My workout choice for yesterday? Laps in the Therapeutic Pool. AKA the Old Lady Pool. What pool is this, you say? It is the smaller, warmer, shallower pool at the YMCA, reserved for baby swim classes (which Lizzie and I take every Friday morning), and for those folks benefiting from the warmer temperature to ease the aches and pains of arthritis, muscle strain and fatigue. Translation: the Old Lady Pool.
When I was in my 20s, working out daily at the brand spanking new facility that was the Brookfield YMCA, one of the novelties it boasted was The Therapeutic Pool. Not being a swimmer, I didn't pay much attention to this "little pool". I just thought, "Why would anyone want to swim in 3 - 5 feet of water?" I observed most consumers of this chlorinated puddle used walkers, and canes, and moved very slowly. Now the whirlpool, that I liked. I never thought that I would ever choose to use it.
Fast forward to fall of 2007. I was enjoying my last trimester of pregnancy. I had just gotten married, we had 3 beautiful days for the Durham Fair, life was good. My doctor adored me because I only gained 10 or 15 pounds. However, I did feel more back discomfort. So, I would just Neil and the kids at the YMCA to go swimming. WOW! It was AWESOME! We were in the big pool, which was about 75 degrees. I didn't think much of the water temperature, I just was marvelled that at 200 pounds, I felt WEIGHTLESS!
Then, Neil suggested I go in The Little Pool. At first, I dismissed it, saying: "That's for old ladies!" But, I tried it. I was hooked. We went swimming EVERY weekend. Of course, I was bummed when a little kid's birthday party was booked. Hey, that's MY pool! But, at that point, it was a nice treat, no big deal. I could miss a Saturday here and there. So, it became the Old Lady/Pregnant Lady's Pool.
In November, I had a significant increase in my back pain. I could not walk for more than 5 minutes. I was put on disability November 13, 2007. I was bummed, not working (I wasn't due until December 11), so I ordered our Christmas cards, wrote our Christmas/Holiday letter, did some on-line shopping, as I was determined to not have any holiday related tasks to complete after I delivered. I soon became happily planted on the couch, watching DVDs and the Today Show (it wasn't too bad back then, all the talk was about holiday entertaining, shopping, the election was FAR off the horizon). Being immobile was the only time I wasn't in pain.
The weekend after I went on disability, the kids and Neil are going to the Y to swim. Neil urged me to go. I refused, as the thought of ANY walking made me shudder; the pain was that bad. Reluctantly, I went. I was in agony walking the short distance from the front door of the Y (of course, my wonderful husband provided me with door to door service!), to the locker room, then to the pool area. Then, I got into that Little Pool. Nirvana! Then I turned on my back, did some backstroke (poorly, I must add), and I had no back pain. I think I started crying, I was so relieved. I think the lifeguard was about to call the guys in the white coats when I asked, "Can I just stay here until my baby is born in 3 weeks?" Well, little Elizabeth came a week and a half later. Those dips in the little pool were my only times of painlessness in those last weeks.
In January, I hit the treadmill HARD. Then one day, my back protested. So, I grounded myself as far as exercise went. I had a physical in March, when my family doctor recommended physical therapy for the back. The therapist had me do modified Pilates, and my back slowly strengthened up. I started walking with Lizzie in the stroller as the weather warmed. We just the Wallingford YMCA over the summer, as I wanted to really bring my intensity up, with my back feeling good. I lost some weight, but my cholesterol remained high. Dr. Wilkinson gave me 6 months to bring it down on my own, as I had done in the past with diet and exercise. So, it was time for DRASTIC measures. I joined JIllian Michaels' website.
You know Jillian. The Tough Love trainer on the Biggest Loser. Wow, he workouts are really intense. I couldn't get through them the first day, but it got easier. Then, the Durham Fair came. I walked all day through mud and rain, then at 5pm, my back screamed at me to stop! So, the rest of the weekend, I sat as much as possible. I lost a pound over Fair weekend. I took Monday off my exercise routine to rest, and then started back on Miss Jillian's torture regimen. My back bothered me at rest, but NOT during the workouts! So I pushed it.
Then, this past Monday, I was hurting. Took another day off from my workouts. Yesterday (Tuesday), I was in tears. So, between loads of laundry, baking, and cooking, (and, oh, yeah, lifting a 16 pound baby) I planted it on the couch. Erin had swim team clinic at the Y yesterday afternoon. Usually, I workout in that 45 minute period, but the thought of doing any weights and/or cardio machines was out of the question. So, I thought: "The therapeutic pool." Wow, I was now one of those old ladies. At age 40. But, 15 minutes of laps (slow laps) was something, right? I mean, pregnancy started all this, right? Years of working as a nurse contributed, right? So, maybe I'm not really and old lady, just a rusty middle aged one?
Now, what to do about the stress incontinence...again, brought about by the youthful act of Childbirth! (I can spin this.....)
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