Chiropractic FTW

Years ago, my chiropractor diagnosed me with spondylolisthesis, plus a bulging disc. I’ve been visiting her once a month for some 13 years now, to keep things healthy and make sure nothing gets too far out of whack.

Last month, I had four visits to the chiropractor’s office in just over a week, thanks to my disc pressing on a nerve and giving me the worst back pain I’ve experienced in a very long time. Since the chiropractor I normally see is semi-retired now and is only available on certain days of the week, I got to see two of the other docs at the practice. They were both just as helpful as my usual doc would have been, and got me back to normal pretty quickly.

Side note: It’s interesting how different people have different styles of chiropractic manipulation. I especially like my chiropractor’s niece, who is now in charge of the day-to-day management of the practice.

At my regularly scheduled visit earlier this week, my usual doc explained that the constant tension that’s cropped up in a new spot on my lower back is due to my right glute being in spasms. I’ve been instructed to massage the ever-loving hell out of it, preferably with a tennis ball. She also advised me that the stronger my glutes are, the healthier my back will be overall.

I suspect that my increased number of back issues lately is due to my weight and my loss of general muscle tone. If I needed a “why” with a sense of urgency in order to focus on my physical health, I think this is a good one. I miss the days when my back didn’t hurt all the time.

You Reap What You Sow

I just sat down to write a blog post, opened up WordPress, and found this stub of a post that I started back at the end of May:

“If you want different kinds of results, you need to plant different kinds of seeds.”

This is relevant in so many ways, both literally and figuratively.

I’ll just run with this one.


If I were writing this with paper and pencil instead of typing on my laptop, my eraser would have torn a hole in the paper by now.

I guess I’ll just start with the main fact I’m dancing around: I’ve gained 40 pounds in the past four years.

On one hand, the reasons why I gained the weight don’t really matter at this point. What matters is getting back down to a healthy weight. On the other hand, if I don’t pinpoint what happened, then how do I fix it?

Let me give some background, and peel this onion a bit.

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Selected to Begin Training

The email arrived in my inbox this afternoon, about five hours after I sent a message explaining Connor’s recent absence from the dojo.

I received the email in duplicate: once for Connor, and once for myself. It read, “We are excited to announce that you are invited to participate in Black Belt Testing this fall!” Attached was a document (which, had we been present at class this week, we would also have received in hard copy) detailing the upcoming mandatory meetings and test dates.

I don’t know how I feel about this.

Lately, I haven’t been in the best headspace, generally speaking. I’ve had that behind-the-eight-ball feeling for quite some time now, like I can’t summon enough cares to give about much of anything. The mind-body connection is real, and I’m getting a definite chicken-and-egg downward-spiral vibe.

I’m currently carrying some thirty pounds of fat that I DO NOT WANT, and my new nutritionist is telling me to reject “diet culture” and instead learn to listen to my body. —I don’t know if I can trust my body to know what it really needs, nutritionally speaking, especially since my brain has a dopamine problem (i.e. ADHD).

I’m not confident in my ability to meet the fitness requirements of the upcoming black belt testing — so much so that I hesitate to even write down the Black Best Testing dates on the calendar. Granted, I have a personalized strength training program at the Fitness Center at my work centered specifically on my black belt fitness requirements, so it’s not like I’m not working toward my goal… but I’m still dubious. It’s not a for-sure thing in my mind that I’ll be able to complete 40 push-ups, a two-minute forearm plank, or 1,000 jumping jacks, along with the other calisthenic requirements — not even considering the actual curriculum, which I think I do have a pretty good grasp on.

I’ll keep showing up, putting in the work, and pushing forward like I always do. Maybe I’ll surprise myself.

What Wagon?

My weight has gone up and up

Back in June, I started a blog post that I never finished:

It’s not the number on the scale that’s getting me down; it’s the reappearance of my double chin and my spare tire. It’s the added jiggle in places I’d once made unjiggly. It’s the tightness of the waistbands in my work slacks. It’s the fatigue.

At that point, I weighed ten pounds less than I do now.

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