Month: February 2014

I’ve talked with a friend who has an autoimmune disease as well.  She has Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).  We decided a long time ago that rain makes our bodies hurt!   When it rains, I tell her: “Rain, rain/go away/come again/NEVER!!!”  We laugh because we know that it is impossible but it WOULD make our bodies feel better!

This year is the first year that the cold has REALLY gotten to me!  It bothers her as well.  We talk of the fact that we get chilled to our bones and how everything is in SLOW motion in the cold.  It’s REALLY difficult!!!  She said to me once, “It’s very humbling to NOT be able to control your body.  It really let’s you know where you stand in this world.”  I remember that statement really resonating with me because it is ABSOLUTELY true!!!  It is SO humbling and it really stinks!!!

Yesterday at Barwis, Phil came out to get me again.  I got in and I saw Brock and Chris sitting in the chairs by the mirror.  They both smiled and said hi to which I replied, “hi guys!” in a sing-song voice.  I felt like it’s that TV show Cheers or something.  I like that home-y feeling “where everybody knows [my] name.”  I wiped my wheels and that dad asked me if I was going to do “600 [squats] today?”  I told him that I was going to do 605 and we laughed.  Phil stretched me at the table yesterday.  He was sitting on the table and I was in my chair.  He grabs my leg and starts to stretch me.  I was completely confused!  I laughed and told him how it was reversed and “I’m in my chair and you’re on the table.  Usually it’s the other way around.  We switched roles!”  He looks at me and says, “yeah, you’re gonna stretch me today.”  I bet it would be easier for me to do that than it is for him to stretch me!

We head to the Keiser machine and I stand.  It was on my second stand that I did 12 and a quarter squats.  I told Phil that 12 1/4 is better than 10 1/2!  He said to go back to the table after just that one set.  Um.  Okay.  This time, I was the one sitting on the table.  I did some leg extensions and Phil really worked my ankles; especially my left.  My left ankle has really been turning in and on its side.  I asked Phil why it’s doing that, now.  He said that it’s probably the cold and it’s really tight.  Grrr!!!  ANOTHER reason to HATE the cold!  He worked on both of my ankles and would gingerly put my ankle down before he would work on the other.  I asked why he was doing that and he told me it was so my legs wouldn’t jerk back up.  They would if he just let them fall.  That made sense and it was probably true.

As Phil was doing this, I looked behind him at three high school girls working out.  I guess they were doing some kind of plyo (plyometrics) or something.  They were jumping up on the medium-sized blocks.  Talk about humbling!!!  Plyo training is the MOST impressive thing to watch for me!  I NEVER could jump that high!  EVER!  I remember sitting by the blocks and Jesse asking me if I thought he could jump the biggest box.  We were talking about it.  I was being honest and told him, “no.”  He looked at me incredulously and jumped up onto that box.  So, I stand corrected.  Jesse CAN jump the biggest box – really, I’m sitting (I don’t stand very well… yet).  So, I sat there and watched these girls do something that I can’t do and it’s completely impressive.  For right now, I am consciously fighting with my body to get my feet to turn out and be flat.  Right now, it feels like it is MORE difficult than plyo.  When is this weather going to let up already?!  I think that snow after Christmas is pointless.  Snow in February is just cruel.

Reese came out to help me into Barwis, but I was SO wrapped up in my book (I’m almost done) I told him that I’ll get in by myself in a bit.  We talked about football for a little while (Go Broncos!) and wished each other a good weekend.

Phil stretched me out a little bit and set my feet and told me to stand.  I barely moved up from my chair!  My legs remained bent and I realized that my hips were so tight that I was not able to stand.  Phil asked me if that was me standing?!  He had me sit down again (I didn’t have THAT far to go!) and he stretched me some more.  I was not bothered by this fact, I kept saying,  “first is the worst; second is the best!” I must have said it like 8 times. Phil said he was going to hurt me if I said it anymore. But then he set my feet and I stood with a loud *BINK*. It was A LOT better. He told me to start doing some squats but my feet were set too far under the bar so he had me sit again. He stretched me some more.  He was working really hard because my legs were so tight. He was shaking! I wanted to take a picture of him but he wouldn’t let me.  He set my feet and I stood with yet another *BINK.*

I started doing squats. Eric came over and told me that I should kick Phil and his face because he was seated right in front of me as I’m doing my squats.  (He was TOTALLY joking!) I think that that is physically impossible for me to do at this point. So I completed the squat I was working on and *BINK*ed and said, “600.”  Eric I asked, “600?!” I look to over and his direction, and said “really… it’s 4.”   I was able to do 10 and a half squats. I did these almost 11 squats in quick succession *BINK*ing everytime!

Phil pushes me over to the table but it was in use. He had me stay in my chair and he stretched me some more. He told me that will probably just stay in the chair because he was going to work my ankles. My left foot has been turning on its side so I am putting pressure on the outside of my foot.  I have blisters on the outside of my foot and my pinky and ring toe.  They’ve popped.  It hurts.   Phil started with my left ankle and told me to turn my ankle out. I found it was EXTREMELY difficult to do. So he switches to my right ankle which my right leg is historically my “poop” leg.  He told me to turn it out and I was REALLY trying but it did not move. He said, “that was sh**ty.” I started laughing and he said, “just being honest” with a straight face.

Phil takes me out to my car which I got in ALL BY MYSELF again! We fist bump and he tells me that my stands and squats were good but my ankle was sh**ty.  Overall, today seemed like a good day (but NOT like Ice Cube) but the saying should be “first is the worst; second is a little better; and third is the REAL best.  At least it was for me.  We won’t talk about my ankles.