If you saw my September coffee date post, you may have caught that I was plagued by a spectacularly tight back last week. The crazy thing was it started on my left side and then relocated to my right. I had no choice but to take it easy, but luckily by the end of the week I had made progress from the couch to cardio.
I did not enjoy spending Labor Day inside, but at least I finished a book I wasn’t enjoying and started a book that’s worth recommending so far—The Wedding People (<<Amazon Affiliate Link).
From Couch To Cardio
My right upper shoulder/back had bothered me Friday night and Saturday, but was OK Sunday. Later in the day Sunday—after a few hours at my computer—my left upper shoulder/back flared up. I took it super easy Monday and eased into activity the rest of the week, opting for cardio over strength. By Friday I felt good enough to do a short weights workout, but opted for lighter weights than I have been using.
Sunday: Core + 5.5 Tread Miles
This long stack of Peloton classes makes it look like I did a lot, but it boils down to a walk with Scooby and core class before church, and a treadmill run later—with a warm-up, cool-down, and stretch.
Monday: Ugh!
Another long stack, but most of it was trying to get the kinks out of my upper back/shoulder.
Tuesday: Bodyweight Strength + 20 min Peloton Ride
I was feeling better but not better. I squeezed in a short low-impact bodyweight class and 20 min ride before taking my husband to the airport to visit his parents.
Wednesday: 4.75 Miles
After walking Scooby at home I drove to D.C. and headed out for a run from there. It’s been too long since I did this route and I was missing it. I shared one photo over coffee, but this one is spectacular too.
That’s the WWII Memorial in the front
Thursday: 40 min Peloton Ride
I haven’t been to my office gym in a long time. I knew Hannah’s F’s Powerzone class would be low-impact but challenging enough, and it was. I wanted to do a Lanebreak class as a cool-down, but it got stuck loading. Maybe I’ll try again next week.
Friday: 5.1 Scooby Miles + 10 min Arms + Shoulders
I warmed up with Tunde’s “Extra 10” Glutes class and realized I definitely should not do that class first thing—it starts quickly and doesn’t let up. It was still dark when I took Scooby out and just light enough to loop through the park by the time we got there 2.5 miles in.
He looks so happy!
Saturday: Core + 45 min Peloton Ride + Corepower Yoga
I had wanted to take Camilla’s new Pop Punk ride live on Friday afternoon, but got roped into a conference call. As Plan B, I decided to squeeze it in before heading to yoga. Honestly, when I first devised the plan I thought it was only a 30 min class. 😳 Yoga was great as usual—the peak pose for September is baby grasshopper, so the flow has nice twists that always feel so good—I love horizon lunge pose.
After a week of easing from couch to cardio, my back feels mostly fine now, but I’m still trying to be careful. I know my poor computer posture is the main culprit and am trying to do better. I missed doing strength workouts this week, but also enjoyed my slightly longer cardio sessions—especially in our nice weather.
A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.
How did the first week of September treat you?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
I know that I have a terrible computer posture, too. Sometimes I try to remind myself to sit upright, only to find myself crouched again 30 seconds later.
At least yoga and stretching seem to help! Love that horizon lunge, I must try that.
It doesn’t look like you were on the couch but glad to see that you are feeling better. Hope this week goes more smoothly for you
Back pain is tough to deal with; glad it got better for you as the week wore on. I catch myself slouching at my desk as well. I’m up and walking around a lot, so at least it’s not for extended periods of time. I often forget to raise the desk to stand at it (duh!).
Thank you for reminding me to sit straighter! Back pain is tough – it usualy stems from something else, like poor core strength for me. I sit too long each day and some weeks it’s worse than others!
Glad you’re feeling better! A week of more cardio isn’t necessarily a bad thing : ) I like the top image of you on the chair with an encouraging beverage by your side.
And- everyone seems to love The Wedding People! I want to read it.
Glad your back is on the mend.
The pic you used here is my favorite of your set. And we just hit the anniversary of our DC run
Added book to wishlist
I’m glad your back is better! I hope it was just a muscle thing and that it will resolve.
i have the Wedding People in my e-reader for my next book–if I ever finish the book I’m currently reading.
My back always hurt when I spend too much time on the computer. I’m glad you seem to be on the mend.
Thanks for the book recommend.
It’s good to hear that your back is feeling better! You certainly picked a beautiful morning to be downtown, what a beautiful sunrise!
I am always reminding everyone to sit up straight and watch their posture. It makes a huge difference, and it makes you look taller!
I am glad your back feels better and I hope you can get back to all the things you love soon.
I’m glad your back is feeling better. My husband had some back issues while we were camping, but of course he never says anything about it so he doesn’t ruin our trip! I did make an emergency stop at CVS to get him some back patches (yay Salonpas!) when I found out. He’s feeling better now too.
Now if it were me, everyone would hear about it. LOL!