Before you say it, let me just say if I got a dime for every time someone said "OMG You're SOOOO skinny you don't need to workout!!" I wouldn't have to work anymore.
So before I SHOW you why I need to do this, let me tell you:
When I was 19 I found out I had Scoliosis. I went in to do a chest x-ray for my lungs and ended up getting a 45 minute lecture about my spine. It is shaped like a "S". Well not like exactly a "S" but close enough. I like to say that my spine is the shape of a crazy straw. It makes it more lovable, yeah? It explained a lot about my shoulder pain and my hip pain...and my back pain. And why my hips and my shoulders are crooked. My doctor and physical therapist explained it in more detail. Because of the way my spine is shaped my muscles aren't in the best shape. On one side my muscles are loosey goosey, the other side they are extremely tight. Both results in horrible knots (ask Brody how many times a week he has to work a knot out). Also because of my spine my hips are crooked, which results in painfully tight hip flexors.
For me, becoming fit doesn't mean 6 pack abs or toned thighs (although it would be a bonus...), it means living life without daily pain. After 5 minutes of walking my hips hurt. My shoulders are in constant pain, 24 hours a day. My back feels like it should belong to a 70 year old, I struggle lifting things over 15 lbs.
When I was taking dance fitness classes, I was stretching up to 4 hours a day. I was doing weight lifting, yoga and being stretched over the physical limit by instructors. Although it was difficult, my body never felt better.
It has been less than 7 months since I left those classes. I have not done any physical activity. And I have lost all flexibility. And all my muscle. Which I desperately need because it is really annoying needing other people carry things for me, and that I get out of breath carrying a load of towels to the washing machine. I took "before" pictures so I can document my progress. Which I will take pictures every 2 weeks. I apologize for the following pictures...Brody took them...(thanks honey! ahem...)
This is my arm...I am flexing as hard as I can...I know...it's sad....
"Arielle, why did you put a picture of you just sitting?" One, I apologize for my face, Brody was making me laugh....Two, I am not just sitting, this is as far as my legs will extend. And this is really painful for me too. After sitting here for 10 seconds, it was really difficult for me to get up and my hips and legs are really sore.
To many people, this is just bending over. This is as far as I can bend down before I have to bend my knees. Again, after 10 seconds of this it was hard to straighten out and my lower back hurt. Oh and I can't straighten out my back...it hunches over like that naturally, another thing I need to work on.
I promise my cooch is safely tucked in there.....I checked like 12 times before taking the picture. This is how far I can extend my legs in a "butterfly" stretch. After about 20 seconds of this, my knees cracked as I tried to stand up and my legs gave out.
I second-guessed whether I should post these. I am embarrassed. I am 23 years old and I look like I have the body of a 70 year old. But I made a promise to myself that I would be honest with myself with this blog, so there it is. For the whole world to see. Tomorrow I start my journey. A journey that hopefully will lead me to a life without pain. I can walk for a long period of time and my hips won't hurt. I can lift my kids one day and my back won't hurt. I can play on the floor with them and rough-house. I can feel good about myself. Not embarrassed. I probably won't write every day about my experience (because I have other shit to do and other stories to tell...) but I will AT LEAST every 2 weeks.
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