The Stages of Hiking with JRA

On Wednesday I went on 7 mile hike. It was a very flat and level hike with little elevation. It was also on well kept, wide trails with few roots or rocks to navigate over.  No problem! I thought. Hiking 7 miles in the woods is something I do not decide to do frequently and as a result I am still recovering. However, throughout this hike, I realized I went through many emotional stages...

The Stages of Hiking with JRA

1. Excitement: I feel great! 3.5 miles each way, no problem. Let's do this! 
2. Wonderment: Nature is beautiful! Look at these trees, birds, the rushing river!
3. Motivation: Already one mile down. This is easy! 
4. Trepidation: My right knee is starting to ache...oh no, not even half way.
5. Reenergized: Sign says 1.8 miles to go! That's nothing!
6. Denial: Both knees and ankles are throbbing, but I must keep walking.
7. Anger: Why is this so hard, it's only 3.5 miles. 
8. Hope: Only .4 miles to go!
9. Fear:  As the path narrows and becomes filled with rocks and roots, I have fear with every step that my knees will give out and I will go tumbling into the river. 
10. Focus: I have to focus on every step I take, all of my effort and energy goes into making each step, no more nature, no more wonderment...
11. Relief: I made it to the top! Hooray! Must Sit Immediately. 
12. Anxiety: I know I have to complete this whole journey again to get home. 
13. Resilience: I have done this once, I can do it again...(and my legs are numb at this point, so it hurts less)
14. Pain: Once again, every step causes throbbing, stabbing and pain in both knees, ankles and my back.
15. Despair: Will this trail ever end...
16. Optimism: I see the bridge at the end of the trail, I can hear cars on the road, we are close!
17. Thankful: Although my body fought me, it did not fail me and I succeeded.
18. Fulfilled: I conquered the trail, conquered my JRA and completed my goal! (Now time for a well-deserved ice cream and bath!)

Fitbit Fitness Time

I have written previously about my impulsivity and constantly changing exercise kicks and phases. I have a new fitness phase to discuss! I recently purchased a Fitbit after a week long vacation of doing nothing but eating too much and lying on the beach. I researched all the newest activity and heart rate trackers. I knew I did not want to spend more than $200.00 and I wanted it to look subtle enough that I could wear it to work and not have it stand out.

After researching over 5 different trackers (Garmin, Polar, and Basis Peak), I narrowed it down to the Fitbit Charge HR and the Jawbone UP3. The Fitbit was $150.00 and the Jawbone UP3 was $180.00. They were very similar in features including tracking steps, calories, sleep and with wireless apps and syncing capabilities. The big differences were that the Fitbit tracked your heart rate continuously and the Jawbone only tracked your resting heart rate (see the websites for more descriptions on how the heart rate tracking works). Also, the Jawbone had better sleep tracking (your REM, light sleep and awake cycles), but was more expensive and did not have any external display.

So far I have enjoyed wearing the Fitbit Charge. It has definitely made me more aware of the amount of exercise I was getting daily, and it was not nearly as much as I thought! The Fitbit suggests a goal of 10,000 steps a day which is recommended by American Heart Association. I have only achieved over 10,000 steps twice and they have been days where I have been very active, walking over 4.5 miles and am usually very achy and sore the next day. I decreased my step goal to 7500 steps a day and am averaging 5 to 6 thousand a day, meeting my goal of 7500, two to three times a week. It has definitely pushed me to take that extra 30 minute walk on my lunch break, walk up that extra flight of stairs or park farther away at the grocery store. Hopefully it will continue to keep me motivated. Fitbit fitness time!

My Quest for the Perfect Yoga Studio: Part One

I am a beginning level Yoga student. No, I am more like a "fair weather yoga sports fan." I have tried a variety of yoga classes including classes at a gym, classes in a yoga studio, classes watching a DVD and classes by private instructors. It always starts out really well and then a variety of things happen... Either the class progresses too quickly and I can't keep up with the poses, I push myself too hard and end up straining myself, the class is too slow and not challenging enough, or I have a difficult time modifying the poses to accommodate my range of motion limitations and there is not enough individual attention to assist me.

However, I have become "fluffy" over the long, hard winter and most definitely need to get back into an exercise routine. Watching the snow pile up as I dunked mint oreos in hot coca probably did not help my physique. I decided I need to do something before bathing suit season commences. I researched yoga classes in the area and picked the closet one to try first. I emailed the instructor and asked how vigorous the class is and if it would be appropriate for knees with decreased range of motion. The instructor promptly responded and reported that the class is very gentle and most of the students have injuries they are healing from. I thought "Perfect!"

I did enjoy the class and the teacher was very nice and receptive. She made sure to check in with me to see if I needed any modifications. However, the class was very gentle and felt more like stretching and mediation. I also was the youngest person by at least 15 years. I am very accustomed to being the youngest person at the eye doctors, the youngest person in the Arthritis clinic and the youngest person with a aarp card, however, I was hoping I wouldn't be the youngest person in the yoga class. Although, I think this class will be a nice meditation and relaxation class, I am going to keep searching to find the right class.

Tomorrow is yoga studio #2 of the week...

Running through Springtime

Spring has finally sprung! After breaking the record for the snowiest winter ever, I was pretty sure it would never happen. With the warmer weather, longer days and the melting of all the snow, it instills a positive, hopeful energy in all Bostonians. We made it through the winter and came out on the other side. The grass may not actually be greener yet...but it will be soon! There are people every where running along the Charles River, biking through the city and enjoying the start of Spring.

There have been times in my life where I have felt well enough to join those enthusiastic runners along the Charles River. My type of "running" typically involves jogging for about a minute and then walking for five minutes. During my best feeling days, I could keep this up for 3 miles and generally not feel any different the next day. Unfortunately, as I deal with a medication change, this is not one of those periods. I recently went for brief walk along a hilly road way in New Hampshire and felt the after effects for 3 days. My knees were achy, swollen and painful and I spent the following day icing them in my office inbetween patients. Now, every time I see one of these runners, it reminds me of the limitations my JRA puts on my daily activities and sometimes that is harder to deal with then the physical pain.

I have tried many fitness routines in my life besides jogging such as yoga, personal training, TRX, skiing, water aerobics and home DVD workouts. I have always struggled with finding something that fits into my schedule, is safe and healthy for my body and that I am motivated to stick with. I have yet to find my perfect exercise routine and will continue to try new avenues until I do. However, although I am excited and optimistic to embrace Spring and all that it has to offer, I can't help feel a twinge of jealousy when I see the newly energetic runners sprint by...