Injuries..GMB...Mobility

So what's new here?  Where do I start?  I should probably start with re-reading my last blog post so I know what I've said and what I haven't.  lol  Not going to happen though. 

What is new?  Not a hell of a lot.  I had been battling a lot of injuries.  I had a quad/knee injury with my left leg that was really prohibiting my range of motion.  I wasn't able to get into Child's pose as an example.  I could no longer just sit on my knees with my butt on my heels.  The shooting pain through my left knee just wouldn't allow it.  I had shoulder/neck nerve type pinch that would 1) cause pain 2) seriously impact sleep 3) prohibit me from turning me head much.  As I researched it more it turned out the injury was related to my "trap" muscles in the back.  Muscle relaxers and aggressive massages took care of that. 

What have I been doing to resolve these issues?  At first I had switched to YAYOG - You Are Your Own Gym, which is a total bodyweight routine.  Unfortunately though that was just a 3 day program and I prefer to workout 5 or 6 days a week.  To mix it up and give my body more stretching that it so desperately needed to progress I started Yoga with Adriene - 30 Days of Yoga, which is available via YouTube.  FANTASTIC!  I can't say enough good things about her and her instructional methods.  I really liked it.  The routine was working pretty good and it was helping me continue building strength and also improve my flexibility... heal my body a bit.  I did this for about a month but wasn't really loving the combination.  I did really like it, but I didn't like going to one place for one workout and then YouTube for the other and keeping track of it all.  Really really minor thing, but it wasn't my ideal situation.

Fast forward - I've just started week 3 of GMB Elements (http://gmb.io/e) and I love it.  COMPLETELY different from any other thing I've tried.  I start my workout by stretching for warmups and I do that for anywhere between 30 - 60 minutes.  Then I'll spend maybe 5 - 10 minutes practicing a certain movement, whatever movement is for that day.  It could be a bear walk, monkey or frogger.  Let me tell you something.  These moves are not easy.  It challenges me.  Each move challenges me and that doesn't even touch on when they throw in variations to each of these moves. 

Has it helped at all?  YES!  A resounding YES!  My mobility, flexibility have improved significantly.  I feel my balance is improving.  Strength... it's funny, I'm not sure if it is improving in a traditional sense as if you were doing push ups or pull ups, but yes, I don't think my strength has decreased at all.  My body feels really good.  My shoulders, traps feel great.  Left knee?  Also great.  100%?  Nope, but I can rock a child's pose again.  Getting to the point where I can almost sit with my butt on my heels again.  My squats?  Pretty good!  I can sit into the squat to the point where my butt is less than 10" from the ground.  Something I definitely couldn't do before, even before my quad injury.  It is a good thing.  A really good thing. 

I've been so impressed with the changes I went ahead and bought 3 more programs of theirs.  Focused Flexibility, Vitamin and Integral Strength.  While I'm very excited to see what those other programs can offer me the reality is today was day 1 of week 3 for a 7 week program.  Meaning I still have almost a full 5 weeks left.  Not a bad thing.  I'm not complaining, especially if I can continue to improve these areas where I'm focusing.  The flexibility, mobility and strength.  It is pretty interesting stuff.  Unorthodox compared to the other more traditional training methods I've tried.  The thought has always been if you want to be stronger you either lift weights or figure out bodyweight routines.  If you want flexibility you do Yoga or Pilates.  You want to improve your lung capacity you do Cardio or start running. 

Weight?  I'm still hanging around 175 - 176lbs, which is about 8 or 9lbs above where I was a year ago.  I have a lot more muscle than I did back then.  As usual the biggest problem area is belly, but I'm comfortable with where I am right now.  I'm no longer pushing to have this magical 6 pack and saying that defines my fitness level.  It doesn't.  It doesn't at all.  My ability to adapt and do new/different active things and not feel limited or crippled after doing them.  So far that is working for me.  I'm looking forward to a summer of practicing cartwheels and handstands in the backyard with the kids.  Learning how to jump rope.  Doing awesome things. 

Words of wisdom here?  Listen to your body.  Explore.  Find new things, don't just judge them and rule them out without trying.  Practice mindfully.  Not just trying to keep up with a video, but mindfully paying attention to your body and how it is reacting.  How it is feeling..... That's all I've got.  Until next time.