Monday, Day 4 - The next morning we had plans to go and find somewhere to swim but it was still a bit cloudy in the morning and not quite warm enough to think of taking a dip, a slow weather start means the kids (and my big kid husband) are off exploring, I got halfway through dressing and realised I had an opportunity to do something. Pilates today - Week 2 of my Love Movement Conditioning programme - and this is an emphasis on shoulder stability. Shoulders become so fixed into the forward rotated caring position when we have little babies and/or work on computers or phones a lot. One of the most important pillars of strength we need to re-create is the ability to support our own body weight on our arms and challenge the way our shoulders stabilise when in those positions. All too often I see women who don't have the scapular stability to lift their own arm up when they're on all 4s and then also complain of constant neck and shoulder pain. As always, if we increase in strength we also allow our muscles to release the tension hold they have when desperately grabbing on to our joints. With this theme, all the exercises are done on all 4s and start with getting the idea of control of the shoulder blades and then challenges that control.
Next I did the strength workout - 4 exercises, 12 reps, 4 rounds - and as the kids were busy making bows and arrows and generally milling around after breakfast, I managed all 4 rounds. With the strength this week I'm starting to move into different planes on movement with rotations and side moves, emphasis on glutes strength and scapular control again. Here are the exercises:
1) Wood chop with a band
2) Long press out with band
3) Side waddle with mini band x20 steps
4) High glute bridge (up then 4 ball squeezes x 3)
Later that day …. I broke my toe!!
We went to the lake to swim and play in some boats, we hired a pedalo/water slide/play boat and had a load of fun, then I thought we had run over the ginger nut so I stood up really quickly, my foot slipped and one toe went into a small drain hole in the floor. Soooooo much pain! A fair amount of crying and then a quick hop into shore where thankfully my husband went to get ice so I could lie down with my foot up and ice on it - more pain!!!
Rest of the evening was spent alternating ice on and off, taking ibuprofen, rubbing arnica in, taking arnica pills, and drinking wine!! Medicinal of course!