After a few false starts and a whole bunch of yelling about the insurance, I finally started physical therapy for my knee(s). The arthritis is a thing, yes, but the main issue is my lack of core strength, which is no surprise to me at all. I know full well I have a weak core!
I have a series of exercises I’m to do, twice a day in addition to whatever else I would normally do at the gym. I have carte blanche to hit the elliptical as much as I want, which is good news because without that, I don’t really have any cardio options.
I AM STILL NOT ALLOWED TO RUN.
I’m also not allowed to do squats or lunges (the PT said lunges are terrible for you) or anything that will put stress on my knees above and beyond a normal day of doing shit. I am also supposed to pay very close attention to how I stand when I’m just standing around somewhere. I have a terrible tendency to shift my weight to one side which is bad bad bad so I have to focus on keeping my weight square on both feet. IT FEELS SO WEIRD.
So that’s where we are. I am still going to put in my application for the NYC marathon, because I have 6 months to build up to it and even if I walk the whole fucking thing, I should be able to finish it well within the time frame of 8.5 hours. That’ll be fun.
Hot yoga! It makes your joints feel fabulous, and you get a wicked cardiovascular workout (because you’re trying not to die/puke/pass out). Once I started doing it, it improved my breathing and lung capacity, and made running so much easier.
You eventually get over the smell.
I’m not allowed to do yoga at the moment, and I hate it anyway, so it’s a win-win for me.