Fitness Time

So at least in the aftermath of the horrific CPA the ball is rolling on getting me into physio again & moving all those muscles!

We are currently into week three of the 12 Week “ Return To independence/Work” program which ACC funds. This involves;

Pilates classes weekly on Wednesdays
Strengthening & Cardio Work 3-4 times a weeks @ Physio
Power walks – 2-3 times a week

At the 6 week mark we start work at an acutal gym & this goes for a further 6 weeks after the ACC program finishes (provided I don't need further work done).

To help keep my motivation up as there are going to be a lot of hard/sore days in the first few weeks I have found a computer program online which you can enter your measurements & track them at the frequency you set to see you progress in loosing or gaining cm's. (Much better than just relying on weighing yourself as muscle weighs more that fat so if you gain muscle it my increase the numbers on the scale which is just not a good way to motivate!

Since we started I have managed to gain 2.5cm in new muscle on my wasted thigh – which I was pretty impressed with (and it's not making the hip swelling stand out so much which is a bonus!). Have lost 2cm around my hips, 1.5cm off my left side's forearm & bicep & for the right side 1cm each.

Plus side to exercising again after so long & 3 operations is I have been sleeping better – even if I am sore I manage to nod off quicker & do not seem to wake as often during the night.

I am also feeling more balanced – I definitely would recommend Pilates to everyone, it is an intense workout for your core muscles & because you are controlling movements with your ab/tummy muscles the hip area doesn't get sore at all. The only issue I have is being unable to lie on either of my sides (even on super soft mats) so for this I use a band around my knees while lying on my back & I do single & double knee dropouts while the others are doing the side exercises.

WALKING

There are quite a few nice walks in the Timaru area & a good friend has become my fitness buddy – which helps a lot with keeping you motivated. On the local council website is a list of the walks in the area & they have a map with info for each walk. We are slowly making our way through the list working up to the hardest walk in the Scenic which should take around 1.5-2 hours. Most of the walks we have done range from 40mins – 1hr 20mins & have varied terrain which gives a good overall workout. Here are a couple of examples;

PILATES

We start with a warmup & stretches then work our way through the exercises & with each class we are learning more each time.

Feels so good to be exercising again!