That back pain!

For the past few years I've had back pain which I understand is the most common thing that drives people to go see their doctors.

If I sat for a bit, I'd be stiff and walk a few steps stooped until I could straighten up. It was worse every morning when I got up. I had resigned myself to the thought that this was 

how it would be for the rest of my life. 

The doctors confirmed the arthritic issues in my low back and described bone spurs and such. With their diagnosis, I felt...well this is it...as good as it gets. 

Most days, things would feel better by mid morning and I'd forget about it until I sat down for a bit again. Or...I worked in the garden and would feel as if I were locked up and couldn't straighten.

I had taken a break from the gym because of the diagnosis of osteoporosis and mainly because I wasn't sure of where to go next. After the medication reactions, I decided to get back into the gym and join the Mobility Class. 

I decided to do some personal training to see if I couldn't combat the bone thing. If nothing else, would it make me feel better?

Could I have done this exercise at home? Sure I could have tried. But I know that if I do it on my own, it gets pushed back until the day is done and exercises go undone. I know myself. I used to be very disciplined while training for running. But doing a whole body workout is not that easy. 
Nor is doing it properly. I needed a supervisor!

The fact is, I stink at home exercise programs. Hey, there is always a nap to take, a book to read, or time to do it later! [Not]

So I went to Mobility Class twice a week during the summer and added one day of personal training. My coach, Angie has worked very hard on setting up the training sessions just for me personally and geared for aging bones and spines.

In September, I switched from two Mobility classes to one and went to two personal sessions per week.

I woke up last Friday morning and a thought came to me as I made coffee and gazed out the window. 

Wait.
Wait.
How many days have I been getting out of bed and my back isn't hurting?  Those muscles weren't stiff and cramped up. 

I thought to myself that the muscle pain has slowly dissipated.  How can that even be? I've had it for so long ... surely it was permanent. 

Each time I get ready to go to the gym in the back of my mind I think...Nah, I really don't have the time. Or, gosh I could just forget it today. Or, I don't feel like sweating today.

I get dressed and go. I am not kidding you, it takes dedication and it is not easy. The results are not immediate. And somehow, twice a week Angie makes it interesting and challenging. 

We work on making those muscles that protect my 'frail' low back stronger so they can protect my whole body. We work on all of the muscles and let me tell you, it is hard work!
But afterwards I feel great.

Trying to keep yourself mobile and strong enough to do regular everyday things is difficult. Even more so as a person ages.

What a bonus for me to have coaches and people I can trust to guide me in exercise and my journey in keeping up my strength, balance, and stamina. [Not to mention the release of endorphins which make the mental attitude much rosier.]

This video is a fun one she made of me on Friday...

One last note. 
Some of the members of our CrossFit Viroqua gym are as follows:
Aged from youngsters to those in their 80's. We have knee replacements, metal joints, replaced hips, old hips, and those who have or are recovering from cancer, stroke, ... you name it, we make up the gym just like we make up those in our society.

Our gym is not comprised of jocks and body builders. We are normal everyday people.

Dear Coach

This is written to my Coach[s] from Viroqua CrossFit. Each week the coaches ask us to share our bright spots and that can be in or out of the gym.

So I'm going to share my Bright Spots which are a cumulation of things that are positive that happened not just in the gym but because of the gym.

Friday I was working out with my Coach Angie. Since spring, she has been coaching and helping me work on strengthening and conditioning for my lower spine and hips. 

While I was catching my breath from a Tabata, I told her how much things had changed over the summer for me. I surprised myself this past week while cleaning my old saddle that I hadn't used in years.

The saddle was no longer seemed too heavy for me to lift and set on Sunshine. Wait.

Now that I think about it. I almost never used that saddle since my first of two shoulder surgeries and elbow surgery. Rich always had to help me with it. 

Huh. Did the saddle get lighter, or did I get stronger?

Nearly a year ago I was told I had Severe Osteoporosis in my lower back and right hip. The back was a huge concern. 

It made me want to stop and question every movement I made. How could I feed my equine? How could I carry water? I was suddenly terrified of doing almost anything at all!

My doctor wanted me to only hike with another person for my own safety or take walks only within cell phone range. 

My goodness. Suddenly I doubted everything I was able to do. Suddenly I was acting like a crippled person and second guessing everything.

I was miserable, so I decided to see what going back to the gym would do for me.

The Mobility Class was offered at the gym and I thought that was a great place to start. Then I signed up with a coach for one on one specific training.

What were my goals? 
My goals were simple. Increase my core strength with workouts. Keep my mobility and balance.

I am accomplishing a my goals with Coach Angie. She gives me what I can handle and kept me moving correctly with weight bearing exercises which are exactly what is suggested for Osteoporosis. She challenges me in an awesome way and I don't have to try to figure out what I should be doing. She is constantly evaluating my progress.

What were my Bright Spots for the week?

Doing Mobility with others and seeing individual improvement in others and myself.

Feeling awesome after one-on-one training.

Riding again ~

Exploring on my own again ~

I am proud to say that my CrossFit box makes a difference in my life directly. The coaches and fellow gym members are like family. I can't help but feel positive after interacting with them.

Feeling ME again ~

What next?

Our health department just posted a new Public Service Announcement notifying county residents that the small local hospital has twice now had to divert patients. The ER has been full along with all the beds. I think it was interesting that our tiny local paper didn't pick up that story. I don't want to be an alarmist, but there it is in plain language.

We had a 2 hour drive to the Mad-City VA yesterday and even though I usually hate the drive, it was a nice break from hanging around the farm and staring at the same walls each day.

We even had a picnic in the car on the way back home after we ordered food from Culvers. The good news is that ENT has released him from any more follow ups for his throat cancer. The doctor said he was marked as a survivor.

The ENT doctor also insisted that he get to see his Primary Doctor since she hasn't seen him for nearly two years. Last year, her check up was by phone and even though he was doing better last year, his health has declined since then and he needs a reassessment. 

Other changes are occurring too. I'm going in a different direction than working out at the gym or doing Virtual Workouts at home. I tried that routine and was fairly successful at it but when the outdoor temps dropped way below zero, I lost interest in trying to work out in the shed.

This morning I did a 20 minute Beginners Yoga session with a YouTube video instructor. I am a real skeptic and always thought Yoga was not a real workout or thing. 
After the 20 minutes, my back, hips, and shoulders felt great as well as my mental attitude and how was that even possible?

I followed that up with a morning walk to the ridge and back just to see how it felt and I think I had more clarity and focus to start my day.

Yoga? Pilates? My son said try Pilates if you want pain! 

My next goals? More of the same. Strength, balance, endurance, and a new addition. Mindfulness and inner calm.

If this mornings events are any indication ... it will be a win win for me through the fall and winter.

It is very refreshing to go away and take a break,

to clear your head,

and just get into something else.

~Francois Nars

Jumping Rocks and other fine things

Good morning!

That is how the other members of the 6am CrossFit class greet me. The 5am class is finishing up and they all say Good Morning and actually mean it!

My husband doesn't quite get the allure of CrossFit. He calls it "Workout".

I started doing this in mid October. So what changes have I noticed?

I have something to look forward to each day and can have good social interaction and the workout relieves stress.

One of the measurable changes I've noticed is my blood pressure has changed dramatically.
I take it in the morning and the afternoon...not because I am ordered to, but because Rich is supposed to monitor his.
Earlier this summer my blood pressure readings were a bit on the high side. 
130ish/80ish.

On days I don't work out it hovers at 115ish to 120 over the 70's.
After working out? 106/68.

Hmmm. It makes one think about blood pressure and exercise. It is easy to take a pill and hope for the best...but...
I'm thinking this workout deal is much much better.
[Ok, off my soap box now!]

What else?
I used to struggle with peeling hay off a round bale and tossing it over the electric fence. I opted to shove it under the fence instead.
Over the weekend, I discovered I can easily toss fork-loads of hay with no effort.

Balance.
I used to be so surefooted. But the past year I found myself ...well, maybe not as surefooted as I used to be?
CrossFit works well with balance exercises. Most of the warm ups and many workouts promote balance.
While walking in the creek yesterday I came to a spot that I had to climb down a steep rocky bank to get to a place that I wanted to photograph.

Once I got down, I had a choice, get my feet soaked 1/2 mile from home, or jump to where I wanted to be. I used a skill learned from Box Jumping to launch to a rock clump in the middle of the creek.

And I stood there with the water flowing around me, grinning like an idiot. My balance was better!

See? Better!
Yes!
My creek jump...the banks are about 4 feet high...

And this is all worth it. Even after hiking to the end of the valley and back, I still felt energetic.

Anyway, the reason I jumped was for this shot:

And further towards home, I straddled some logs and got some very cool Ice Fingers...

I am happy that Gun Season for Deer is over. I can wander about again.

Tonight I am going to the LaCrosse Camera Club meeting and we are going to review 'night' shooting and tour the Rotary Lights by the river.

Color me happy.

Riding progression

We waited until the afternoon cooled off a bit before getting Fred out for ride number two.

Ariel and I cleaned Fred up and just talked about mules and equine safety. Something I usually do with kids near these large animals.

Ariel has ridden on and off since she was pretty small.
We started working on riding in 2008 with my mule Badger.

Badger left our world in 2012 and we sort of let things go by the wayside. 

We didn't have extended periods of time with the kids and so we really didn't have enough time to really get into riding.

At Grandma & Grandpa Camp in 2014 everyone got a ride on Fred.

And Fred seemed to take to being with kids very well.

Fast forward to the present.
We worked hours on balanced and calm riding with quiet hands and gentle hands. Towards the end of this ride Ariel started to hold the reins.

"Ride like you are a ballerina, with poise and confidence at all times." I told her. "You are a dancer on top of a very powerful animal who is willing to take his cues from you. If you are relaxed, he will relax."

In a round pen or small paddock, I've gotten Fred to 'heel' me off a lead rope. I showed this to Ariel yesterday. I walked along and made serpentines as he heeled at my shoulder. Fred stopped when I stopped, he stepped out when I stepped out. He backed up when I backed up. 
Again I made a reference to working with animals and dancing. "It is a dance between partners. Fred is my partner," I told her, "He knows to mimic my movements."

Ariel watched for a bit and then said, "Siera does this for you too!"
Indeed Siera does.

Then we started working on light hands and reining. Ariel is extremely calm with animals. It shows in this shot where Fred decides to cry out and bray for his mule buddies.
She waits it out unfazed and continues riding.

We move outside as Fred gets bored with the round pen. Mules do get bored and need a challenge.

We practice mounting/dismounting and emergency stops and dismounts. 

Ariel nails all of it quite well and we move to riding in the larger winter paddock. 

The next step after another warm up and review will be fun. I will get Siera and we will ride the paddock together.

Dead Broke doesn't mean Dead

One of the things I like to caution people who start horse back riding is that even if you have a 'dead' broke horse, it doesn't mean that horse [or mule] will never spook or do something stupid.

You need to put hours and hours in the saddle.  You need to find your balance and reaction time.  You have to react to things in a split second when they happen.  A horse or mule can have a reaction time nearly 100 times faster than a human can.

Case in point.  Today I rode Opal.  She is 28ish years old.  She has been in parades, in shows, on hound dog trials, she has done barrel racing, and all sorts of cattle events.  She has god knows how many miles and hours of riding under her belt.  She didn't spook a couple of weeks ago when hen turkeys flew up nearly in her face.
In short, she is a broke animal.  A 'been there done that' kind of animal. 

We rode without incident solo ... to the berries where I picked and picked.  She was happy to graze while I did the work.  

On our way home we headed back up the field road.  Next to this track in the grass grows field corn.  This was the easy trail.  I saw her head pop up and tense.  Next thing I knew we were doing a half airborne 180 degree turn and she was off to the races.

I said whoa, and drew a rein to steer her left away from the fence hidden in the brush.  All I saw and heard was the thunder of a deer startled in the corn and the ass end of the thing as it bounded over the fence and was gone.  This all out of my periphial vision.

I never thought about what I was doing.  After close to 25 years of constant riding it becomes second nature to stop a runaway or a spook. 
Nice thing is we didn't spill any of the berries I had in the bucket.  That was my big concern!

Opal eyed the field corn as if it were full of hatchet wielding deer that were going to cut her heart out.  She kept an eye on the corn as we traveled back towards home.
These things happen.  It is in the nature of equine to spook at times.  A bit less for mules as they are part donkey.  But this doe blasted out of the corn 2 ft in front of us. 

The berries made it home safely and I discovered that Opal is a very good berry picking partner.  We may have to go back to the old logging road and pick and walk together.

This morning was a wonderful peaceful time.  In the woods and on the nob with Opal.  Just her and me.  You know, I never even think of that world outside when I am with an animal...riding or hiking.  It is like reality is here and now and all that outside stuff.
Is just stuff.