Pushing Play

So, as a back pain sufferer, I have to confess that P90X has been great on my lower back pain. By strengthening the core, I have been able to greatly reduce and eliminate the pain I feel in my back on most days.

Days like Tuesday, however, where I play back to back 2 hour games often leave me feeling ridiculously sore for the next few days as my body recovers. What I get in these scenarios is lower back pain, a near elimination of flexibility and deferred pain to my hamstrings and calves that cause near cramping.

You would figure that stretching my back out and getting massages, acupuncture or chiropractic would do me good. And you’d be right. Most times, getting that treatment makes a huge difference!

This week however, in discussing the way the body works with my brother I stumbled onto an easy, cost effective way to treat your own back pain at home. And by cost effective I mean free.

Okay, so imagine that your body is a complex system that connects and reacts in unison to daily activity.

Podiatrists (and Chiropractors) say that back and knee pain can often be caused by poor foot support/alignment. Having been to a podiatrist myself and gotten $450 Orthotics made up, I can attest that they do make a huge difference.

But it got me thinking: If my back pain can be affected by my FEET, what else can influence my back health?

You would figure that stretching your hamstrings would reduce pain and cramping there as well as your back. After all, they are in the BACK of your body. But it turns out that your back pain can be caused by stiff quads and hip flexors!

Stiff Quads? Hip Flexors?

Yes. Doing something so simple as a Quad stretch can control your back pain INSTANTLY! At least, this is what I have found.

Since I started stretching my quads after basketball and P90X workouts, I have been able to effectively control and eliminate my back pain every single day!

And it is not hard to do!

Something as simple as a Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 pose combined with a Kenpo Quad Stretch (shown in the video at about the 1:40 mark) can be a GREAT way to increase flexibility and reduce deferred back pain while stretching out your hip flexors, quads and hamstrings!

Listen, I’m not a doctor and I’m not a physiotherapist or kinesiologist, but I practice what I preach. And stretching both my quads and hip flexors has provided me with the ability this week to keep going hard during my workouts. And this is something I intend to focus on this year as I proceed through my modified P90X routines.

I mean, it’s a free suggestion that will cost you nothing and may help you gain a whole lot of comfort back in your life. Why not try it out and see how it works for you? And if it works (or not), then hit me back and let me know!

I started my scheduled P90X mini cycle last night with Chest and Back and it became clear within 5 minutes that I am not ready for it yet. Doing the leg raises (steps), the pain in my ankles started of as a dull ache and turned sharper and sharper the further along I went with it.

After talking it over with my wife, I decided to not go as intense as P90X and to start with 10 Minute Trainer. So that’s what I did. Lower Body and Abs. The section with the lunges and such was hard and made me sweat. It still hurt my ankle – especially any time they talked about lunges. But I was able to power through the pain and do my workout. Then I decided to do the 10 Minute Abs simply because I was on a roll and because I need to keep my core strong.

Man, I did not think that I was THAT far out of shape!

And you know what? Until my ankle stops locking and hurting like this, I’m just gonna stick to this specific routine for a week or two. Calf raises, light lunges, balance drills and things like that. And in between all that, I will do my abs as needed.

The last thing I wanna do is re-injure myself. And so as much as I WANT to go straight into P90X and Plyo (in particular), I can’t bring myself to the point of risking another injury simply because I wanna fast track this.

I was told by a friend of mine who does Kinesiology that it would have been better if I would have broken the ankle outright as the bone would have healed better and stronger than before. But with fractures and ligaments, it’s worse because it takes longer to fully recover (if ever) from the damage done.

Hearing that makes me even more weary of starting up a tough routine like P90X when I am still experiencing pain when I flex and stretch the ankle joint.

My appointment to the doctor was a GREAT way to start this week!

My fracture has mostly healed and I have been given the green light to start a home based rehab program!

I’m still being discouraged from doing my basketball for another few weeks, but have been given a thumbs up for Yoga-X and Plyometrics in about a week or two, after my muscles get used to being out of my boot again.

This is GREAT news for 2 reasons:

1. It means that I am ahead of schedule

2. It means that I can do a mini circuit of P90X for the next 2 months – 60 days – or so, which will get me back into game shape very very quickly.

So it looks like I am jumping back on that horse again and it looks like I am gonna restart my normal P90X routines, for another 2 months! Heck, maybe I’ll do 60 days of P90X Lean!

And who knows …. maybe some day I will actually get around to FINISHING a full cycle! This will mark the THIRD time that I have restarted P90X in about a year and a half.

I’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow (Monday) at 1:40pm to do with my ankle. We’re gonna follow up and check on the progress of healing and seeing whether or not I am ready to start my physio.

The last few days, I’ve noticed that I am actually able to walk normally with little to no pain and that I am able to roll my ankle over and put weight on it as well. I can stand ion my tippy toes (ha, P90X reference!) and it’s only slightly discomforting.

I’m actually very excited at this point, to be going for this appointment. I’m hoping that the doctor says that I am ready cuz once I get the green light, I’m gonna start doing P90X again. I figure if I start with Yoga and Stretch, then I can do that for a week or so and add Plyo, Core Synergistics and Legs and Back after that. I figure that I should be back in shape in about 30 – 45 days, which would put me back to being on the court by Mid to late December, as originally planned. This is, of course, assuming that I get the green light tomorrow to start rehab – all dependant on how my ankle fracture is doing.

Of course, I’m gonna combine all that with whatever exercises the Physiotherapist deems necessary, but I’m gonna try to get back in game shape as well – and what better way to get there than by doing P90X?!??!

God, I sound like an infomercial! lol.

But I’m crossing my fingers for some good news ….. I could use it. I’m tired of walking around in that boot.

It’s no secret that I have fractured an ankle.

Since that happened, I’ve been given a 4-6 week MINIMUM prognosis for return to health. More likely targets put me at 8-10 weeks including rehab. So in thinking about stuff this week, I came upon a few key realizations regarding my health this basketball season:

1. My Cardio is gonna disappear.
2. My Leg Strength – particularly the Left – is gonna disappear.
3. My Abs are gonna get jellier than they’ve ever been.
4. My basketball skills are gonna rust.
5. I am unable to do any of the major P90X routines for the first 30 days

I am unable to do anything about 1, 2, 4 and 5 as they require a fully functioning leg to deal with. But #3 …. number three I am able to control.

As one of my most favourite all-time poems says ….

Do not go gently into that good night …. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And so, I intend to rage. In thinking about what I was going to do, I have opted for a 30 Day Ab Challenge using only Ab Ripper X and 10 Minute Abs.

I have a feeling that the first 14 days are gonna feel like being kicked in the stomach by a mule … daily. But I am determined now, more than ever, to do SOMETHING for my own health and well being. Having the next 2 to 2 1/2 months off doing NOTHING is simply unacceptable. I cannot sit idly by and watch as all the work that I have done to get back in shape over the last year and a half simply withers away.

And really, what better way to use the first 30 days of prescribed inactivity than to blast my abs in a Gerard Butler kind of way?!?! It can ONLY benefit my core and my game to have nice, strong abs. Plus my wife will love it too …. the finished product, not the journey that has me groaning and begging for mercy for the first 20 days or so.

I don’t know what will happen, but it should be an interesting experiment.

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So what am I planning on doing for the next 30 days?

Well, Tony Horton says that we don’t NEED to work our abs every day. And I agree with him – we don’t NEED to. But we COULD, if we WANTED to …

In a worst case scenario, when the going gets tough, the t0ugher are gonna do Ab Ripper X every second day and in between, the full 10 Minute Abs routine – twice a day! Once in the morning and once in the evening.

Oh yes, I’m gonna try to go the Conan route!

Tomorrow is gonna be Mega Abs – Day 1.

Spartan Warriors aren’t born, you know. They’re Fabricated.

Adversity or Opportunity?

How do you classify something negative that happens to you?

I suppose it all depends on whether or not you are in a good mood that day? Or whether or not your mind is centered?

I found out today that I fractured my ankle. Basketball injury. Freak accident; landed on someone’s foot and someone else landed on my leg as I was coming down. Spent 2 days of excruciating pain before I gave in and went to the doctor’s.

Long story short, I am out for 4-6 weeks. It means a loss of approximately 3 or 4 games in my season as well as 5 or 6 practices. It means losing cardio, strength and rhythm in my game.

Or does it?

This situation represents an opportunity to return to P90X, if only for a month or two.

When it first happened, my first thought was: “Aw crap. That sucks.”

But the more I thought about it, the more I was happy with it. Not because I get to miss games but because I get a chance to go back to basics. Strengthening the joints and muscles, my core, cardio work …. I am looking at this as an opportunity right now. An opportunity to do right by me. To NOT lose a step. To prove to myself that I can work past injuries and find different ways to get it done.

Maybe I can come back with better conditioning. Maybe I can come back with a stronger core, better abs and a stronger back. Maybe I can rehab my ankles with Plyo. Maybe I can work out my legs and back.

Bottom line: I refuse to get down about this.

I’ve been through too much to let this injury derail any positive momentum I had going into the season or into my second year of P90X. And really, it could have been a LOT worse … don’t click the link if you are squeamish …

Opportunity springs from adversity …

It’s all in your mind …

I have decided that I am well enough since my ankle sprain to resume my P90X routines.

I spent the entire afternoon outside today, lugging my kids around our local zoo and shopping for groceries.

It was equal parts me wanting to get out with my kids and wanting to see how things were doing, physically.

I am happy enough that I am feeling confident in restarting my P90X … AGAIN.

Tomorrow I might make time during the day for AB-Ripper X as my evening will be booked solid til about 11pm. Though I suppose I COULD come home and work out afterward … we’ll see.