"Welcome to middle age."

While visiting with the doc today, I had described how my injuries occurred, and he commented on how intense group exercise classes can cause a lot of problems when the group sets the pace rather than each individual.  I told him I had thought I was ready to push myself as much as I was, but it strained me, then I pushed myself another way during my own workout a few days later, and bam: mess.  I said I'm usually pretty cautious and ease into things, but it had been a while since I'd worked those muscle groups.  Turns out he says I'm doing all the right exercises to strengthen the right areas, but I needed not to push myself so much so fast.  I said I had thought I'd been doing really well but just got a little ambitious and would have to be a bit more careful.  Then he said it.

"Welcome to middle age.  As you head into it..."

I kind of chuckled as I missed the rest of his sentence because my immediate, initial reaction was to think, "Ha ha, doc, yeah that's a funny jo--..."  Immediately following this interrupted thought was the next one which interrupted it: "Oh @#$%.  That's not a joke.  It's just true.  I'm heading into middle age."

Fortunately, I'm probably in as good a shape as I've ever been, and I feel good and am apparently still attractive enough to capture the attention of those to whom I'm attracted and energetic enough to play "war" with the kids and spry enough to keep up with twenty-somethings on hikes, so I've got that going for me.  And we're in a time when thirty is the new twenty, so that's fun.  But now I'm even beyond that age people need to comfort themselves about by saying it's the new twenty.  Hmph.

As I related this exchange with my doc to some friends tonight, one of them choked and said, about himself, "Crap, when did that happen?"  Ha ha, can't fight it, so I'll accept it.  Bring it on, middle age.  Let's have a ball.

Thank Bob for nonprofit health clinics

For those of you who knew I was injured and lamenting the cost of getting it looked at and fearing the possibility of surgery if it turned out to be a hernia or something without hardly a penny to my name, I bring good news...for now, at least.

I found a non-profit health clinic with a sliding fee scale which was able to get me in the next day (today).  It was actually a totally decent place.  I'd go back.  Although I'd have to pay more once I'm earning an income again, I imagine.

I qualified for the deepest discount, so they only required $20 up front for the visit and will bill me for the rest.  And the prognosis: multiple muscle injuries compounding to create...a friggin' mess.  I've literally fallen apart a bit.  Heh, hopefully I'll also heal back together, though, says the doc.  Good to hear I (hopefully) won't need surgery. I hear hernia surgery isn't cheap. *whew*

So about $35 later, I'm on anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants and just trying to take care of myself to allow proper healing, hoping it's better soon.  If it's not better in another week, then we'll have to reconsider, but send healing vibes to my groin, please! :-)

TRX kicked my butt

I finally went to one of those newfangled workout classes, a TRX class Justin's been inviting me to for a while now, insisting I needed to give it a shot. Since the class is downtown, that's given me a good excuse not to be able to make it, but I thought, "OK, fine, I'm trying to just try new things more, so let's do this thing and stop wondering ahead of time how much of a wuss I'll be." So I said, "Fine, yes, Friday."

The short version is...my arms feel like their power has been drained about 58%, I'm sore in places I can't remember being sore in, I nearly threw up about halfway through the class and left to kneel before some porcelain for a few minutes until I felt ready to rejoin the class, and I've remembered the benefit of trying something on a whole new level you haven't tried before even if only to reveal...opportunities for growth.

If the class were at a gym I had a membership to, and were free, I'd totally be there. I should see if my gym has some good classes.

My buddies in Salt Lake kept trying to get me to go to their CrossFit class, which someone said is supposedly harder than TRX. I'll pass for now, thanks. And I'll work my way up to it.

...Oh, the pain, it makes me feel so alive. ;-)

You Know What They Say About Lifting With Your Legs?

...yeah, it's good advice. Don't get lazy about it. My old body just can't take abuse like it used to in my younger years.

The Incredible Growing Gut

Ugh. OK, to those of you who scoff when I've mentioned that my gut is growing, I'll have you know, I'm sitting at work right now, in my fitted-but-not-tight jeans, and my belly is TOTALLY hanging over my waist. I'm actually really dismayed that I have a doughy mass squishing around at the top of my jeans. It's just not right on such a skinny boy as myself. If I had any meat on my bones, it wouldn't be as big a deal. It would be proportional. But I have a tiny upper body, then I'm pooching out in the middle. Just a little, but it's still just not right.

I'm done believing I can get away with midnight snacks here and there and eating too much sugar and too much pizza. It's time to get serious again, folks. Time to minimize all sugar intake. Time to allow myself only one "bad" meal a week again. Time to mix more fat-burning and cardiovascular exercise in with weight-lifting. I've realized I'd rather be trim and able to run and hike than buff and able to lift heavy things but unable to get up stairs without being winded. And let's be honest, I'm never going to be Ahnold.

I'm actually increasingly interested in trying this "cleanse" or "detox" diet a couple of friends have done. Maybe I'll contact them for more info on how to do it. They've both said they felt amazing, and their energy went through the roof, and one of them even remarked he felt a markedly increased sense of self-control.

This isn't about vanity--it's about realizing the affects of my habits on the direction of my overall health (by such indicators as a mushy gut).

Yes, I'm still probably trimmer than most folks my age, but I'm not going in the right direction here, folks, so support me, rather than scoff at me, in my efforts to trim up, dang it! :-)

Oh, it's so squishy...so's my butt...this is just not good...