A Return to Normalcy??

So, my surgeon's appointment this morning went really well! I have full range of motion and he said that my labrum didn't slip or pull when he was maneuvering it. He said that he felt really confident that I am healing extremely well. He actually told me that I should keep making him look good! LOL..he's a very good-looking doctor, so he really doesn't need me for that...but I will keep listening to him and my physical therapists so that I can have a full and complete recovery! I also got released to move to the next level. He said that I was walking now, then I could start jogging. If I was jogging already, then I could start running. He said that for the next month, I can return to some of my more normal activities but I should start off slowly and build back up to where I was pre-injury! I am very excited!!! Tomorrow, I will see the physical therapist and I will see what they have planned.



The original physical therapy plan was that starting week 10, I would start jumping and starting week 12, I would start running. It sounds to me like Dr. Ekman thinks I am ready to start jumping already. Tomorrow will mark 9 weeks since my surgery. But, I will wait to hear what they have to say about that.



Today, I enjoyed lunch with my dear friend, Betsy. I love her! She is so amazing and I so enjoy her perspective on things and her encouragement! She reminds of all the important things I tend to forget. For example, today, she told me that all of this frustration is preparation for the mental toughness that I need to continue to develop to complete a full marathon. I admit it has been very difficult for me to listen to the doctor and the therapists and simply take things slow. I want to get back to work...I want to see what this hip can do. But I have been compliant, not patient, but compliant with the doctor's orders. I have spent a couple months of severe frustration and waited out my time so that I can return to my sport, healthy and ready for action! It was so awesome to spend time with Betsy though. She is a good friend and I enjoy our time together!!

And this afternoon, I got my first real cardio session in!! I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally put a little bit of intensity into my cardio! I will admit that I did jog for the first time in 2 months and it was awesome!!! I played it smart and warmed up on the treadmill for 10 minutes and stuck with a slow jog for 2minutes and walking for 1 minute for 15 minutes (10 jogging, 5 walking). And then I followed it up with 30 minutes on the elliptical. The exciting part was that it was intense...I kept my heart rate up and didn't overdo it!! I won't be jogging everyday...Dr. Ekman did tell me to take things slowly. I will likely intersperse my interval jogging for awhile with elliptical and arc trainer cardio. I will talk to my physical therapist and make sure I am following the right path to recovery. And I played it smart, I came home and iced the hip.

And to top off a pretty great day, I finished it with my first 1 1/2 hour massage in 2 months! It was awesome!! My muscles feel so relaxed and so amazing! It was a great massage...of course, my upper body had some really tight areas that needed work. And I forgot to stretch after my cardio this afternoon. I admit that I did get a quad stretch in but I did not take enough time to stretch the rest of my lower body. I promised Jeremy tonight that I would make it a habit to not forget my stretching from now on. We joked that I should get a tattoo on me that says "Stretch or die!" and he said that it should be "Stretch or Jeremy Will Hurt You!" LOL!!

So, is this a return to normalcy?? Possibly. I am starting to feel a little more like myself. I am happier than I have been in awhile. I feel like things are starting to fall back into place. It's not perfect but it's close enough for me right now. Maybe there is no normal for me...maybe this is my time to get used to just how much and how often things change. I have never been a huge fan of change and maybe this might be time for my opinion to change. I guess we will just have to wait and see!!

Anxiety, Insanity and Busyness!!!

I am really anxious about my 2 month check-up tomorrow. I want the surgeon to be pleased. I want him to say he can't believe that I am as far along as I am. I want him to say that I can start doing more than I have been and that my cardio can finally have some intensity. I want him to say that I can start doing whole body workouts at the gym again. You could say that I sure do want a whole lot from what will likely be about 10-15 minutes of a visit with the surgeon!

But I am truly ready (mentally) to be back in the game. It's been a little more than two months since I have been able to workout the way I want to. I really want to have a little more intensity back in my workouts and my cardio so that I can pick up where I left off in my training. I want to get back in the weight loss game. I am not at goal yet and I really want to get back to work. In preparation for getting back in the game, I went a little insane :) I ordered the Insanity Workout. I am really excited to try it out when it gets here!! I will likely have to modify some of the moves for now but I cannot wait to see how it works out! It will be great to intersperse those workouts with the ones I am doing with Tye. I told him about it today and he thinks it's a good plan because it works with the same principles he is using. (I am certain I will be blogging more about it once it gets here and I get started with it!)

The next few days are going to be busy. Tomorrow after my surgeon's appointment, I will be enjoying lunch with my dear, sweet friend Betsy, getting a good cardio workout in and following the day up with a 1 1/2 hour massage! Friday is Jason's 35th birthday!! I will be heading into physical therapy first thing in the morning and then he will have a few surprises :) We are also going to finally get a chance to have lunch with Tye...his schedule is always so crazy that it is hard to get a moment in with him. It will be nice to spend some time with him away from the gym. And Saturday night, we have invited some friends over for a cookout. So, it will be a super busy weekend...I think my plan is to get some rest on Sunday :)