My last few days

This week I have been a little MIA from posting. Work has been kind of busy and in the evenings I am spending time on the computer but no time to get a post done. So, I am making time for me as I enjoy my morning cups of java.

Since my last post I have had a good week. After work on Wednesday I headed to do a stair workout with my boss Tanya. When we arrived there were three other ladies there doing stair repeats as well. It was nice to see because typically there isn’t any one there.

Once at the bottom of the stairs I placed ten rocks on the log. Tanya and I hadn’t set in advance a particular length of time we would be there but I like having a goal. I find that the rocks help me push myself to achieve it and stay on track. As we started out it was still light out but the fog started to roll in. By the time we reached our last repeat it was much darker and it was the perfect time to be ending. We felt good after we were done and it was nice to have her company.

Yesterday morning I headed to yoga at the gym. I was a few minutes late but got quickly set up. There were more people in the class than there was on Tuesday which was nice to see. We did partner poses which I had never done but they were neat to do. I find I am starting to learn how to open up my chest and correct myself in some of the poses. I did get some help from the instructor when we went into new poses which was good because I want to make the most of the stretches.

In the afternoon I had a massage appointment with Dean. He found that my right side was a bit out of alignment again even though he had fixed it a little over a week ago. I had told him that treatment he had done last time helped my back and I was walking without pain. He worked on correcting my right side by working on my glute, my hamstring area and then the ‘pea’ like thing in my heel. For being the size of a pea it can sure cause of pain. But pain is gain right?

Next up Dean worked on my left shoulder. I had been told I needed to have myofascial release done in that area to help loosen things up because it was pulling. I had never had this done before but had heard it would hurt. Dean told me to flip to my back and he took my left arm. He put my hand in the curve of my armpit area and asked me to hold there. He then placed his hand over mine and then extended my arm. I could feel a bit of a stretch at the beginning but then it started to feel like my skin was tearing. It was quite uncomfortable but I let it happen. I figured he knew what he was doing and I didn’t want to mess with it. I just breathed and he talked to me to distract me. He told me that when doing this technique the stretch had to be held for 190 seconds. The reason it is held so long is so the body will learn to stay stretched.

This picture is similar to what I had done.

Dean didn’t tell me what I would feel before the treatment and I was happy for that. After he was done I described to him that I felt like the area was going to rip and he told me that was the way it should have felt. That feeling is tearing and breaking down the fascia. Sounds great eh?

I go back again on Valentine’s Day and when I booked the appointment the receptionist said “Oh, a massage on Valentine’s Day. Perfect.” I then said “It would be if it was a nice feeling massage but in the end I know he is helping me.” She just smiled and said “Maybe you can ask him to go easy on you that day?!”

This morning I am going to head to Royal Roads and do stair repeats there. I was going to swim but feel like I want to be outside in the fresh air.

How has your week been? Have you had myofascial release done before?