About a year and a half ago I started having some real problems with my ankle. Without going into the painful details it wasn't caused by running but did exacerbate it after I was done. Still, for the past year I haven't run on it at all. Instead substituting eliptical trainers and biking. It works and I even convinced myself that I was going to start biking regularly.
I'll be damned though if I just cannot get past bike-butt. Shin splints were never a problem, I just ran them out, but I just cannot seem to force myself to 'toughen up' back there. Then, about two weeks ago I just couldn't stand to get on the stationary one day and decided to try a Jog/walk. I posted it as my workout here a couple of times. Thankfully, I have not had a problem with my foot and so I think I'll try to get back into running now that my ankle seems to have healed.
Anyhow, I'm glad I didn't spend a lot of money on an expensive new bike to 'motivate' me. The truth is, I like running and need to get back into it. Going back to the old standard will probably require some new insoles or other weight bearing based technology, but that's ok. Knowing what type of workout you like and finding ways to make it work for you are an important part of maintaining an exercise program. As we age and change, modifications and adjustments will undoubtedly be required and that's a good thing.
Fit Topic of the Day -
Peripheral heart action. PHA workouts have their origins amongst the bodybuilding set from as far back as the early 60s. Essentially it is a form of circuit training which attempts to draw blood away from the heart muscle and to the extremities. In practice, by moving the blood up and down the body you prevent pooling and promote the uptake and removal of waste products and acid buildups allowing you to perform more work in less time. (Yay!)
Without getting super specific, one begins by grouping even numbers of exercises together(2, 4, 6, 8) depending on how many sets and how much total time you have. A basic program will take an upper and lower body exercise and perform them in succession to the desired number of repetitions and sets.
Ex: Squats, pushups, lunges, shoulder press, hamstring curls, lat pulldown. I like to group them in twos and perform each one twice before resting for 30-60 seconds. Have fun!
Rediculously Fit person of the day -
Dara Torres - US Olympic swimmer. Just read a short piece on her the other day. At 44 she's been to 5 Olympics and is still swimming competitively. That is some serious commitment. Almost makes me want to get back on the bike......almost.
Me and my iPod -
workout - Reverse Lunge with bar, TRX body pull, Deadlift, Standing shoulder press.
iPod - Affirmation Nation(hilarious) - Pandora - College Indie station.
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