triple tuesday: relieving back pain + september goals re-cap

I have a feeling this week is going to go by quickly.  It’s always nice to cross Monday off the list right?  Plus, having something to look forward to (a 4 day work week + 3 day weekend) always helps.

I haven’t really mentioned this before, but I’ve been dealing with major back pains lately.  Major to me because I’ve never really had low back problems, but probably nothing compared to someone with chromic back pain.

I sit all.day.long at work, which is where the pain starts.  Unfortunately, I can’t just stand the whole time, but I try to stand and walk around as much as possible.

What causes back pain?

Back pain is kind of a mysterious creature.  Low back pain can come from overuse, muscle strain, and injury to the muscles, ligaments, and discs that support the spine, or a combination of many of those.  It’s very common for adults to have some type of back pain in their life, but certainly not something anyone should deal with.

For today’s triple tuesday I’m going to talk about the 3 ways I plan to help relieve my back pain.

1. Strengthen my core and add low impact exercise

Sometimes my low back hurts a little after a REALLY long run (8+ miles).  But that goes away after a massage.  I’ll be adding low impact exercise, like swimming and more cycling (I swam this morning!), and also really focus on my core exercises a lot more, but nothing that aggravates my low back.  When I lift, I’ll lighten it up a bit while my back hurts + really c.o.n.t.r.a.c.t those abbies.

2. Heat

I used a hot pad on my back, on and off for an hour, and it helped sooooo much.  I can tell my low back is tight because I can’t rotate and twist as easily.

3. Massage/stretch/foam roll

Jacob has been such a great helper here.  Normally I’d run to the chiropractor (where I get a massage included), but since we switched our insurance and now have a deductible I’m not making monthly trips there anymore.  He’s been giving me a massage just about nightly.  I’ve also been stretching every night + foam rolling.

Any tips to offer? 

Earlier in September I made a list of goals for the month.  September is over (craziness), so it’s time to see how I did… 

Diet

• Cut down on the caffeine, at least by half (more on this on in its own post)

Sure did!  I’ve been great with no caffeine.

• Eat more homemade breads, which also means bake more homemade breads

Check!  Made a double batch of super soft whole grain sandwich bread with a couple variations.  Sliced up the extra loaf and froze it so I can easily grab a piece.

 

Fitness

• Stop procrastinating as much and prep further in advance for my Wednesday night Sports Training class I’ll be teaching at the Y ~ it starts this Wednesday!

I’ve mostly been prepping on Mondays… but not this week because I just realized I haven’t prepped for this week yet.  I will today!

• Focus on flexibility at least once a week ~ could be yoga or just stretching

I didn’t do any yoga, but I have been stretching more in the evenings… see above triple Tuesday.

• Work on finding a cycle class to teach ~ it’s fun to teach and a great workout!

Busted!  I haven’t really worked on this… but I have been subbing a cycle class just about every week.

 

Life

• Clean car ~ outside and inside

Outside-check!  Thanks to my dad.  Inside-meh, needs a little more work.

• Pick a room and organize the crap out of it

I didn’t specifically work on a room, but I did get a lot of mini organization done: kitchen cabinet, desk, a bit of my closet room.

• Work on strategies to reduce weekly groceries from $100 to $75, then implement

I was a little slow to do this, but for 2 week I got close: did I meet my grocery budget? and weekly grocery shopping.

• Get away for a weekend

I had this one in the bag… knew we were going to Seaside earlier in the month!  The beach fitness pictures were unplanned though.

• Prep meals for the next {work} day the night before

I’ve actually been prepping for the next dinner the night before, making it really easy when I get home.  Sometimes I’m good about prepping breakfast too.

• Make a list of snack ideas that are easy for Jacob to throw together… Gunna get more nutrition in that man!

Done!  I’ve got a clip board on the fridge with a running list of ideas + stuff in the fridge I made. So far it’s working great!

• Figure out what’s going on with my computer… It’s dying (luckily I know some HTML and can create lists and such on my phone!)

My computer is doing better… but I see us getting me a new one (a mac!) within 6 months or so.

• Work on new site prep… This is an exciting on with more to come soon!!

This hasn’t even been a thought since I wrote my goals .

All in all for my first month of goal setting… pretty good.  It was nice to have a list to reflect on and see what I accomplished.

Something to check out…

My first time participating in Trainer Tuesday on Lindsay’s list.  Today you’ll see my chin up + many other great ladies sharing workout ideas for back + biceps.  Be sure to check it out!

Also, if you hopped over to She Rocks Fitness and didn’t see my guest post, it’s up there now ~ a FUN sports training workout!

Did you set any goals for September?  How’d they go? 

Do you have any tips for back pain remedies?  What are your thoughts on sitting on an exercise ball at work…. helpful?  Anyone do it?

Heather

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