2 weeks off fitness

tomatoey

yahoo health

https://www.yahoo.com/health/this-is-your-body-on-1294376205238326.html

i need to not let this happen again

Sued0nim

I took a purposeful 13 days off workouts but upped daily steps (tendonitis)

I had a session last Monday and my cardio function had slipped massively

I haven't been since due to work / family pressure

And I'm worried I'm losing the habit

blankiefinder

This is true, I ended up missing 6 weeks of exercise after 3 trips, a wedding, and then a funeral, and I noticed that even though my weight stayed the same, my measurements went up a bit. Belly up .75 of an inch, thighs .5, it was very sad. I've managed to get back into the regular gym routine, but struggling to get it back up to the same intensity as before.

tomatoey

rabbitjb wrote: »

I took a purposeful 13 days off workouts but upped daily steps (tendonitis)

I had a session last Monday and my cardio function had slipped massively

I haven't been since due to work / family pressure

And I'm worried I'm losing the habit

Yeah, it's scary when it starts to slip and days go back to feeling the way they did pre-commitment.

But it just takes going again, it'll be ok. I went tonight for an hour of tendonitis-safe cardio (same boat). 30 mins bike, 30 mins walking on the dreadmill. It felt eurgh but ok. The body remembers! Or apparently not as well as I'd hoped, but the mind does

Anyway, it won't take long to get back into the swing of things. I'm going back to my old rule of "Not allowed to let the sun go down without doing 30 minutes of something" until it's natural again.

It's harder when it's not the exercise you'd ordinarily prefer (boo tendonitis!)

tomatoey

blankiefinder wrote: »

This is true, I ended up missing 6 weeks of exercise after 3 trips, a wedding, and then a funeral, and I noticed that even though my weight stayed the same, my measurements went up a bit. Belly up .75 of an inch, thighs .5, it was very sad. I've managed to get back into the regular gym routine, but struggling to get it back up to the same intensity as before.

Yeah, amazing how lumpy things feel, quick

It'll just take time to catch up, be patient (I say also to myself)

Sued0nim

@tomatoey

It sucks doesn't it?

tomatoey

rabbitjb wrote: »

@tomatoey

It sucks doesn't it?

It does. If you break a bone, you roughly know when it'll heal, and then it does, and you're mostly good. Tendons, different story

Alatariel75

I' ve not exercised in 4 weeks due to work being insane. I'm going to hate myself so hard when I hit the gym again.

Sued0nim

@tomatoey thanks this made me hit the gym at 9am and I never go on a Saturday

malibu927

This is what I needed to see. My workouts have been sporadic all year due to work/school stress and I can tell (besides the 9 pounds I'm up since January). Definitely need to get back to it.

tomatoey

@rabbitjb - ha! No worries. It came up on a friend's FB feed last night, and that's exactly why I went

socajam

tomatoey: I like your thought and something I should seriously consider when I am feeling too lazy to exercise:
"Not allowined to let the sun go down without doing 30 minutes of something" until it's natural again". Thanks

lorrpb

I was off for 4 wks earlier this year due to surgery. I was back to normal in my personal training within 2 sessions. In fact, trainer didn't think I'd lost anything! And it's not because I'm wonder woman in fitness. Far from it. Lol

tomatoey

no probs @socajam , glad if it's helpful

Annie_01

tomatoey wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

@tomatoey

It sucks doesn't it?

It does. If you break a bone, you roughly know when it'll heal, and then it does, and you're mostly good. Tendons, different story

Depends on the break. I broke me arm/wrist 6 weeks ago...had surgery to insert a plate and screws. I start rehab next week. I can do nothing weight bearing for at least 3 months and that it will take 6 - 12 months before it is back to normal.

My exercise with that hand at this point is just trying to move it. Six weeks of immobility in that arm has undone all of the weight training that I had done pre-injury. I have made progress though...I can now touch my thumb to my fore finger without too much pain...only three more fingers to go. Long way off on making a fist or being able to move my wrist.

I will say though...surgeon said that along with letting the bones heal that the tendons will take a lot of work to stretch back out and allow my wrist and fingers to move properly.

cwolfman13

I've been off for three weeks due to what I thought was illness but turns out to be severe allergies...which unfortunately turned into bronchitis, a sinus infection, and an ear infection. I should be back in the saddle and in the gym sometime next week...I'm not too concerned, muscle memory is also an awesome thing. My guess is that I'll be back to basically normal within two weeks or so.

tomatoey

Annie_01 wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

@tomatoey

It sucks doesn't it?

It does. If you break a bone, you roughly know when it'll heal, and then it does, and you're mostly good. Tendons, different story

Depends on the break. I broke me arm/wrist 6 weeks ago...had surgery to insert a plate and screws. I start rehab next week. I can do nothing weight bearing for at least 3 months and that it will take 6 - 12 months before it is back to normal.

My exercise with that hand at this point is just trying to move it. Six weeks of immobility in that arm has undone all of the weight training that I had done pre-injury. I have made progress though...I can now touch my thumb to my fore finger without too much pain...only three more fingers to go. Long way off on making a fist or being able to move my wrist.

I will say though...surgeon said that along with letting the bones heal that the tendons will take a lot of work to stretch back out and allow my wrist and fingers to move properly.

Sorry, @Annie_01 , that's awful. I remember reading about your arm/wrist Yes, bones are more complicated in some cases/people than others (when surgery's required, for sure), and a year lost is a year lost

The reason I say tendinopathy is different is that there isn't any surefire procedure to actually fix the damage in the tendon (barring surgical debridement, which almost never happens, or experimental injections). You learn to function around it, and the pain may lessen, but the damage is basically done and under strain can worsen, and pain can recur. (prescribed eccentric exercises can help remodel the fibres, a bit.)

(cortisone shots [pain management] are about it for medical help. those shots make tendons worse in the long-term, though.)

I have a lot of those kinds of injuries. With peroneal tendinopathy, I had severe pain for 2 straight years (including 8 months with absolutely minimal impact and a bunch of months on crutches) and moderate pain for another two. I have less pain than that now - now I can walk for an hour or so, previously it was 5 minutes at a time - but it's not better other than in that I can function** within limits. I can't stress it with more than a certain amount of activity (can't e.g. run or do a 3 hour hike), and I just live with neuropathy that came with it now (constant tingling in that foot). Shoulders (I have that also) also heal very slowly, 18 months or more under ideal conditions. Threat of recurrence all the time.

** and that is with months and months of trigger point massage & electroacupuncture plus orthotics. (no physio exercises for that foot bc the tendon was too weak and damaged to do the eccentric exercises that help with most tendon injuries). I can't wear normal shoes anymore, never heels.

It's not like the worst thing that could ever happen to a person, by far. Just that the healing is slow - if it happens, depends; function is different - and unpredictable.

Annie_01

@tomatoey ...I think that we all just have to deal with whatever we are dealt...make the best of it. After my initial "pity party" I realized that my left arm (non-dominate) arm had become much stronger. I have learned to do things with that I would have never attempted before.

I have also stopped often to think about those that battle these types of things as a way of life...that have no hope for things to change. We live in a world that is not always kind to people with disabilities.

I have experienced all 5 of the points that the article mentioned along with stress. I found that just not being able to do those things that I never really gave much thought about doing were the that stressed me the most...like not being able to use a knife to cut up food...I became very dangerous to not only myself but anyone close by when I tried with my left hand. Food prep became a nightmare because at the same time I broke my arm they discovered that my BP was dangerously high again and put my on sodium restriction eliminating all the convenience food that would have made it easier while I was recovering.

Such is life though and I am now trying to find ways around all of that.

Tomatoey...I truly do wish you well as you travel through life...I wish you many days of lessened pain in your future. I watched my mother suffer for many years of her life and saw how that changed her over time. She was always a happy and vibrant person until the stress of always being in pain altered her.

You're right...maybe it is not the worse thing that could have happened to you...but that doesn't mean that it is easy to deal with nor does it lessen the affects of it on your life.

I wish you well...

tomatoey

Oh, @Annie_01 - thank you so much for your compassion and good wishes, you're so kind.

Chronic pain can narrow one's world, certainly… definitely stressful, and it can distort a person's disposition, that's very true. I'm sorry your mother experienced this. I won't say I haven't had my moments trying to accept limitations and stay positive, do what I can.

I'm sorry you're going through this. Not being able to do ordinary things is indeed frustrating, makes you feel helpless and.. just, depressed, it's depressing. I hope this time is short for you, and that you heal quickly. Also wishing you well

tomatoey

anyway i didn't mean to derail myself, sorry lol

robertw486

It happens quick. I think if I miss more than 7-8 days of cardio I can tell it's a bit harder the next time I do it. Not as bad with strength type stuff.

Karen_can_do_this

Sigh, I've missed almost a week of weight sessions. The three weeks before that have been very sporadic. This was due to an insane work/study/kids schedule.
Tomorrow I'm back to it starting at 4.30am. It's gonna hurt

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I think that this time of year doesn't help. The darker nights drawing in, colder outside.

It is always this time of year that my training routine gets a little sloppy. I am back at it today though! Thanks for the thread

middlehaitch

Right now you could describe me as a rum jello shooter.
Been on vacation for a week and between that, and having a dose of the flu a week or two before that left me as a bag of mashed potatoes, I feel that it will take until the new year to get any fitness level back.

I have found, being older, I can feel as though I have lost all strength after a couple of weeks.

The week vacation was well worth it, just wish I hadn't had the flu before.

This week, laundry, nerdfitness, and a bit of rowing machine; next- I better get right back on the programme or I know I will make all the excuses possible. Then kick myself for slacking off.

@tomatoey sorry that your probs are so ongoing, I thought it was just a slight derailment you had.

@Annie_01 best of luck with the arm. That is a long recovery period.

Cheers, h.

Lucille4444

I have heard the phrase 'muscle memory' and heard it said that it is easier to recover a level of fitness that to achieve it the first time. Is that true?

Annie_01

tomatoey wrote: »

anyway i didn't mean to derail myself, sorry lol

I didn't think it was a derailment at all. I think that it actually ties in.

We all have those times whether it be illness, injuries, vacations or all of those other life events that happen. Those events can derail us from our fitness goals.

Maybe reading the article and hearing about from some of us that have had to stop our training will motivate others to keep pushing. In six weeks my arm has gone from fairly firm to scary bag of mush. I think that there are some that think they can take a month or two off and maintain their current level of fitness. Hopefully they will learn from the article and the experiences related here...that probably won't happen.

Annie_01

middlehaitch wrote: »

Right now you could describe me as a rum jello shooter.
Been on vacation for a week and between that, and having a dose of the flu a week or two before that left me as a bag of mashed potatoes, I feel that it will take until the new year to get any fitness level back.

I have found, being older, I can feel as though I have lost all strength after a couple of weeks.

The week vacation was well worth it, just wish I hadn't had the flu before.

This week, laundry, nerdfitness, and a bit of rowing machine; next- I better get right back on the programme or I know I will make all the excuses possible. Then kick myself for slacking off.

@tomatoey sorry that your probs are so ongoing, I thought it was just a slight derailment you had.

@Annie_01 best of luck with the arm. That is a long recovery period.

Cheers, h.

Thank you so very much.

Lucille4444 wrote: »

I have heard the phrase 'muscle memory' and heard it said that it is easier to recover a level of fitness that to achieve it the first time. Is that true?

I am hoping it is true!

M muscles are old like me however...tend to be forgetful...

kayakerandbiker

I ruptured my Achilles early last summer and it required surgery immediately. I was in a weightless cast for 10 weeks, a boot for another 8, and on a cane for about 3 weeks. The "good" thing was I was so chicken about going up and down the exterior stair case of my condo (I'm in a second floor unit) that I lifted myself up by my arms. So last summer I saw a significant improvement in my upper body strength. Up until the surgery I had been riding my bike between 30-40 miles daily. My cardio stamina returned quickly but even with PT the strength in my right leg/calf took a lot of time to restore.