Day 18 BBM 90 Day Challenge

Day 18 BBM 90 Day Challenge

Today is Cardio!!  I chose, again, to do a 20 minute HIIT workout.  

Now, here's the thing about today.  I woke up sometime this morning with a painful lower back.  My sciatica was bothering me despite stretching the lower back muscles out during last night's workout.  In fact, I felt awesome last night.  My thought is that sleeping on the couch with the baby, after such a workout, tweaked something back there.

This is a concern for me.  I mean, it really scares me because at least twice in my life, since having my first child, I've gotten  STUCK.  Like, crawling on the floor in tears kind-of stuck.  Like, going to the E.R. stuck.  Even with bending at the knees, I was still moving those muscles and causing pain.  If you don't know what I mean, count your blessings.  If you do, then you know something as simple as sitting or rising from the toilet bowl is a challenge.  But, all the more reason for me to keep working out.

So, I didn't let it deter me.  Yes, I procrastinated because I was scared as he**.  But, I decided that since today was cardio, I could modify my workout and reduce any bending that may inflame things further.  And, after a couple hours of putting it off, Day 18 is DONE.

My meals went the same today as most days, except I don't have any more whey protein for my after-workout drink.  So, I will have some celery and spicy hummus as a snack.  Of course, I am drinking up my water.

What did I do today?  Well these are modified from the simple, everyday exercises we all know, but this is what I did.  Oh and I wore my 1# weighted gloves for the entire 20 minutes.

1 min mod. jumping jacks.  I modified these by stepping out to one side, then bending at the knee (like a partial squat) as I brought my hands together over my head. Return to center and then do the same with other leg.  Briana shows the step-out modification in one of her videos for those who can't jump due to knee or hip problems.

1 min. rest

1 min modified jogging in place.  I have a very small area to work with, and jogging in one spot drives me nuts, so I jog back and forth across the room.  I further modify by lifting by knees up like members of a marching band do when they walk.  Can you picture that?  I am trying to strengthen my core, annihilate my baby belly and create a beautiful booty, so if I can throw some knee lifts or squats in anywhere, I will!  LOL

1 min rest

Repeat four more sets so that I have done 5 sets of jumping jacks, 5 sets jogging in place and 10 minutes rest, total of 20 min.  

I did check my heart rate to make sure I was getting it going and yep, I was.  Lifting arms or legs seems to help get the heart going, even though I wasn't running fast or jumping.  Awesome, eh?

Best part, my back did not bother me at all.  My legs and arms burned, but I breathed and pushed through it.  I did notice as I got to the later sets, I was doing less and less, because my body was burning.  I just kept at it, breathing through the burn and feeling each movement carefully.

Again, I modified it to fit what works for me, my available space to workout and, to minimize any further damage to my back.  I did do the cool-down stretches after, as well.  They hurt, but after, it felt great.

Off to take a hot shower and then enjoy some celery and hummus.  By the way, I LOVE Sabra hummus. Especially the spicy ones.  If you've never tried it, you should.  =)  It's a better alternative to sitting in front of the TV with chips and if you're having a Superbowl party, put it out and hide the fattening dips.  ;-)

That's it for today I think!  See you tomorrow!!

Sites I use:

MyFitnessPal:  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/jamarino73

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BBM on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/BikiniBodyMommy

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~Joy~