Hi!

[fractal]

Hi everyone! I don't really know where to start explaining what I'm doing here...I guess I'll start by saying that I am looking for guidance with exercise but don't usually enjoy going to a gym, so I figured I would take the plunge into the Rebellion to see if being part of a community is helpful for me.

 

Can I say I'm half fairy and half human? That's how I've felt about myself for a long time. If not, I'm half elf and half human. In any case, my bottom half is clearly the human half: larger and more muscular than my upper body, which is very skinny. I'm weaker than most folks, I think. I'm going on 25 years old, so I'd like to get a fair amount stronger before time makes me weaker.

 

So how did I get inspired? Late last year, I fractured my arm near my shoulder, and I later had to go to physical therapy to regain strength. I was told to move my arm in different ways, and then I progressed to exercises with something weighing about 1.5 lbs. Then I thought that was too easy and moved up to a 2-lb dumbbell, at which point I found out two things: these exercises were hard even when I tried to do them with my good arm, and there was no way I could do them every day without getting a grinding feeling in my shoulders. Thus, I switched to doing my PT exercises with both arms, every other day, and I gained strength very quickly. I added in some biceps and triceps dumbbell exercises just because I wanted to. At this point, I realized I really wanted to branch out and could use additional guidance.

 

Fast forward. Now I'm in PT for my knee, which has been stubbornly loose (meaning the joint pops from things moving the wrong direction) my entire life and has made it hard for me to walk long distances without discomfort. I really want my knee to improve so I can go on long hikes with my friends, bike farther, run faster, and just generally be freer in life. The affected leg is weak because I tend to avoid using it because of my knee problem, but the weakness makes the problem worse, so I'm doing exercises to strengthen my leg.

 

In truth, most of my joints are loose, and I see strength training as a way to gain functionality in spite of loose joints.

 

I have a lot of goals:

• walk 11 miles in a day (but not every day) without it causing knee problems
• be able to easily carry the amount of food, water and clothing necessary for that 11-mile hike or for anything else I feel like doing
• bike 20 miles in a day (but not every day) without it causing knee problems or any other sorts of problems
• run faster (sprinting and distances no more than 1 mile)
• not struggle to open heavy doors and do other everyday things
• wake up and go to bed earlier—at least two hours earlier than currently
• gain a visible amount of muscle

Exercise activities I enjoy most:

• body-weight exercises
• dumbbells
• stair climbing
• running (medium to high speed, sometimes mixed with walking)
• biking

I'm not sure which guild will be best for me, but I'm guessing assassins or rangers. What do you think?

 

I think I'll be focusing just on my bad leg and my sleep schedule for my first challenge, but I think I will have no shortage of mini goals for future challenges for a long time! Thanks for having me!

[Noname123]

Start with the recruit thread and do a challenge there. It'll allow you to figure out what guilds align best with what you love (you could end up loving martial arts and joining the monks, who knows! ) If you're still not sure after the first challenge head over to the adventures guild, where they do a little bit of everything until you find a focus. 

[jeremymboyum]

I'm like the opposite of an expert so please don't quote me, but yoga might help with the joint problems?... like with this guy: 

 

My wife has suggested yoga to me whenever I had foot problems (I have bad circulation to my feet) after I hurt my heel at a show a couple months back. Stretching, light exercise and using a foam roller helped me with my achilles.

[fractal]

Slates, thanks, I'd already read how the guilds work. I'm just thinking ahead, because I already know myself pretty well and simply want to be in a group with people whose attitudes and approach are a good fit for me.

 

Jeremymboyum, the guy in the video makes me feel so much more optimistic! Thanks so much for sharing that! I'll admit, I've been scared away from yoga instructors after some bad experiences, but I do like a lot of the poses and could try doing some on my own. I think there's more than one possible path to success, but all paths are going to involve an increase in strength and coordination.