Exercise, sleep

[thistlechaser]

Such a fun topic for a post, huh?

I haven't done my push-ups for more than a week, because I pulled something in my shoulder and it hurts to the point of I'm losing at least half a night's sleep over it. Oh, it feels 100% fine when I'm sitting upright, but as soon as I lay flat, it really hurts. No comfortable position = very little sleep. zzz I hate that I'm not doing them, because my progress is going really slowly. I'm still doing them on the edge of the bathtub, not on the floor yet. I'm getting closer to being able to do five sets of 20, but even when I do hit that number, I'm not doing them "deep" enough yet, so I'll need to wait more to get down on the floor. It doesn't help that I no longer have fun doing it -- it used to be new and exciting and cool, now it's just exercise that takes too long. Five sets of 20, with a two minute rest between each set. Lots of downtime.

While I hate to talk about my running, because it likely makes people think I'm doing more than I am, I'm still doing it and slowly improving. I'm setting small goals along the way. First one is 20 minutes, at least half running (so close!). Then 20 minutes, all running. Then I'll go up from there.

I think I need new/better sneakers for it, I use the ones I've been walking around in/full daily use for a couple years now. It's really jarring when I run. I suspect sneakers with more cushioning would help.



Not that it has happened to me, but I totally understand how long distance runners sometimes poop themselves. When I wrote about how jarring each step is, I meant it. I can feel everything inside me moving with each step -- it's really really odd, things you wouldn't usually feel moving. So even if I don't have to go to the bathroom, I feel like it's shaking inside me with each step. I'll be interested to see if running helps next time I'm constipated. :P



Apparently I'm not wrong, that really is a thing. "Contributing factors likely include the physical jostling of the organs..."

Summer (or, well, any non-winter season, I guess) is so hard on me when it comes to sleep. I'm a seriously light sleeper, so the very moment even one bird makes a peep outside, I snap fully awake. There's some darned bird that is loud in the bush outside my window at 4:45 AM. It's not even June yet, it's only going to get light earlier and earlier (and thus wake the birds earlier). :/ My upstairs neighbor gets up at 5 AM, so I'd wake up then anyway, but still. 15 minutes means a lot, when you're not sleeping much! Plus it's an annoying way to wake up -- I hate that bird.

I've been trying to go to bed earlier at night, but that cuts into my very limited reading time.

Edit: Since I'm flying soon, I've been really worried about all these news stories about how long the TSA security lines are at the airports. I checked the airport I'm flying out of, and average line time is 20 minutes. I'm not sure if that's because our airport is better, or if 20 minute lines could really spark the amount of news stories there have been lately, or maybe the airport's posted average is wrong...

Comments

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Running shoes are a worthy investment! I find mine marked down at places like Ross and Nordstrom Rack. Something I did not know when I first started trying to jog: running shoes run small, so it's better to get them a half-size larger than normal, so your toes don't keep hitting the shoe.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm waiting to find some marked down. Amazon had some the other day... but half-off was still $120, which was way beyond what I was hoping to pay.

Thanks for the hint about the sizes!

[oracne.livejournal.com]

$120 is a lot even for new shoes!

I like Brooks - they have a wide toe box, and the padding seems going for my weight (around 240). But I only jog on the treadmill, and not very often; usually I stick to the elliptical.

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

Kohls usually has last year's models for like forty dollars, I wear the Asics Gel Excite (but get half a size larger than usual or even a full size). I usually wear a 7 and a half, but in that shoe I wear 8 and a half. I can run in the 8, but the big toe on the left pushes on there.

I believe Amazon has the Excite for fortyish, too.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Nice, thanks! I'm going to be shopping at Kohl's soon (it's my mother's favorite store, so going to hit it on my vacation and shop together).

I want to avoid all pushing on my big toes. Nothing that can bother that darned nail/lack of a nail!

[hawk-soaring.livejournal.com]

The shoes you run in really do make a difference! I hope the shoulder heals quickly. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Me too. Thanks! :)

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

IT IS ABSOLUTELY A THING.
Now that you will understand, I can tell you that I have absolutely had to go in the woods, use my underwear as toilet paper, leave it there in the woods like a serial killer, and finish my run commando. AND EVERY RUNNER HAS A STORY LIKE THIS. Some distance runners carry toilet paper in their water belts because of this.

It even affects the pros. Paula Radcliffe, the world record holder for the women's marathon, once had to jump over the traffic barriers in the middle of a marathon and go RIGHT THERE ON TELEVISION, then jump back over and continue the race. Which she still won, because women's marathon record holder.

So yes, it is a thing. And yes, most of the time it does help with constipation. It is why I like to run even on vacation, that way I don't get "travel ass."

Also, from what I've heard, the really long lines are like three hours, so if your airport is only 20 minutes they have it down. My airport is apparently doing pretty well so far too, I think yesterday it took thirty minutes according to the news.

That sucks about your shoulder, but you are doing the right thing letting it rest and not screwing it up more. When it feels better, maybe warm it up before and stretch it after pushups? I KNOW IT IS SUPER BORING and adds to your workout time, but speaking as a fellow old ass exerciser, it really helps. It will also help you keep your shoulder mobility as you progress, which I REALLY wish I had done when I started. My shoulder mobility blows now.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ha! I think I'd totally carry toilet paper, if I ever became a long distance runner. (I doubt that will happen, but hey, NEVER KNOW.)

I'm glad to know it really helps with constipation! That's not a frequent issue for me, but at times it does hit, a fix + exercise? WIN!

Fingers crossed that it stays at ~20 minutes and that nothing explodes LITERALLY OR OTHERWISE.

I'm THE WORST at warming up (and cooling down). You hit the nail right on the head about why -- takes too long! Boring! But I know it's important...

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely get good sneakers for running, especially if you're running on pavement! It really is hard on the joints.

Haha I usually go to bed long after the birds have started to sing. Thanks to the neighbor's free-roaming cat, they stay well clear of the house, though.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ha! The benefits of an outdoor cat. :D

Yeah, I'm running on pavement (in a parking lot), so I need better shoes for sure.