I'm not really making excuses at all, I'm giving context. I do have medical reason why I can't reach the same level other people can. It's a fact, that I have accepted. but I am still trying to work around it the best I can. Hence why I am asking people for suggestions of new things to try since clearly my usual routine is no longer effective in the slightest. I'll take the suggestion for cardio but I was given the 30 minute mark by my doctor, physio therapist, and personal trainer. 30 minutes a day of cardio is also what's recommended by the canadian health board as a standard. I certainly do try to push past it as frequently as I can and while still doing 30 minutes I've managed to lose close to 20lbs now. Im not so concerned about losing weight. I hit my target goal, and I am maintaining it. It's healthy within my BMI as well. 30 minutes is the minimum I do for working cardio machines every second day. That doesn't include the 2 hours of rigorous non-mermaid swimming ever week, or the 1-5 hours of mermaid swimming per week. Trying to train through illness isn't quite the same as training through being uncomfortable, or training through expected levels of pain etc. Pushing myself too hard could mean a week unable to walk. It's a delicate balance. It's not an excuse, it's a reality. I don't have these grand expectations of being ripped. But if I can prevent this from getting worse and even slightly improve it from what it is now it'll make me feel a lot better about myself in terms of both looks, but also knowing I am doing everything I can to sustain the muscle.
That's an interesting point I haven't thought of. A lot of what i'm reading online says "abs start in the kitchen." but seriously if I cut out anymore foods I'll have nothing left to eat lol. I know I can't do some magical movement that will work it all. I seem to be getting the sides really well just not the front. I had the overtraining issue when I was re learning how to walk and my legs weren't building any muscle. And my activity level has gone up in the past 2 months so you know that's actually a really smart point. I was sitting a lot before too cuz I was writing the book and doing a lot of admin stuff for the company. Now I'm spending most of the day moving, lifting, and on my feet or in the water. I'll admit I am not sleeping well too. It never even occurred to me all that could play a role. D'oh!Raina, I don't know if this is helpful, and I don't know much about your health issues and what specifically it means to you— you know about that– but could it be possible that you may have over-trained your abs a bit and they're not able to properly recover? I know I overtrained in climbing, and didn't have enough recovery time between sessions, so my muscles just kept getting broken down, but not built back up. That can still leave muscle, but it doesn't feel toned. It sounds like with what you have to deal with, there would be a very delicate balance between recovery and losing muscle. And the symptoms of over-training are very much like symptoms you'd already have from other things, so it would be hard to tell.
If it's something like your body has just adjusted to the exercise you're getting, then it's good that you're doing yoga too. That might be enough to switch things up and get your body out of being energy efficient, if that makes sense.
Yes. I am terrible at it. But I try everyday anyway hahaha. I seem to do better in the yoga environment than at home for some reason. I think because they're so good at distracting you with guided imagery lol. But yes I do work hard to try and get better at planks. I just suck at them... for nowHave you tried planking?I know you can do a plank crunch and I am hoping once I can plank a little longer to try that.
I'm curious what other people's go to machines, methods, and movements are for their abs? Do you try all those fancy ab machines at the gym? Do crunches and variations? Weight balls? Or the workout balls like suggested? I've read about cable rotation too and I've watched a few video clips of it but not sure about getting the technique right. Anyone try that? (I had good success with a lot of cable related workout back when I had a personal trainer, but they were always making sure I wasn't compensating too much with my hips)
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Originally Posted by AniaR
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