karinajean achieves TORSIONAL STABILITY

[karinajean]

Oh Assassins my Assassins.

 

I was happily and productively participating in my VERY FIRST CHALLENGE here at NF and rapidly achieving my goals of strength, endurance, and skill with an eye towards my main goal of being prepared for my third degree black belt when...

 

A burly 15 year old (with a heart of gold and a brilliant smile) muscled me through a shoulder throw in tae kwon do class and I tore my ACL. oh that poor kid. oh, my poor ACL.

 

 

Since then I've had to chuck what seemed like super achievable goals of running fast, doing lots of bodyweights, and practicing tae kwon do 3x a week in favor of ... not being blue, and doing as much as I can to stay active and mobile.

 

My surgery is scheduled for June 19th and I'm going back to the same surgeon who did my left ACL about 8 years ago (I tore that one playing ultimate frisbee because I'm apparently a secret JOCK or something).  So this challenge will have to be a little less structured in order to deal with surgery and the unknown immediate recovery period afterwards.

 

MAIN QUEST: We can rebuild her. BETTER STRONGER FASTER.

 

I don't know why I've managed to tear both of my ACLs (and NOTHING ELSE IN THERE, I'm super pro at tearing ACLs, apparently) but either I'm a super secret jock (seriously, unlikely), or maybe there was something wrong with my knees. my left knee has been BRILLIANT since the ACL replacement and I'm looking forward to the same amazingness moving forward.

 

This is going to be at least a 6-month main goal. I won't count myself as fully recovered until I'm back at tae kwon do class and fully participating. that means jump kicks and twisting movements. I will be running again. I'll have full range of motion. I know I can get there, because I already did it once with the other leg. And because I know I can get there, I am feeling super aggressive about getting there as quickly and as strongly as possible. you know, within the boundaries of medical science, and with the care and guidance of my PT and physicians.

 

Challenge goals!

 

PHASE 1. Prepare to be the best patient ever.

June 9 - June 18

My surgery is on June 19, which means I've got 10 official challenge days before the surgery to prepare, PLUS 5 more days including today before the challenge starts. Being the best patient means being fit and healthy and also not sad and discouraged. I said I was going to do this last challenge, but I totally pooped out in the excitement of a new injury.

 

Right up until my surgery I'm going to do this:

* pull-up practice - with the mid-resistance band, not the easiest and most helpful band like I've been using.

* inverted rows

* chair dips (we don't have dip bars at home, so I put two barstools together and do dips off of them.

* and LEG LIFTS. you can never do too many leg lifts. this is medical fact.

* the bruce lee abs workout, with a nod towards tae kwon do

* week 1 (passive flexibility) of the assassins bridge challenge -- of these, I am confident my leg can handle cobra, camel, pigeon, seal, and shoulder dislocates.

 

I will either do these all at once 3x a week, or every other day (split into abs/flex vs. arms/shoulders/leg lifts).

 

I'm also going to watch my diet. I'm losing weight, and I want to keep it that way. keep tracking with LoseIt.

 

PLUS GUYS, I am still taking my 3rd degree black belt test - but because I can't do any moves right now, they're testing me as an instructor, so I need to be boss, be assertive (I'm instructing/leading the test with some bossy 20 year old dudes), and make our students look really good while testing their competency. That happens on June 6.

 

PHASE 2. We can rebuild her. WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY.

June 19 - July 6

(subtext: don't be a mope)

I'm going to be home and off my feet for a while. AT LEAST one week. more likely 2. Who knows when I can drive again, because this is my gas pedal foot. I really don't know what the specific goals are going to look like during Phase 2, but it will likely include:

* I'll be working at home for a period of my convalescence, and I will need to be productive while at home. I'm not the best at working at home and I will need to do better than ever before.

* watch my diet! continue tracking. I'm not going to stress out if I gain a little while I'm on my butt but I don't want to gain a whole lot. eating all the vegetables will help here.

 

I'm going to take a few days after my surgery to flat-out-recover, but I will be back here on June 23 with a set of actual goals for the next two weeks. I'm hopeful that I can add in some stretching/range of motion exercises to this but right now I don't have enough info from my surgeon.

 

PHASE 3. ACHIEVE (*ahem* start to achieve) TORSIONAL STABILITY.

July 7 - July 20

I don't know what my PT is going to look like, but I'm going to work the pants off of it. I want to achieve torsional stability quickly, strongly, and safely.

Again - I'll have to define this a little more carefully after I have my post-op surgical visit and meet with my physical therapist.

 

Deadline of July 7 to come up with concrete goals. but it will certainly include:

* watch my diet! continue tracking. I shouldn't be on my butt any more, so I need to focus on eating right. Plan on continuing to eat all the vegetables. As I'm expecting to be more mobile, I should start going to farmers markets and getting (all the) vegetables and eating (them all).

 

LIFE QUEST. KNIT A SWEATER.

 

With all the being at home I might as well do something besides reading YA novels and apocalyptic fiction and regency romances. Because as much as I can read all day long, generally on day two I need to take a little break, and knitting makes me feel better about watching TV.

 

I have this sweater all ready to go: knitting needles, pattern, and yarn are accumulated. Just need to swatch and cast on. I keep telling people I'm a pretty fast knitter, but I just don't have the time to do it - now I'll have the time! so I can do this!

 

 

 

Goals | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6

[karinajean]

TL:DR

 

Three phases for this challenge, fit around my ACL repair surgery on 6/19:

 

PHASE 1. Prepare to be the best patient ever - eat right, at a deficit to lose weight. do bodyweight workout that accommodates my lack of torsional stability due to torn ACL. June 9 - June 18

 

PHASE 2. We can rebuild her. WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY. (don't be a mope.) After surgery - eat right but don't freak out if I gain some weight due to entire lack of physical activity. After speaking with surgeon, update with any stretching/range of motion exercises that are permissible immediately after surgery. start knitting that darn sweater! and also, be super productive while working from home. June 19 - July 6

 

PHASE 3. ACHIEVE (*ahem* start to achieve) TORSIONAL STABILITY. Keep tracking diet and, under care of a physical therapist, start doing all the exercises on as aggressive a schedule as is permitted. Update with specific plan/goals after meeting with PT. Keep knitting that sweater! additionally, add in heavy quantities of vegetables if these are lacking in any way from diet. July 7 - July 20

[Hazard]

In for abemi . . . abonim . . . kittens.

[Nymeria]

Yay!  You're here with the assassins!  Focusing on the food tracking is a great idea, since you will need to eat a lot less than usual when you can't move around much, and then a lot more than usual once you start hitting the cardio machines and jumping.  It can be pretty tricky to stay around maintenance levels.

 

Do you have any dumbbells or resistance bands?  Or do you have access to a gym?  My PT cleared me for upper body strength work right after surgery, so it's at least something you should be able to do right away.  With all of the PT, of course.   

 

Don't stress out if you don't feel up to doing much for the week after the surgery.  At least we'll all be here to cheer for you and listen to any venting.

[Kailer]

Cute sweater! I'm really impressed with your awesome attitude and determination in the face of an injury. That's very inspiring!

Good luck!

[karinajean]

Yay! You're here with the assassins! Focusing on the food tracking is a great idea, since you will need to eat a lot less than usual when you can't move around much, and then a lot more than usual once you start hitting the cardio machines and jumping. It can be pretty tricky to stay around maintenance levels.

Do you have any dumbbells or resistance bands? Or do you have access to a gym? My PT cleared me for upper body strength work right after surgery, so it's at least something you should be able to do right away. With all of the PT, of course.

Don't stress out if you don't feel up to doing much for the week after the surgery. At least we'll all be here to cheer for you and listen to any venting.

We do have dumbbells at home, at least a few sizes, and also bands for pull ups - I plan to join a local gym too, as soon as I'm able to. I'm really hopeful I can make massive progress on my assisted pull-ups!

Sent from my iPhone while riding a unicorn through the cosmos.

[karinajean]

Cute sweater! I'm really impressed with your awesome attitude and determination in the face of an injury. That's very inspiring!

Good luck!

Thanks! You know, the community last challenge really helped me reframe my expectations. I'm a natural Pollyanna but I get talked out if it by real life well meaning friends. So saying to you all: I'm going to get through this fast and strong - and having you all agree!? That was HUGE. Thank you.

Sent from my iPhone while riding a unicorn through the cosmos.

[karinajean]

So this happened!

Black belt test today! And I advanced to 3rd degree. You know at first I was afraid that this was a pity test (that sounds harsh, and I don't mean it to be, but you know.) because I can't do any movements on account of my torn ACL. but it was structured to prove my leadership and instructional skills, and on top of that, my instructor told me I had to plan the entire test with this other fellow - and also! keep everyone on time and on schedule.

That was really hard.

I talked to the other guy on Thursday, and got his first draft of the test that night. It was SOOOO LONG. So I had to figure out how to work it down and also make sure it showcased our students abilities. I sent it back to him in agenda format and made some suggestions on where to cut.

I used all of my engineering and project management skills on this one.

And we were tracking right on time today w my schedule and then they started giving out 10 min breaks, and we slipped behind, so we cut part of the test on the fly and finished right on target.

PHEW.

I know that at this level in this school of you're testing it's because you've shown your skills in regular practice, and I know my instructor is not a jerk, but I had a secret fear that we would go an hour over and she wouldn't award me my belt.

So I'm super glad that this went well.

Sent from my iPhone while riding a unicorn through the cosmos.

[Hazard]

Go you! That's fantastic! I'm so glad everything worked out and you were able to earn your belt.

[Nymeria]

Congrats!  Running the belt exam sounds pretty intense, so I'm glad you managed just fine.      Are you planning on continuing to teach while you're rehabbing from the ACL surgery, or are you taking a break for a bit?

[karinajean]

Go you! That's fantastic! I'm so glad everything worked out and you were able to earn your belt.

Thanks! Yeah, I have been really digging in on this test for the last 3 months, so actually wrapping it up feels amazing - and also surreal? But amazing.

Congrats! Running the belt exam sounds pretty intense, so I'm glad you managed just fine. Are you planning on continuing to teach while you're rehabbing from the ACL surgery, or are you taking a break for a bit?

I will for sure be attending Tkd up until my surgery (4 classes between now and then), but after that I'm not sure how to balance work, our schedule with the kids (we have them 1/2 time during the week, and I'm the one who normally picks them up after work), and PT. I'm going to do my best to do all the things but Tkd might slip a little. I'm not an official instructor, too - they ask me to help when I'm there - which gives me a little bit of wiggle room. I also don't want to take too much advantage of that wiggle room. On the other hand, my dojo also has a weight room with free weights so I may try to get there so I can do a little rehab or upper body work after class. I am going to join the local big box gym, though, because they have weight machines and I think I'll need those for PT - esp. As I going to have to space out the visits because of insurance constraints. I'm also trying really hard not to overplan when I have no idea what's going to happen after surgery.

[karinajean]

So this last week has been kind of a bust on the actual doing things front. BESIDES THE BLACK BELT TEST, OF COURSE. I felt like I was at my limit just maintaining my normal boatload of activities without fitting in my little exercise program in the mornings! I was EXHAUSTED, which is totally from being on vacation and staying up late reading and then having a very tiring 2-days ride home from maine.

 

also I had an upset stomach for most of the week too - I don't know if it was going from drinking primarily tea on vacation with a cup or two of coffee, to drinking primarily coffee with a cup or two of tea -- or if it was something more sinister, like how I was eating some hot sauce that was over a year old every morning with my breakfast. normally that's not a big deal, I mean hot sauce is kind of made of indestructible! but this one was kind of... separated, and maybe I shouldn't have taken the chance.

 

and I had a headache every single day, which I am pretty sure is allergies or a cold, and pretty much sucked big butts.

 

of course I'd like to say that my body was just flushing out the toxins of our week away, but honestly, while we did eat out maybe 2x more than I usually did, and I did have beers every day, it wasn't a very toxic vacation.

 

I'm excited to start the actual for real challenge tomorrow! I'll get my weight and maybe even measurements, though I'm not anticipating much change during these 6 weeks (except maybe me becoming softer). I am starting to think about how great it would be if I can use this 6 weeks and the next one too to make big pull-up progress while I'm dealing with my knee rehab. and I'm turning on my 9:30 "GO TO BED" alarm on my phone, so I can reset my time a little more responsibly and get rest so I can get out of bed at 5AM to do my exercising.

[karinajean]

SO that was all about last week. This weekend! Trying to recover from my exhausted week and prep for the week ahead.

 

Yesterday after the test we went grocery shopping and I loaded us up with fruit and salad for the week. haven't made a solid meal plan but we have so many eggs I think I'll end up eating eggs for breakfast AND for dinner. We have some chili in the freezer and I'll put that in the fridge for the week. The key for us is to have lots of easy healthy convenience foods (by which I mean chili or fried eggs over salad) for dinner, OR, to have a solid meal plan.

 

I'm exhausted today! still! I just can't sleep in past 8AM. And even though I was asleep last night at 10PM I'm still really catching up.

but I have some yard work to do - plants to plant, weeds to weed. the boys are mowing. we've been slow moving today but it's time to get out there and do some stuff. 

 

I also have to clean my room out a BUNCH. I will be such a baby after my surgery, it's going to be key to my happiness during the week following to have prepared my home so it's a nice place to rest and recover. Right now I have a zillion things to clean up and put away on my bedroom floor. we're not the tidiest couple, but we really could be doing better in there. I'll get a head start on that this week, so next weekend it's less to worry about.

[Ghostbird]

SO that was all about last week. This weekend! Trying to recover from my exhausted week and prep for the week ahead.

 

Yesterday after the test we went grocery shopping and I loaded us up with fruit and salad for the week. haven't made a solid meal plan but we have so many eggs I think I'll end up eating eggs for breakfast AND for dinner. We have some chili in the freezer and I'll put that in the fridge for the week. The key for us is to have lots of easy healthy convenience foods (by which I mean chili or fried eggs over salad) for dinner, OR, to have a solid meal plan.

 

I'm exhausted today! still! I just can't sleep in past 8AM. And even though I was asleep last night at 10PM I'm still really catching up.

but I have some yard work to do - plants to plant, weeds to weed. the boys are mowing. we've been slow moving today but it's time to get out there and do some stuff. 

 

I also have to clean my room out a BUNCH. I will be such a baby after my surgery, it's going to be key to my happiness during the week following to have prepared my home so it's a nice place to rest and recover. Right now I have a zillion things to clean up and put away on my bedroom floor. we're not the tidiest couple, but we really could be doing better in there. I'll get a head start on that this week, so next weekend it's less to worry about.

[Elder]

Woop woop awesome challenge so far!  Congrats on the 3rd degree!!

 

You're going to do amazing, just remember to rest when needed.  You got this.

[VTSPE772]

Congrats, on the 3rd Dan!  I know how hard it can be to coordinate time with others...great job cutting the schedule, and keeping it going!  Obviously, that's why you are going to rock this challenge!

[karinajean]

happy first official challenge day!

 

I got up at 5AM with my husband and we did bruce lee abs, and then I did leg lifts and back flexibilty exercises.

 

GOOD JOB, ME!

 

especially because - despite getting into bed at 9:30 and falling right asleep, I slept SUPER poorly from about 12AM to about 3AM. it was VERY hot and muggy, and also we had watched Bruce Lee's "The Big Boss" right before bed, and I had nightmares about narrowly avoiding being murdered by a mean nasty .... um ... country rock band?! and then my stepsister letting them crash at her house and having to warn her to get out because they might be trying to murder her to get back at me. um. I woke up and tried to "comfort myself" by imagining my stepsister locking herself in a room with her rifle (she hunts) and her kids and being totally kickass, and you know, that wasn't very comforting either. and then I tossed and turned because I was so hot, and my weird cat Ella Olga Torturekitty Murderclaws has started stretching herself out full length against my side while I sleep, so we're spooning, and then on the other side my husband was spooning me, and it was SO warm and restless.

 

I will sleep really well tonight. Note to self: find fan. It's summertime already.

 

BUT happy first challenge day! I had salad with my eggs and toast (I know I'm weird) and salad prepped for lunch today so I can have it with my frozen burrito. And an orange. And today is my first day in the big bosses meeting in my new role as a sorta big boss, so that's cool (and kind of scary but mostly cool).

[Hazard]

Country rock bands scare me, too.

[karinajean]

current weight trend (thanks trendweight.com and my withings scale)

 

 

(that upward tick is when I was on vacation 2 weeks ago...)

 

according to the % fat on my scale (which I only use for reference purposes) all the weight I'm losing has been lean mass, not fat mass. which! is a bummer. BUT totally anticipated. maybe I'll turn it around with the arm work and the abs work. but maybe not!

[Hazard]

according to the % fat on my scale (which I only use for reference purposes) all the weight I'm losing has been lean mass, not fat mass. which! is a bummer. BUT totally anticipated. maybe I'll turn it around with the arm work and the abs work. but maybe not!

 

Probably water-weight that you gained during the vacation.

[karinajean]

Probably water-weight that you gained during the vacation.

 

you are VERY VERY KIND, but I think it's long enough past vacation I'd have to be this guy for that to be entirely the answer:

 

[Hazard]

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

 

karinajean! karinajean!

[Ghostbird]

You know, I kinda wish I were a Ghost... an actual Ghost. I'd be able to float anywhere I want, see as many sights as I wanted... explore the unknown! =D

[AnnieP (respawned)]

Looks like a good first day! Congrats on the third degree belt.

[Red1263]

Man, your challenge starts off with you obtaining a 3rd degree black belt!? 

 

This means that it's only going to be interesting from here on in!