Gallagher Fitness Resources

Tag: patience

  • Spring Clinic Begins

    The Spring Women’s Clinic begins today. A big welcome to all the women who are registered, 117! And a huge thank you to all the group leaders! We couldn’t do it without you. I’m excited to get this one off the ground.  And while there’s a bit of sadness that I won’t be going to the park the first 3-4 weeks as my ankle recovery continues, I look forward to the energy and enthusiasm from all the women coming to the clinic this spring. As I always encourage “patience, patience, patience,” this will be an excellent opportunity to exercise my own beliefs and accept that this is where I’m at and I’m going forward from here. Don’t look back, don’t compare where you used to be. Just move forward, with patience and persistence, and count the blessings for each step.

    This article does a good job of capturing the excitement about the Women’s Clinic. One Step At A Time

    And here’s a link to info about the surgery. Recovery Update

    Cheers! bck (Big Cat Kahuna)

  • Susan’s Recovery Update: 2-6-11

    On Dec 30th I had ankle reconstruction. Fast forward to 2/11 and I get the CAST OFF! Progress! Then I’ll wear a boot for 4-6 weeks, with gradual weight-bearing and I’ll be able to get in the pool again and sweat! Progress!

    Rock Chalk Jayhawk – KU!

    People ask what happened and what exactly was done in surgery. The procedure included calcaneal osteotomy, flexor digitorum longus transfer, debridement of remnants of posterior tibial tendon and repair of old disruption spring ligament and medial talonavicular capsule.

    What it really means? The posterior tibial tendon, important for walking and running, was dysfunctional and I’d been compensating for years, creating damage to other tendons and ligaments, eventually decreasing joint stability which was worsening quickly. The osteotomy (restructuring the heel bone) and the flexor digitorum longus transfer (grafting one tendon to replace another) will provide joint stability. Surgery was successful and patience is my friend.

    Knee scooter = more mobility and independence than crutches or wheelchair. The uniform? Kansas Jayhawk Track & Field and Cross Country 83-85, hence the hot pink and blue cast! Have I been bored? Absolutely not! Leg elevated, mostly, laptop, cell phone and books provide plenty to keep me occupied, and visitors, delightful! As for the scooter, John calls me “Scooter Girl!” Go figure.

    Many family, friends and customers have been very helpful through my recovery and transition. To all, your wonderful support and thoughts for continued recovery are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

    Cheers! – Big Cat Kahuna

    “Mind is the great lever of all things. Human thought is the process by which human ends are ultimately answered.” – Daniel Webster

  • Are You Breathing?

    As with any form of exercise, proper breathing techniques are a foundational element for success when using Trigger Point Performance tools and methods.

    Deep nasal breaths provide a steady stream of oxygen to the lower lobes of the lungs where blood oxygen transfer is at its greatest.  As we address key areas of the body with Myofascial Compression Techniques, this fresh oxygenated blood can successfully enter the muscle to restore pliability, elasticity, and fluidity.

    Nasal breathing also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces stress and triggers relaxation and the recovery that is essential for optimal results when rolling out.  Many times rolling on a tender spot in the muscle will cause someone to hold their breath which will limit the muscles ability to relax.

    Begin each routine with a few deep nasal breaths to get focused and to set a pattern for the manipulation.  You will become more efficient and experience greater results with each session.

  • Marathon training is like homebrewing or winemaking

    If you have ever participated in the homebrewing or winemaking process you will appreciate this analogy.  Assuming the right ingredients are mixed in the right proportions and the “recipe” is followed correctly there is little that separates marathon training from winemaking and homebrewing when you reflect on these three essential components:

    • Experience – The best brewer or winemaker is nearly always the one with the most years of experience.  Sure it takes a lot of luck, but when you are in the realm of art + science, luck is directly proportional to years of experience.  The “art” is enhanced by all the mistakes made along the way.  Training for a marathon is quite similar.  You can have a stroke of beginner’s luck, but you are more likely to improve through years of experience and, unfortunately, a few mistakes and training errors.
    • Being Confident and Trusting the Process – Experimentation is always tempting when you are trying to make a batch of beer or a most exquisite wine, but you cannot change the essential process.  There are inviolable steps in making beer or wine.  You may have the most creative idea in the world for the next best brew, but if you change the order of the essential steps the results will stink – literally.  Your grand experiment will be entirely undrinkable and you will have wasted a lot of time.  Trust your training plan.  The workouts follow a specific order and plan.  The plan is your key to success.  Experiment “slightly” and “carefully” but don’t abandon the essential steps to success.
    • Patience – Wooo boy.  This is the toughest part of marathon training as well as brewing and winemaking.  Once the beer is in the carboy or the wine is in the oak barrel or stainless steel fermenter, not much can be done to change the final product.  Playing too much with the ingredients in the late stages of the fermentation process will more than likely ruin the final outcome rather than enhance it.  The same is true in the later stages of marathon training.  You cannot “cram” like you did for your college finals.  Either the work is in or it’s not.  When your marathon training reaches the final three weeks, you can only screw up the final result with final “tweaking.”  It’s patience in those final, sometimes agonizing weeks, when the aging process/training effect yields the best product.

    Feel free to make comments on this topic!  Let’s have some fun with it.