Time for PT?

To Physical Therapy or Not to Physical Therapy… that is the question plaguing me today, months after being diagnosed with the most annoyingly named diagnosis ever: Runner’s Knee.

I haven’t actually run properly since… January? February? March? Sometime Q1 when I decided my knee pain really wasn’t something to just completely ignore. Since then, I have tried a veritable cornucopia of cardiovascular activities including but not limited to…

• “Power” yoga
• “Power” walking
• Spinning
• Swimming
• Elliptical-ing
• Kickboxing

All of them hurt in one way or the other and I’m getting a bit distraught. I can’t do lunges or squats, and I can’t do any cardio… That is a huge loss as far as my caloric expenditure goes since those big muscles burn so many nasty calories when you work them out properly.

I have been diligently doing my straight leg lifts and leg kick backs and all the little exercises the doc said I could do safely, but I am just not seeing an improvement.

Hence the question at hand: Do I go to PT to try and get this thing fixed the right way? Is that even the right idea? Doctor Cocky who diagnosed me said it wasn’t necessary since I went to the gym so much, but I feel like if they watched me doing the excercises, perhaps I’d get closer to fixing it sooner.

Y’all always have great advice. Bring it on. I need you.

Cardio Hiatus

For my life I cannot motivate my mildly jiggly ass to get back into a cardio routine. But full disclosure – I’d rather cut my toes off than do cardio at all.

During my “big loss” (60 lbs), I had been what some would call “religious” with my cardio – 4 days a week I’d be out there. First the recumbent bike, then walking, then ralking (run/walking), then finally, years later, running full out.

I ran my first 5K in November and then I found out that knees are not so much built for the running. Nooooo. Bad knees. So, I spent some time trying to f1×0rize my knees with stretching, strengthening, positive energy in their general direction. But in the time I spent trying to get them back in order, I’ve kind of lost all desire to move rapidly for extended periods of time. I am officially on cardio hiatus. I really hope that come summer time I’ll have more motivation to do things that aren’t cardio-dedicated. I think I’m more apt to expend caloriebusting minutes doing things like hiking, rollerblading, playing baseball, etc. than I am going on a run. Blah.

So. Here’s to summer and getting back on the cardio horse. I’m going to need all the encouragement I can get.

“That was quick!” — Another “That’s what she said” moment

You know what drives me nuts? I read everywhere that even if all you can do is 15 minutes at the gym, you should still go. Anything is better than nothing, right? Since I’ve had a harder and harder time fitting in gym time, my “all I can do” workouts have been my saving grace. With plans tonight, 20 minutes was all I could do…

I finished my cardio and headed for the door.

I saw the dickhead “trainer” who works for the gym standing at the front desk and I knew what was coming.

“Wow. That was quick.”

Yeah, numbnuts. Thanks. I’m so glad you have finally figured out a way to encourage me. And you wonder why people don’t pay for your personal training.

That was quick? Yeah. That’s what she said.