Hydration is the Key

Earlier this week I mentioned on Instagram that I’ve been sluggish recently and eating mindlessly. Initially, I attributed it to being injured and not able to run, but then I realized that I’d not been very good at hydrating lately. I spent last week focusing on staying properly hydrated and eating better just seemed to fall right into place. As a result, my energy levels have returned and I’m feeling much better!

 

Another Birthday and Pablo’s Visit

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, four out of six of our immediate family members have birthdays within a month’s timeframe. Yesterday, Daniel, Jess, and Pablo came to visit so we could celebrate Jess’ birthday. They said that when they drive onto our street, Pablo recognizes where he is and starts making little happy noises. 🙂

After going to a Japanese style steakhouse for the full hibachi experience, we chilled in our basement for a while and Pablo posed for a few pictures.

 

Carrot cake was Jess’ birthday cake of choice and Wegman’s didn’t disappoint with their Ultimate Carrot Cake. Pablo hasn’t learned to look at the camera in family photos, though!

 

Physical Therapy and Numbness Update

Last week, I talked about my daily planks and how much stronger my core has gotten, but that I’ve recently noticed that planking seems to contribute to the numbness I’m experiencing in my right foot. I spoke with my physical therapist last week and he suggested I limit my time on side planks to 30 seconds rather than 1 minute on each side. I also broke my planks up into no more than 2-minute segments and stayed hyper-focused on my form, and that really seemed to help.

I had two more PT sessions consisting of dry needling with electrical stimulation both times. My PT and I went over the exercises and stretches I’ve been doing at home on my own and my he told me to continue those.  I am feeling better, but I’m not sure if it’s the dry needling, the stretching, or the Naproxen kicking in…

 

And Now on to a RunDown of this Past Week’s Workouts…
Running

I actually thought about running on the  treadmill yesterday, but determined that after a 20-mile bike ride wasn’t the smartest time to give it a try. If I continue to feel good this week, I might try a half mile or so just to see if there’s any improvement…

 

Biking

I’m actually enjoying my time on my spin bike (affiliate link) a lot more than previously. I’ve learned that if I distract myself properly, the times flies by! Usually I watch HGTV, but on Thursday I called my good friend Susan and we chatted while I rode my bike and she walked to a yoga class. It was almost like the good ole days of running together when she lived just around the corner!

 

Strength Training

While at PT, I went over the various exercises I do when strength training to make sure none of them were causing any of my problems. Everything is good as long as I keep good form and stop if it causes foot numbness.

 

Yoga

I added back in my old yoga routines and it felt great to be doing them again. I continued to do my little yoga for sciatica routine I put together, and on days I didn’t do it, I did a couple of the most crucial exercises for my recovery.

 

Last Week on the Blog

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

In addition to the workouts I mentioned above, here’s a complete rundown of my workouts from this past week (completed mostly in our home gym)…

 

  • Questions:
  • What’s your favorite kind of birthday cake? ~ chocolate with white frosting 
  • If you watch HGTV, what is your favorite show? ~ Fixer Upper and  Flip or Flop 
  • Did you race this weekend?

 

And that’s a wrap… Have a great week!

 

Disclaimer:  This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.

 

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I’m linking up with Holly at HoHo Runs and Wendy from Taking The Long Way Home for their Weekly Wrap. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!