DISCOURAGEMENT AND REACHING OUT

Quick post here...

I've had this chronic problem for about 8 months now...a pain down my deltoid.  I've tried ART, massage therapy and trigger point massage.  All have been temporary fixes. 

Last Friday I did a trigger point massage with Kimmie at Massage & Company in Lynn.  I didn't have much pain down the arm at the time but what was there was gone at the end.  Kimmie was great and worked out all my trigger points.  I worked out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday without any pain.  I felt great and thought the problem was solved.  Of course I expected I would need maintenance. 

http://massageandcompanyspa.com/

My arm felt great until this morning.  The pain was there and worst then usually.  I attempted my workout.  I did some TGU's, some deadlifts, squats and swings pretty much with no problems.  Major problem was I could not press...at all...not even a 15 pound KB.  WTF. 

Tuesday is an off day for me so my arm did not have a work out yesterday.  It happily had a rest day.  Here is where I think part of the problem lies.  When I sleep on that arm, I wake up in pain.  Simple solution you say.  Just don't sleep on that arm.  Unfortunately it is not so simple.  I am sleeping.  I don't know. 

Full disclosure...I did attempt to bench press on Sunday with mixed results.  I had to stop because I could feel the pain down the deltoid. 

If I can't get this problem under control, I will not be able to participate in the SF certification.  The arm will not withstand 3 days of intensive exercise and then pass the SNATCH test on the last day. 

So...has anyone out there had a similar problem?  How did you solve the problem.  I am considering seeing a sports medicine doc for their opinion.  Any thoughts out there on that approach?  Thank you in advance.

TRAINING

My plan was to share my journey from the road of paralegal to SFG Kettlebell Instructor Level 1 Certification.

My initial training, for now, includes participating in the Women's Strength Training Program at Iron Body Studios.  I would like to share my training at Iron Body Studios.  However, the program was written by Artemis.  It is her personal program.  It is how she makes her living.  So I am not comfortable sharing what I am doing and the weight I am lifting. 

Let me just say...my goals include increasing my deadlift and press and doing at least one pull up. 

On the first day of training my greatest surprise was that I could actually do 3 sets of 5 assisted pull ups.  The assisted part was 2 medium sized bands.  I guess anything is possible.  I may bang out a pull up yet. 

I plan to share the journey on this blog...until I get to this point.

To learn more about StrongFirst go to

http://www.strongfirst.com/

LINK LOVE - Strong Women Edition

Short but sweet.  Sharing some articles that I recently found interesting...

Fitness

Deadlift...need I say more...

http://www.girlsgonestrong.com/4-kettlebell-deadlift-variations-you-should-be-doing/

Nothing says I am going to make this week my bitch like deadlifting.  Lots of various deadlift articles.

http://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/tags/deadlift

Health

Yes, I have rheumatoid arthritis.  I believe exercise helps control symptoms when you have an autoimmune disease.  You do what you can do.  Here are the stories of two women who agree.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/solutions/rheumatoid-arthritis-treatment-management/moderate-to-severe/love-to-exercise/?xid=nl_everydayhealthlivingwithrheumatoidarthritis_20150104

http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/crossfit-and-ra-keris-story/?xid=nl_EverydayHealthLivingWithRheumatoidArthritis_20150104

Life

Kelly Coffey attended the same  "I am not afraid to lift" workshop that I did.  I was struck by her sense of humor and her intensity.  I was also impressed with her strength and her ability to bang out pull ups. 

I signed up to receive her blog postings.  They are so honest and very vulnerable.  She has a unique ability to analyze herself and put those findings into words.  Take the time to read these two posts and read her story.  You won't be disappointed.  (The photo is from her website.)

http://www.strongcoffey.com/index.php/fitness-fraud/

http://www.strongcoffey.com/index.php/sad-on-christmas/

2014 - MOVING INTO 2015

Changes are coming in 2015.  Starting the new year isn't about making resolutions.  It is a time to reflect on the past year and think about the future.

In less than 3 weeks I will be 57 years old.  Each decade, each year is different.  It is so much easier being 57 than 27.  Those five decades have been the seasons of my life.  I thought Landslide was a song about aging.  I play the video on or near my birthday...always.   The line on replay in my mind...

        "Can I handle the seasons of my life?  I don't know."

It is possible to handle the seasons and accept aging when you know when it is time to make changes and know when it is time to challenge yourself.  Of course everyone's limitations and challenges are different. 

For some reason, I spent some serious time thinking about the past year.  I felt I had to analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly to move forward.  Time was spend thinking about changes I want to make and challenges I want to pursue.  Challenges come first...

So officially, well I haven't sent in my payment yet, I am going to train to become a certified kettle bell instructor.  StrongFirst will be doing a certification in Boston in August and I am accepting the challenge. 

Just so you know, the certification is a physically demanding three day event that includes a written exam and demonstrating that you can teach.  That teaching aspect is what I find to be the most daunting aspect of the certification.  I am an introvert and teaching will take me way out of my comfort zone.  The 100 snatches in 5 minutes is no piece of cake either but that is a story for another day.

The challenge isn't just about becoming certified.  It is about the road to certification.  Working at Iron Body Studios with a group of like minded women working toward the same goal is an important part of the journey.  Again, a situation way out of my comfort zone.  It is about becoming stronger.  It is about the mental challenge of not giving up...about finding your last bit of strength and pushing forward.  Part of the journey is about accepting defeat when it presents itself.  It is about overcoming defeat.  If at the end of the journey, I become certified by StrongFirst I will be a very happy 57 year old chica.  But I have a lot to learn...

Let the journey begin...I hope you will join me.

Please feel free to share you goals and challenges in the comment section!

Can I also say, part of what I hope to do is improve the blog.  I don't mean necessarily mean the content but the layout and presentation.  My computer skills are lacking and it is going to take some work to get up to speed.  Bear with me.


Side Note:
I have always thought that landslide was about getting older and thinking about the changes you might want to make as you get older. Then, when I was looking for a landslide video, I came across this.  Guess I had that one wrong. 

Addendum to Blog Posting on Why Do a Kettlebell Swing Challenge...

If anyone is interested in heading to Iron Body Studios and learning the correct way to swing, let me know and I will be happy to take their Body Basics Class with you.  It is offered twice a month on Saturday at 10:30 AM.

I promise you will not be disappointed.

WHY WOULD YOU DO A KETTLEBELL SWING CHALLENGE? WAIT...WHAT EXACTLY IS A KETTLEBELL SWING?

The picture above is my kettlebell collection...small but growing.

Seriously, why would anyone want to do a 4 week kettlebell challenge?  Why would you spend part of your day swinging that weird shaped weight?  Me?  I like to attempt the various challenges that fitness professionals post online.  Sometimes I succeed; sometimes I don't.  Kettlebells rock my world.  Only thing better are deadlifts with a bar but that is a story for another day.

I started the challenge for a variety of reasons.

First, I really like Artemis and her fitness style.  If Artemis was setting it up, I wanted to be involved.  Simple as that. 

Second, I wanted to see how much I could actually swing in a week.  I did 4996 swings in 4 weeks.  Previously, I would do 50-100 in a week.  That seems like such a puny number right now.  As the weeks went on I realize the challenge wasn't just about how many swings you did.  For me it became, not only about the number of swings, but about lifting heavier and the cardio work out. At the end of each session, damn I was sweaty...every single time.  If I was swinging a heavy enough weight, my glutes and hamstrings were on fire.  My lats and core felt like they also got a work out. 

Third, I needed the mental challenge.  I knew if I did the work outs as designed, it would be a mental challenge especially if I did my usual work out the same day.  There were times I had to mentally push myself through this challenge.  Don't get me wrong, if for some reason my body didn't feel up to the challenge from a safety standpoint, I either stopped or didn't attempt the work out that day.  The challenge helped perfect the ability to tell the difference between mental anguish and physical pain.  As you get older it is very important to know the difference.

Fourth, I knew those weeks before the holidays were going to be difficult from a time management point of view.  The challenge provided an intense but relatively quick work out that left me feeling physically satisfied. 

Fifth, I actually worked out in these babies.  Granted, it was in the comfort of my own home but still. 

If you want to learn the kettlebell swing in the privacy of your own home or if you just want to know what a kettlebell swing is here is an excellent tutorial by Artemis and Eric....