Hope you enjoyed last week’s column. This week I concentrated mainly on upper body and core work as I had a little incident, if you will, during Saturdays training. While on the bike, my hip ‘popped’ causing a fair bit of pain!
My biggest downfall is my lack of patience. I knew I was supposed to be avoiding the bike as I had been sore anyway, but me being me thought: “Sure I’ll be grand!”……………. lesson learned!
In Optimal Fitness they use TRX Suspension Training, and I LOVE IT.
I think the reason I love it so much is largely due to my crutches. I have a habit of lifting myself off the ground using my crutches to see how long I can stay up without losing my balance, so when I started TRX I already had a certain amount of upper body strength.
You may be wondering why I did this, was it for training or physio purposes perhaps? Well the answer would be no, I do it because it’s fun! Sometimes I even shout “Weeeeeeeeeeeee” as I swing back and forward… but then I usually wobble a bit and get a fright, then I usually end up feeling silly… but anyway, I’m getting away from the point here!
So, TRX, … it’s great for me personally as I am using my own weight to do various exercises. The equipment is suspended from the ceiling which means I can take the pressure off my leg. The more slanted you make your body the harder it is to do pull ups so it’s challenging but effective.
This week I also upped the weight training. I can tolerate heavier weights now which is fantastic.
I am missing my cardio workout because of the bike ban so I had a chat with Adam Speer, co-owner of Optimal Fitness. He spoke to the manager of the Clanree Hotel who have very generously given me a couple of months free membership to their leisure centre. I am absolutely delighted and would like to thank Adam and the Clanree for their support.
Swimming is an EXCELLENT form of post surgery physiotherapy as it is low impact. I have always loved swimming for one main reason. It makes me feel like I can walk again. In the past my physio would involve walking the length of the pool which is great for building muscle. The only downside is it takes about a fortnight to get from one end of the pool to the other! However, I would highly recommend it to anyone with an injury.
I made my way to Muckish on Monday to have a little look at what I will be climbing. As one of my physical challenges we have decided climbing Muckish would be a great start. Errigal is our main goal though. This will be extremely challenging both physically and mentally as climbing a mountain on crutches isn’t easy. Climbing the STAIRS is hard enough at times! (Although that’s usually after a few sherries).
Michael and myself climbed Knockabrin on Friday to test the terrain. We actually climbed it twice as it really isn’t that big! It was very enjoyable though.
I have been in contact with top DJ and radio presenter Nikki Hayes who has been helping me promote Ewing’s. I must say she has been a Godsend. Thanks to her help, I have been invited down to Wicklow to speak on East Coast FM this Tuesday, September 24th, at 11:05am. Anyone with access to the Internet will be able to tune in, so please do!
And lastly,
I have some very exciting news on a personal level. My good friend Cat Greene and myself are going into business together. Some of the products we will be stocking actually help people like myself who suffer from joint/arthritic pain. Below is a link to our Facebook page, if you are like me and find that the dipping temperatures affect your joints then have a look.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-HealthBeauty-Company/1416355291910756
My blog: http://fightingfitforewings.wordpress.com/about/
Email: nikkibradley59@gmail.com
That’s all for this week folks,
Enjoy your weekend whatever you get up to.
Nikki
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