Yes, I am still alive! I don’t know why I lacked motivation this past week to post. I think it has been a combination of forgetting to take pictures of what I eat, only a few minutes to myself everyday where I decided to read instead, and trying to take care of my leg.

Physical Therapy

So, what did the PT say about my leg pain? I have a different form of shin splints. Basically, I overworked a muscle that is connected to the inside part of my shin bone, something similar to posterior shin splints. I also found out that I have flat feet (the left being flatter than the right), have weak hips, and extremely tight calves, which can all contribute to this problem. The shoes I had been wearing were too high of an arch and he told me that they were probably making the problem worse.

I’m surprised with these problems that my muscle hadn’t been bothering me earlier, but I guess the shoes just put it over the edge. Luckily, I was able to return the shoes that I bought in the end of June and swapped them for a new pair with a lower arch. He has me doing several calf and hip stretches twice a day, icing a few times a day, and taking ibuprofen. I’ve only been three times and so far, the pain has not been as intense in the morning as it had been (I used to have a lot of trouble going downstairs after I woke up).

Running

I wanted to test out my new shoes, Saucony’s Omni 8, this past weekend to see if my legs felt any better. So Sunday morning, I laced my new shoes up, leashed Kahlua, and headed out for a 7 mile run/walk.

The result?

Why am I smiling like a crazy person? Because I had almost no pain whatsoever! I felt a little bit of a twinge the first 1/4 mile but after that, it went away. I decided to run .5 mile and walk .5 mile. I finished strong, with a big grin on my face, and actually teared up because my leg felt so much better! Last time I ran I teared up because it hurt so much. Big improvement if you ask me!

I literally had a runner’s high the rest of the day, but Kahlua was a little tired.

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Yesterday morning, I had a bowl of Chobani Blueberry Yogurt w/ some Kashi cereal, Strawberries, and Pineapple.

I swear there’s yogurt in there! For lunch I had a Black Bean Veggie Burger with Hummus on a Sandwich Thin. I also snacked on an apple, kiwi, and banana throughout the afternoon.

For dinner, I had a Turkey & Cheese sandwich with a little bit of light mayo, a tomato with hummus, and some strawberries. I also sipped on some Chocolate Soy Milk for my sweet tooth.

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Note: I have begun to count calories again. I haven’t been doing it continuously since February, and a wake-up call on Monday evening made me realize that I can’t just keep preventing myself from losing this weight. I know what I need to do, I just need to stop procrastinating and do it already!

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This morning, I was starving after I got back home from my spinning class. So I had a Peach Chobani with some cereal and coconut.

Right now, I’m having an apple to hold me over for lunch in a few minutes.

Okay, I think I’m all caught up! I hope everyone is having a great Thursday and the weekend will be here soon!