(There wasn’t much for imagery that I could think of for this post…so I meme-d my kid. Totally love it.)
Last week I talked about diastasis recti and it being a possible cause to the considerable amount of back pain as well as other unpleasant things I have been experiencing the last few months. With only one week in of 86-ing the crunches, oblique twists and other exercises (that can cause havoc to this condition) I am already noticing a difference in the amount of pain I’m experiencing in my lower back. Coincidence, maybe…but I don’t think so.
I must confess that swapping my running routine and cross-training videos for lower impact cardio and strength training had me slightly nervous. (Okay a lot nervous.) The breaking muscle workouts are fantastic though and thanks to the internet I can check myself to ensure I’m doing the exercises correctly. And let me tell you….a yoga squat may look simple, but it burns like hell when you are correctly positioned.
As far as cardio goes, walking is about as good as it gets now. I am doing more than the workouts suggest but I feel that with the amount of running I was doing it is more than okay to extend the walking. While the fresh air and calorie burn is great, I’m enjoying the company of my favorite peeps during these treks more than anything.
At the end of week 1 two things surprise me: 1.the exercises and walking are leaving me feeling just as strong as my previous workouts and 2.my lower back is no longer a constant force of pain. Does it still hurt? Yes. But the pain has at least subsided by half, especially when bending over and laying down. Something I was doing before was obviously irritating my back pain – I need to get that wall of muscles in my stomach strengthened before I can ever go back to those ab exercises.
Obviously I have 11 weeks to go…a lot can change in that time. I like where things are heading though. Hopefully at the end of the 12th week I will be back pain free and have a much smaller gap in my tummy.
Until next time!
