Fascia

Alas, found something (finally) that concludes, summarise and explains all that I've learnt and gone through with my aches and pains over the years of being physically active.


Read more HERE

Please find some time to read through, relevant to all, regardless of whether you've an active or inactive lifestyle.

Fascia reacts to how we treat our body and muscles - how long we sit, stand, run, walk, hence, dictates and impacts our movements and flexibility.

I couldn't run, so I walked.

The late sinseh had mentioned before that brisk walking is the best exercise for us. Back then, I thought it's so Duh to walk when I could run or jump and kick about in fun classes at the gym.

Years later, age has caught up, body condition has changed.  The recent problem with the back involved injuries to deep muscles in the back, hip flexors, hamstrings, etc...all inter related.  Any exercises that require exertion to the back and hip or even leg muscles would be uncomfortable.

The osteopathy said he can make me better but it's up to me to reassess my lifestyle, exercise options, sitting and sleeping positions, etc.  He said that exercising is an important aspect, but when there are injuries we gotta learn to adjust appropriately.

Will touch on what Osteopathy is all about at a greater length in future. 

In summary, I (we) need to exercise in one way or another.  

Before I got active in the gym, I used to go for regular massage sessions, the masseur said that I was only paying her to help me exercise !

Similarly, relevant articles on Osteo also mentioned that no treatment will help if the patient goes back home and be a couch potato.

I have been a good patient this time!  Treatment cost is expensive, better not waste it :D

I was away from the gym for about 2 weeks, now back to only twice or thrice a week.  I skipped the Adidas KOTR last week and won't be running at the 2xu run this weekend too.

Whenever I feel stiff, I'd go for a walk. In fact I've learnt to enjoy walking. But I need my music though. It's quite fun and relaxing especially when he weather is good.

I've learnt to enjoy stretching too. I stretch religiously for 30 mins or more every morning and after a run or walk or class at the gym.  Really helped to lengthen ans strengthen the muscles.

The Osteo said its important to start doing what I used to do again to test  what I can and cannot do, it will be good info to him too, if I need to go back and see him again.

It's all up to oneself actually.  For me, ya, I cannot be as active as before.  I used to be able to go to gym classes everyday.  I should be running 15km this weekend.  I can't now.  But staying totally away and inactive is not a solution either.  Any 'movement' is good for the body, even the brain.  It doesn't have to be a 10km run or any rigouros regime,  

In fact, I was thinking..I could just to a 5 mins walk over to my brother's house instead of driving.  That's good enough to relax the joints and muscles.  

Some articles recommended..walking up and down the stairs at home. Haha. That could be an options...but a bit too close up and boring for me.  I prefer outdoor..that is if weather is good.

Let's get active!

What's your excuse?

This is an amazing story.



In short, Arthur was an ex soldier from the gulf war. As a paratrooper, he sustained multiple injuries in his knees and back during the war and Doctors said he will never be able to walk without aids.  He started gaining weight and reached almost 300 pounds at one time.  by his own admission, "he was waiting to die".

Miraculously, he didn't give up.  He proved the doctors wrong.  He managed to lose 140 pounds in 10 months, now not only he is able to walk unaided, he can run and he teaches yoga.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2142617/How-obese-disabled-man-lost-140lbs-TEN-months-ran--thanks-yoga.html#ixzz2FNPIe0oR

Watch the video..and you will be inspired.


I won't give myself any excuses for pigging out and vegetating at home just because I have some small injuries.

Especially for us who don't have an office to go to, it is very very easy to fall into this trap of "letting too much of hair down" i.e we slack on self maintenance and physical and social activities and then slowly we will become lazy, fat, ugly and depressed.

Lol..

Funny..but it's true.

So..I'm not going to let that happen!

What's your excuse?

Source: resolutewoman.tumblr.com via elifesl on Pinterest

HBP and Strokes

Always heard about friends, family and everyone else having high blood pressure (HBP).  Even my own father was diagnosed recently and had to start on medication.  Many were concern and reminded him over and over to take his medication on time. Thus, I'm indirectly responsible to ensure he takes his medication.

Still, I've never really understood nor register the real complications of HBP.

I learnt all about HBP in one night, within a few hours last night, when I saw this man, my own Uncle, the youngest amongst the seniors, lying in the emergency room, on life support.  The attack was silent and ruthless.  His wife, son, the entire family couldn't believe what the doctor was saying...

"It's a massive stroke. A major rupture at the brain stem. Irreversible.  His brain is gone.  Nothing we can do.  In a matter of days, he will pass on..."

We don't meet often, occasional events bring us together, and we will say our Hellos and How Are Yous.  I always see him as this Tall, Handsome and fun Uncle regardless of his age.

We last met in October.  He was healthy and good, apart from a slightly more aged appearance.  Who doesn't age anyway?  The centre of attention was on the youngest family member, the one year old birthday boy and the oldest member, my father who was just diagnosed with High BP.  I had the honor of snapping a handsome photo of him with his grand children as the unofficial photographer for the night.  That's probably the last photo of him...


It was heartbreaking to see my cousin, standing forlornly by the bedside, caressing the father's forehead...it must be so difficult to have to let him go.

Uncontrolled high BP causes damages to arteries throughout the body, the brain inclusive.  Depending on severity, damages from a stroke can be mild, severe, irreversible or even fatal.  If you have friends or family members with history of high BP, please please make sure there are regular monitoring and medication.

In summary:
HBP damages arteries so they burst or clog more easily, very often.  resulting in a stroke.

A stroke, on the other hand, occurs when a blood vessel to the brain is either blocked by a clot (ischemic stroke) or bursts (hemorrhagic stroke). When that happens, part of the brain is no longer getting the blood and oxygen it needs, so it starts to die. Your brain controls your movement and thoughts, so a stroke doesn't only hurt your brain. It also hurts the brain's ability to think and control body functions. Strokes can affect language, memory and vision as well as cause paralysis and other health issues (death inclusive).

My Uncle was unfortunate to be hit by a hemorrhagic stroke at the brain stem, the most important part of the brain i,e blood vessel in the brain breaks or ruptures resulting in blood seeping into the brain tissue, causing damage to brain cells.

In short:

• Stroke is the leading cause of disability.
• Stroke is the third leading cause of death.
• Stroke is preventable by the control of risk factors.
• Stroke is treatable, but patients must seek immediate medical care.
• All persons should be aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke.

The good news is, p to 80% of all strokes are preventable. Many risk factors can be controlled before they cause problems. Some controllable risk factors include:

• High blood pressure (High = greater than 140/90)
• Atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm)
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• High total cholesterol (greater than 200)
• Smoking
• Alcohol (more than one drink per day)
• Being overweight
• Existing carotid and/or coronary artery disease

These are the signs ans symptoms of a stroke:

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Sudden blurred vision or decreased vision in one or both eyes
• Sudden inability to move part of the body (paralysis)
• Sudden dizziness or headache with nausea and vomiting
• Difficulty speaking or understanding words or simple sentences
• Difficulty swallowing
• Dizziness, loss of balance, or poor coordination
• Brief loss of consciousness
• Sudden confusion

Immediately call for medical help if you have the above stroke symptoms. 
Stroke is a medical emergency. 
Immediate treatment can save your life or increase your chances of a full recovery.

Reference: WebMD

Good Doc, Bad Doc

Dad had been having occasional dizzy spells lately.  Yesterday was quite serious, unfortunately I wasn't home till late evening.  I drove around the neighbourhood looking for a clinic, at least to check out the necessary eg blood pressure and all.  All preferred clinics were closed. It was  Sunday night.  Was relieved to find one opened.  I was skeptical...cos it wasn't one of our preferred, in fact never noticed it's existence.

But dad didn't protest nor asked to go home, meaning he really wants to see a doc.

When his turn finally came, I was still having reservations about how good the doc will be.

I told him the reason why we were there..and while putting on the arm band to check pressure, he was very quick to assure that there's really nothing to worry about.

"Dizzy spells are very common amongst old folks, his blood pressure's very good, heart sounds good, no worries at all"

"But he's still working and all, he rides a motorcycle, he's not worried but we are" I said.

Doc.."if dizzy don't ride motorcycle otherwise..just let him do what he can still do, don't stop him or else it will be very depressing for him"

"What about food, he doesn't eat much during day time, only one good meal at night" I said

"No worries..just let him be...trust me..he's probably in a better shape than you and I"

"So,uncle..everything good..don't worry, I'll give you some med for the dizziness, some vitamin, that's it"

I secretly liked what I hear from this doctor, I think my dad felt immediately better instantly, he didn't even bother to take the meds.  The other regular doctor would have gone on and on about stopping him from working..about how dangerous it is out there.


So, which is a better doctor?

Paralympians

The 2012 Summer Paralympics begins on Wednesday night in London.  Paralympics never get the same amount of attention as the Olympics.  I admit that it's only because of the convenience  of the internet that I clicked on to the related links, and only now I get a stronger feel about it.

Some of the pics HERE are so inspiring, and some of the stories about the athletes brought tears.

http://www.theatlantic.com

Wheel chair racing, Blind racing, Sit-down volleyball, Archery without arms...

Wow.

I couldn't sleep after looking through the pics.  I know they are not meant to make us sad instead they should be inspiring and motivational in reminding us of how lucky we are to be able to walk, run, sit, lift, see, hear, talk.


As I tried to fall asleep just now, I drifted back to that faithful day when I suddenly became totally paralysed waist down on one side and partially paralysed in both arms and hands.  I remember what it was like lying there on the hospital bed not even able to push myself up to sit. I could only lie there with very limited movements till bedsores developed.

I was lucky, very lucky indeed that it was only a short term condition.  I walked again with some weakness after about 5 days.  I was discharged after 10 days.  I represented my college faculty in a badminton mixed doubles match in the same year :)  My strokes and agility were not the same as before but I brushed the negative thoughts aside.

For years, doctors told me that I may have multiple sclerosis (MS) which means I may get random multiple attacks on different part of the nervous system through out my life.   I pushed those thoughts aside and moved on with life.

I got lucky again when doctors finally confirmed that it wasn't MS.  It's something called Transverse Myelitis, something even more rare but the chances of recurrence is extremely low. So I'm lucky and unlucky in some sense.

Looking through the pictures reminds me of how kind God has been to me.  And how lucky I've been.

But..I couldn't help but wonder ..if I were to get Lucky or Unlucky again...will I be as strong as them..the Paralympians.

I want my life back..

It hasn't been rosy in July.

Much had been spent on treatment and medical bills.

End June, sprained the left ankle, and aggravated old right ankle, and then somehow pulled some muscles at the back of left knee.


Mid July, became somewhat sick, then became really sick.

It's now August and I'm still sick, ankles have not recovered fully, hamstring (or whatever muscle at the back of knee) still hurts.

I'm tired of coughing. I'm tired of sniffing and blowing nose.
I miss my morning coffee. I miss latte.
I miss enjoying food.
I miss going to the gym every alternate day.
I miss having a good night sleep.
I want my life back!


Coincidentally, read a post written recently by my one of my gym instructor.

 the big question, she asked, is it

•  the sports' fault that the athletes sustain injuries though it ? or,
•  the athletes' fault that he/she allows injuries to happen ?

I wondered all the time.  While I cannot deny that age is really catching up, my body's starting to show signs of lethargy due to age and probably delayed side effects from the previous TM attack. Some of the aches that I had over the last 2 weeks felt quite similar to those that I had over 20 years ago when I had TM.  I sure hope it's not recurring. Chances of TM recurring is very low. It shouldn't happen again!

So..gone are the days where I could go for back to back gym classes.  Gone are the days where I could goworkout every day.  And nowadays, being sick and all, I'd be happy to be able to work out even once twice a week.

Anyway, back to the post, take a read if you're interested, otherwise, relevant points based on my read as follows:

In every sports, there will be injuries. Period. 

If you are a leisure athletes in these area training to be better, it is not abnormal to sustain injuries because these sports will surface your muscular weakness/flaws. 
The imbalance will lead to injuries. It is a way the body is telling you where you need to strengthen more specifically before moving forward.


It is a good time for you to learn about your body since there is no operational manual. 


It will be ashamed if one were to shrink back from the sports due injuries sustain through this journey. Even worse, blame the injuries on the sports or even bad mouth the sports.

Therefore, if you are injured through a sports, know that it is part of journey. 

It is NEVER the fault of the sports. It is either your body functional weakness signalling you that needs to be strengthen or it is YOUR CHOICE to push the limit. 

So, be clear with your sports objectives, have mental and emotional clarity, most of all TAKE RESPONSIBILITY of your CHOICE. 

I'm cured, well, almost..

It's been a long time since I was sick for so long.  From a mild runny nose to a serious flu with major stiff neck and body aches, now I have a cough and nose "still running".

Fortunately, I managed to get hold of my regular trusted sinseh doctor yesterday, he did his magical acupuncture and the neck is 'almost' back to normal. He was recovering from a minor stroke, family and staff are trying to limit his activity but I begged to see him, that's how desperate I was!

Felt soooo much better..that I went to the gym that very night : p

(Slept too much the day before, I was all moody and blur, I really needed to sweat it out)

Hopefully the remaining virus, bacteria, whatever clears away soon.  

I got so sick of having porridge for lunch...tried it with carrot and pork, potato and pork and yesterday I took a short cut by adding potato and tomatoes from previous night's soup - it was tasteless !

Today I refused to have porridge, but there wasn't much ingredients in the fridge to begin with.

Here's something that I whipped up with some mui choy (preserved mustard greens) and pork.

I know, doesn't look good but tastes quite good wor.

Learning - mui choy needs to be cooked longer :D

Still Sick!

I'm still sick!

No fever..but feeling very tired and lethargic. 

Appetite is still okay..so I'd say I'm not that sick eh..but what's "alarming" is I don't feel like having coffee anymore :-o  

Had this for early lunch..porridge with left over mui choy minced pork and carrots. 

nice?

It's now about 4pm, I just had Indo Mie for tea :D


Ya ya..doesn't seem like I'm sick right?


Probably just the body's way of asking me to rest, rest rest.
Shouldn't have gone to the gym yesterday..

In Recovery Mode

I've been kinda sick for some time. Felt a little 'bug' creeping up since the Friday before last week.  

Yep..that was like ages ago. It wasn't that bothersome in the beginning, so I loaded vitamin C and went on with my life, come to think of it I didn't feel anything wrong during the Shape Run on the following night.  The runny nose comes and go for about a week especially when there's a sudden change in temperature.  Then, it got worse this week after a day out with some friends and kids at a 'pool-party'.  My neck and body was achy since yesterday.

Got fed-up of the being lethargic and miserable, I gave in and went to seek treatment. As usual, I'd look for my old sinseh who always works wonders on me with his magical acupuncture method.  

Unfortunately, he wasn't in today. Was told that he hasn't been well and is on a break until further notice :(

I was referred to another doctor.  I was reluctant but without choice...had to give it a try.

Although relatively younger he seems experienced enough based on the questions that he asked.  He was very meticulous in going through previous notes on my card(s).  Basically, I told him that..my main reason being there was because of the cold and body aches..that got worse after the 'swimming'.  He paused and asked.."hmm..you have a cold and why did you go swimming?"

:D

Ya.so .he was quite meticulous Asked a lot of questions.  Was quite analytical.. Wasn't in a hurry at all. He didn't do any acupuncture but did the Gua Sha Therapy  on my neck and back.  It was quite painful especially on the neck and shoulder blades.  I'm all bruised and battered now but felt kind of relieved.  As with all Chinese medical doctors they arrived to similar and yet different conclusions. 

I.e. I have an imbalanced system (whatever that means).  Inner energy is relatively weak therefore I still feel tired despite regular exercise.  I need better quality sleep hence..advised to cut down coffee, preferably only 1-2 times a week :S  

He seems quite confident that if I can cut down on coffee, I'll have better inner health ...hmm.

He made an interesting point though - my active lifestyle helps to promote macro blood circulation, so I may feel strong on the outside but I'm actually weak on the inside.  Physical activities like running, cardio exercises helped with macro circulation but not micro circulation which benefits from activities like yoga, tai chi or qi gong.

Okay, hmmm...I'll make more effort to go back to body balance and / or yoga classes...

Cost of treatment   : RM45

Was given some medication for evening consumption before meal. Suppose to go back again on Friday.  Will see. If I'm better, no need to go back ler (that's from my reasoning not the doctor)

Meanwhile.. on a recovery mode.  Will make an effort to cut down coffee. Didn't have any since this morning.  Not fit to go to the gym tonight.  May be tomorrow :)

Low Time

Experienced very low energy level most of today. Could be due to a combination of reasons. Had not been sleeping well due to some work related issues and 'exam' pressure. lol.  The normal case of so little time but yet so much needs to be done..but it was good that I still managed to squeeze in time to go for my regular endorphins fixes at the gym.  Some would ask why didn't I skip gym and allocate more time for more important tasks.  Well, working out has become an important part for me.  It helps me, my body and mind to function properly.

The gym is currently doing the Q2 releases of the les mills GX programmes.  I did Body Attack 77 on Thursday, RPM 55 on Saturday and Body Combat 52 this morning.  All are killers!

RPM55's track 2 was like track 3's intensity.  I was almost drained out after Track 3.  The little bit of energy left drained off after Track 5.  Was so tempted to leave after Track 5.  But, I stayed on till the end,..although it was only my shell there pedalling away with whatever reserved energy left.

I was really looking forward to kick start Sunday morning with BC52, everything was well until minutes before the class started.  All of a sudden I felt fatigue, a little light headed and slightly nauseous.  Half of me wanted to stop and rest, the other half wanted to stay.  I was panting at at the track 1 itself :s  As usual, I stayed on.  Track 4 and 6 was very risky for me as my legs were very wobbly throughout, there were so many back kicks and front kicks and lunges and ...everything legs.  The back kicks especially made me even more dizzy.  So..I had to minimise every move in order to avoid unnecessary embarrassments.  Felt much better towards Track 7 onwards the end but the fatigue returned right after shower.

The rest of the day was just like the hazy weather...

Bak Kut Teh lunch might have helped replenish whatever that was missing in the system :P

Best friend P arrived after dinner.

That explains isn't it?

Ain't Complaining No More

So..while I was complaining that I don't have enough time to do this and that.. a friend had been stuck in the hospital for days nursing her three year old precious baby who is undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia.  Before this, there were continuous visits for day care sessions, injections, blood tests, bone marrow extractions..

After this, there will be a week break and then another week hospital stay and it goes on and on..this is only the 3rd or 4th month.  There are many more months till mid next year I think.  After that it will be maintenance period for about a year..there will still be drugs and tests but less aggressive.  Hope I got the process right.

Why am I complaining about my little problems?

It's all part of the process, the Doc says:  Focus on the end result - she will recover.

I know I'm an advocate of Enjoying the Life Journey and Process..but the doc is right here..keep walking and fighting, don't think and ponder about the side effects, self pity, etc, Focus on the End Result.

  

We dropped by the hospital just now to give them some moral support.  

Yupe ...some beer for mom :D and princess coloring book for the kid.

THere isn't much we can do to help lessen the burden ..but these are little things we can do :)

It ain't the same anymore

Stayed out a tad bit too late last night.
Only slept at 3am, as expected couldn't wake up for morning gym.
And the rest of the day went by in a daze.

This is a symptom of aging.  During younger days, sleeping at 3-4am was no big deal..we could still wake up at 7am to go for classes, games etc.


Sleeping in till 10am did not help.  I thought it did initially..and went for RPM at 4pm.  It was rather disastrous. My mind was strong but my legs were weak.  When my legs finally got some momentum, the rest of my body refused to co-operate.  Hence, all systems went haywire.  Mission failed...it wasn't even half way.  I had to abort as signs of blacking out was beginning to kick in.

Boo.

Health is Key

Andy Lau once said ... "I'm not afraid to die, I'm not afraid of old age but I'm afraid of ill health"

That's very true. what can be more important than being able to live a normal healthy life?

Let's not deny that all of us are guilty of forgetting to be grateful to one of the greatest gift in life.. Health.

I've experienced losing the ability to walk, grip, even sitting up on my own. I was bloody lucky to have recovered and able to do all that I'm able to do today.

I watched how the dearest person in my life fought and lost her battle to the big C.

And yet sometimes I still forget and took health for granted.

Last week a lil gal dear to us was diagnosed with  acute lymphoblastic leukemia . The doc is confident that there is a 95% cure rate. That's extremely good news but the treatment duration takes two long years.

There wasn't any early symptoms nor warning. The diagnosis hit her parents and all who cared like a cement truck.

How is such a small person going to endure two years of on going visits to the hospitals, constant jabs, medication, tests..

She's only three.

But what doesn't kill makes one stronger.

The strong mom rightly pointed out that this is God's reminder to her about how fragile life can be and she shall ride through this strongly with her dear princes and all who cared..

So my dear friends and who ever reading this. You got the message.

Health is key.

And ... yes, please remember to get sufficient insurance coverage!

Urticaria 2.0

A good thing about having a blog is I can trace back 'historical data' of my life quite easily, at least those that I've blogged about.  My hives (urticaria) friends returned to visit me recently.  Similar symptoms like before, they'll come early in the morning when I rise or in the evening, and will appear at certain parts of the body especially places where clothing are tight like the waist line, etc.

Tracing back in this blog, I developed hives back in 2010 during CNY.  I blogged about it in March.  It went on for quite a long time.  Chinese sinseh said that it was due to weaker body (immune system?) - he recommended some herbs.  The GP didn't have an explanation.

I met up with Jas in August the same year, she was introducing Usana health supplements to me.  Ya..one of those MLM you and I would say.  At that time I was already taking GNC's Women's Ultra Mega (as a multi vit), Fish Oil and Masquelier's Pine Bark as anti oxidant.  


I'm not a fan of pill popping though..but Jas' intro talk on Usana made sense and since I was having issues with hives for months..I decided to switch to Usana with an open mind. I took the 'recommended set'.  It comes with :


..the Essentials (Multi vits) - AO Pro and Chelated Mineral - 2 bottles - one pill from each bottle , 3x a day. But I only take once at most twice a day :D


..there was also a bottle of Proflavanol - as anto oxidant


.. Bio omega III as fish oil supplement


Ya..many pills to swallow!  I don't take all everyday though..one or  two types a day against the recommended prescription :P


So..with an open mind..I took the supplements daily..often 'forget' during weekends ..but I think it was regular enough,..and over months..the hives stopped.


I wasn't not sure if it was entirely because of Usana....since I wasn't sure..I didn't brag about it.  In fact I had problems finishing the products I had to stop the delivery.  


And..I slacked recently..I have not been taking the supplements regularly since December.  Also been out of Omega III before December.   ..and right..the hives re-appeared during CNY this year!  I resumed intake as regular as I could since 2 weeks ago ..and I haven't had any hives in the last 2 days...  


Hmm.. amazing?


Whatever is it..as age catches up. And our my current lifestyle doesn't make it easy / convenient for us to get healthy balanced diet all the time.  So I guess..it's worthwhile to take in some form of supplements to help the body out.

What we Eat vs. How we Work

Sure..we can eat, life is too short? But..make sure you work it out after eating
I just had McD :(

Mc Donald's burger = at least x1 RPM class and a CXWORX class

Subway = at least x1 BODYATTACK class

KFC = at least x1 BODYPUMP class and a CXWORX class

Pizza Hut = at least x1 BODYCOMBAT class and a  x3 CXWORX class

Taco = at least x1 BODYSTEP class and CXWORX class

Starbucks & donut's combo = at least X1 BODYPUMP class and a RPM class

Source : http://andstaywiththefight.blogspot.com/2011/12/dont-eat-this-food-if-you-want-to-loose.html

Downtime

I'm having a headache (again!)

Haven't been well lately.  Was under the weather for about 2 weeks...then all good for about a week before the fiasco at the gym the other night.  It was downtime since then.  Was feeling lethargic and tired on and off. Ms P finally arrived, not making things better but worse.  Back muscles affected. Now headache..i think I'm gonna pass out....

At the doc

I'm at the specialist centre now, supposedly to check out a lump, growth or whatever it is.

The tricky part is... It has gotten much smaller, in fact almost negligible. The pain is also very much less bothersome compared to last week.

So what do I show or tell the doc?

Hi doc,

I had a painful lump, I was worried sick so i made an appointment to see you soonest possible. Fortunately or unfortunately the pain and size reduced over the last few days. Now i dont have a lump to show you. how now?

Sigh.. looks like its gonna be a long wait. I'm hungry. The number counter dings randomly between 211X and 213X. Mine's 2157 ...


Zzzz...

Activating the Deep Core Muscles

Been reading up, just so I can talk some sense if I do go back to the doctor.

Was also looking for more information on whether I should go on complete rest, stay active and what are the recommended exercises that I can do.

This is not only relevant to those with back injuries.  This is for everyone..especially with our current lifestyle  of pro-longed sitting and limited activity, it is utmost important for us to maintain a strong and stable core. Relating back to when I first started exercising vigorously without a strong core or without knowing how to activate the core muscles - I developed shin pain, knee pain, almost sprained my ankle, etc - all due to lack of core stability and strength.

I can go on and on, I shall not bore you to sleep though, I just want to get this one most important point through - all our daily movements (even standing) are highly depending on the CORE.  When the core is weak, even doing something as simple as sitting up straight to read a book can be tiring. Sounds familiar right?

Read more HERE or HERE

I'm quite convinced that I have what they called  Sacroiliac Joint Inflammation , the symptoms are very similar.  Just click at the link if you are interested to know more about it.  I think I've read all articles available on the net on this.  The good news is, from what I gather, most cases recovered well with appropriate rest and physiotherapy exercises.  Only severe cases will require more invasive treatment like injection or surgery.

Last night I learnt a very simple core strengthening exercise.  So simple that we can all do it anywhere anytime.

The very first stage of a complete core strengthening program is about learning to contract and activate the two main deep stabilising muscles within the core - the Multifidus muscle and the Transversus abdominis muscle. 

 

Pictures and illustration taken from http://www.physioroom.com

Guess what, the part where the deep muscles are shown above, are where it hurts most during acupuncture and massage treatment, for me at least.

Try this:

In order to practice getting Transversus and Multifidus muscles to contract, it is easiest to get on all fours. Without moving your back, or pelvis, draw your stomach up gently - try to bring your belly button up towards your back. This is a very subtle movement so it is best to get your technique checked by a physiotherapist .

Note: 

This movement should not be confused with breathing in - it is important to breathe normally while activating the stabilising muscles.

Do not use the muscles at the front of the stomach - using your 'six pack' is not the correct technique.

If it is done right, you will feel a gradual relieve in your back as your core takes over the pressure.  Once you have mastered it, progress further by holding the contraction longer by 10 secs to 20 to 30 or even up to five minutes.

The beauty is once we get the technique right, we can do it while sitting in the office, car, while walking, etc...

I tried doing it last night and felt almost immediate relieve from the nagging stiffness and pain.  Felt great this morning too...but now back to some stiffness after sitting at the desk for too long.

You can read more about Core Strength HERE

Do not get me wrong, a proper Core Strengthening Program may have up four stages to like THIS ONE

and there are many other exercises like the plank and bridge, etc.  The above is just the one of the many which I find most relevant to all of us.

Hope you will like it...
         

If I may recap, my fitness condition was at the most tip top form in May after the Sri Lanka trip.  I started to have some back pain and major stiffness during the second day in HK during the end of May.

The doctor suspected I may have a prolapsed disc and / or some problems with the sacroiliac joint.  We decided not to do any expensive scan since I wasn't in extreme pain.  The plan was to work on strengthening the back and core which will lead to stronger spine support that allows the injury to heal itself.  I also went for TCM and acupuncture treatment.

I was better in a few weeks, did a 5km run at the end of June without much of a problem and enjoyed a very good work out at the gym the next day.  Unfortunately, my happiness was only short term :(

There was a relapse shortly after that, it was during the Body Balance class..some of the exercises were probably too strenuous for the back, I'm not too sure though, but the pain was so bad that I had to leave half way through the warm-up part of a Body Combat class.  That was like barely 5 mins into the class!

Whilst the discomfort and pain intensity wasn't as bad as the first time, thankfully, it is still  BOTHERSOME.  Visits to the gym is now down to only about once a week.  I miss RPM.  I've been eating loads instead... I'm growing bigger!

I haven't gone back to the doctor since the pain hasn't been that bad.  Continued with the prescribed core strengthening exercises, TCM treatment and now after understanding more about "deep muscles" - hopefully I will be better sooner.

I was just like Baby Dylan

While sipping our coffee, I chuckled when ML was describing to me how baby Dylan was awake all night when she had too much coffee and breastfed the baby.  I know, I shouldn't be 'drinking' so much but since it was ML's treat and it tasted so good..it's been a long time since I had mocha, I had to finish it.  I had the last sip just before my regular combat class at the gym.  I was so high on caffeine, heartbeat was so fast I thought my heart will jump out any time.   Survived the class though..in fact the caffeine helped me to put more in tho.. .had a good workout :D

Unfortunately, the effect broke into major gastric pains during the night  _._

Couldn't find any gastric meds so the other sensible thing to do is to gulp down as much water possible.  Managed to sleep, thankfully, when the discomfort subsided but woken up once may be twice when the pain returned.  Just like how ML described baby Dylan stays up playing with his saliva all night..haha.

Much much better now..