees knees. How much longer shall you plague me..?

Are you ready?  Are you really ready for this?  All right, don’t all jump up at once; I’ll tell you.

I have inflamed cartilage under my kneecaps.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…ha…ha…heh…*expletives*.

You know, I have no idea why it took FOUR FREAKING MONTHS of being shunted around from pediatrician to specialist to pediatrician to specialist to specialist to diagnose this, but, oh, no, I’m not bitter about it.  Not bitter at ALL.  Sure, yeah, I may have lost all faith in the modern medical system, but will you catch me griping about this particular wry misfortune?  No siree.  Not one little bit…

So, yeah.  Diagnosis.  A bit late in the coming, but…anyway.  This diagnosis is a huge weight taken off me in some ways, and a huge letdown in others, because, you see, it means I have to start a regimen of physical therapy and probably won’t be able to run for another three months at least…if ever.  That brings me close to tears every time I think about it…

On March 14, which is coincidentally Pi Day, I go in for my first physical therapy session, and I get some better braces for my knee, in lieu of my current brace Charles, the 20-buck, ordered-off-Amazon contraption.  In the meantime…rest and Advil.

Sometimes I feel like my life is becoming increasingly dominated by rest and Advil.

On a brighter note: pics from my day at the orthopedist!

Because I have to talk about the food–especially the strange-but-good variety–today started off with the singularly most disgusting-looking bowl of hot cereal I ever ate.  It definitely elicited the typical reactions from the family when I plunked it down at the breakfast table.  🙂 It was topped with two of the varieties of “Superfood” nut butters I won on Life Hands You Limes’ Artisana nut butter giveaway–Marine Phytoplankton nut butter (green) and Goji Berry Milk Thistle (peach).  The Marine Phytoplankton tasted oddly like a lemon poppyseed muffin, and the Goji Berry tasted exa-freaking-zactly like the strawberry filling of those processed Bagelfuls I enjoyed for breakfast as a wee young sprite!  Ah, nostalgia!

It was a children’s orthopedist; I made a pretty magnetic tesselation. This one’s for you, geometry teacher.

Somehow in this crazy mix of a day I found a quiet moment to watch Fred the cat stare transfixed at the sink for five minutes while my inner environmentalist burned in shame.

Fred the cat deserves a longer explanation, but one that shall not be offered in this post.

At any rate, dogs will always hold a much more special place in my heart than their feline counterparts.  Need an explanation?  I arrived home, sore and dejected (though the  consolatory Trader Joe’s run did help–thanks Mother Dearest :)), and I was greeted with this face:

Can’t you just see the empathy in his eyes?

This dog understands me.

The Bum Knee Workout

So, if you’ve been here at all lately–like, sometime in the last four months–you’ve most likely learned that something funky is going on with my knees, causing my severe pain on some days and the inability to walk on others, and right now it appears to only be temporarily able to be remedied by Advil.

You’re not supposed to be on Advil for more than ten days straight, but I’ve talked with a doctor and an orthopedist and there’s a rheumatologist in my future and no one can figure out any of this crap so I’m on Advil EVERY DAY.  Advil is my savior.  Don’t diss the Advil in front of me.  It’s only because of Advil and all that it enables me to do that I’m sane enough to blog right now.

Yes, Advil is my enabler. 😛

The problem with not being able to accomplish anything when not taking Advil is quite the dilemma for such an exercise addict as I.  Since my knees started flaring up with whatever, I haven’t been able to run; hence, I’ve gained weight, I’ve developed a more negative body image and the insecurities are flaring up again, I haven’t been as happy, and I haven’t been nearly as well-organized (for me, there was nothing more effective at clearing my mind than a good run).

On the other hand, my arms and abs are looking mi-T-fine (at least in comparison to their previous states) as I turn increasingly to strength training exercises for my daily dose of endorphins.

I have this hunch that I’m not the only one out there who’s going through this type of thing.  Maybe you have arthritis, maybe your entire leg’s in a brace, maybe you can tell when it’s going to rain when your knee starts spasming uncontrollably…whatever your reason, I took it upon myself to create a workout for you.

If you are one of those fortunates who are simply looking to PREVENT knee injury, I would advise you to head on over to Sprint 2 the Table and check out this knee-saving workout–excellent strenghtening and preventative moves, but not much good if your knee’s already past saving! 😉

(This graphic is pinnable with the “Pin It” button down in the footer of the post, if you’d like just the image without all this extra yadda-yadda attached.) 😉

This workout aims to combine some simple strength-training moves in a quick succession (thereby also serving as cardio), as well as some yoga poses that will work on gently stretching the front and back of your knee.  Play it safe, please;  judge whether you can do each step by taking your level of pain/disability into account, and please see a doctor if you have random undiagnosed intense knee pain.  And as a final disclaimer: I am not a dietician, nutritionist, personal trainer, doctor, or authority on anything at all, and I do not pretend to be one here.  I simply wanted to throw together a quick, fun (?) workout for those unfortunates among us who have knee problems so extensive that even bending them is painful, no to mention bending while supporting extra weight with it.  While I am fairly confident that no major injury or death shall befallst you while attempting this workout, I assume no liability for anything.  Use your common sense, work out in a safe place, and warm up and cool down to prevent muscle injury.  That is all. 🙂

Now jump to it!  (I’m sorry; jumping references are quite cruel.  I just couldn’t resist.)

For instructions on the moves:

Oblique V-Ups

Bicep Curls

Standing Forward Bend–There is no reason you have to go all the way down to the floor like that crazy woman. Resting my hands on my thighs seems to work quite well for me.  Hold this for ~5 “yoga breaths”; it should feel pretty good (or bad, depending on your flexibility level) in your hamstrings and in the back of your knees.

Bicycle Crunches

Resistance Band Rowing  This is like rowing with a machine, but it takes the strain of constantly bending and extending your knees away.

Lateral Weight Hold  Do what the gal in the picture is doing, but don’t drop your weights!; hold them for 1-1.5 minutes, or as long as you can.

Camel  I can do this pose as long as I take Advil beforehand, but my knees want no part in it otherwise.  Make the decision for yourself; base it in your pain level in the front of your knee.  If you can perform it, it’s a nice stretch for the front of your knee.

Locust  Instead of holding the post statically, drop your limbs quickly and rise them back up again–you’re doing Locust reps moreso than a Locust pose.

Push-Ups–Please tell me you know how to do these already.  For confirmation, watch this video.  (If you’re me, you can go from your knees.)

Crunches–Watch the video to make sure your form is correct.

Forward Bend at the Wall–Well, this is much like normal forward bending, except you place your hands at hip height on the wall and walk your legs backward until your torso is parallel to the ground, and perpendicular to your legs.  (Keep them straight!)  Breathe and hold, ~5 “yoga breaths”.

Static Quadricep Lifts–Again, when doing any leg exercises with a bum knee, judge based on your pain level.  Basically, these involve lying on your back with one knee bent, foot on the floor, and the other leg in the air with the knee at the same height as the other knee.  Your body and your extended leg ends up making a ~135 degree angle .  Hold for as long as you can, then switch legs.  I held mine for a minute per leg.

This is somewhat what your view will look like while lying down…(Sigh), I’m still trying to come up with a way to clearly demonstrate this without showing you guys my face. Someday I’ll just have to make peace with the fact that there are creepers lurking on the internets.

STRETCH is written in big purple letters down the middle of the graphic because I want to emphasize yet again how important it is in recovery of all sorts!  During a workout, after a workout, or before turning in for the night, doing some simple stretches or light yoga can really help ease tension and stiffness that will only make any injury feel worse!

Building the strength back up in your quads and thighs is very important post-knee-injury, because those muscles are ones that help hold the kneecap in place and let your knee do what it does!  Strong thighs are also key to preventing knee injury, so all you healthy folks–try this out too!

This workout took me only about 20 minutes and was fairly easy (though I did use what Daddio refers to as “fairy weights”–I’m not gonna even admit how light they were.  Definitely up the ante if your strength will allow you to!) which is perfect for my relatively busy student lifestyle.  I am so glad I’m to a point where I can exercise comfortably again!  Endorphins make me happy! 🙂

My Very Own Advil

Hey there.

I’m not in so orange of a mood right now.

I’ve got yet another diagnosis update for you today, which you have my permission to skip if you’d like.  (Though I wish you wouldn’t; it comforts me to think that people across the globe are partaking in my miserable rantings.)  I am WELL AWARE that all these updates are quite prone to boring the running shoes off anyone reading; but, I would also like to point out that I, too, wish with every particle of myself that things were different.  I want to be reporting about cool things in my running world!  I want to write posts with titles like The Girl in the Orange runs her first 10k! and Currently Training for my first 1/2 Marathon! or New PR!! or Now experimenting with barefoot running!, or…SOMETHING!  I want to post about SOMETHING exciting with lots of exclamation points and adrenaline and happiness and runner’s high!

and

I

can’t

and

it’s

killing  me

slowly.

After multiple, MULTIPLE visits to such people as pediatricians,  phlebotomists, and orthopedists, we are still left scratching our heads as to what this…this, this, thing crippling my joints could be.  The blood testing ruled out the rheumatoid factor–it’s not arthritis.  The extensive x-rays ruled out “mechanical” issues (e.g., torn something, broken something, missing something), and narrowed it down to some sort of “wiring problem” (e.g., autoimmune disorders, skeletal disorders, food intolerances, miscellaneous syndromes, etc.).  I’m not sure whether this is good or not; in fact, i believe I’m of the opinion that the only GOOD diagnosis is one that we are able to be 100% secure in!  (Which obviously hasn’t been hit upon yet.)

I’m not supposed to run.

Yesterday I decided, screw it, I’m running anyway.

I got a crazy adrenaline rush just from sliding on my running capris and shoes for the first time in, oh, two months:

and was super psyched to just pound all this angsty anxiety into the ground, feel the wonderful burning in my lungs, so I wouldn’t be so numb anymore, so I would have sensation.  (As per my running-inspired poem, Footfall.)

I had sensation.

It was pain.

Running honestly felt like my calf muscle was wrapping itself around the bones in my shin and squeezing as hard as it could, trying to snap them in half.  I’m not ashamed (well, I’m somewhat ashamed) to admit that I ran the majority of 1.4 miles with tears streaking down my face; which, of course, just made me want to run harder.  I wanted to run away from those tears–and when I did, it hurt, hence, more tears.  The most vicious of cycles.

I don’t know if I’ve ever been as frustrated with something as I am with this.  Something that used to be so easy, rewarding, and just, well, good, is now excruciating, anxiety-inducing, and nearly impossible.

Let’s face it–adolescence is rough.  (I’m aware that I sound very much like a whiny teenager right now, but it’s true–remember?)  Running was (almost) my only coping mechanism.  (Writing and blogging are also pretty therapeutic too, but nothing I’ve experienced is able to burn away pain so easily as running.)  Now that’s been robbed from me, and that’s one of the cruelest things ever.

Mother Dearest bought me my very own bottle of Advil to sit on my counter, so a.) I stop stealing her ibuprofen, and b.) so I don’t have to swallow the vile-tasting, bitter generic pills.  The optimistic, lighthearted part of me (oh, it still exists! It’s just not coming through very well in this post) wants to laugh at both the irony and novelty of this.    It is rather amusing.  And it makes me feel better, if only for 6-8 hours.

http://instagram.com/p/UtpCxXFYsS/

(Next to my new owl contact lens case–thanks Lily!)

But even Advil can’t fix everything; the pain comes back full-force as soon as the effects of the drug wear off.  And I can’t run, I can’t really do anything…I just want to go to sleep, and stay asleep, until my joints fix themselves.

Please, if you’re a runner, and are reading this, don’t take your running for granted.  It’s a beautiful, raw, powerful thing–don’t skip out on it because it’s too hard (ah, yes, I am sympathetic to the plight of the procrastinating runner–but now I sorely [no pun intended!] wish I wasn’t), and please appreciate it for all it does in your life.  You never know if, or when, you’re going to lose it.

Happy…Sunday.

Fitness Rezzies + Diagnosis Update

I am a medical mystery!!

My mom says she wouldn’t go that far.

But, yes, we did get my blood test results back yesterday.  I swung into Mother Dearest’s car after school, extremely ravenous as always, but with one thing and one thing only on my mind:

“What did you find out about my knees?”

Here’s the kicker.  Here’s the kicker, people.

My blood is PERFECTLY normal.

I know.

Let the screaming ensue.

Now, don’t get me wrong; I am breathing a HUGE sigh of relief that I didn’t test positive for the rheumatoid factor, which would be the most telling indicator of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.  I know that there are some people who still run with arthritis, but it’s generally just on softer surfaces, and not very much.  This may be a little bit pessimistic of me to say, but I honestly believe that there would be NO WAY for me to realize my someday-dreams of running a marathon with such a debilitating condition.  And thus, the fact that I do not have arthritis warrants a heartfelt Hallelujah!

But it would be nice to know exactly what IS wrong with me.

Mother Dearest’s and my speculations have been all over the board: extremely severe growing pains, shin splints, stress fracture, torn meniscus, gout.  The fact that I am now capable of somewhat comfortable motion leads us to tentatively eliminate torn meniscus, though, and even with my spankin’ new protein powder, I don’t really know how vegetarian me could contract gout, but anything’s possible at this point.  It’s also possible that I DID simply contract a case of runner’s knee and blew it quite out of proportion.  (Some days I can’t even walk, though–I don’t really think this whole thing is just me being whiny.)  So, in a few weeks I am due for an orthopedic appointment to get some X-rays, and after that it’s physical therapy if things haven’t healed up.

Myself, I’m starting to harbor the suspicion that maybe it’s a dietary intolerance of some sort.  (Naturally, that’s what my mind jumps to–but I do think it is a valid point of consideration!)  Specifically, I’ve been experimenting with lowering my gluten intake (I’ll work on cutting it out completely if the orthopedist gives me the go-ahead), and my condition HAS improved!  (My parents will hate this.  To add dietary restrictions upon dietary restrictions…) I know that if one is sensitive to gluten, cutting it out of the diet can help tremendously with things like the inflammation that I am experiencing, since a gluten sensitivity can cause the body to try to “fight” ingested gluten using inflammation.  However, it is also entirely possible that my condition is improving because of the large amount of time that has passed since I first developed it.  No way to know, at this point.  😦

So…

Now I’m going to do what seems like the LAST thing I SHOULD be doing: hash out my fitness resolutions for 2013!! 🙂  instead of focusing on what me and my dang knees can’t do (which is unfortunately a lot…) and start focusing on what I CAN do (which is unfortunately, not a lot).  Though at the beginning of December I was in too severe pain to exercise at all, now I can work on our elliptical machine, and biking isn’t so bad either.  I can also do a lot of strength training routines, as long as they don’t involve lots of weight being supported by my ankles or knees.  I can continue to work on my quest to do a pull-up, in which I’ve made a lot of progress, but, um…still am not finished with.  😉  That should tell you a little bit about my upper body strength levels to begin with, right? The fact that I started it in September and still haven’t…never mind.

My fitness resolutions for 2013 are as follows:

1.  Be able to complete said pull-up challenge–that is, be able to do five full pull-ups and ten full push-ups consecutively.

2.  Run a 10k race–IF running is still feasible.

3.  Do more yoga.  I already stretched a lot when I was running, but I am increasingly aware that I need to be kinder to my joints!!

4.  Be able to beat at LEAST one person in my math class at arm wrestling.  If you read the Gettin’ mah Game Face On post, you know that the fact that I wasn’t able to was quite infuriating! 😉

5.  Remember to cut myself some slack, and be awesome.  I have to remember that the fact that I’m working on all this is an accomplishment in itself, and that all the things my body can do are super amazing!!  I have to let go of the perfectionist mindset–e.g., I have time for maybe ten minutes of strength training today, but that won’t get anything done, so I’ll just skip it–NOO!!  Any amount I can do, I will do.  And I will be awesome.

Joint Bargain

To my dear, lovely, clever, beautiful, essential, fabulous pair of knees–

Knees–I love you.  So much.  Always have, always will.  You knew that, right?

You have been sooo good to me over the duration of my life so far.  Taking me everywhere I needed to go, helping me do everything I needed to get done.  Perhaps I haven’t always been as appreciative of that as I should be, but that’s going to change.  I promise.

If you do this one thing for me…

Remember that thing we used to do together?

That thing when I moved you up and down and back and forth and out and in…

that thing where we went really fast…

and we called it running?

Yes, that thing!  What did you think I was talking about??

Anyway, I kinda miss that.

Actually, I miss it a lot.  It makes my heart ache that we don’t do it anymore.

So, I have a bargain to propose.

January is starting soon–

if you want, January will be your month, you hear me?

Your month.

I will be your servant for a full 31-day period.

We could get some bubble baths and some massages.  Mmmm, right?

I’ve been reading up on arthritis-minimizing foods–

good news!  Olive oil is one!  So is celery, and so are lentils, and so are most vegetables…how’s about I fix up a mungo salad for us for lunch every day?  And then finish it with extra-extra-dark chocolate?  I’ll take in so many anti-inflammatory compounds you won’t know what to do with me, knees.

Anti-inflammatory! Anti-inflammatory! Woot!

We could do more yoga.  You’d like that, right?  A little downward-dog action, hmm?

Even if we do have to do it in the spindle-spider infested garage.

Oh yeah, and I can wear knee sleeves when we’re doing all this.  Gentle compression; it’d feel so good!

Sounds nice, right?

Sounds ahmazing?

Well, great!

It’s all yours!..if

you promise me I don’t have arthritis…

–The Girl in the Orange

Updates

I’ve had to make the difficult transition from Black Friday to food before, but that’s really nothing compared to what I now  have to do here.  I have to shift from talking about a horrific tragedy…to talking about myself.  This makes me feel rotten as a person…but there’s really no way to blog without talking about yourself.  I still send my deepest grievances and prayers to those affected by the Sandy Hook shooting.

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Isn’t it so annoyingly nondescript when a blogger titles a post something like “My life now”, or “Things Happening”, or “Updates”?  I hear you.  You just want to scream at them, you’re writing a blog here!  The least you can do is come up with creative titles for your posts–they’re ALL updates!  I share in this vehement loathing of unoriginal post titles, and so I apologize; but I didn’t feel that this post better fit any other title.  It is quite literally a random hodgepodge of Updates.

First Update:  Exercise is back in my life!

Stripey socks, meet kettlebells. I love it.

I still don’t trust my knees or ankles enough to run again, but I’m starting strength training in earnest now, as opposed to  treating it as just something I do on the side of my running regimen.  I have decided that it’s cool that I finished a 5k but extremely uncool that everyone (all 6 people) in my math class can beat me at arm wrestling.  Grr.  At the moment, I have bony, skinny little bird arms (please excuse the fact that birds do not actually have arms) and couldn’t do a full push-up if my life depended on it; this needs to change.  Thus, I have begun working with kettlebells, Daddio’s weight cage, resistance bands, and good old-fashioned (erm, modified) pushups and pull-ups.  Maybe injuring my legs was just the wake-up call I needed to let me know that I’m very fit, but my upper body…needs help.

Guess what came yesterday??

Tee-hee!  Protein powder makes me a very happy girl.  Yes, I blew what little birthday money I received on this bad boy–$50 for the canister!! 😦  But it’s worth it.  I’m slowly becoming obsessed, and must keep reminding myself that I need to eat nuts, legumes, grains, and eggs for protein as well.  Can’t just spoon the Vega into mouth all day.

And I will fully admit that I did the “weird-foodie-waiting-for-new-food-to-arrive” thing (anyone out there that can relate??), which goes a little something like this:

1.  Constantly refresh your Amazon order status, waiting for that precious Delivered tag to appear under the picture of your glorious impending food.

2.  Browse blogs and cookbooks extensively and bookmark new recipes you will be able to make once you receive (insert new food here).

3.  Make the half-mile trek to your mailbox (if you live in a hole like I do) in pouring rain just so you can retrieve The Package.

4.  Joyously, unceremoniously slit the tape on The Package and marvel at the contents.  Covet your new foodstuff, hug it, take it to the breakfast table with you so you can thoroughly read the label and product description as you eat some Lesser Food.  Immediately shove New Food into your mouth as soon as you terminate your regularly scheduled meal.

I was really excited for this protein powder, mmkay?

In other news, I am journeying to Seattle tomorrow to meet with the aforementioned literary attorney.  This is so foreign and so exciting–it makes my heart speed up whenever I think about it.  I have no idea what will come of the meeting, but I am of the optimistic sort (when I have food in my stomach, at least) and have high hopes.

But…

There are a million potential pitfalls and possible pratfalls.  Does the outfit I’m choosing to wear look professional enough?  Or does it look too old for me?  Is my posture okay–am I exhibiting the dreaded “teenage slouch”?  And, oh, yeah, what if I realize that everything I’ve written is the quality of the type of stuff you would find in a sewer?  Gah, the stress; the opportunity.

Sick on my Birthday! (Staying positive in the face of injuries, illness, setbacks and whatever else life is throwing at you)

I’ve always been kind of sentimental about birthdays.  Maybe it’s the fact that I never really got a huge deal made out of my birthday (too close to Christmas), or maybe it’s the fact that I’m not an adult yet so I can still afford to be sentimental about some things, or maybe it’s just a combination of the two, but whatever the reason, I loooove birthdays. It’s your day; it marks the anniversary of something HISTORIC (your birth!  obviously up there with the likes of the Declaration of Independence and International Peanut Butter Lover’s Day); and, aside from your deathday, it’s the day when others feel most obligated to do whatever you want!  (When I die, I want people to mourn for me by wearing orange rather than black.  Just sayin’.)

My birthday breakfast, set alight.

I had big plans for this birthday-which-happened-yesterday.  I started making them about 364 days ago.  I was going to go out for the longest run of my life; then I would hit up a frozen yogurt joint and eat the biggest cup of my life; then the next day I would bring my laptop to a cafe and work on my novel for two hours!!  It would be epic.

And then you know what happened?

Before December even began, I injured myself running and had to take a two-weeks-and-counting break from all exercise.  Then, the day before my birthday, I came down with acute bronchitis.  Thank you, sick Father, for your wonderful germs.  Now I’m taking a day off from school and trying to ignore the awful feeling of slacker-ness that is permeating my very bones as I blog, snooze, write, and read.  December  has always been my favorite month; but this year, it’s been kind of tough so far.

I need to feel productive in order to feel happy.  (Hello, fellow Type A’s!)  Running was something that offered that feeling to me in an amazing form.  Somehow, a day couldn’t seem wasted if I had put in a good run.  Now my injury has stolen that from me.

And my sudden virus has stolen my ability to go to school and take my mind off my sudden sedentary-ness, and stripped me of my will to do homework.  I’ve been turning in papers with huge run-on sentences, an abundance of comma and semicolon and parenthetical overkill (like this post), because I’ve had a fever while I’ve written them.  It makes my stomach churn.  It’s not my best work.  My teachers will think I have Problems.  Somehow it feels like the world is going to come crashing down every time I guiltily hand over a substandard paper.  I can’t take it back, and I wish desperately that I could be back to full health.  #innerperfectionist is #screaminginagony

And yet?  The situation has its perks.  With the extra 30-60 minutes in my day that are suddenly freed up by my inability to run, I’ve been working on my novel at a NaNoWriMo level.  (For those of you not in the loop, that’s 1,667 words a day.)  I’ve worked more on developing recipes and savoring delicious food.  I’ve indulged a little too often–it’s harder for me to stick to healthy eating habits when I’m not exercising–but I’ve enjoyed all those brownies, ice cream sundaes, slices of cake, and orders of popcorn.  Blogging is a hobby that I love, and now that I’ve got six free hours of my life that would have otherwise been spent attending school, I can use it to spiff up some posts-in-draft that I’ve been wanting to publish for a while.   And I’ve had more time for philosophical and religious thought.

And, most importantly, I can write this post; taking the time to reflect on the situation as it stands, realizing that I still have a multitude of projects I can be productive towards, and just remembering that I don’t have it so bad.  My life at the moment is sheltered, cushioned, safe, amazing, bubbling over with opportunity and chances.  When one door closes (running), another door opens (working on my novel and other creative aspects of my life).

Happy birthday to me!