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| Me Skiing in Good Health Jan 2015 |
Last summer, 2014, I had a strong healthy season.
I ran a 5K in the spring and was working out with a boxfit aerobics class. I did three sprint Triathalons (2 tris in Key Biscayne, one tri in Boca on Independence day)in the summer (even made it onto the podium once), and tried spending a little time in a boxing ring (one of which got recorded).
So summer 2014 for me was a peak. It didn't last. In the fall, I traveled for 3 weeks which was cool. I went to Greece & Israel. Then I worked and traveled a lot to DC over the winter for family reasons. This adds up to a lot of time NOT spent staying in shape. In January, I travelled some more but did get a week of skiing with my son (Steamboat Springs, C).
By Feb 2015, I was clearly out of shape and had put on almost ten pounds from the previous summer so when my wife took off for two weeks to Cuba, I thought it was a chance for me to focus on my fitness and eating and to really get back in shape. Instead, the first day she was gone, I overdid it by playing several sets of tennis (I hadn't played in a year) and triggered a nasty set of back spasms which left me barely able to shuffle around for ten days. Uhg.
At the start of March, I tried to establish a program back towards good health. This is almost exactly where I was two years ago when my back problems got really bad. That time, I spent six months slowly building before I could work out hard again. So now, I'm back to do the boring back-building exercises a few times a week, visiting Nicole (Focus Studios) two times a week to rebuild my intrinsics and improve general core fitness, and very judiciously adding new levels of intensity and new activities. Mostly, I road bike and swim. I've tried running two times so far and both times, I concluded that it was premature.
My great fear is that I might be entering a new normal. In Feb 2013, I attended my last martial arts class since my hip made each kick into a potential back injury. My concern is that people are now suggesting that I might have to rethink running, jump rope, and even shadow boxing as too hard on my back, given its propensity to spasm.
