Dear right hip,
You suck ass. Please stop hurting when I run. I’m trying to lose weight so that I’m carrying around less weight thus making it easier for you to do your job.
No love,
Me
Two words: Ellip tical.
It’s a Latin phrase that means holy shit, this thing is a fucking miracle machine.
I can walk like a mofo, but running is hell on knees, shins, ankles and hips. There must be downsides to an elliptical machine, but all I’ve seen is good. The arm-poles (or whatever they’re called) made it much easier to get the heartrate up in the early days at speed levels a bit lower than on a treadmill (using a Polar HRM, not those bullshit handles). Plus, it gives a fantastic upper body workout for those who don’t have room for on in their apartment—carrying it down to the park is a workout in itself.
Not saying exercise is easy per se–it takes a hell of a lot of effort–but the elliptical pains are all focused on muscle and cardio and (mostly) bypass most of the joint and other problems tied to running.
Unfortunately, I don’t have access to one. The whole reason why I’m running is because I can do it for free with minimal investment in equipment (I think I’ve spent less than $50 so far on a pair of new shoes, some new socks and a pair of clearance rack yoga pants to run in). I’d love to join a gym, but I just don’t have the funds right now as I’m broker than the ten commandments.
I just answered in your numb foot thread and I think this is your main problem.
Why would the price of my shoes cause the problem? Because I don’t get it. I thought cheap shoes were pretty much as good as the super pricey ones which I can’t afford anyway because dropping a hundred plus bucks on a pair of shoes is just out of my budget. WAY out of my budget.
Which leads me to another rant.
Everybody…from the President to our doctors to the local celebs on morning talk shows…keep telling us that we all need to be in better shape, weigh less, etc because OMG OBESITY EPIDEMIC IS EPIC!!!
So what’s a poor girl who can’t afford pricey gear and expensive gym memberships supposed to do other than do what she can, making the best of her situation by buying what she can afford and trying to get fit on her own by starting a couch to five K training program and running in her neighborhood because it’s free? And mildly challenging as there are some hills.
I want to be in better shape and skinnier so that I look better, because I ain’t getting any younger. I’m going to be 37 in a few weeks and I’ve spent the majority of my life out of shape and overweight and I’m finally to the point where I know I’ve GOT to fix this shit or else. I’m sick of being “the fat mom” when I go to school functions for my kiddo. All the other moms are super skinny and wearing the most awesome clothes but I can’t wear that shit because I’m too fat and I’d just look stupid. Fashion is NOT for fat people (which is a whole 'nother rant entirely) who are broke ass poor all the fucking time.
The features and materials that control over-pronation cost money and are lacking in cheap shoes. The materials are much cheaper and less sturdy.
Are you sure there’s no cheap gyms around? Stay away from the chains, look for a local independent gym.
Also, you don’t need all the fancy crap, no snack bars, massage/tanning rooms, skin care/nutrition boutiques and so on.
Weights, aerobic machines, locker room and a few snack/drink items sold at the front counter are all you really need.
If being healthy is your goal and good shoes are the healthiest, safest way to achieve that goal, you find money to get the good shoes.
I spend a ton of money on gear for swimming and it is one of my main motivators to keep swimming. Don’t want to have wasted all that money on gear!
You can find the money for shoes. It’s worth it. You’re worth it.
Also I hope you haven’t torn the labrum in your hip because that’s just about the worst thing ever. My friend had surgery for it 4 months ago and is just now slowly getting back to normal. Sort of.
planet fitness is nice.
Other activity you can do for free
Instructional aerobics videos from good will or youtube (Tae Bo, aerobics, etc)
Jumping rope
Martial arts
Burpees
calisthenics
etc
RunningCoach—where I live, there are basically two options as far as gyms. Either you join a gym that’s part of a chain (24hr Fitness being the closest to my house, about a 20 min drive) or you pay a huge amount to join the local rec center (which I can’t afford either…it’s like $400/yr for a single person I think. I could be wrong, though. I haven’t looked at their website in awhile). Neither of which is in my budget, since we’re a two income household with not as much income as we’d like coming in (retail mgr and part time school cafeteria worker since I have retail related PTSD and neither one of us is qualified for anything else really).
ZipperJJ–I don’t think I’ve seriously injured my hip. After I rested for awhile and took some ibuprofen, the pain went away. I’ve had intermittant pain in my right hip for years now, as well as issues in my knees and ankles, esp my left one which tends to roll at the slightest provocation.
Part of me is seriously terrified that if I don’t get into decent shape, I’m going to end up like my mother who, despite only being in her mid60s, looks like she’s in her 80s and has a crap ton of health issues. She called me this morning and said she tripped over something in her hoarder-cave and broke her shoulder.
And this was AFTER spending numerous hours in the doctor’s office trying to figure out her digestive issues which turned out to be something called diverticulitis (still not entirely sure what that is, but it doesn’t sound pleasant. 
). She also has heart disease, has had breast cancer, fibromyalgia, low thyroid (which I have also. THANKS MOM!), issues with her sodium being too high, joint issues in her feet because she has feet that are perfectly flat (which is why I think I probably have feet that are mostly flat. Again…THANKS MOM!), issues with her teeth (she’s had a complete set of dentures since before I can remember)…I don’t want that shit to happen to me. I’m terrified I’m gonna end up like her where I can’t walk without a cane and I look like total shit because my body is falling the fuck apart.
edited to add
WesleyClark–the reason I’m hesitant to watch/follow along with fitness videos from YouTube is I have NO fucking idea if I’m doing it right and I feel incredibly stupid.
Maybe just try walking for a bit. And as far as spending money on good shoes, look at it this way: spend a bit more money now is better than having to spend a lot of money on a hip replacement down the line.
I hope you feel better!
Believe me, if I had the money I’d spend it. As it is, I’m seriously hoping I can just make it through with the shoes I’ve got for the time being and that if I’m incredibly lucky, my ILs (who have more disposable cash than we do) will buy me the semi-expensive (like $45) shoes I’ve put down on my Amazon Wishlist (which is something they always ask me to make so it’s easier for them to get me stuff I really want/need for Christmas).
Unfortunately right now, new eyeglasses and getting my dental issues (which are many because I used to have a 3 liter a day coke habit) fixed as well as a trip to the eyedoctor for Squidge (my son) are the priority. Getting in shape is a “well, gee that would be nice” kind of thing because I really cannot afford the pricy shit you need to get in shape. Because that’s apparently how it fucking works now. If you’re poor, expect to be fucking huge and not ever able to afford to get in shape because that equipment you’d love to own but can’t? Yeah. You can only afford it if you’re middle middle to upper middle class. Fuck that shit. Fuck that shit with a fucking pineapple in the fucking ass.
Link to the shoes, I’ll let you know if you should even bother. Besides the expense, shoes are designed for specific type of feet. A shoe for the flat-footed is entirely wrong for someone with a high, rigid arch.
It’s these Adidas…which I chose for ENTIRELY the wrong reason (because they’re SO freaking pretty!).
Well then you may just want to stick with walking rather than running for the time being.
(Would a good pair of inserts help her?)
They might…but I’ve never been to a podiatrist, which I really SHOULD go see one I’m sure since I have such fucked up troll feet. :rolleyes:
WHY CAN’T I HAVE NORMAL FEET? :mad:
Normally, I don’t have issues with my feet unless I’ve been standing on them for a long time. When my son was 4, we saved up for a year to take him to Disney World and oh god…that was a nightmare as far as my feet were concerned. I’d saved some painkillers from a dental visit and took them with me because I knew that by the time we got back to the hotel at night, I’d be in a stupid ridiculous amount of pain. And I was. It was the kind of pain that probably would’ve crippled a lesser woman. AND I got fucking blisters…on my heels, on the sides of the balls of my feet and in between my freaking toes (not sure how I managed that, really). AND on top of my pinkie toes. D:
Dear Knees;
I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better when I was a child.
I’m sorry you got bashed into stuff really hard… multiple times.
I no longer do these things to you and it is in our mutual best interest for you to forgive and forget. Sorry, they all hurt me as much as they did you.
Please leave me alone and let us peacefully cohabitate this body for as long as it lasts.
Sincerely;
Zeke
Dear knees and ankles,
the same goes for you. Especially you, left ankle, because I either broke you or sprained you really REALLY bad * and you’ve never been the same since.
Me
- We were on a family road trip, I tripped in a hole and assumed my ankle was just really badly sprained although there’s a chance it could’ve been broken and we just never knew it because my parents were cheapasses who didn’t like to go to the doctor unless you were bleeding out your eyes. Because everything else you could take an offbrand Sudafed pill for and be ok, according to them. Kinda like how the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding cures everything with Windex.
Unsuitable for you due to both weight and a lack of support for a flat-footed runner.
Here’s what you should see in a real running shoe.
These are just an example. There’s a wide variety of dense foams, plastic plates and rubber components that are designed to handle different stability needs.
Care to recommend one I can find on Amazon? 