Oct 22 - A Blur Of A Day

  Ever had one of those days that just passes in a blur?  That was today.  I have no idea what the hell I got done today but I was busy busy busy the whole time.  I tried to go to lunch three times before I actually managed to leave my desk.  I know I didn't get any of the things I wanted to do done but I must've been doing something!  Pretty sure most of it was dealing with requirements for some new rating or other but that's the only thing I can still think of now.  Hopefully tomorrow I will get some of my own work done, invoices have to be entered by Wednesday after all!
  I got an unexpected but pleasant phone call at lunch today.   Dad will be in town tomorrow night and is taking Bertie and me out for dinner.  It's certainly nice to have such a happy surprise but now I have four dietary hot spots this week!  Bertie has chosen the dinner venue as it's her birthday week and she's picked Hog's Breath Cafe.  I have pre-checked the menu online and I'm thinking I will either have the Lemon Myrtle Salmon with no starter or perhaps the Aussie Backyard Salad with a Prawn Twisters starter.  Either way, I can have the other on Saturday night at her next birthday dinner!

  After work I headed straight to the physio.  I was amazed to find out from their office manager that I haven't been in since October 2009!  I must've been doing something right.  I have a new physio now but I'm please to say that despite having physically smaller feet, he's managed to fill the big shoes of my former physio.  He was patient and careful and didn't hurt me except for diagnostic purposes (and even then, only a little).

  I have something 'brewing' he thinks between the L4 and L5 this time so he gave the problem areas a bit of a massage with Voltaren Gel and then taped my back.  The taping doesn't really have much medical benefit in and of itself, but it pulls on the skin whenever your back is curled and reminds you to straighten up.  He didn't use as much tape as the previous physio but he explained that he didn't need to use too much today because the nerve was irritated at the moment but not pinched.  He would've taped across ways as well if I'd been suffering a lot of pain.
  I can't say I loved taking or viewing the picture of my back.  I looked at it and remarked to Mr Smart that "I have lumpy bits!"  You don't often see yourself from the back and the shelves that have formed on my hips over the years were a bit startling to see.  They don't look the same from the front (mind you, they looked even worse from a lower camera angle).  He simply responded "The snuggly bits?" which made me feel much better.

  So what's the treatment of my minor back irritation?  I need to do ten back arch stretches, three to five times a day.  The back arch stretch is what is called the Cobra pose in yoga.  Hands by shoulder, slowly arch back as far as you can, hold for a second and then slowly return to the floor.  Repeat.  Also, due to the very sedentary nature of both my work and my home habits, I need to stand and stretch for two minutes after each twenty minutes of sitting.  That one will be more tricky to remember but I will give it my best shot!  On Friday morning I go back to have the progress assessed.

  If by Friday it's all looking good then we are going to use the session to give me a run through of all the clinical pilates equipment in preparation for my starting to do the classes.  Once a week at first and then seeing how I want or need to proceed from there.  I'm a bit excited about that.  Of course in talking about medical history and what I'm currently doing to treat my body right I mentioned the blog to him (it's a compulsion) and he seemed interested so big shout out to Rush!

Today's food and exercise were:

• Breakfast was a quarter cup of Carmen's Classic Fruit Muesli with skim milk, a sliced banana and a sprinkle of slivered almonds.
• Morning snack was two pecan halves, two hazelnuts, four almonds, two brazil nuts and one dried peach half.
• Lunch was a Mission Wholegrain Wrap spread with about 50g of Yumi's Eggplant Dip then topped with about 97g of Pastrami, sliced cucumber, sliced fresh mushrooms and alfalfa sprouts.  I also had a gold kiwi fruit with the skin on and five Perino snacking tomatoes.
• Afternoon snack was a navel orange.
• Dinner was a serve of veggie heavy chilli con carne.
• Exercise was two sets of back stretches.
• And after my blood sugar reading (5.8) I had a cup of green tea with lemon and a drop of honey.

  So why no cross trainer today?  Partly time, it was already much later than normal when I got home, but mostly I wanted to take it easy while my back adjusted to the tape.  At first it pulls on the skin quite a lot but as you wear it in it stretches a little and becomes more comfortable.  I expect it'll be fine by morning but then of course I have the dinner out two nights in a row to contend with!  Hmm.. maybe I will set my alarm to go off a bit earlier tomorrow morning.
  Jess