Getting Well

It's no secret that 2015 was a rough year for the Altman adults physically. Altman injured his knee in May and rehabbed all summer only to find that there was in fact a tear in his meniscus and he needed surgery. He's up and running literally and just ran a 2:50:01 in LA.

I injured myself in January last year at a trail race and things just never got better. I did some rehab and kept plugging away. I had a cortisone shot in June and that should have set me up for a good summer of running.

Unfortunately, in an attempt to catch a falling toddler, I sprained my glute. And no, I didn't catch him. It was awful. That was probably the worst pain I've ever felt. I seriously thought I had torn something or broken something. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't lie down and there was constant pain. I did rehab three days a week for several weeks. We were making great progress and I headed out on a Sunday for a short, easy run. About 1.5 miles in, my calf locked up. I stopped and stretched and kept going thinking it would loosen up. By the time I got to Jason and the kids, I couldn't walk.

For the first time in my life, Krusenklaus told me not to run. He said that my calf so was sprained that it may tear at any time. So, we rehabbed the calf.

In the midst of all of this, I pulled a muscle in my chest that caused my shoulder, clavicle and and pectoral muscles to stay in a constant state of pain and I had little range of motion. It was hard to run because I literally couldn't breath.

No, none of this is an exaggeration.

I have always been a proponent of taking care of oneself. That doesn't just mean cardio and strength training are enough. Taking care of ourselves is a whole approach to being healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Stress, exhaustion, and random eating schedules counteract any work done on the road or in the gym.

As a certified fitness person, you would think that I'd be the first to recognize some of the root causes of my physical misfortunes but alas....

Fast forward to March 2016, between a chiropractor and my massage therapist, I am happy to report that my shoulder/chest/neck are in great shape.

I am not happy to report that I have gained an incredible amount of weight and that I broke down an had an MRI this week on the hip.

I am possibly in the worst health of the last decade. Not possibly. My health is in a terrible place.

I've taken it easy this week and with that extra time, I have had some realizations:
1. I am tired. I don't sleep well. I can't blame the kids or Altman. I just don't sleep well these days. I need to make a habit of turning off the phone/electronics well before bed. I need to stop reading emails at 10 pm. I need to unwind before bedtime each and every day.
2. I need to say "no" more often to extra things. I have two kids and work full-time plus. I have a fulfilling schedule of volunteer activities and I love them all. I don't need more. This one will be hard. It's hard for me to say no but it is an absolute necessity.
3. I have to eat regularly and I need to be purposeful in what I eat. I can sometimes go a whole day and realize that I literally forgot to eat. Who does that? Apparently I do. I've been buying us lots of vegetables and good foods. I need to eat more protein and I am already working on it. I need to lay off the chocolate chips and almond butter. ;)

I have an arsenal of experts in my circle that will be very willing to help me lose the weight and get back my good health.

And I have an initial plan.

1. I am tracking all of my food every day.
2. I have also started a journal to track how I feel physically from aches/pains and sore muscles to sore throats and sinus issues. I'm not sure that my allergy shots are doing their job anymore so we may need to address that soon. When my allergies are bad then I am tired and feel sick. But, I am so busy that I can't keep track of how I felt and when. A good friend recommended keeping a journal and I think it is a great idea.
3. I am also tracking my workouts. I firmly believe that some of the strength exercises that I've tried lately are not good for my hip. Once I can identify those triggers, I can avoid them.

After tracking everything for a few weeks, I am going to make an appointment with a general practitioner. If I am still tired and exhausted and not making progress, we may need to run various tests. At that same time, I am going to call my friend Eddie and set up an appointment with him to refine my diet.

Hopefully I hear back from the MRI soon. Then, we can determine next steps on healing my hip.

It's not easy to admit to the world (at least those reading this) that you aren't at your best. But, if it helps anyone else out there think about their own health and habits then I've done a good thing.

I turn 40 this fall and I plan to be back in great health. Stay tuned...