TWEAK!
Uh Oh…
I knew the road might not be straight in this endeavor. Out of the blue, without any clear cause, a sharp back pain manifested in the middle of my spine. I could sit and stand without much discomfort, but when laying down the spasms would come with one wrong move. Tweak! Then, getting up after a sleep brought sharper spasms and stiffness. Tweak! TWEAK! Ugh.
The irony of having to sleep elevated on a La-Z-Boy did not escape me. I’m trying to spend less time there.
I could walk, but not for very long, so pushing it to power walk pace was not the best idea. My chiropractor provided some relief and advice, and I considered getting an MRI if it didn’t go away. You never know when your kidneys or some other machine part has a knocking valve, so to speak. Thankfully, it is subsiding and I’m easing back into the routine.
Note to self: STRETCH!
I do often stretch, but not in a consistent manner. When I wake, I will sometimes do a few slow straight leg lifts with my toes pointed, then slowly lift and “bicycle” a few times. Then rotate torso and stretch arms when I rise. However, I had not been stretching as a habit before walking. I guess the rubber band got too tight with my haphazard approach. My hammy’s need attention.
There are expansive resources online that provide advice and information about stretching. Here’s one I like by physical therapist Janice Eveleigh. The point is this: If you don’t want to Tweak!, loosen and warm up the engine before racing down the road. Take it from my rookie mistake.
Of course, not doing my routine walks and training at pace also had an adverse affect on my weight. But another event in the form of a medical procedure came to my rescue. Cue Infomercial:
Have you heard about the Colonoscopy Diet? Our scientific prep and no food intake for nearly 24 hours will melt pounds off like magic! Just a couple of delicious shakes to kick it off, and after you get clean as a whistle a doctor will give you happy gas and a thorough surgical examination. It’s over before you know it and you won’t feel a thing! And just watch those pounds and inches disappear! Try it now – “Operators” are standing by!
OK, kinda gross humor but please listen to me if you are over 50 and haven’t had one: Do it! I’ve lost two good friends far too soon to colon cancer, and the key to survival if your ticket is pulled is early detection and treatment. In my case, I have had benign polyps removed, and one of my siblings has had them too. Because of that, I am on a three-year cycle for testing instead of the usual five-year recommendation. I look forward to getting the procedure because it feels great to be told you are in the clear.
So, the procedure coincidentally helped me shed five pounds that had piled back on, and I’m up again. I’ve become a bit of a curiosity in the neighborhood, gliding at a fast pace and pumping my arms down the street. I hope people will stop me and ask about it so I can tell them about Senior Games and that a complete novice like me can “get into The Games” with a little work and motivation.
See ya next time when I take you back to understand why I shied away from sports.
