Wouldn't it be nice if we [weren't] older?

So, I’ve never been much of the disciple type, but I’ve become quite the yogi in the past two weeks. Non-yogies beware!

Not only have I been waking up early each day to do 30 minutes of yoga and coming home for another 60-minute session, I’ve begun selling my friends on it as well. My lower back has really improved in the past couple days. And it’s only mildly ironic that the injury occurred during yoga. But I have meditative forgiveness in my heart (and I’ve stopped forcing myself into poses I cannot do).

My friend Jeff injured the back of his right leg last night when he slipped while running outside during a thunderstorm. After I asked what he was doing running in a thunderstorm, I handed him a yoga mat and told him to have at it (well, it was a little more nuanced and cautious than that).

But while selling yoga to everyone in ear/eyeshot might be something I can be teased about for years to come, at least it’s a healthy thing to push. Like Greens Plus chocolate energy bars.

What has yoga done for me lately? Aside from giving me a great reason to wake up early each morning, I’ve been able to make it through the day with only 1-2 doses of anti-inflammatory meds instead of 4-6. Plus my breathing felt more natural and healthy on Wednesday when I took to the elliptical at the rec. center.

Melissa and I headed to the rec. center yesterday—she had her eyes on the weight circuit and I was set on walking. Slowly. I was almost around lap one on the track when I got bored and spotted an elliptical machine.

Had I not walked away feeling like I finally had the cardiovascular workout I’ve been craving and not feeling an once of soreness, I would have admitted it was a bad idea. But it wasn’t. Granted, it’s not the same workout as running, but some of the same muscles woke up and I was saved the impact for my still-injured state.

I ellipticalized for a little over 1.5 miles and 15 minutes before I met back up with Melissa and walked a mile around the track. During the walk I focused on stretching my legs and using my whole foot (not just the outside) to walk. And perhaps that attention will translate into running with my whole foot like a normal human being.

It was a relief to wake up this morning and still feel peachy. I’ve been stiff each morning, but it just wasn’t that bad today—and that always helps nurture a positive attitude as well. Alongside 30 minutes of yoga this morning, I swam 1,200 yards free at lunch today before spending some time in the hot tub. And I think that was more an indulgence this time. Woe is me.

It’s almost 3 p.m. and I’m happy on only one dose of anti-inflammatory from this morning. Not only do I not have to make an “eek!” or “ouch!” noise every time I step on my left side, I might be getting back at least some of my walking grace (what little there was anyway). And now I’m itching to find out if I’ll be healthy for a 10K race on July 7.

Time will tell. And I think it’s time for more yoga…

At Least I Have a Reason to Hang in the Hot Tub

My lowerback is still gently nagging, but I feel at least one thousand times better than I did during the first half of this week, and about a million times better than Sunday.

I called my doctor this morning, however, to see if it was worth a visit. He's a fascinating man who speaks in old Hindu parables and always explains things to me in complex metaphors and morality tales. And what I pieced together from his story about an injured vervet was that antelope carcasses hanging in trees signal the presence of a leopard and rest is the only medicine for non-serious injuries like the one I have. (Oddly enough, I knew the antelope carcass factoid from The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.)

He said I was welcomed to come in, but after last week's run-in with the bear, I didn't want to hear a story about injured runners and roaming black bears. I've heard enough of those this week. Plus, he's in Willoughby Hills, which isn't a great distance, but too far to travel for him to tell me what he did over the phone. Although the vervet story was pretty interesting...

But on Wednesday I found value to this injury: I have a very valid excuse to spend some extra time in the hot tub during my lunch hour!

After several days of inactivity (laziness is beginning to set in and guilt over all of the cupcakes I ate this weekend is eating me alive!), I was itching to do something. Walking is still a little eh, and I've done some really light yoga -- sans sage of any other kind of twist -- and upper-body weight training, but I need activity! So, I went for a swim.

I didn't know what to expect of my injury in the swimming environment: would it hurt more? feel better? hurt less? My biggest concerns were a) that kicking with my bad side would make me cry and that b) I'd feel excruciating pain, wheeze and wince in response, choke on water and drown when I pushed off the wall on a turn.

Oddly enough, it felt great. Even pushing off the wall didn't hurt a bit. The only pain I felt was while flipping the first couple of times, but even that died off as I continued swimming. And it turned out to be one of my better swims since I jumped back on the wagon.

I swam a really loose and easy (but strong) 1,000 yards straight, which I haven't done in a few months. Sure, it isn't very far at all, but on a day when I thought I would be able to push 200 yards, it was fantastic. And since I had promised myself some take-it-easy time, I finished that 1,000 and spent some time in the hot tub with a jet massaging my lowerback. After about 10 minutes in the tub, I took to the showers and headed back to work in a relaxes daze. It didn't heal my injury, but it certainly made the prospect of swimming mid-day that much more appealing again.