Workout Saturday!

Well I know it’s now almost Wednesday, but I really wanted to post about my day this past Saturday. I went to the chiropractor early in the morning. I’m doing physical therapy at the chiropractor for my shoulder. Here’s the story behind it:

My right shoulder has bothered me for the past 5-6yrs and I have never had a clear explanation until just over a week ago. I had been going to a chiropractor off and on, basically when I was home from school over winter and summer breaks. Obviously, not going consistently did not really help my shoulder to get better, so now that I have returned home permanently (for the time being) I can go consistently. My dad works in healthcare and therefore knows a lot of chiropractors in our area, so he recommended Dr. Joe.

            Just from going there one day, I already knew he was much better than my last chiropractor. He is a lot more knowledgeable and certified for physical therapy and acupuncture in addition to chiropractic care. One test during the initial exam was very simple and interested me a lot. I call it, the drop test. Dr. Joe held my arm and then he told me he was going to drop it without my knowing and he wanted me to catch my own arm. Well the first time he dropped my right arm, I didn’t even catch it. The second and third time, I caught it, each time getting a faster reaction time. Then he went to my left arm and did the same test. I caught it right away on the first drop for the left arm. It was amazing to see the difference! From that test, the x=rays and a few other tests, Dr. Joe suspects that I have shoulder bursitis. My shoulder bothers me when I exercise, mostly cardio activities such as running and swimming. Running is definitely the worst. Swimming, I have found a good balance between free style and breast stroke that seems to keep my shoulder happy.

            So that’s the reason I go to the chiropractor and I hope I can continue to go and strength my shoulder. For my physical therapy I life weights. They are only 5 lb dumbbells for now, but I’m sure soon, Dr. Joe will increase the weight as the exercises become easier. However I must say, with a few sets of 15 reps, it is a workout, which of course I enjoy! My shoulders were pretty much sore each day last week from that.

            After the chiropractor, I had a short break before heading to the gym for a meeting with a personal trainer. I just joined Lifetime Fitness and when you join a gym, there is usually a complimentary meeting with a personal trainer. Of course, during my meeting, she suggested I work with a personal trainer once a week. As much as I’d love to do that, I really cannot afford that, but I did get Lifetime bucks when signing up because my mom “referred” me to the gym, so I can get a session with a  trainer for free! So this coming Saturday I’ll be meeting with a personal trainer. I will also be doing a calorie point test on Saturday morning to see how many calories I need to eat a day with and without exercise. I then get to talk to a dietician.

            As I have become addicted to working out, one of the hardest things for me is trying (affording) to eat (to buy) enough food just so I can maintain my weight. I always lose weight without even trying and then my clothes grow, no matter how much I put them in the dryer. I believe I just don’t eat enough especially if I work out a lot. During my last semester in Buffalo, I worked out about 6-7 hrs a week. I know I gained muscle, but somehow overall I lost weight. I didn’t think I had any fat to lose. I know many of my friends are envious of me since most people tend to have the opposite problem I do and while I’m glad I don’t have the opposite problem, it’s rather annoying when you finally find a pair of jeans that fit and then suddenly 2 months later they are too large. It’s also very hard for me to gain weight once I do lose weight. My closest friends constantly tell me “Alicia, stop losing weight or soon you’ll be nothing.” I’m trying but this is why I believe meeting with a dietician and getting my calorie count will be beneficial. I know counting calories can be a pain but I think it’s something I should try for a bit, especially since I’d like to increase the amount I exercise in a week.

            From the gym, I headed right to a free outdoor Zumba class. This past weekend was the sidewalk sale in Evanston and so Lululemon held an outdoor class Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately I could only make it to Saturday’s, but I was glad I made it to one. Friday and Sunday was yoga, but Saturday was ZUMBA! It was a blast! It was such a beautiful day outside! I forgot to put on sunscreen though and a few hours later I noticed how sunburned my shoulders were…ooops. They are all better now though!

I'm in the middle row in pink and black!

Afterwards with the instructors and some fellow zumba people. I love the pink theme and those little girls were so cute doing zumba!

On my way home, I finally settled my craving for Panera, I had had for the past week and got a Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich. On their menu, it says that sandwich is 800 calories! However I didn’t get cheese on mine (lactose intolerant and sometimes can’t handle cheese). I was glad to eat that 800 calorie sandwich and get my calories back that I had burned off at Zumba! What a great Saturday morning! If only they had outdoor zumba every Saturday through the summer!