Good Day

I am happy to say I am feeling so much better now. I haven't gone to the gym these past few days but I'll be working on that. I went hiking with Sukhvir today in Runyon Canyon. I first heard about this place when I started talking to people about training for a marathon. I would definitely recommend you guys to check it out....it was a good work out!

Here are pictures from the trails...the stairs that left my legs sore!...the Hollywood sign and view of Los Angeles.

Update

Good news....I ran!!! Well it was for only 6 minutes on the treadmill. My back was super sore the next day but I think its because Ive been working out on the elliptical the past week. Im so glad I stuck with my stretching/workout plan!

Bad Days

We talk about stressful situations causing us to eat junk food or decrease our motivation to stay active but normally when Im stressed out …I work out. Unfortunately, this has not been case these past few days and I blame it all on my car! Long story short, I ve been having car trouble for awhile now, just paid bunch of money to get it fixed….but a few days ago it stopped on me causing the brakes and steering wheel to lock and my car ended up facing oncoming traffic so my conclusion is….. the car is not fixed!!!!!

Now I m not only upset I have to pay more to get it fixed, I’ve been eating out almost everyday and not work out but Im also stuck driving the pimpmobile…..that is my dad’s old van. So if you see a gray caravan, with a rosary in the rear view mirror and a nice set of rims…..its probably me!

BTW,

The point of that rant is stressful situations have caused me to abandon my health ways.

Update

Now that I can go to the gym, I ve been going more often. Its nice having much more options to workout instead of just simple stretches for my back. Not having to deal with the constant back pain has made it so much easier to work out. Im so much more motivated to be active and eat healthy. It also helps that the weather warmer up and that means swim suit season!!!

Back to the Gym

Yesterday was a great day…I finally made it to the gym!!! Normally I would be so excited about the gym but it has been months since I’ve been able to workout. For the past couple of months, Ive been focused on simple stretches and core work but I ve been missing my cardio (I love my cardio!). I still can’t run without pain in my lower back. But I was able to stay on the elliptical for 30 min with out any discomfort. I was so happy after my workout so I treated myself to frozen yogurt!

Publish Post

Traveling...

I didn’t realize how easy it is for me to workout while I’m at home. I have plenty of space in my apartment making it very convenient. For the last 2 weeks, I’ve been traveling all over the place. We flew to NY, took the bus to Syracuse, train to Philly and extra flight to Atlanta due to bad weather and cancelled flights…..adding up to hours and hours of sitting. After the first flight, my back was achy but I figured it was just temporary…but lugging my giant suitcase through the city that same day didn’t help at all. I felt like a vagabond …haha….traveling from city to city. I had no time or space to relax and work out. I was so happy I remembered to bring Vicodin !!! Let just say traveling and my back don’t mix…

Websites

Lately I have been on the look out for good yoga and dance studios since I havent been able to run or work on cardio at the gym.

These are two of the places Ive tried so far and would recommend.

Bikram Yoga South Pasadena
-Bikram is hot yoga...so expect to sweat! Its a small studio but my instructor was very helpful. They also have student discounts and first class discounts.
http://www.bikramyogasouthpasadena.com/

The Granada - Let's Dance LA - Alhambra
-They offer all type of dance class but mostly ballroom type.

http://www.letsdancela.com/
http://www.thegranadaalhambra.com/

Lesson Learned

So far I have been keeping up with my work out schedule. My back feels much better and stronger than it did a few weeks ago. Last week, the stretches I’ve been working on started to feel too easy and a little boring. So, I took that as sign to add some weights and start running again. That was a bad idea. The weight just aggravated my back and the running….well, I didn’t make it too far. After a couple steps, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. Lesson learned….. I’ve decided to stick with the stretching!

To make up for the boring stretches, I started taking Salsa dancing lessons. The classes are an hour and half long and so much fun. I’ve been salsa dancing before but these classes teach you the basic techniques to dance any type of salsa and it’s a great workout. The best part is it doesn’t bother my back.

Barriers

I think one of my barriers is my occasional lack of motivation. I know I’m only setting aside 30 minutes 3 times a week but sometimes I think I could use those 30 minutes to do something else like take a nap, clean my apartment or just read my magazines (unread Latina and Glamour magazines are piling up in my room!).

Another barrier is time, trying to keep up with school, work and family is definitely keeping me on my toes. Finding some free time or just 30 minutes is somewhat challenging to add into my schedule. But one way I try to make time is writing it down in my planner. I’m all about making To-Do list and if I add it to my list is more likely to get done!

My last barrier may sound a bit silly but it’s the cold weather. I love the sun! So when it’s cold, I usually don’t want to do anything. Every year around this time, I always stop going to the gym and gain a few pounds.

Support

I haven't really told many people about hurting my back ( its kinda embarrassing telling people I fell down my stairs). But my family has been very supportive in my plan to get better. My mom always wants me to give her updates about my progress and my brother always has some joke to say about falling down the stairs (that's his way of showing his support!). I've surprisingly been feeling much better. The stretching exercises have been working out well and I stopped taking the pain medications.

Inspiration

The person that has been an inspiration in helping me achieve my goal is my father. He spent many years working in fields and farms as a boy and playing competitive soccer. With all that hard manual labor, he's had to recover from several injuries. After a few surgeries on his knees, he's always been able to handle his physical therapy and recovery without complaining. I hope I can handle my rehab as well as he did.

Motivation for Change

Right now I have very strong motivations to focus on my goal. I want to be able to walk, sit , stand, so basically any type of movement without any pain. I have always been very active. I grew up dancing ballet, jazz, modern and hip hop. I stopped dancing when I started college, but began working out at the gym and pilates. I love dancing, working out and challenging myself physically. Working out is also one of my major source of stress relief and I definitely want that back. I am always so focused on doing cardio but I think this will get me back to feeling strong and strengthen my back and core.

New Goal...Rehab Lower Back

After my tumble down the staircase last week, I knew it would be somewhat difficult to keep up with my plan of action. But I was really hoping I would be better in a few weeks and continue with my plan to train for the 10 - k. After a few sleepless nights and unbearable pain, I finally went to the doctors this Saturday. Thank goodness nothing was broken but running is definitely ruled out for a while (the doctor laughed at me when I asked if I could start running anytime soon!). It will take about 8-10 weeks for my back to recover, so I have decided to focus on that recovery for my intervention. I am really disappointed that I have to postpone the 10k since this is something that I've always wanted to do.....maybe next year!

New Goal and Plan of Action

My goal is to rehabilitate and strengthen my lower back. By then end of the semester, I would like to be able to exercise without pain. I want to start with 30 min sessions 3 times a week. I m sure how much I can handle right now, so I think that will be a good starting point.


Week 3-10:
During these weeks, I will focus on stretching exercises for my lower back and core. I will slowly incorporate light weights into my work out.

Week 11-16
My activities during these weeks will depend on my progress during week 3-10.


Here I go !!!

My Goal and Plan of Action

After several attempts to become a stronger runner, I always seem to stop after a mile ready to pass out. I like going to the gym and trying out different classes like yoga and pilates...so why not focus on running. My goal is to complete a 10k, which is about a little more 6 miles.

My plan of action is to run at least three times a week and use the Cool Running training program to help me plan out my schedule. Since I usually go to the gym in the mornings for about 1 hour, I will now use this time to run.