That’s what my body is doing. C’mon. It sounds better than decaying, doesn’t it? I have a bump on my finger. I don’t know what it is. And I finally made an appointment with the doctor so hopefully she can look at it and tell me, “Oh, that’s just one of those things that crop up with old age.” Only she’ll disguise ‘old age’ with some other more politically correct term. But that’s what she’ll mean. Just like the neurologist who diagnosed my back, and when I pressed him about how/when/what happened, he said something vague like ‘oh, well, um, could be, you know, ummm….age.’
And now that I have everyone’s rapt attention with that riveting first paragraph…on to the main subject: sports injuries vs. arthritis. Hey, ain’t this blog a thrill a minute? If you don’t like this post, just scroll back through the last couple and you can read all about how tired I am or how much I enjoy it when all of my dogs are sleeping. Anyway, back to the important topic: ME.
So, ever since I wrote this blog about ‘I’m Runnning’ (read like Forrest Gump) I have noticed a little pattern. I amp up the running. That decreases the time I spend in the gym. Followed by ankle/knee/hip aching. I pretty much stop running, but continue to walk very hard/fast. I increase my time in the gym. One morning I get up and I notice my hip/knee/ankle doesn’t ache, so I start running again. That makes me happy, and I increase the frequency and distance of my running. Followed by….you get the picture.
And honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone in the whole world who can tell me EXACTLY which exercise is the cause. I’m pretty sure it is not a sports injury, because of the obvious–joint aching–I’m pretty sure I have mild arthritis. And obviously, running is traditionally hard on your joints. But I noticed today that the raised leg lunges I was doing were making my ankle hurt. And maybe the reclining leg presses are hard on my hips and knees.
I don’t think I need to change much of what I am doing. I am not one to press on through pain. I think just paying attention to my body, and moderation will be the key. I know stopping is NOT the answer. (I have one friend whose arthritis doctor tells her NOT to exercise. I think he should be shot sued for malpractice.) I can’t stop the march of time. But I can take the best care of this crumbling body that I know how to.*
That’s what I did today. Took Noah for a 2 mile WALK in a new neighborhood this morning. It was just beautiful and very invigorating. This afternoon I went to the gym, did a really great workout, tried a new exercise (face pulls, which I came home to discover I had done incorrectly.) and then got in the pool for 20 minutes of lap swimming. Followed by a very nice session at Starbuck’s with an iced coffee and a couple of Vicky’s healthy bars, along with some inspirational reading.
Here is the Noah shot of the night. It is so nice to sit and read and write with him laying quietly by my side.
Here’s a little something I cooked up called “Open the refrigerator door and cook what’s inside.” Quite tasty, IMO.
Onion, brown mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, corn, dried cranberries, and shrimp.
And here’s a bloom from the garden. Some kind of hydrangea. I’ve waited at least three years for this plant to bloom. It was worth the wait!
* My brother the weight lifter swears by taking multi-mega minerals. Anybody got an opinion on taking these? I couldn’t find them at the pharmacy, so I decided to give glucosamine another try. I didn’t think it really helped me back when I was so overweight. But I know for a fact that glucosamine worked wonders for an older Bouvier (dog) that I had.
debby weighs in 
I have never been able to run without having trouble with my knees, but I did do week 1 of the C25K program this week, without any problems with the knees, Week 2 might change that.. Have tried this before, wanted to give it one more try.
Maybe a run/walk combination for you instead of either/or?
One sure thing is that even though aging is a bitch we just had to adjust and move on.
Beautiful flower!
That’s pretty much what I do most days. But there are some days where it feels like things are ‘loose’ inside, and those are the days I don’t run at all.
Getting old sucks. Plain and simple. 😉
How did the cranberries fit in with all those other foods? They all sound good together, except the cranberries. Kin of like that song “one of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn’t belong” – remember that? Now you (and I ) will have that stuck in your head all day! 🙂
I don’t know that song. See, I’m too old LOL.
Surprisingly, I liked the cranberries in it. But I noticed that I like that sweet/savory combination, like the brussel sprouts w/walnuts and cranberries, etc. so that’s why I tried it. Some kind of nut might have been good too.
Hey, Debby. Sounds like arthritis to me. I get achy when I increase my cardio, too. You’re smart to listen to your body. And what doctor tells his patients NOT to exercise! That’s craziness. Moving is the BEST thing you can do for arthritis. Geez. OK, rant over 🙂
Anyway… I’m not a supplement taker, myself, except for some CoQ10 and calcium. I don’t even take a multi-vitamin. However, fish oil or just eating salmon or other fatty fish a few times a week has proven to decrease inflammation caused by arthritis. You might want to give that a try. I love the website http://www.arthritistoday.org. GREAT info on that site and in their magazine.
Hope you’re feeling better soon!
Are you doing good leg strengthening exercises? I have chondromalacia in my knees, and working on leg muscles really helped with that.
You know, you don’t have to run. Have you considered another type of exercise in its place?
My mother takes glucosamine and I think it helps her.
Regarding cutting the pluot – I run a knife all around it and split in half like a peach. Then I take a grapefruit spoon to loosen the pit from the one side and pull it out. Multitasking tool if there ever was one.
My knees were really bothering me last fall and I started taking fish oil (as opposed to glucosamine, as I was told it had both joint and heart benefits). I have to say that they stopped hurting so much within a couple of weeks, so I continue to take it. That said, my left knee hurt a bit after running this morning. So yeah, getting old is kind of a bitch.
I did two posts last night on here and for some reason they didn’t take. 3rd time is a charm or I give up.
I have a weird bump / knot on my index finger right at that first crease / joint? ..who knows nurse here. I’m assured it is a cyst and has to do with old age..hhmmph!
I’m in the same running cycle as you exactly but didn’t quite recognize it till you put it here. Maybe we should just walk.
I talk with a lot of total joint replacement patients in my job and it seems glucosamine chondrotin is very individualized..works for some but not others. I have arthritis in my knees..at 200 lbs over weight for years of course I did. But I was also an active overweight kid and played cathcer is softball league for years. lots of squating. has always been an issue. I use both glucoasamin chondroitin the double strength nature made sold at krogers and I also use fish oil which is heart protector too and supposed to help with depression and joints. I follow the different groceriy stores to see who has buyone / get one free when it comes time to stock up . I’m not brand loyal, but nature made fish oil doesn’t have the fish after taste. There’s my two cents for the 3rd time.
Were you peeking at my “run” this morning?? I set out for my normal Saturday outing. It was hot (again) but I started running after a few minutes. Right away, my hips hurt, my lower back was a little achey/strange and I discovered I had a raw place at the base of my left thumb that reacted painfully to sweat. I felt old (hey, I AM old! But I don’t usually feel old. Usually, the baby aspirin I take daily for heart health covers any aches or pains caused by my exercise. I’m claiming that a couple of hours scrubbing floors and the new bike shoe/pedal setup are causing this. I just walked a lot today and went the distance. I hope that my next scheduled run, Monday, is better. I hope so for you, too. But if it’s not better, just pull back and do what you can. The word crumbling in your title immediately brought to mind cherrie crumble with ice cream. Yum. My mind is not totally trained yet! Glad Noah is getting trained so that you can enjoy some quietude with him.
Hmmm…why do I have a hard time envisioning you as “crumbling?”
Sometimes I feel that way; it’s usually when I’m pushing too much and I get this creaky feeling in my hip. No knee issues, though…then again, I’ve been taking a lot of fish oil pills, so that’s probably helping.
It sounds to me like you’re approaching it in a very sensible way, in that you’re listening to your body. (Unlike me today, getting all cocky and going running in the mid-day heat! :-P) I’m wondering, though, how much amping up the running you do when you get into a running phase? Are you running every day? Or do you alternate your running days with strength and a less high-impact form of cardio? The training plan I’m following currently has 3 running days, 1 strength day, 1 cross-training day, and 2 rest days (which end up being more “active rest”), and the run days are never back-to-back. So far, it’s seeming pretty doable, but it’s going to start getting outside of my current comfort zone in a few weeks.