My Feet

My New Regimen

Well my podiatrist appointment yesterday was very productive. I really liked this woman... she took a lot of time with me, was very personable, explained all my options, etc. Firstly, I had x-rays taken, and when she came in we looked at them first thing. Let me tell you... my feet are a lot more messed up than I realized!!!!!! Plantar Fasciitis is not my only problem! Not only is the bone spur I had removed growing back with a vengance, but I have 5 additional ones. All in all I have two on the back of each heel, and one on the top of each ankle. My achilles tendons are both extremely tight & short... as well as my fascia being really tight. I thought that when you have bone spurs, it makes your tendons tighten... but, apparently, it's the other way around. Having the tight tendons rubbing on your bone is what actually creates the bone spurs! No wonder I have so many then, since everything is tight. She said one of the problems I have is that when I had the original spur removed, the guy was too conservative and didn't take it all.... basically put a bandaid on the problem. Eventually, with these spurs, I may have to have the surgery re-done - not only on my left, but on my right too. If that happens, she would actually surgically lengthen both of my achilles tendons, which would give me a lot of relief long-term. However, I'm hopng it won't come to that point. The first step is lots of stretches... which I already do, but she also showed me a couple more. Also, she gave me the boot you see above. I am supposed to wear that on my left foot at night while I sleep. The tendons shorten at night when the foot is in the restful position, which makes my pain so horrible in the morning. The boot keeps everything flexed and lengthened overnight. I tried it last night but had to take it off after a couple of hours. It is a lot to get used to! Will try again tonight. She also would like to fit me for orthotics for my shoes. She wanted to test out whether they would give me relief... so yesterday before I left her office, she taped up my left foot. This wasn't like an ace bandage, this was some kind of heavy duty adhesive tape that has to be soaked off to remove it. It didn't feel very tight, or like it was doing anything. And it also doesn't LOOK like it's doing much....

But let me tell you this..... as I was walking out of the office... my foot didn't hurt. At ALL. I got home after sitting in the car driving... stood up... and it didn't hurt. All day long, it didn't hurt. It was AMAZING and made me feel like a new person. This was basically a test because she said the orthotics would keep my foot in that position - so if that helped me, orthotics would help me. I say.... BRING ON THE ORTHOTICS!!!!!
I definitely need them for both feet though. With the left one taped up yesterday and feeling so good, I definitely noticed the pain in my right foot a lot more. So... where it stands right now... is that when I get back from Chicago I'm going back to talk with her again and hopefully get fitted for orthotics. I'll do what I can with the stretching, icing, boot wearing, etc. OH! And, no more barefoot around the house and flip flops are for the beach. LOL. (Kristi totally called this one.) I am trying to wear my sneakers around the house today and it feels so weird. When I came home from getting Ian's prescription I took them off. It's a habit! I realized it about 20 mins later and put them back on. This is the hardest part for me I think. I can handle no flip flops... but wearing shoes in the house! It feels so restrictive. Like being told you have to leave your coat on all the time in the house. Haha. And I just don't feel that "ahhh, I'm home" relaxed feeling without taking my shoes off. BUT...... if it will help my pain... I will just have to get used to it!!!!!
Especially once I get my orthotics, because then wearing my shoes will help even more I'm sure. She also said - new shoes every 6 months, period. And yes they have to be expensive ones like new balance or asics. She gave me a list of approved shoes - exact models and everything!!!! Good timing too as I need new ones right now. I tried to order some but they didn't fit well for me. Sending those back and I guess I will order one from the list.
So yeah so far it's looking good - like I will be able to get relief without surgery. And I really like this doctor a lot. She never blamed my weight for my foot problems. In fact she said my achilles tendons are very very short, and that is something you are born with, and would be a problem even if I were a healthy weight. That was the only time she even mentioned my weight was to say that, and it felt really good to hear. YAY! Something I didn't do to myself! haha.
Another interesting thing. I showed her how I stretch. She was flabbergasted because I have to go so deep into a lunge to get a good calf stretch, and even deeper to stretch my achilles tendon. Usually people with this problem can barely stretch. So it was very obvious to her that I was telling the truth about how often I stretch and everything. She said it was very odd that the tendons are that flexible and yet so inflexible at other times. Such as me sitting back down and her trying to flex my foot. It basically wouldn't move. And that is directly after me stretching. It's really weird! The best way she could explain it is that they are flexible, but snap back immediately, like a rubber band, and do not stay lengthened. That's part of why it may still be a good idea down the road for her to surgically lengthen the tendons. If I do that though, it would be a loooong process... one foot at a time... surgery.... cast... physical therapy. Rinse and repeat. Haha. I really hope I don't have to do that. So that's the update, and I'll let you guys know what happens when I go to my follow up appointment in two weeks. Also - i did take pics of my new clothes! And I'll be working on getting that post up later today or tomorrow morning!

Can't Ignore it Anymore

I have been dealing with foot pain for a couple of years... but over the past few months, it has been in a new spot, and gotten increasingly more painful. After reading through the mayo clinic's section on plantar fasciitis, I am pretty sure that is exactly what I've got. The location of the pain fits, and the symptoms - as far as the worst pain being when i get up in the morning, and when i get up from sitting... and that during exercise it warms up and doesn't hurt, but then AFTER.... after, it kills me.

"Plantar fasciitis causes stabbing or burning pain that's usually worse in the morning because the fascia tightens (contracts) overnight. Once your foot limbers up, the pain of plantar fasciitis normally decreases, but it may return after long periods of standing or after getting up from a seated position."

It's also much worse in my left foot. I feel it in my right, but the difference is night and day. The amount of pain in the right foot wouldn't really even have me thinking about going to get it checked... whereas the left has gotten to the point where I can no longer ignore it and must do something NOW.

This makes sense based on this bit of info found in the causes:

Improper shoes. Shoes that are thin-soled, loose, or lack arch support or the ability to absorb shock don't protect your feet. If you regularly wear shoes with high heels, your Achilles tendon — which is attached to your heel — can contract and shorten, causing strain on the tissue around your heel.

While I do not wear high heels hardly ever - I have the same problem without doing so. My left achilles tendon is already contracted and shortened and strained - because of the surgery I had on my heel which I think was in 2003. They removed a bone spur from my heel and had to cut into the tendon to do so. It healed poorly and hurts me often. This - combined with my weight - is more than enough explanation for the pain I am having. And I'm pretty sure it is plantar fasciitis.

I called a foot clinic, and they took my insurance, AND had an opening tomorrow at 2pm! That was way too easy :) It's even a female podiatrist, yay bonus.

So tomorrow I'm going, and I hope she has some good answers for me and some suggestions for treatment. It has really gotten to the point where I can barely convince myself to go for an easy walk, as the pain is so bad. Even though during the walk it gets better, the first 5 mins are hard and then after I'm done, it hurts much worse the entire day. Ow ow ow ow ow. One of the thing the website says is common is that they will give you a split to wear when you sleep, that lengthens the achilles tendon and plantar fascia as you sleep. That sounds like it would help a LOT.

On a happier note - I bought some new clothes. They fit well and make me feel better about myself. I wanted to take pics of all the tops, but the camera wasn't in a nice mood today and I didn't like how I looked in the pics. But, I do have a couple of closeups in one top, and a shot in the mirror from another.

That's all I have for now. I will make another attempt tomorrow at taking pics in all the tops. I need it to be outside in more flattering light, for sure. That just wasn't happening today as Ian's dad is here working on the tile and he cuts the tiles out back where it was shady and a good spot for picture taking :) So hopefully tomorrow I will have more to share. Scratch that. Just found out he's back tomorrow! Hehe. Oh well, sometime soon. Before Chicago, definitely. I did mention I am going to Chicago right??? I'm going next Thursday!

Four Weeks of Workouts

Sorry I haven't posted about my workouts in quite a while. You probably thought I quit! Admit it, that's what you thought! :)

Well for once, it's not the case. I've now been going strong for 4 weeks. I haven't always met the 3x per week, but other times I've done 4, so it evens out. The important thing is I have kept it up consistently for 4 weeks now and I feel great about that. I also have firm plans to work out again tomorrow morning with my dad.

I already posted about week one of my workouts ... I don't know if I have the desire to post play-by-play of 3 more weeks LOL. But let me go over some of the things that have come up.

I have really enjoyed mixing up my workouts where I do 2-3 different things in each one hour session. It really helps me to keep it going.

My mile has not improved much on the track. My speed improved a bit during the first week but has pretty much stayed the same since then. My leg, foot, and back problems really affect my regular walking, and I think it's going to be that way for a while. But, every time I go I start out with my mile on the track, and I hope that eventually I will see improvement there. If I keep it up, it's bound to get better.

I noticed I was developing bad pain in my right knee and calf. I finally realized it was because of the track. See, the direction of the track changes based on the day of the week. M,W,F,Sun you go one way and Tu,Th,Sat you go the other way. Since we were going M W F, I was always going the same direction on the track. That's why I was getting pain in my right leg. So now we were alternating so that one week we go M W F and the next week we go Tu Th Sat. I think this will really help. This is the first week of going Tu Th Sat so we went yesterday and are going again tomorrow.

Also, I've really improved at the ARC trainer. I started with 15 minutes hill intervals, level 1. Now I do level 2 for 30 minutes, and yesterday I even upped the incline manually to the highest it would go, for about a minute 3 different times in the workout. So I'm doing really well with that.

The newest addition to my workouts is my Wii Fit! I got it for Christmas, but today was the first day I really tried it out. I had a lot of fun with it. There is so much to do on there and to see yourself improve at things. I also have the Jillian Michales game for it, but that will have to wait. I might try it out on Friday if I am so inclined.

I was SO happy about the Wii Fit NOT forcing me to look at my weight. It does weigh you, to give you your BMI - but you can choose whether or not to see the weight. It has a separate chart. Did I peek? YES. Hahaha. But the important thing is I can look at it only when I want to. I was afraid I'd be forced to look every time and start fixating on the number on the scale again, which is not the life I want to lead anymore.

Anyway I had a LOT of fun playing the games on there. Here's my cute little Mii character and my chart showing that I did training today:

Isn't that cute? A lot of the games were so cute. If you guys are interested I can take more screenshots and stuff the next time I play, just let me know if you are interested or not :)

So yeah, that's about it but I just wanted you guys to know I've been on top of this! Whoo hooo!

Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken

I just had to post this recipe because MMMMM - yum! Let me start off by saying it's not the healthiest, because I don't eat diet food anymore. LOL. But, with portion control this recipe isn't too bad. I added steamed broccoli pieces - a lot of them - on top at the end.  That tasted VERY good with it. Also, I served over egg noodles but you could do whole wheat pasta, brown rice, mashed potatoes... or, nothing! You could just eat the chicken! So there are definitely options. Pair with a salad if you want to eat less of the main dish. But it's so good...... haha.



Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken

Ingredients

   
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
   
• 2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
   
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
   
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (NOTE - I used a whole TABLEspoon.)
   
• salt and pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Place the chicken in the crock pot.

2. Mix the undiluted soups together with garlic powder and optional salt/pepper; pour over chicken.

(NOTE: I greased my crock pot and mixed the soups/garlic powder in there, THEN put in the chicken and stirred around to cover the chicken. The soups are so thick I figured I'd lose a lot of the sauce mixing it in a separate bowl.)

3. Cook on low 6 hours.

4. Serve with the delicious sauce over rice or noodles.

(NOTE: I used steam-in-the bag broccoli and cooked it while I made the noodles. It went fantastically with the meal, and I always like adding in veggies whenever possible.)
SO there's the recipe. It was a crowd-pleaser. And by crowd, I mean Ian. Haha. But I would definitely serve this the next time I have my friends over.

First Week A Success

Well, if I do say so myself, my first week of working out again has been a complete success. I've got the sore muscles and the extra energy to prove it :)

Brandy set up an awesome calendar for us to keep track of our workouts on, to help motivate one another. It's a google doc shared between us so we can both use it and both view it. I have never tracked my workouts this way before, and so far I'm really liking it. When I used to track what I did, all I cared about was minutes of exercise and calories burned. It was all about the weight loss. Now my priorities have changed. What I care about now is getting stronger, healthier, and being able to DO more. Well I have seen in just this one week a big improvement! Here are the days I worked out this week:


Monday 12/15:

9 laps track - 20 mins
15 mins Elliptical
Hills Level 1
15 mins ARC
Hills Intrvl Level 1
2 cooldown laps
TOTAL 55 mins

Wednesday 12/17:

1 mile track - 22mins
(11 laps)
20 mins ARC
Hill Intrvl Level 1
15 Mins Elliptical
Hills Level 1
TOTAL 57 mins

Thursday 12/18:

30 mins strength
training & stretches
15 mins treadmill
2.5-3.0 mph

Saturday 12/20:

1 mile track - 20 mins
(11 laps)
20 mins ARC
Hills Intrvl Level 1
20 mins TrueFit
Elliptical, Hills
TOTAL 60 mins

Firstly, I have to pat myself on the back for already doing a strength training day on Thursday. I wasn't going to even think about starting that until the week after Christmas. However, Ian and I had a talk that day and he was wanting to start getting some activity as well, so I went with him that night. I am STILL very very sore from the stuff I did that night! I did some things with hand weights that have me very sore, as well as doing squats with an exercise ball like this:




Let me tell ya.... OW. It huuurt. But surprisingly my legs aren't sore anymore, even despite working out again today, but my arms still are! I guess because I use them less than my legs on a daily basis.

What I am truly amazed and happy to see is that my cardio has made drastic improvement in only 3 sessions. My mile time went down from about 24 mins (have to guess as it was split up the first time because I couldn't COMPELTE the mile in one shot! ha!) to 22 minutes, to 20 minutes today. The first day I did 15 mins & 15 mins on Arc and Elliptical, then 20 & 15 the second time, and 20 & 20 today. I can only imagine where I will be in a month.

This is what it's all about... getting healthier and stronger. I feel so good about this and also I'm so happy that Ian is joining in. He went with my dad and I today, too!

Plus - I have to tell you how good this felt. When I got done today I walked out to the lobby and my dad and Ian were both sitting there, looking like they had been waiting quite a while... and they had! Like 15 minutes! It felt good to outwork the men :)

Much, MUCH Better

My workout today felt MUCH better than the one on Monday did! I can't believe what a drastic difference I felt on only my second time. My lungs feel a bit tired but they didn't hurt at all, whereas on Monday they really HURT. The pain in the instep of my left foot was MUCH less today as I walked around the track, and wasn't bothering me after the workout, whereas on Monday it hurt very badly the whole day.
Today I did 1 mile around the track in 22 mins... just slightly quicker than Monday but at least it's something. Then I did 20 minutes on the ARC trainer on hills intervals level 1. Then I did 15 minutes on the lifefitness elliptical, hills level 1. Finished off with a couple cooldown laps around the track and some stretching. It felt really good actually!!! I was tired, but I was able to push through it quite a bit easier than Monday. It gave me hope again, feeling like... in a month, how great will I feel??? That's what I care about!
I was talking to my dad about how in a couple of weeks I want to start using Tuesday and Thursday for strength & flexibility training at the other facility. He said he would like to try that out with me as well. That made me very happy, because I will have more accountability to go if he goes, and also because I'm happy he wants to take another step forward with his health and fitness!!!
I had lunch today with Melissa (sis in law) and if she gets offered the part time position she applied for, and we can work around her schedule, she said she'd like to do some of this working out with me too. That would be cool, but I'll try not to count on it, because that doesn't work out too well for me.
One good thing about my dad for accountability.... it's still really relying on myself. I feel more compelled to go because he's going, but he really doesn't say anything if I don't go. I could easily make an excuse and he would say nothing. So I am still learning to make the commitment on my OWN, which is something I need to do. I am done expecting someone else to nag me, urge me, whatever. I need to learn to make that commitment and follow through on it.
Anyway... I am happy to feel such an improvement today. I've been super busy today and have actually had a lot of energy to carry me through the day, which feels really good too!

Back to the Gym

I finally made it to the gym today. I am barely hanging on by a thread to the whole working out thing. I think it's been like 2 weeks since I last went. True, I had to wait for my heel to get better. It still hurts to the touch and hurts to have my sneaker against it, but I am using corn cushions with bandaids over them to cushion it, and with that I was able to make it today.

On one hand, I feel great about my workout today. I walked 20 minutes on the track, did 15 minutes on the elliptical (hill mode), and 15 minutes on the arc trainer (hill intervals), and then a couple more laps around the track to cool down. Nearly an hour altogether which is good for not exercising regularly. I remembered today how much I love that dang arc trainer!

On the other hand though, I couldn't help feeling a bit down about how much my fitness level has changed. Just a couple months ago when I was working out with Brandy I could do a lot more. And when I think back to the days when I was near my lowest weight, in the 240's, I could pretty much kick ass at the gym. Nowhere near my ultimate fitness goals, but compared to today, a very drastic change.

I am sad to say that in the 20 minutes I was on the track, I did 9 laps. That's 2 laps short of a mile. In 20 minutes I didn't even make it a mile. And I was going as fast as I could!!!! That was disappointing to me as I could easily walk 3 miles in 40 minutes before. I also had a pretty hard time on the machines. Everything I do now is riddled with aches and pains, and affected by a smaller lung capacity.

I can't let this give me a negative attitude because there is no room for that. What I did today is a step toward making this BETTER, so I feel very good about that.

Brandy and I had a talk this morning about how our plan of working out together really hasn't been... well... working out! Haha. Her life is much more complicated than mine since she works and has two kids to take care of. It is hard for her to control when things happen and make it there at appointed times. And I have a tendency to rely on these plans and then when they don't happen, I don't go on my own. Part of that is because we plan to work out at 3 or 4 pm, when my energy is lower anyway, and it's too easy to just feel too tired. The other part is I will take any excuse. Ha.

So for now Brandy and I are going to support one another in separate workout efforts... we're trying to set up a google document we can share, like a spreadsheet, to track our workouts, make goals, and keep one another accountable. And maybe in the future we can try working out together again, when we are stronger about sticking to it on our own if plans change.

For now I am going to commit to working out with my dad 3 days per week. Since he's done with his cardio rehab and is on his own, he is sticking to his schedule of 3 days per week, an hour each. It's already a habit for him since he's been doing the rehab since August. He likes to go in the morning, 9-10am, which works much better for me because that is when I have energy and that is when I like to do it and get it out of the way for the day.

I plan to do these 3 days a week with him this week and through christmas next week, and then starting the week after that I would like to add in two days a week of strength & flexibility training. I think I've mentioned this before, but the swim & fitness center near my house has an awesome room for this. They turned one of their raquetball courts into a room just for strength & flexibility stuff. In case I've never posted pics before, here they are:

So anyway, the hope is that by the beginning of January, I'll be working out 5 days a week - 3 cardio, 2 strength training days. Of course the timing sucks as that will be in the midst of all the new years resolutionists, and the gym will be really crowded all the time for a month or two. Oh well. I'll deal. :)

As for Ian... he is on his own. Again, the plan to work out when he gets home is hard for me to stick with because if he says he doesn't feel like it, there's no way I'm doing it on my own at 7pm. Therefore anytime he doesn't do it, I don't do it. He is just going to have to make his own decision to get active. I hope that if he sees me making progress and hears me talking about it all the time, he'll make the effort. I believe in him :)

I'm just tired of sitting around making excuses... time for me to make this happen and start FEELING better!