Perils of Big Thighs and Bridesmaid Dresses

[mavd]

Spin class this morning, a mix of sprints, hills, and tabata. My legs are sore AF so it was a challenge.

[jessswooo]

I need to know what you do in yoga that keeps the back pain away!!!!

[astronut96]

How was your trip and how did the move go?

[mavd]

I need to know what you do in yoga that keeps the back pain away!!!!

Most of it is actually stretching out the hip flexors and various groups in the lower body to relieve tension. But you can also get two yoga blocks and place one of them horizontally right at the bottom of your rib cage, and the other vertically between your shoulders, and just lay on them for a while to undo all the hunching in front of a computer.

How was your trip and how did the move go?

OMG..... the whole trip-then-pack-then-move is an ongoing disaster. My stress is through the roof. My friends are AMAZING and I had about 8 burly guys who got me out and in to the new place quickly with little fuss. But my packing was atrocious and rushed so I can't tell where anything is and I haven't had time to unpack much. To top it off, my boyfriend's parents are visiting from out of state for the first time, so I'm trying to entertain them in addition to unpacking. Plus, I'm slightly appalled at the idea of living in other people's "filth" (it's not bad, but the little messes that add up like cleaning insides of cupboards) so I am compelled to deep clean everything before I unpack. AND I have 400+ emails and a really important deadline at work set for Friday with mandatory Wednesday off.

As for working out, I lifted on Thursday and then haven't had time since. Considering I've barely sat for the last 4 days I'm sure I'm doing fine for fitness. I honestly don't think I can make it to the gym this week between working long hours, entertaining guests, and trying to get my condo to a livable level of chaos.

Oh, and I love, love, love my new home *but* I forsee having to replace the kitchen appliances sooner than I hoped. Was trying to hold off until Black Friday to snag the best deals, but the stove is still mega-ick factor, the dishwasher is installed wrong, and the refridgerator is TINY! If I have any spare time before Wednesday, I might try to shop around Independence Day sales. I hate to hit my budget right now (moving is expensive!) but honestly I don't know that the fridge will work for a family of 4 (oh, did I mention we have the bf's kids for 2 months? yeah... that too).

[Clinos]

I need to know what you do in yoga that keeps the back pain away!!!!

I like Child's Pose and Triangle Pose for lower back issues. It's very easy to forget to sit properly in a chair or get up every few minutes. Those work well for me, but what mavd said is pretty good. I didn't know about the stretch she mentioned, will try and cry/report back.

OMG So much stress, stress, stress and a bit more stress.

I started to tense up reading that. Do the cabinets only, deep clean and store what you can. Move onto the next item. Don't go crazy trying to do it all at once. BF needs to make a good impression for the parents, no? If so, #teamworkmakesthedreamwork.

My method of madness for cleaning when it's out of control or I'm away from home for a bit is 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there once a day (20 total). Another one is to start cleaning and clearing from one corner of the room to the adjacent corner then to the diagonal corner and then adjacent again. I do cheat though as I employ and break most child labour laws by having my kids help clean up everything, their stuff and my stuff, because I've been cleaning everyones stuff for more than a decade now and it helps them to build character right*?

End of the day, you moved, accomplished something, and own something, it's bound to be a bit messy at first.

[mavd]

I started to tense up reading that. Do the cabinets only, deep clean and store what you can. Move onto the next item. Don't go crazy trying to do it all at once. BF needs to make a good impression for the parents, no? If so, #teamworkmakesthedreamwork.

My method of madness for cleaning when it's out of control or I'm away from home for a bit is 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there once a day (20 total). Another one is to start cleaning and clearing from one corner of the room to the adjacent corner then to the diagonal corner and then adjacent again. I do cheat though as I employ and break most child labour laws by having my kids help clean up everything, their stuff and my stuff, because I've been cleaning everyones stuff for more than a decade now and it helps them to build character right*?

End of the day, you moved, accomplished something, and own something, it's bound to be a bit messy at first.

Thanks for the reality check! I think I needed a bucket of cold water dumped on my head to get me out of the self-imposed panic. I got home yesterday and bf's mom had finished cleaning the inside of the cupboards and put new liners in them and scrubbed the stove and microwave. I am extremely grateful and kind of sad that she's spending her vacation doing housework. But I was able to unpack 80% of the kitchen stuff so I could make coffee before work this morning, so life feels slightly more controlled. Still haven't found most of my work clothes, so I'm obligated to wear dresses and heels (I tend towards slacks and flats most days). I also got up at 5 am on move day to steam clean the carpets, so in reality the two biggest cleaning items are already done. And I have to acknowledge that I *was* panicked at one point about furnishing the two extra rooms for the kids, but the seller let us keep her bunk beds+trundle for the girl's room and during the move a friend-of-a-friend gave us a really nice queen set for the boy's (mattress is bad, but that's replaceable). So now I actually only need a dresser for the girl, a dining set and a coffee table and I'll be fully furnished.

[anandagirl]

Oh man, moving is the worst. Hope you're feeling less overwhelmed. Take bf's mom out to dinner for sure xoxo

[mavd]

Okay I no longer have guests as an excuse for skipping the gym (still unpacking, but that might take months lol). With the kids being here all summer, I can't really commit to going to the gym on Saturdays (only full uncommitted day with the kids, so we want to do fun things like beach, hiking, etc) and kickball is going strong on Sundays, so I've decided to do full body M/W/F, and try to hit spin class on both T/Th. We take the kids to a day camp that is right across the street from my work and I need to pick them up by 5:30, and I still have to put 9 hour days in, which means I need to drop them off around 7:45. All in all... that means I need to get up at 5am to get all this in, and go to bed by 9. This is my life now. -.-

Anyway, not really following a plan as yet so winging it and hitting major lifts for every body part. Goal will be lose fat/maintain muscle, ish, because calorie counting isn't happening.

Saturday
Beach. About 2 hours in the ocean body boarding, which is actually a decent workout I think.

Sunday
Kickball, effing hot as h-e-doubble-hockeysticks, but we won 9-4. We are 4-0 this season and this was our closest win.

Monday
Back Squat 5xBW 3x95 5x5x135
Bench 4x95 5x5x95
SLDL 5x95 4x5x115
Row 5x5x95
OHP 3x8x45
Lying leg lift 4x10

[mavd]

Tuesday
50 min spin class. It was rough, leg and shoulder DOMS plus the heat (75 by 6am) and humidity (82% in a place that's practically a desert) really dragged me down.

[mavd]

Wednesday
Had to modify what I planned to do because my quad DOMS might actually be a slight strain to my left quad given current pain level)
Trap bar DL 3x45 3x130 5x185 5x190 5x195 5x200 5x205 (this is quite a bit lighter than pre-break but felt incredibly heavy *sigh*)
DB Incline Bench 4x8x30s
Wide grip assisted pullup 3x8x70 8x80
Lying leg curl 4x8x50 (just the pressure on my quad from this was almost unbearable)
Busa mountain climbers 4x10

[mavd]

Thursday
50 min spin class, endurance (i.e. one speed, medium-high load). Glad instructor did an endurance day because after about 10 min my sore quad had enough stretching and blood flowing to it to ease up some. Also, I tend to get the equivalent of a runners high after about 25 min and the extra energy seems to last all day.

[mavd]

Friday
The same workout as last Monday (squats, bench, OHP, row, SLDL) but didn't write down the weights day of so now it's long gone from my memory.

Saturday
It was San Diego Pride, so I walked a lot. In heels. My poor feet. And then some pool time with the kids which is kind of active-ish.

Sunday
2 hours at the beach (about an hour of actual swimming) plus the usual shopping and meal prepping. So basically I barely sat down all day.

Monday
Trap bar squat 5x45 5x135 5x185 4x3x205 (still feels so heavy, whyyyyy)
DB incline bench 5x5x35s
Assisted pullup 5x5x70
BB lunge 3x8x65
DB lat raise 3x12x10s
Busa mountain climbers 4x10


My back is quite sunburnt from yesterday so the workout was uncomfortable.

[Fiction2Fitness]

So busy but getting things done. Ouch on the sunburn. I always thought it was crazy how many walked around pride in heels. I can barely walk in them in general cause rarely ever need to wear a pair, so not something I've tried yet for such an event where have to stand/walk for hours.

[mavd]

So busy but getting things done. Ouch on the sunburn. I always thought it was crazy how many walked around pride in heels. I can barely walk in them in general cause rarely ever need to wear a pair, so not something I've tried yet for such an event where have to stand/walk for hours.

I didn't plan on walking as much as I did. I meant to go to a brunch house party hosted at the parade staging area, see everything there, and then grab a Lyft home. I ended up walking to a bar half a mile away mid-parade route and not being able to get a ride there and having to walk another half mile before succumbing to pain and calling the bf.

Tuesday
Feet hurt and I didn't feel up to spin. I actually woke up on time for it and everything, not tired, just not up for it.

Wednesday
Squats 3x45 3x95 5x3x140
Bench 3x45 5x5x95
Row 5x5x100
SLDL 5x5x100
DB OHP 5x5x20s
Busa ball mountain climbers 4x10

Work is bad right now. Shouldn't say much else on that. But the stress is really getting to me. House is going well, everything is unpacked except things that need to go into storage, and I just need time to sort and compact that all to fit in our tiny storage unit. Really need a dining table. Feels wrong to let the kids eat on the couch every meal. I guess I never realized how "family" it feels to sit down and have a dinner when you are forced to look at each other. Maybe I'll buy one this weekend.

[mavd]

I woke up at 5am to a traffic warning on my phone because of Comic Con. My gym is way closer to that than my condo. I'm not sitting in traffic at 5am to go to the gym. I'll be taking a training break until Monday. *grumbles incoherently*

[mavd]

Guess it was good I took a few days off because I ended up being sick Thursday-Sunday. Still am not 100%.... I think it's actually severe allergies not a cold. It's so dusty here because of the lack of rain and higher than normal heat.

Sunday
Kickball, another win. We are 5-0, only 2 undefeated teams left. I didn't get as much exercise as usual because I used a designated runner due to the fact I was at about 70% normal lung capacity. But I played well, an RBI and my runner got on base and both kicks.

Monday
Squats 5x45 3x95 5x3x140
Bench 3x45 5x5x95
Row 5x3x100
Single leg SLDL w/ DB 5x5x20
OHP 3x8x50

Notes: I think I might be developing complications with my hands from the hypermobility/EDS. I have lost grip strength over the last few years (not so much during lifting, but stupid things like being able to twist open a jar), and now during my bench the pressure from the bar feels like it is moving things around, and it's quite painful. I hope I'm making a big deal out of nothing, because this can be a really bad sign as I'm only 30.

[mavd]

Tuesday
Spin, 50 min. Lots of climbs. I have one hell of a sinus headache. *sigh*

[mavd]

Wednesday
It was a close battle with my desire to sleep in and skip the gym. But I prevailed. Barely. -.-
Trap bar DL 3x45 3x135 5x3x210
Assisted wide grip pull up 5x5x50 (so, 100ish because I haven't been on a scale in a while but I suspect I've crept back up to the 150 mark)
Incline DB Bench 5x5x35s
Bulgarian split squat w/ DBs 5x5x27.5s I effing hate these so much
DB side lat raise 5x8x12.5s

I have already sneezed approximately 15 times today and it's 8am. I'm over it.

[astronut96]

Must be something about wednesday’s ... I struggle to get up for the gym on just about every one of them. Being sick sure doesn’t help. I hope you get to feeling better!

Sorry to hear about your hands. Any idea if there are any exercises or therapy you can do to stem the hyper-mobility in your hands?

[mavd]

Must be something about wednesday’s ... I struggle to get up for the gym on just about every one of them. Being sick sure doesn’t help. I hope you get to feeling better!

Sorry to hear about your hands. Any idea if there are any exercises or therapy you can do to stem the hyper-mobility in your hands?

Yeah that whole hump-day thing probably, you've been trudging half the week already and the end is not even near yet. I'm mostly better, just some lingering sneezes and sniffles. It's definitely just allergies. It's sooooooooooo dusty. We need rain really bad.

I haven't really looked into therapy. I don't think I really realized that this was a common complication until recently. I've always had weird pain at my joints if they took pressure at just the wrong place.... but recently they've been weak and achy which is new. I worry that lifting actually makes it worse, as the continuous strain causes micro-damage that could be adding up.

More updates in the "Home-ownership is hard and painfully expensive" category: Fridge is still too small (I organize it on Sundays to get everything to fit and then the kids just wreak havoc on it all week and we're back to a stress inducing avalanche every time you open it), the oven definitely does not heat to the stated temperature given my cooking results, the dryer motor can't tumble heavy loads, and the washing machine decided to start flooding the entry way last weekend. I also decided to spend $1000 on a gooorgeous dining set (approximately 20 minutes before the washer decided to say eff-you, of course). And *then* we met the president of the HOA and he warned that we're going to need to repave the driveway this fall so expect a $1200 bill for that soon. Anyway we had a home warranty thingy provided by the seller, so a repairman is coming to look at the oven, washer, and dryer tonight. So they'll either fix them or give us a cash value which will help toward replacement costs. I knew the appliances were all going to need to be replaced eventually, I was just hoping the washer/dryer would hold out a year or so. Looks like those might have to take priority over the kitchen and carpet replacement. :'(

Thursday
Spin, 50 min endurance. I was effing miserable. TOM hit which is still still causing higher than normal pain because of the LEEP, plus the heat, plus downtown near the bay the humidity is through the roof (how can we have humidity from the sea and still be dusty and dry as a desert a few miles away? total nonsense!), and I have a spasm in my lower back. Usually cardio helps with the cramps and the back spasms, but today it was just an uphill battle. A sweaty, miserable battle.

[anandagirl]

Notes: I think I might be developing complications with my hands from the hypermobility/EDS. I have lost grip strength over the last few years (not so much during lifting, but stupid things like being able to twist open a jar), and now during my bench the pressure from the bar feels like it is moving things around, and it's quite painful. I hope I'm making a big deal out of nothing, because this can be a really bad sign as I'm only 30.

Ouch!

More updates in the "Home-ownership is hard and painfully expensive" category: Fridge is still too small (I organize it on Sundays to get everything to fit and then the kids just wreak havoc on it all week and we're back to a stress inducing avalanche every time you open it), the oven definitely does not heat to the stated temperature given my cooking results, the dryer motor can't tumble heavy loads, and the washing machine decided to start flooding the entry way last weekend. I also decided to spend $1000 on a gooorgeous dining set (approximately 20 minutes before the washer decided to say eff-you, of course). And *then* we met the president of the HOA and he warned that we're going to need to repave the driveway this fall so expect a $1200 bill for that soon. Anyway we had a home warranty thingy provided by the seller, so a repairman is coming to look at the oven, washer, and dryer tonight. So they'll either fix them or give us a cash value which will help toward replacement costs. I knew the appliances were all going to need to be replaced eventually, I was just hoping the washer/dryer would hold out a year or so. Looks like those might have to take priority over the kitchen and carpet replacement. :'(

Ugh. Fingers crossed the home warranty helps.

Summer colds, shark week and allergies can FRO.

[mavd]

Ugh. Fingers crossed the home warranty helps.

Summer colds, shark week and allergies can FRO.

Well, they're fixing the washer. The dryer they can't replicate the problem (because he was spinning it empty, so duh, but whatever). And apparently it's totally acceptable for electric ovens to be off by up to 10%. So I've just been turning the heat higher than it reads. Yaaaaaaaaay. I'm going to continue the plan to hold out until Black Friday (or possibly just Labor Day depending on how good the sales are) and then use the purchasing power of wanting 6 new appliances to try to negotiate better deals.

No gym since Thursday. We decided to let the kids paint their rooms so I spent Friday and Saturday painting a rainbow/Pride flag on one wall (she knows what it is, she hasn't said she's gay but the way we've explained it to her is that the flag stands for love and acceptance and kindness for everyone and she really supports that), and painting one wall blue for Ravenclaw and another yellow for Hufflepuff for the other kid (still to finish this week: Red Gryffindor and Green Slytherin walls). Sunday we went to Universal Studios (we got everyone season passes for Christmas), so ~20,000 steps logged. This morning my new table was delivered so I couldn't go to the gym before work. Back at it tomorrow.

[mavd]

Tuesday
The sweet siren song of sleep triumphed over spin class.

Wednesday aka impromptu upper day
I murdered the siren after 4 snoozes and dragged my ass out of bed. Felt like ****. Back was tight. Ignored all good judgement that was telling me I needed to stretch more than I needed to get my reps in. Payed for it.
Squats - BWx5 3x95 3x140 and then on set 2 felt something wrench on rep 2 and barely got halfway to rep 3 and realized this was a no-go type of injury. Rest of workout was cobbled together to avoid further irratation with limping and wincing with every step and bend-over-to-pick-up-weights.
Superset A
Single arm flat bench w/ DB 4x8x27.5
Lying leg curl (surprisingly not painful, unless you count walking between the bench and the machine) 4x8x50
Superset B
Single arm cable row 4x?? I really don't effing remember, as heavy as I could obvi
Seated DB military press (thought that'd be better for lower back, probably was) 4x8x20s
Superset C
Tricep rope pushdown 4x10x33
DB hammer curl 4x8x20s

I'm in serious pain. Sitting is worse than standing but of course I'm stuck at my desk job. It's been 6 weeks since I've been to yoga and obviously that's a problem. Also how the eff has it been 6 weeks?! Having kids living with me has literally eaten away all spare time. Argh.

[mavd]

Thursday
Set my alarm and got up, but my back was still quite sore. Kickball playoffs start this week so I don't want to cripple myself. Skipped spin.

Friday
Still a bit sore, but not so bad. I opted out of squats and DLs and kept everything a bit light so I didn't re-aggravate.
Superset A
Weighted hip thrusts 4x10x70 (haven't done these in aaaages)
Assisted wide grip pull up 4x6x65
Superset B
Leg press 4x8x200
Incline DB bench 4x8x30s
Superset C
Leg extension 4x10x60
Hammer high pull 4x8x145

Condo updates: I'm at like 98% settled. Dining table is all set up and couches are where I think they're staying for a while. I have just one corner of items I'm still looking to settle somewhere (spare motorcycle bits, guitar case, and painting supplies).

Job updates: Company just dangled a really interesting transfer in front of me. Would involve a lot of travel and getting back into my research roots (they want a PhD in mathematics not chemistry, but they're going to send my resume to the customer anyway). Fingers crossed, because I'm not very happy where I'm at.

[anandagirl]

Ooooh good luck on the transfer!

[mavd]

Saturday
Played tourist (bf's mom in town again) so I got in about 13,000 steps

Sunday
Kickball, week 1 of playoffs. We won 7-2, but the other team scored their 2 points first and it was the first time all season we've been down. Honestly, I blame our captain..... He basically spent all day Friday at practice talking about the championship game and the double header we'll face next week just assuming we'd breeze by this team because we beat them 17-0 during the season. He also tried to get several players, including me, to agree not to play during the playoffs so he could stack our roster with subs. His reasoning being that the other guy that I share 2nd base with is better than me. That really peeves me, because it's not true. I'm not flashy but I'm consistent. Not a single point has been scored while I'm on the field, and that includes yesterday's 2. Additionally, he seems to think I can't kick and is constantly trying to change my kicking during practices (my hypermobility means I can't kick "properly" because it over extends my ankle). He seems to fail to notice however, that I've actually gotten on base all but 2 times I've kicked all season (both times I fouled out), and have had several RBIs/RKIs (including the winning run yesterday). I'm not very competitive by nature, but I know the game and am the best strategist on the team. He's making what should be rec league kickball no fun anymore. Anyway, enough ranting about that.

Monday
Lower back is still sore so I'm staying away from deads and squats. Decided to just focus on shoulders today. Workout is from "30 Days Out", an old favorite of mine.
Rack cleans 10x3x65 (lower than I used to do, but trying to not worsen back problems)
Side lat raise w/ DBs 6x5x15s
Front lat raise w/ DBs 5x6x10s
DB shrug 3x10x30s
Seated DB mil press 2x15x17.5s
DB upright row 1x30x20s


Condo Update
Got my July electricity bill, had a small heart attack, and promptly shut off my air conditioner and scheduled consultations for HVAC and window replacement. Those were other things on my "eventually" list as they are both original and nearing 40 years old. But now they are priority. Pretty fecking miserable all weekend with the heat, the condo hits 80 by 10 am. So I had to give my poor long haired kitty a haircut. He looks pathetic but happy.

[mavd]

Tuesday
50 min spin class, interval focus. Very hot and humid. Very sweaty. Dislocated my shoulder trying to get my sports bra off, not super bad but it hurt still (I've done this 300384930 times before but not in a while). I blame being sticky and chubby so my bra is on the tight side. Back feels good today though.

[anandagirl]

Tuesday
50 min spin class, interval focus. Very hot and humid. Very sweaty. Dislocated my shoulder trying to get my sports bra off, not super bad but it hurt still (I've done this 300384930 times before but not in a while). I blame being sticky and chubby so my bra is on the tight side. Back feels good today though.

Ouch!!

[mavd]

Wednesday
Kept it a bit light still between the back and the shoulder. I am wondering if I was just overdo for some hypermobility/s****osis complications because I'd been doing so well, or if dropping my weekly yoga session has me this out of whack. I spent about 30 min just doing some back, glute, hip flexor, and quad stretching yesterday. Anyway, on to the workout:
Squats: 5xBW 5x45 3x65 5x5x95
Bench press: 5x45 5x65 5x75 3x5x80
Seated cable row, close grip: 8x85 3x8x90
Lying leg curl:4x8x50
Busa mountain climbers: 3x10

[mavd]

Thursday
Rant. Sleep quality is **** because of the heat. So overslept, missed spin class. Kids overslept and made me late for work. Didn't have time to make coffee. Forgot my phone (no audiobooks to get me through the day). And when I dropped the kids at camp, some little sh!t wailed me in the left tit with a football. I'ts 8 a-freaking-m and all this has happened and we're under an excessive heat warning and I want a beer and a pint of ice cream. Damn it.