Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
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Aw Gma, It is so frustrating to say the least.
Had a peek outside and it is raining bad.....Trying to convince myself that my raingear is needy and wants me to take it for a walkies.
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OK...took raingear out for a walk. Did lebed opening eariler.
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Mitten Walk yesterday evening with temperature in the teens (our county work group collected mittens and hats for the children we serve, then took a 2.5 mile hike through Dayton to look at the Christmas lights). Of course, it was followed by hot chocolate and cookies! Snow coming again tonight.0 -
Cold, cold, cold here. I'm grateful for my boring treadmill. Cheers to all you butt kickers.
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P.S. Those gingerbread cookies are the cutest!
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Laurel. Doesn't it feel good to exercise and do something good for the community. I cheated and dropped off my nice shoes for a shoe charity. Now I will have to make up for it and do a walk but first I am on my feet cooking up a storm for company today.
Carol, My sis is showing me the 5 minute artisan bread recipe today. We are serving with dinner. It tastes pretty good but not like my friends recipe from: thefreshloaf.com website. Look it up it is called Jeffrey Hamelman's sourdough seed bread. Oh my you got to try it. He's tweaked it a bit but wow it is to die for. It is quite an involved recipe.0 -
Today was baking day at our house too...sugar cut-outs (decorated with my neighbor kids' help), Hershey Kiss cookies, salted caramel brownie bites, Rocky Road candy, Pumpkin Angel food cake, and snowman cheese ball for tomorrow night's party, then cookie trays for the schools I work at. Thankfully, most of the baked goods will find their way out of my house as gifts. Lots of snow here today so I now have a snow fort and a snowman in my back yard courtesy of the neighbor children and my daughter home from college.0 -
Today was cookie baking with four generations of family in my mother's kitchen. The primary decorators were ages 3 to 8. Let's just say there were lots of sprinkles! I ate more than I should but will be back on track tomorrow...not taking any cookies to my house at all.
Hugz, I've made that Hamelman bread, and it is wonderful. Sourdough really adds a special taste, and all the steps are worth it for the many layers of flavor and texture that are in the finished product. My favorite bread is a three-day 100% whole wheat bread that includes a sour mash made of some of the flour. The no-knead bread is very flavorful, but I like to be able to shape my bread into something more than the round loaves you make with most no-knead breads.
I wish I could claim my hand kneading as exercise but alas, that would be stretching things a bit!0 -
Carol, where is your 100 percent WWheat recipe online? I would like to see the recipe for my mom, She is the happy kneader at age 89. Yes it is nice to make different shapes of bread other than round.
My ginger chocolate fudge was a hit tonight, wonderful with coffee.
Um... I thought this thread is about butt kicking......not butt raising, lol0 -
Hugz, the 100% recipes I use are from a book by Peter Reinhart, and I've been using a good old fashioned book (gift from my daughter) instead of online versions of his recipes. But I'll bet if you search, you'll find some of his recipes for 100% whole wheat breads.0 -
I kicked my butt with exercise today. Even DH is seeing the results of my slow and steady progress. Flat sided instead of rounded buttocks. Who knew? Hehehe, DH knows.
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Marple, kudos! That's a great commercial for slow and steady progress!0 -
A retreat place for all: http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/102/topic/8158250 -
Does this sudden silence mean exercise has left the plans for the holiday? If so, I am right there with you. Between last week's snow, and this week's floods, I have missed my walking. And those cookies just keep calling my name...Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the goodies of the season. January will come soon and I for one will be ready to dive back into some regular exercise routine after thoroughly celebrating this month.
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silence just means many things to celebrate, exercise keeps us strong! day off for me from gym but surely will get in time new year resolution is to try something new, as in back to yoga after many years.
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Hey all, I am still here but I have been a slug by not moving much. To much visiting and entertaining to get the lead out and move it. I was on a fudge marathon...busy making different types but have now decided it is time to quit that nasty tasty habit. I am going to get the weighted hula hoop out tonight and have all my friends try it. The guys are hilarious to watch... That way I can get in a few minutes of hooping while entertaining friends. Should be fun.
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My silence just means that all the fa-la-la has exhausted me! Been running back and forth to see family (a five-hour drive each way!) and baking, and wrapping and...all that stuff we're all familiar with! I have managed to get a lot of steps in most days, and until this week haven't missed many gym sessions, but that's hopeless this week! But it's a good and gratifying kind of busy, and I hope everyone else is up to their eyebrows in fun and family like I am.
Carol
PS hugz...I WANT some of that fudge!!!
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Hi ladies!
Just checking in … it's been awhile.
Hope you all are well.
I went to the gym today for the first time in a week and had a good laugh … thought I would share it here.
I wasn't thinking coordination when I got dressed to go … it was all I could do to pull myself out of the house to go … so I grabbed whatever was comfy. I took a good look in the mirrors at the gym and laughed out loud. I was wearing a pair of red lulu pants I got on sale last year about this time, pink shoes, and a gray and gold Gold's gym t-shirt. Quite a sight. But at least I was comfy.
I noticed that I was given a wide berth for the machines. Lol.I needed the rubber floor in the big part of the gym to do my work-out (not wood or carpet) and the only place to do that is where the big boys work out. They've recently made smaller the girls work out room … I've written out my gripe to them and they haven't done anything.
So, I boldly walked in there looking like ..I'm not sure what … with my little 2lb pink dumbbells and proceeded to go about my business. (The smallest weight they have at Gold's is a 3lb dumbbell and those are too big). I felt a little foolish but it was funny the looks I was getting. Two years ago it would have made me angry and sad but today it just made me laugh. I have light weight dumbbells but then when I pulled out the bosu ball and started doing lunges and side kicks on that … yeah, it was just pretty funny. I have to have the rubber floor or the ball slides around on the wood and carpet … but I got looks, today, ladies. Mostly the big dudes … but I was able to laugh it off.Hope you all have had and will continue to have a happy Holiday Season. xo
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funny, I am not very fashionable when I go to the gym....I tend to dress in old t shirts from vacations! I like to stay clear of the body pumpers!
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I work-out with my trainer at another gym at a local university. I'm only working out at Gold's because that gym isn't available right now. I usually only do cardio at Gold's and an occasional yoga class. The weights there are very specific to certain exercises that I can no longer do and the weights are far too heavy.
I'm with you, proud … I usually stay clear too but I had no choice if I wanted to keep up with my weight program that my trainer sent me to do over the break. I'm just glad I was able to laugh it off … two years ago I would have been a basket case.
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yeah, was talking to a few folks at the gym about how we get nutty if we do not get to the gym....mostly cause we are afraid if we miss a week...we will not go back!
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proud - True. The longer I am away, the tougher it is to get back. I have 4 weeks off with my trainer because she is a student and in CA right now.
I did really well the first week with going by myself. This past week, I only made it once. 
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good luck, I am on a budget these days and decided not to sign up with my trainer for person sessions. So far I am still going to the gym on my usual days but do not have the "oh my I have to practice that thing so Tim knows I was working out" and not goofing off!
depending on my gym pals to yell at me~~
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I work out at a real muscle gym, and the owner is my trainer. He's a serious powerlifter --has a world record, even-- and we are definitely an odd couple when he's working with me! I'm one of three gray-haired women that I know of who work out in the gym, and I think we're all at home there because Todd, the owner/trainer, takes a genuine interest in everyone's unique needs, without judging anyone's fitness level. There are plenty of young muscle guys who work out and some of them are lifting jaw-dropping weights, but no one has ever made me feel self-conscious with my light dumbbells.
DH and I are on our annual year-end mini-vacation, and so far today I've walked almost 9 miles. I'll get another four in before the day ends. We're in a lovely sunny location, it's about 60 degrees during the day, and the walking is simply glorious (because it's dank and snowy at home!). So I'll get plenty of walking in, hoping as well to do some strength training while we're away, depending on fitness facility availability.
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proud - My trainer is through LiveStrong so it is free. I couldn't afford to pay one either right now. If you could somehow hook up with LiveStrong in your area ...
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I am new to this thread, and to lymphedema. I am not officially diagnosed, but have swelling in my arm, hand and some mild edema in my trunk. I am 9 weeks out of surgery. My PT isn't willing to 'call it', yet. But, I am not seeing any real progress after MLD and glove/gauntlet (which I feel is way too tight and I HATE).
I have been skimming over the last many months of this thread and I am wondering....when you started exercising, did you do it under doctor/PT supervision, or just on your own? My PT believes that this probably all started from 'overdoing it' 'one day. She doesn't really want me doing anything, it seems, besides MLD. My question is....is it harmful to do ONLY lower body stuff? (lunges, stairmaster, elliptical without arms, jogging). I aksed her this question, and I cannot remember the answer. It wasn't a simple yes or no, though. And, it didn't leave me feeling like I should go home and do any of those things. I was exercising quite a bit before my diagnosis in October, and my body is completely different since I have just been sitting around so long. Somebody else said exactly what I have been thinking....I don't want to take this 'second chance at life' and then increase my risk of various other problems/diseases by being sedentary and even more overweight! But...I want to be safe! I don't want to make this worse. Have you seen improvement with your lymphedema with exercise?
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Dawn, there is a Live strong program at the Y in my next town and I did go there once to check it out. But I am already a member at my place and the monthly cost is pretty lo so I did not sign up at the Y. I love the pool and at the Y, the pool was full of the kids and no why could I do laps! My gym includes an accessment as part of your membership and that is every 2 months to review your progress. My trainer was an extra though. Gym are so dif in tone and members! I a hooked on mine.
Just back from gym, getting ready for sinus surgery in the morning and will be out of most exercise for a few days but hope to do some small things at home
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nmnbeck, any exercise raises core body temperature, and that can prompt the lymphatic system to increase the production of lymph body-wide. That's probably why you got a no-clear-yes/no answer from your PT. Having said that, exercise is widely regarded as safe for those of us with LE, providing you follow some guidelines to minimize the extra release of lymph.
The first guideline is that your LE should be stable before you start heavy exercise, and by stable, I think they mean you're not currently in the intensive phase of treatment and you've had no changes for several weeks, i.e. you haven't had a flare (added swelling). It doesn't mean you have to have no swelling, just that it's pretty consistent. Other guidelines for exercise can be summed as slow-and-steady progression. Your 'all out' approach might have made things worse. It's best to start conservatively and add intensity gradually, especially if you do resistance/strength/weight training.
One reason for the slow/steady progression guideline is easy to understand. When we have muscle soreness, that's a sign of inflammation, which invites the body to send lymph to the rescue. So the mantra of 'no pain no gain' is a bad approach for us, unless you want 'gain' to mean added arm girth. To minimize post exercise soreness (which the trainers refer to as DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness), you want to avoid pushing your muscles to the point of failure. That's usually exactly what we do when we lift weights--use a combination of reps and weights that will make the last few reps in a set incredibly hard to complete. Strength training, which includes using resistance on an elliptical, has the goal of breaking down muscle fibers, which prompts the muscle to grow back bigger and stronger. That breaking-down is what is causing inflammation and muscle soreness. So can you see why aggressive lower-body workouts can prompt the release of lymph into your lymphatic system?
Strategies to prevent DOMS include staying well hydrated and being sure to stretch after your workouts. My trainer also swears that it helps if you eat a small meal with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates within a half hour of finishing your workout. He also says that if you're lifting weights, it's helpful to follow the resistance training with some cardio work.
Today, I am too well acquainted with all of the above, because yesterday's 15 miles of walking, which included lots of stairs --about 33 staircases worth--made my arm incredibly sore on waking up this morning! I did not use my arms at all, other than the normal bit of movement while walking, but ouch. I support my arm when walking, too, by putting my hand in a pocket, so the arm truly did not take any abuse. Usually any day-to-day swelling or soreness goes away during the night, because I get great results from my night garment, but this morning, ick. So it must have been all the lower-body exertion that did it (and my legs were a bit sore when I woke up, adding further evidence to why my arm is sore).
On your question of whether exercise can improve your LE, I think that's not been proven, although unfortunately a few years ago the news media misinterpreted one particular study and reported widely and erroneously that weight lifting could improve or prevent it. Here's a link to comments about the best study on weightlifting with LE, in which the study's principal researcher discusses that very question: http://stepup-speakout.org/Weightlifting%20and%20... The bottom line seems to be that exercise can be safe for us, but it's not proven to improve or prevent LE.
Also, in case you've not seen it, here's a document that you might share with your PT, explaining the LE exercise guidelines. It includes references to some relevant studies:
http://stepup-speakout.org/Trainer%20doc%20for%20S...
I started exercising as soon as my PS gave me the green light, and by that time, I already had the LE diagnosis. I was able to work with some local hospitals and companies to sponsor a full-day workshop by an expert in exercising with LE, which a group of local gym trainers and LE therapists attended, including the owner of the gym where I work out. So I'm very lucky that I have a resource that understands how I need to moderate my exercise progression. That was about two years ago, and now I exercise all that I want (but probably less than I need to...) and I'm lifting some pretty heavy weights. I'm an avid kayaker, and I'm now back to being able to paddle for 8 or 9 hours. Last summer I stuck a pedometer on my paddle and it registered on average, 19,000 paddle strokes per day for 6 days I spent on a river trip, against water resistance. The strength I'd built up in the gym is what I believe allowed me to do that without triggering any LE flares. My arm was bone tired by the end of each day, while my non-LE arm didn't even notice the work, but I didn't swell up and I'm giving full credit to my exercise program for that.
So, the long answer to your question is that yes, you can exercise, but it's probably going to make you dig deep into your reservoir of patience to get where you want to be!
Hang in there, and don't give up your vision of returning to exercise. You can, and you will. Slowly and surely.
Carol
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Proud, good luck on that surgery. Sending you wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery. And it's wonderful that your gym membership includes the periodic assessments. That's such a wonderful service!
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Carol....THANK YOU! I don't know what I would do without amazing women like you on this site. I think one of the things that has been so hard for me this entire journey (breast cancer, reconstruction, now LE), is the lack of "optimism" or "hope". My diagnosis is excellent, and I am thankful for that. But, when I ask questions about recovery, the answers seem so dismal. "It is going to be a tough year." "there will never be the same 'normal'....but you will grow used to a 'new normal.'" And LE is just a whole world of "I don't know" and "I'm not sure." UGH! It is good to come and see somebody kayaking thousands of strokes in a day. YAY!!!!! That is a NORMAL LIFE to me!!! Thank you for taking the time to respond....and I do feel so hopeful now!!!
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