A Friendly Nudge - Entropy is Undefeated
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
I tweaked my hip a little less than 2 weeks ago. It’s possible it’s a small labral tear but whatever it is I’m hoping to resolve it with some physical therapy and better judgement. If I can’t get it to resolve within 4-6 weeks of PT then a steroid injection would be a last resort sort of strategy. I was doing some mobility work and probably pushed a 90/90 stretch a little further than I should have. Nothing popped or even hurt at the time but it got pretty riled up over the next few days.
Last week I mentioned that the home foundation project with all of its surprises has done a number on my fitness routine. Let me rephrase that, the foundation didn’t do anything to my routine, it’s just a bunch of concrete, I let my reaction to some of the complications with the project get in the way of my fitness goals. Detours happen but I added insult to injury when I didn’t bother to gradually work back up to my previous routines and instead just tried to pick back up where I left off after almost a month of downtime. I also failed to spend a few minutes warming up and just jumped right into pushing my range of motion on a 90/90.
As amazing and resilient as our bodies are, even under ideal circumstances stuff is going to break. Even elite athletes with all of their training and preparations have non-contact injuries. They’re sprinting down the field and no one is within 10 yards of them and all of a sudden they collapse. Maybe a hamstring pull or tear or an achilles rupture but whatever the insult, their highly trained status didn’t make them immune. Entropy is always there watching and waiting.
Things like foam rolling and warming up prior to diving into exercising help reduce our likelihood of injury by preparing our bodies for what’s ahead. Building capacity over time and not rushing into something before we’re ready also reduces our injury risks. Unfortunately, however, no amount of preparation makes us injury proof.
Right now I’m figuring out how to return to exercise in a way that doesn’t irritate my hip. John, my physical therapist, has given me some exercises to help improve range of motion and strengthen the surrounding muscles, with an additional admonition to avoid any exercises or movement patterns that cause pinching in that hip.
For the first few days, when I’d go for a walk, for the first block or so I’d limp like Walter Brennan, in his role as Grandpa in the Real McCoys, but after a few minutes my hip would loosen up and my gait would start looking almost normal. Fortunately the exercises from John seem to be helping and moving around has already gotten a lot less uncomfortable.
I continue to believe that aging shouldn’t suck but it does come with some realities that we can’t ignore. We weren’t indestructible when we were younger but our bodies would tolerate a lot more abuse and neglect and bounce back from it quicker. Aging requires a greater level of intentionality; we have to be a lot more deliberate about preserving and nurturing our strength and resilience. It also means that when the inevitable injury or tweak happens (because stuff happens) we have to find a way to maintain some level of movement and activity while doing our rehab and recovery.
Hopefully this episode will serve as a reminder to me that my body doesn’t handle inactivity well, even if it’s just for a month. I tend to get more injuries and aches and pains when I forget that or ignore it. Regular walks or some type of easy aerobic exercise makes a big difference in how I feel but I also need something that reminds my body that my muscles and connective tissue have work to do. Walking and a few exercise snacks don’t take a lot of time but at least with me they seem to make a difference. It also helps to know that I’ve got all of you to help keep me accountable.
Food also matters in this aging journey, and cabbage is an underappreciated but super versatile food. So let’s get cooking…
Cabbage with Pecorino and Cracked Pepper Corns
Even as a kid I liked cole slaw, and if sauerkraut was part of some type of amped up hot dog, I was OK with kraut. But I never considered myself much of a cooked cabbage fan. If we’re being honest about it, just the smell of any of the cruciferous clan as they’re cooked is enough to make you think twice about the wisdom of eating them.
Luckily for me, my adventurous palate overruled my nose and better judgment. I know this doesn’t sound like the best sales pitch for cabbage, but I’d strongly encourage you to give it a chance with the addition of toasted crack black pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Ingredients:
I ½ -2 lb head of cabbage, chopped
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fat pinch of salt
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese - grated
(Reserve 2 tbsp of cheese for serving)
Lemon wedge for garnish/serving
This is a really simple recipe.
Grate the cheese and chop the cabbage after you’ve cut out and discarded the core.
Toast the peppercorns - when you see them start to move by themselves in the skillet, they’re ready to remove to the mortar and pistil or whatever you’re going to use to grind them.
I use the water drop test on the skillet to see if I’ve gotten it hot enough and when the water just slides like a drop of mercury on the surface I know the skillet is ready.
Add the olive oil and the butter and then add the cabbage to the skillet. Add a fat pinch of salt and then stir to combine. Put a lid on the skillet and while the cabbage is cooking, crack the peppercorns.
The cabbage will soften pretty quickly, probably 6-8 minutes. Once it does, add the peppercorns and the Pecorino, saving a couple of tablespoons of cheese for topping the finished product.
Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the cheese is completely melted.
Serve with a lemon wedge and top with a little more grated Pecorino.
Now let’s give you some exercise options for the week.
You can do these as a circuit or as individual exercise snacks and skip any that you don’t feel ready for. I’d also suggest doing something to warm up a little before pushing yourself with one of the exercise snacks. Even if that’s just doing something like some pushups against the counter before trying to max out a set of regular pushups. Warm up sets help better prepare us for more challenging ones.