This was a paid, sponsored post by Vocal Point and Dick’s Sporting Goods. All opinions shared and expressed are my own.
I will never be able to train like I have these past 4 years, but I am determined to find my way back to the barbell this year. As a result of my condition, I’m still learning what my limitations are, how far I can push my body before it fights back, and what my new ‘normal’ will be in terms of working out & exercise. Up until this point, I would attempt to do something as simple as walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes and wind up in a huge flare for a couple of days, so I need to be smart, I need to be aware of how my body feels during activity, and I need to think about my ‘training’ now simply as rehabilitation. Powerlifting and strength training are officially being left in the past and my training for 2016 will be much much different than ever before.
What better way to tackle a new year and new goals than some retail therapy?! I have a garage full of weights and even a separate workout room in my house that my husband set up for me a couple of years ago, but all of that doesn’t do me much good these days now that I’m laying down most of the time. I’m not quite at the point where I can dive into any kind of lifting so I’m going to need to find something that my body could do that wouldn’t make it hate me for days after a time. Other individuals with Tarlov Cyst Disease have had good luck with water therapy so I figured I would dive right in (pun intended)!
I’m fortunate to live in Souther California where temperatures never dip too low, even during the winter months. I’m even more blessed to have a pool right in my back yard that I will be able to turn to when I’m feeling up for some light, low intensity exercise. Heating will be rather costly, but I figured since I decided to cancel my LA Fitness gym membership, we will be saving $50 per month indefinitely ($30 for the membership, $10 add on for my son, and $10 child care). The money that we would have spent on accessing the gym can be put towards our propane costs for the pool… fair trade I think!
Next, I need a program! Of course anytime I need help with my training or macros, I turn to my William, my coach! I trust him 100% and know he ALWAYS has my overall health and best interest in his mind. I also knew that he could help me with my rehab because not only has he himself dealt with countless injuries over the years, but his wife Tanya recently had back surgery and found herself needing to rehab as well. William helped get her back on track with training and I knew he would guide me through the ups and downs I will face. Currently, we are in a ‘pre rehab’ phase simply getting my body moving as my body will allow. I’ve handled the ‘program’ fairly well, but because I’m in no rush to push myself beyond what my body can handle… I’m going to give this first training block another 1-2 weeks. Once I see that I am capable of the simple movements William has me doing, I can move on to something a bit more challenging.
Goal= check ?
Heated pool= check ?
Program/Schedule= check ?
With everything nearly in motion to begin water therapy and kill some goals this year, I need to arm myself with some equipment that may help me! First stop was Dick’s Sporting Goods… duh!
I LOVE having a Dick’s Sporting Goods store so close to me. It makes shopping for athletic clothes, shoes, and equipment a breeze. Anytime one of the kids is in need of something for their sport teams or activities, this is always where we end up. Obviously when it comes to my own fitness needs, I would end up here as well. Unlike the other sporting goods stores in my area, Dick’s is so much better laid out, cleaner, and has a wider assortment of products. It’s kinda like peoples preferences with Lowe’s and Home Depot. My husband and I both prefer Lowe’s simply because everything is easier to find and the store tends to be better kept up and organized! Home Depot is OK, but not our first choice. Dick’s is as well!
OK, so I’m here for my pool therapy right? That means I should be able to get in and hit the pool supplies and get out right?
NOPE. Not me. Of course I have to take a look around and make sure nothing else jumps out at me. You know, things like clothes…
Shoes… oh my biggest my weakness!
These were so cute! I actually had my husband carry these around the store for me just in case Dick’s either didn’t have the pool things I needed and/or I decided I simply couldn’t live without them!
As always, I couldn’t leave the store without visiting my FAVORITE area, the EXERCISE and training section!!! Even though I have all of the weights I ever needed right in my garage, my heart is will forever remain with strength training. Sigh. No time to be sad and get down about what I can’t do! Moving right along… but first… hey coach, can we work this into my program??? Pretty please?
Alas, the heavy bag and weights (and shoes) were all left behind. Time to find the water/pool area! Since it’s December and not really “pool” season, I was skeptical about finding anything I could use for water therapy. Much to my surprise, Dick’s had EVERYTHING I was hoping to grab!
This is what I ended up grabbing:
TYR Goggles
All in all, I would say my trip to Dick’s was completely successful! It’s time to fire up the heat in the pool, get wet, and (slowly) work my way back to that barbell later this year. I don’t know how long it will take, I don’t know how many set backs I will have, I don’t know how many times I will get knocked down, but I do know I WILL see the iron again this year!!!
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