One of the most ridiculous and surprising things about injuring my calf muscle has been the rising panic I am feeling about not exercising.
Not being able to be active and spending most of my day sitting on a couch or chair at work has done nothing to ease these feelings. It has made me realize just how much I enjoy being up, mobile and active.
I really miss my afternoon walks with my partner and our dog. I suspect my dog is also missing my company on his walk as he regularly stops to look back at me sitting on the park bench.
It has been almost two weeks since I heard that dreaded popping sound and what I thought was someone throwing a very hard ball at my leg. Today I finally get to have an ultra-sound to find out how bad the tear is and what muscle I have injured. I can then organize physio and work out a plan to get my leg back in shape.
To say that I am almost desperate to be exercising is an understatement. I really can’t imagine spending every day sitting on my couch and have had time to reflect and wonder how other people do it. Some, I realize simply can’t move much due to health issues that prohibit much activity. But I know there are many out there that simply spend most of their day and night sitting on their bum.
Office workers, drivers and others who have a job that involves mostly sitting down need to make a conscious effort to fit exercise in to their day.
For me, the rising panic isn’t that I may put on weight during this forced down time but more a niggling concern that my calf muscle may not be as strong as I thought and that perhaps in the future I may injure it again.
So for me the focus in the coming weeks will be to do everything I can to get my leg back in shape and finally get back on those afternoon walks with my family and the workouts I am missing so much!
We have just returned after a wonderful 4 day break on a friends farm.
It was a truly amazing short holiday with long walks taking between 5 hours every day. We walked over rough terrain, through paddocks, brooks and uneven ground.
This morning I woke with a really sore calf muscle which I put down to our long walks. I noticed when I was heading down to the kitchen to make a coffee that my right calf muscle was particularly sore. So sore that as I headed down the stairs I had to support my weight on the stair rails.
That probably should have been a warning ;)
After coffee and a shower I decided to head off for a quick run. The very moment I went to sprint I thought someone had thrown a ball at my lower leg. I looked around expecting to see my friend or partner standing there but instead lost control of my right foot and fell to the ground. During this time I heard a popping sound and not long after a fair amount of pain.
I tried to get up but realised my foot was dragging. Not a good sign ;)
Being on a holiday with you as the only driver with a lame right leg is not a particularly pleasant reality. I spent the next hour trying to walk it off which was challenging given my foot was not working!
I managed to get home in one piece, thank goodness for the automatic car!
The Doctor has confirmed what I already knew, I have torn my calf muscle and apparently “done a good job of it”, so my Doc says!
I can’t go to work at least for the next couple of days and he isn’t too sure if I’ll be walking by the end of the week.
So, what can we learn from my little experience today? Listen to your body. When any part of your body is so sore that you can put weight on it, don’t go running off or do anything that requires a quick burst.
Warm up! I didn’t stretch or warm up at all. It was a spur of the moment thing and I am really paying the price now!
I found this great post with plenty of comments from fellow torn calf muscle people that may be of interest, especially if you are sitting on the couch with your leg elevated and wishing your calf would heal quickly!
We all know that regular exercise is a good thing to do for your health. Finding the time can be a real problem and for most of us, slotting exercise into our busy schedule becomes more of a ‘whenever I can fit it in’ scenario.
So does it matter what time of day we exercise?
Morning: Current thinking is that if you fast in the morning, your body burns up fat voraciously so if you exercise first thing your body continues the process. Exercise in the morning is an optimal time to shed weight.
Lunch Time: One of the great things about exercising at lunchtime is it heightens your reflexes, increases blood flow to your brain and is a great stress release.
Evening: Weightlifters often prefer to work out in the evenings and there is a very good reason for it. Our muscles are warmer and there are certain hormones that are necessary for muscle resistance work, lifting weights increases your overall strength. So if you are looking to build strength then consider an evening workout.
Avoid exercising right before you go to bed because your core body temperature increases which in turn raises hormone activity making our bodies hot and restless.
Choosing the best time to exercise is really up to you and is probably going to be based more on what suits your lifestyle. That is perfectly fine, the important thing is you are exercising!
I love finding different ways to keep fit and healthy.
It is no secret that gym’s, for me at least just don’t inspire me to go back regularly.
I saw this video earlier today and loved it so thought I’d share.
I had no idea there were such things as roller derby’s but it looks like a lot of fun.
The girls in this video don’t hold back either and I love that.
Finding the inner strength required to eat well and exercise is far more difficult than many people realize.
For most of us, we start off with the best intentions and for a while we stick to our goals, some achieve and a few more go on to greater success.
When it comes down to it, willpower can be fleeting and we often fail at the first real test.
Last night we had dinner with my Aunty and Uncle. Both are in their mid 70′s and have had a few medical conditions expected given their age.
What differs is their general outlook on life and one key ingredient that sets them apart. My Uncle has a very strong willpower and my Aunt does not.
My Uncle is a cancer survivor and from the moment he was diagnosed, he changed his diet and started to exercise regularly. 5 years on and he continues with his regime. He was quite a big social drinker in his day but last night I noticed he only drank water and orange juice. After chatting with him about this, he explained that he wanted to live as long and well as possible and felt that he had been drinking far too much to achieve this. He hasn’t stopped drinking altogether, he enjoys a beer, but he has decided to cut back the amount and the frequency. My Uncle is in the best shape of his life, he looks AMAZING. He is fit and looks like a man in his early 60′s. Given his battle with cancer and heart troubles in the past, I think it is quite incredible to see just how powerful willpower is.
My Aunty on the other hand has absolutely no self control. She is eating way too much, refuses to slow down her drinking to just weekends and just generally seems to have given up. She is overweight and gaining more every time I see her. She looks unwell and has a pale complexion. She looks tired and has no energy and every bit her age.
Her excuse for not slowing down her eating and drinking is that she enjoys life too much to do without these luxuries. There is an irony in this that is just so obvious – I don’t think it needs explaining.
Recent Comments