Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Progress

Well, I had visible results today from my yoga and stretchy exercise bands. The last time DH and I went to the VA and had to walk from the lab to the cafeteria (about 2 blocks), I had to stop 3 times to give my back a break. Today, I walked the whole way without stopping, and I wasn't in severe pain by the time we got there. I know this may not seem like a big accomplishment to some, but for me, it's a measurable improvement. Now, I knew I had improved some because when my son came up on Saturday to put in an outdoor plug-in for our vehicles, I was actually able to walk through Menard's the whole time we were getting the wire and other supplies he needed. That was about 15 minutes worth of walking. Granted, I was using a shopping cart for support part of that time, but I actually walked the whole time. That is just so amazing to me, and makes me more determined to keep up with my routine, and gradually increase it. Since winter is coming up, I'm looking for a used exercise bike so maybe by spring, I'll be ready to ride the bike that's out in the shed (I used to ride a bike all over Spokane when I lived out there from 1972 to 1976, and where I live now, there are actually bike trails, and they go right past our house, YAY!).
And this is all from exercise I'm doing sitting in my chair and on the floor (thank the powers that be that I'm at home, it's not pretty watching me get up off the floor, but at least I can get up off the floor). What I like about this, is that I figured it out with the help I got reading the FA blogs and researching when I found an idea I thought might work. Now, I'm not a doctor, or a nurse, and the only college education I have is in data entry (and that was back in the 80's, how far we've come since then!). So if I can figure this out, why the hell can't doctors and nurse practitioners and other medical personnel come up with similar solutions for fat people? It's not rocket science, and anything that gets you moving and improves your strength has to be worth trying. The yoga dvd cost me less than $20 on amazon, and the exercise bands were less than $20 at Wally World. So for about $40, I'm improving my mobility, which is what that $15,000 WLS was supposed to do, didn't, and in fact, made worse (I'm guessing on what it cost, I don't have a clue since Medicaid paid for it). But then, no one made a huge profit off anything but the WLS, so why am I not surprised that nothing else was suggested?

15 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you posted this and are having these effects. Although I don't have your challenges, it mirrors my own experience of the world of difference between doing it on your own terms, and obeying society's dictats. Your post is interesting and inspiring, without any lectures or tedious B/S. How can the medical profession figure it out when it is a 'moral' issue, they don't have to put forth any effort when it's about morals!

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  2. Can I do a happy dance for you?

    :)

    The fact that you're able to move around without pain is abso-fucking-lutely AWESOME!!!!

    Keep it up - who knows what you might be able to do? :D

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  3. That's so cool! I hope you keep feeling better all the time :)

    In case you didn't see, on SP in the comments I mentioned hand weights. I got a cheap set from Target that you can add weights to. There are simple arm exercises you can do sitting down like just pressing over your head, bicep curls, stuff like that. They also sell those plastic coated weights but I like the adjustable so you can start small and work up over time.

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  4. Hooray! So glad to hear you're doing better =)

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  5. This is SO AWESOME, Mariellen! I am so happy for you.

    And I love that Megan Garcia video like you wouldn't believe. Her book, MegaYoga, is also really good -- it goes into more detail (with more modifications for fat bodies).

    Awesome, awesome, awesome!

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  6. YAY! I'm glad you're finding some relief! That's such wonderful news, and i'm so glad to read it. :D

    BTW, care to share any Yoga resources you've found helpful? I've been thinking about trying it out myself, but haven't yet been able to find anything that quite worked with my fibro. O.o

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  7. Shannon, I did see that comment on SP, and I plan on getting some of those hand weights too, so thanks for reminding me :)
    Kate, thanks, it's good to be able to see results, even if they are small ones right now.
    nukkingphutz, you can do a happy dance with me....lol and I fully intend to keep on doing this, I like being able to move with less pain. I'm really not into pain at all, at least not in that way ;)
    mumboj, thanks, and I always have preferred doing things on my terms.
    Lindsay, the Just My Size yoga DVD by Megan Garcia rocks, and I checked out one on amazon that I may order, Yoga for Inflexible People and there was one I can't find now that was yoga for elderly people who are in wheelchairs. My friend, Pat (who was a nurse), told me she thought I had fibromyalgia because I had pain when most of the 18 pressure points were poked, but I've never had it diagnosed by a doctor, so I don't know if I have it or not. I just know I have days when all my joints hurt, and even my skin hurts when it's touched. But the yoga on Megan Garcia's dvd seems to be pretty easy, and the poses that I can't do yet, I leave out until I'm more flexible and can handle them. I'm still researching and just picking and choosing what I can do by trying out what's on the dvd and if it's painful, I don't do it. When what I am doing gets to be really easy, then I'll go back and start trying the harder ones and see which ones have become easier to do. At some point, I will probably get the Mega-Yoga book too, and see how much of that I can do.

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  8. Wow! That is wonderful. Absolutely fantastic! And as happy as I am that you are able to move better -- I am just as happy that you were able to do it your way. I hope that makes sense. I'm really glad for you.

    xoxo

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  9. Thanks, Sarah. I think one of the things that makes me glad about this is that I didn't give up on looking for ways to improve my mobility. It took me longer than I would have liked, but better late than never, I always say :)

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  10. Those exercise band things what do you do with them exactly?

    And YAY for better mobility.

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  11. Nudiemuse - the bands came with a little pamphlet that illustrates 12 exercises. There are three bands, each with a different amount of resistance. All of the exercises are done sitting or lying on the floor. Those are the Yoga/Pilates stretch bands. I also got a set of toning bands (2 bands). These are circles of rubber tubing with 2 foam handles (one halfway around the circle from the other). The 2 bands are different lengths, and the pamphlet shows 6 different exercises. 4 are standing up, 2 are sitting on the floor. They are simple to use, very portable, and the exercises don't take a lot of time to do, unless you get really good and start increasing how many reps you do. Which I will be doing as soon as it gets too easy to do the 5 reps that are recommended for starters.
    If you don't want to go to Wal-Mart, they can be found on amazon.com too. Hope this helps. :)

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  12. Ooh that totally helps. I am actually going to Walmart maybe on Sunday to pick through fabric so I will have a look at those. Thanks!

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  13. You are very welcome. And doesn't Wally World have some great deals on fabric. Love it muchly, I do, I do...lol

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  14. It's so great you are seeing some progress! Yoga did some great things for me and my back. I need to get back to doing at least a little bit again.

    Just a thought, I'm not sure how the thrift stores are in your area but you might try keeping an eye on them for exercise bike. I see them fairly often at our local Goodwill. I just got stair stepper machine there last week for $7.99. At the time they had a sturdy looking bike for around $10.

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  15. Thanks, Cherie, I've been looking at the thrift store here in town, but it's a small town (less than 3,500 population). The larger towns are 25 and 45 miles away, so I don't get to them that often, but the next time we're in either of them, I'll be looking.

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