Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
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Over 8000 steps today, including the rebounder. Hated to stop, but I know that I need to be careful. Now if it'd just get nice enough to walk outside, but 40 mph wind gusts at 40 degree temps is not walking weather. At least not in my current whimpy state of mind.
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Cindy, that's a great step day, and you wouldn't catch me out in that kind of weather, either!
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Carol,
I do lying bench presses, serratus punches, trapezius shrugs. Also do lying raises, lateral raises, front raises to hit all three parts of the deltoid. External rotations with a three pound dumbbell for the rotator cuff. Got to keep muscle balance.
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OK, so my PT at nearby hospital for my funkie balance, did 2 sessions and calling an end to it! I really do not see why I should pay for a trainer to put me on a stationary bike for the last 15 minutes of a one hour session while she does her paperwork. And bills me for it!
Her exercises helped my bad balance, although have not yet tried the pigeon pose that someone here suggestion.......fraid I would not get untwisted!
So back to my trainer buddy at my gym with all the ideas the hospital rehab person had and we will work it out together. Oh yeah, hospital suggested balance help was what she called the "sobriety test" which you can figure out! Actually figure we all need to do that so if we get pulled over....we can pass the test!
anyhow, balance is better, doc thinks I had a virus which caused my vertigo and feeling better now.
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Nibbana, I had to look up serratus punch! It works the scapula in a way that's similar to what my trainer calls 'scaption,' I think. Very interesting how there are so many ways to work muscles. In my dream, there would be a four-day LE camp with all kinds of activities, including some exercise sessions tailored to meet our needs, for all levels of fitness. And so long as I'm dreaming about comparing notes with you in person, I might as well dream that the event is free and some fairy godmother is paying everyone's expenses to get there!
proudtospin, how frustrating, but I think you will find some productive avenues with your trainer buddy. Keep us posted!
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Carol,
An all-expenses paid trip to LE boot camp, now that's what we need. Can we have it out here so we can go hiking in the mountains after lifting? Michigan is too flat, (raised in Saginaw.)
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My daily report: 4.5 miles, nothing cardio-fancy, just walking!
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Did some barbell squats and good mornings today.
If I'm going to have a ripped upper body, I may as well have a bootylicious lower body to go along!
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Nibbana, we need high altitude / low altitude options for those who flare in higher elevations. So base camp at the foot of Mt. Rainier fits the bill perfectly!
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...in a luxury hotel and spa, of course!
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I vote Rainer. Back in my younger stronger years we would hike every so often there when the wildflowers bloom early August. So beautiful. I once made it up to base camp at 10,000 feet and skied down. Gone are those days of vigor.
I love their lodge to.0 -
Hugs, you hiked to Camp Muir? I never made it up there, I'm not a fan of breathing at 10,000 feet. That is sure an accomplishment.
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Great job everybody!!! In the past 24 hours - I washed my sleeve so it would be clean, I wore the sleeve and glove while riding the spinning bike lat and doing my dumbbell workout, I did my night time self-care routine, and I'm wearing my sleeve to work today. Also, I drank a lot of water and have cut back on the caffiene. I had herbal tea instead of my lunchtime coffee. And, most of all, I didn't get totally depressed about all of it. I took time to read online about female athletes with lymphedema. I have been keeping it under wraps (pun intended) so I'm not the perpetual sick girl. Long-sleeved wardrobe is getting lots of use. Not easy in Florida! Also, I'm wearing my bras looser. I have an appointment for MLD on Saturday afternoon. Vanity is my friend on this one. My vain streak is pushing me to do everything I can to keep a normal looking arm.
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Maria, what a great report! Full of activity, full of LE care, and definitely glass-half-full! I hope you'll drop in here regularly!
Who else besides Debra Cordner Carson is an athlete with LE? (She's amazing)
A few months ago, I switched from coffee during the day to green tea. I still start the morning with a cup of coffee, but no more second, third, and fourth cups (I guess I really grew to need the stuff). Instead, I brew a batch of leaves and add more hot water to it a few times, plus some fresh leaves once during the day. So, my hope is that I'm amping up the antioxidants with a lot less caffeine than the coffee. I actually like the green tea taste just fine, but I LOVE it when I drop a chopped up chunk of fresh ginger in the cup along with a tiny wedge of lemon. I sip on this brew all day, and I think--just think--that it reduces my arm ache. Often I realize that after an hour or so of drinking the tea, I feel better. Or...is it just that I've been moving a bit and activity is helping? I don't know, but I'm happy with the green tea so I shall continue.
Today I did some indoor house laps + gym treadmill to get 6 miles in before dinner. While at the gym, I did weights, ab and flexibility with the trainer.
At the gym, it was also time to do some LE-strength training problem solving. I've been bench-pressing with two, 20-lb dumbbells for more than a month now, so we worked out a plan to work toward using 25-pounds weights. That takes some thinking, because we don't want to add five pounds per arm all at once, and the gym dumbbells go up in 5-lb increments. So I will be carrying my Powerblocks to the gym for a while, because I can set them to 21 lbs each.
After a few weeks at 21 lbs per arm, we'll increase the reps to 15 and then 18, and slow the movements down to build more strength for a few more weeks, headed toward 24 lbs, the next 'notch' on the Powerblocks. I feel very fortunate that I have someone at the gym I trust, who can watch my form and help me do this safely. Sometimes the luggage I travel with is pretty heavy. I sure can't move it with the same safe form as weights in the gym, so my theory is that I'm better off if I can easily handle very heavy loads, so if I pick up a bag un-ergonomically, I'm less likely to tempt LE fate. I'm writing all this out because I want to share my reminder that we need to be very, very careful about how we build strength, whether working with 2 lbs or 20.
I know I'm lifting a lot, and I need to, to prepare for my work travel. Good thing I really like doing it (and I think Nibbana is there, too!). My LE is quite stable, so I've been lucky to be able to push the weights, which I know isn't possible for everyone. We sure are all different in how our LE challenges us.
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Nibbana. Yes Muir. Won't be doing that anytime soon. It was a easy hike for me back then. Now....I am pooped just trying to get my 1hr walk in!
Mariasnow. Wow you are an inspiration to us. Sounds like you kicked LE right right hard in the butt. YEAH. Go for it. Kick LE in the butt for me to
I quit coffee to back early fall. I am pretty much over the craving but Starbucks smell of coffee is quite a draw. Still....l I have CONQUERED
Carol, I was going to tell you the other day that Tazo tea makes a mix of ginger and green tea.(That brand would work for when you travel) It is nice, but fresh ginger is better no doubt. Gonna try the lemon trick in the Tazo tea. I use lemon in my roobios tea. Its great.
Carol your doing so good with the weights. Darn proud of yah all.
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hugz, I'll check out the Tazo for travel times. On the lemon, not only does it taste great with the green tea and ginger, but a few studies (you know that I love studies) confirmed that a bit of citric acid allows the body to absorb more of tea's wonderful polyphenols, the magic substance in tea. So down the hatch it goes!
I work with an amazing trainer who has a big heart and charges a pittance for his time. He has a world record in powerlifting, and to get there, he had to be an absolute purist about good form, to get every advantage in the lift. We must make such a funny pair in the gym--me in my old body and gray hair, he in his young, totally ripped muscles. But we have become very good friends since the day I walked into his gym and asked for help getting into the best shape possible during the next 11 weeks, leading up to when I would have my prophy bmx/diep recon. The guy has truly worked miracles with me, and I am very grateful. Proudtospin has found a wonderful trainer, too. Like a good CLT, they're worth their weight in gold. And in my case, the trainer costs a fraction of what I have to pay for an hour with the CLT--so it's another pathway to taming the LE beast, and it works well for me.
I'm proud of everyone in this thread who works at her best activity level, especially picking up and starting again after the health setbacks we all seem to bump into from time to time, LE included.
Carol
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I'm in for the LE boot camp!
Mariasnow - Welcome to this thread and hurrah to you for kicking LE's butt today!
Nibbana - You're a beast in the gym.
Hope someday to be able to lift as much as you. Glad you're on the other side of that flare.Carol - You're right up there with Nibbana ... I know you've worked very hard and a big congratulations to you for working up to that much weight! I know it has taken patience and much time. Kudos to you!
Life and a cranky knee has slowed me down a bit. I went Monday to the gym and did some cardio and then again tonight ... intervals on the bike. My knee hurts. He's still working on breaking up that scar tissue but it hurts and I'm beginning to lose heart that I'll be able to run. I'm OK with it ... it's just being in limbo right now that's frustrating. I cancelled time with my trainer on Wednesday because my grandma was in the hospital. But I'm back with him tomorrow. I need to get back in a good work out routine. Busy days right now.
I love all kinds of tea ... green, black, red, oolong, herbal ... never really met a tea I didn't like!
I hadn't even thought of putting my own ginger root in green tea ... brilliant idea. I'm currently drinking a lot of Tulsi (holy basil) herbal tea. Red and hibiscus are my favorite ... the holy basil is so good but it's also really expensive 
... so I'm only drinking it in small doses. 0 -
I have had terrible week regarding exercise and seem to have fallen out of the habit or know how of squeezing it in before work. I find that if I do it at the end of the day, my sleeve feels tight. (Grrrr!)
I just popped in to ask you ladies to take a quick peek at the gloves and sleeve thread and see what I have bene up to with Lymphediva. Had an awesome day Tuesday particpating in a catalog shoot! Now I MUST get back on track with the exercise !
Dawne Hope
After I broke my knee, I wore a FUTURO elastic ' brace/band" every time I exercised ( for app 2 yrs !) Worked like a charm. Might be worth a try.
WELCOME Maria.
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Knee troubles and foot troubles are pretty nasty potholes in the road to fitness. My heart goes out to you, Dawne-Hope, because I can only imagine how frustrated you are with that cranky knee.
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Carol. yeah the trainer gave me stuff to do for my balance that I can do anywhere or any time.
as in "sobriety test"....easy to do in the office! as in when I am walking around the building. Balance is very improved.
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Purple. Just because you are a movie star doesn't mean you have to forget us little folk.
Now get those buns in gear and pump em up Yah know movie stars aren't suppose to have sloppy buns!0 -
Dawne, Nordic pole walking should take the pressure off your knees and you will be exercising your upper body to the max. I love my poles. I agree to the knee bandage if you docs says so.
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I never thought in my wildest imagination that I would become a hard core fitness nut and pumping iron. I noticed after my mastectomy, "Hmmm, my chest was opened up almost from armpit to armpit, I'm going to have to have a strong upper body." I really like being strong and feeling nice, supple, strong muscles. It lifts the spirit too, even with the threat of an LE flare hanging over every workout. Flares go away eventually, but being strong and fit is a wonderful feeling.
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Nibbana, Your post touched me in a way I can't explain, Maybe it was that being fit and strong makes you feel good and lifts the spirit.
I like that you turned something bad (BC) into something good.... Being a strong women.
I walked 2 and half miles today and 4 miles yesterday with lebeds opener. I don't want to try 5 miles yet as I had a bad foot problem the other day when I did. I gotta work up to it. I just might do it with all your support here!
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Hugz, you are truly walking a lot! More will come, all in due time.
Nibbana, well said! I love the feeling of fit, too.
Today, DH and poodle and I walked some wooded trails. We thought there would not be enough snow for snowshoes, so we didn't bring them, but actually, the snow was still somewhat deep, although dense. We walked anyway, and it was a nice quadriceps workout because of the snow. About 4 miles on a stunningly sunny afternoon.
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Yah know movie stars aren't suppose to have sloppy buns!
hahahhahaha!
You are 2 funny hugz.Well, tomorrow A.M. should be easy because no work- but I have to wtach out for weekend warrior too,. I am back on track in the morning...pinky promise. You be careful of that foot/ it's warning you to take it slow!
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nibbana - If you don't mind me asking, did you go the reconstruction route after your MX? The reason I ask is I sometimes regret going to the TE/implant route ... it was during the very end of getting my TE's filled that I noticed the swelling in my fingers. And it's the pec work that causes me to swell the most ... I often wonder if I hadn't chosen reconstruction ... if I would have gotten LE at all or it would have been much better. My pecs have lost of strength because of the reconstruction.
Shoulda woulda coulda ... doesn't do good to dwell on such things but I often wonder ...
"I really like being strong and feeling nice, supple, strong muscles."
I am happy for you .... although a bit envious!
so, so happy for you. xoxo0 -
I am not sure how much I kicked LE's butt today but my trainer sure kicked mine today!
Wow. I had a session with the chiro right before I met with him and I thought it wise to take it easy. So I asked him instead of box jumps could we do the bike between sets ... and he happily agreed ... which meant ... one set ... 45 seconds, level 8 on bike, repeat, over and over and over and over ...
It was a great work out ... but man, not sure I'm going to suggest something like that again. My swelling is great tonight ... so I didn't over do ... I have one more session with the chiro ... the last couple of times he's used ultrasound to break up some really deep scar tissue and yikes did it hurt the first time ... it's better tonight ... we'll see about running again but I'm going to be happy if I can just do what I've been doing ... and thanks hugz for the reminder about the nordic poles. I am going to get some.
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6900 steps today. Not great but not bad either.
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Cindy, that is great, it transcribes to about a 45 min walk, good for you.
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