Various items of health and well-being

[velvetpage]

I badly need a good pair of cross-trainers. This is a problem. A good pair of cross-trainers that will fit me properly will run me well over one hundred dollars, and I don't have it to spare at the moment. The alternative is to waste my $40 per month gym membership, because I can't keep working out without these shoes. It's painful - I've got shinsplints that made me stop my workout three machines from the end because I couldn't handle the aerobics on the rest stations, even when I toned them down.

I'm considering calling my doctor, making an appointment for next week sometime, and getting a prescription for orthotics. If I have a prescription, my benefits plan will cover some astronomical sum - five hundred dollars? - for a single pair. Depending on how much I can swing, I may be able to get the benefits plan to pay for the shoes as well as the inserts. Obviously, that would be the best-case scenario. It seems to me that the clinic wherein is located my doctor's office also houses an orthotics fitter.

It's really awful that I'm not even out of my twenties yet and I'm buying old-lady shoes with two hundred-dollar inserts in them. *sigh*

My diet has been steadily improving again as I finished the last of the Easter chocolate yesterday. Veggies reappeared several days ago, as did soup for lunch. I'm down two pounds from my weekend high - which is three pounds higher than my weight three weeks ago. *sigh* There are downsides to fondues and other holiday foods.

I'm hoping the breakout is pretty much over, too.

I'm going to take an ibuprofen and head to bed at a decent hour.

Comments

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

Dont worry about it, I started wearing insoles for my arches in university. Good support makes all the difference in the world!
I've also started eating well this week! I haven't packed anything totally bad for me, and I've made a few leafy salads or pasta dishes. I've been drinking 1% milk instead of pop and a lot more water.
And I've been having this weird craving for liquored-up cheese! It's the strangest thing... ;D

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I've been eating the leftover gruyère on practically everything all week, and I still have tons. :)

[shavastak.livejournal.com]

I gotta agree; there's no substitute for good shoes but good insoles come a fairly close second. I put insoles in when I worked at the grocery store (hurray 8 hours standing still! bleh) and it made all the difference in the world.

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

Hey, a pair of shoes that actually fit properly are fantastic things! and it's better for you. Or something. ;)

As for the eating... yeah, my diet has been on and off as far as 'good foods.' I do well for a few days, and then eat badly for one or two, and go back to good. I generally try to compensate by adding a few minutes to my Ellipse workout time. Works out okay for the most part, unless Danger Boy! gets fascinated by something out the window and gets bonked in the head by the Ellipse. (it's only happened a couple times... ;) )

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

You'd think he'd learn, wouldn't you?

So your Leo is settling in, then?

[page-4.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel better, I've been putting weight on lately, too. It seems that every bad food that I can possibly eat, I've been eating. Quarter Pounders from McDonalds. Cheetos (disgusting amounts of Cheetos, actually). Pizza, pop, potato chips with dip ... and I'm estimating that I've already packed on at least ten pounds. My clothes are all tighter, and I can't seem to suck my stomach in far enough for my peace of mind. You're doing better than I am. You've eaten a vegetable in the last week. The only vegetable I've been in close contact with over the last few weeks has been variations on the potato. Fried, mashed, baked ... but mostly fried. Sigh. Let me know when you get those shoes, and we'll work out together. Motivate me!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Okay, here goes. The Curves promotion for this month is - bring a friend, you and the friend each get one month free. I think you still have to pay the $99 registration fee and the first month's $39 plus tax, but you'd get the second month free. More to the point, so would I. :) I can get Mom a free month, too, but I can't bank my second free month.

Interested?

[page-4.livejournal.com]

Why does it have to be THIS MONTH!?!?! I have loads and loads of reading to do to catch up before my exams ... which means I wouldn't have enough time to spare to go to the gym until at least the middle of the month. That'd be a waste of half my month! And lots of my money, as the case may be. Damn it. Good things come at TERRIBLE TIMES!

[page-4.livejournal.com]

p.s. What'd I tell you? I KNEW you'd try again to get me into the gym. It was only a matter of time ... score one for me! I'm psychic (not to be confused with psycho, which I also am).

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Then wait until near the end of the month. You can sign up any time before April 30th and I'll still get the month free - as will you - and it will be next month, not this one.

the joy of bio-mechanic orthodics!!

[mizheekay.livejournal.com]

I also got orthoidic while in university. Most plans cover for both orthodic inserts (which I find make my low-cost payless cross trainers just as good as high-end shoes...) as well as a pair of orthodic shoes. The good news is that Birkinstock Co. makes custom orthodics, and I swear by mine... I've been having them repaired for years, and I'm excited about getting new ones this year now that I've got a plan again!! They are custom cut, and are great for walking in the summer- between the sandals and the inserts I'm covered. btw- I've got a high instep (high but fallen arches) so I find the thin plastic kind of inserts fit better in shoes- I already have huge feet so that along with the high instep would making finding shoes nigh impossible if I had those thick foamy inserts that others have. I think it's great that I can buy crappy but stylish payless shoes with no quality support, slide in my custom inserts and voila- the feel of a high-end shoe!

There's nothing old-lady about it... it's about taking care of your body and feeling/staying young, vibrant and energetic. Pain makes us old, not our shoes.

Re: the joy of bio-mechanic orthodics!!

[mizheekay.livejournal.com]

Afterthought- 500.00 isn't astronomical for orthodics- they'll run you at least that for a single pair. And I switched to zero impact arobic activity at the gym- either the cross-trainer (aka eliptical machine) or, at my old gym, aquafit, and both did wonders for adding strength to my stabalizing muscles while reducing wear and tear on my joints. I'm not a skinny-mini, and lots of jumping about is not what my bod is built for. Your doctor might also be able to refer you to a sports injury therapist who can recommend some shifts in your workout to reduce pain - I actually had over-developed quads, which were pulling my kneecaps out of alignment so they were not tracking properly. Who'da thunk? We would never have known that without the sports injury therapist, and now I can make sure that my workout is supporting and not hindering my healing.

Re: the joy of bio-mechanic orthodics!!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I made a shift in my workout last night, as soon as I realized that the hydraulic stair-stepper was easier on my joints than just step aerobics on the recovery stations. Every time I was anywhere near that machine, I used it, and it did make a difference.

I was told last night that my Curves location will be getting in more of that kind of machine, because I'm not the only one having troubles with the unsupported step aerobics.

I'll see about the sports therapist, too.

I just realized - I'm planning on another baby in the next year, two at most. My feet could very easily change sizes again. Argh. Oh well - it'll be worth it even so.

Re: the joy of bio-mechanic orthodics!!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure even the wide-width payless shoes will fit me anymore. They haven't since Elizabeth. (Warning: one side effect of pregnancy is not just swollen feet, but feet that change shape permanently. If you're going to have kids, be prepared to replace your orthotics shortly after.)

I'm calling my doctor today about prescription inserts, and I'll ask for the plastic kind. Thanks for the tip. :)

[mr-weasel.livejournal.com]

It's really awful that I'm not even out of my twenties yet and I'm buying old-lady shoes with two hundred-dollar inserts in them. *sigh*


It could always be worse. I've had to wear orthotics since I was a child. Yes, I know, why in the world did I choose a job where I'm on my feet for 12 hours at a time? I was worrying about being employed at the time I was choosing a program. :)

[anidada.livejournal.com]

I, too, have worn orthotics (off-and-on) since childhood. The hard plastic kind, generally. It's not at all unusual, and not old-ladyish -- given that there are orthotics for every sport imaginable, dress ones, etc., it seems like everybody and their brother's got them. :)

General thoughts:

Don't mess with discount orthotics, no matter how tempting it is. My benefit plan only pays for $200, and my chiropractor charges $425 (not including shoes, which run into the hundreds, as well), so I haven't bought new orthotics in several years (even though I desperately need them because of the pregnancy-foot thing). I just don't want to get them from some $99 place, where the odds are, they're not properly made for my feet, and will fall apart in short order -- and I haven't yet found a place that costs in-between.

Check with your plan to see what's required to get them -- you may need a doctor's prescription. You should also check with the doctor (chiropractor, podiatrist, etc.) to see what they need to do in order to get the right fit (X-rays, computerized gait analysis, etc.).

It's better to get the inserts so that you can use them in many of your current shoes. If you get the ones that only work as insoles for specific shoes, or get the shoes-that-are-orthotic, you'll find yourself stuck wearing the same pair of shoes all the time, because it'll hurt to wear the rest of your shoes.

If you can somehow get two pairs (obviously cost is a factor, but you never know, you might find something reasonable and reliable), you might want to get a dress pair and a sports pair. That way both work and workout are covered -- considering that those are your greatest-impact situations, that's where you'll get the most benefit. If you can get only one pair... well, that's a tough call. I went with sport ones that don't really work with dress shoes (some makes do, I think), and never like to wear dress shoes as a result (when I do, without orthotics, I wind up in serious pain after about an hour). I can live with that in my current job (where I can wear sneakers and Docs and so on), but if I were to work in an environment where jeans and t-shirts were frowned upon, I'd have to get dress ones to go with the nicer shoes I'd have to wear. At this point, eight or more hours a day without orthotics sounds like a nightmare. :(

It's a good idea to bring the same kind of shoes you'll be wearing most often to your orthotic fitting. The biggest problem with orthotics is that a lot of regular shoes just don't accomodate them, even when you take the regular insoles out. With orthotic inserts (as opposed to orthotic shoes of these styles), open-back shoes, sandals, mules, and slingbacks are all pretty much out of the question. Closed-back pumps and loafers (depending on your arch), boots, and sneakers (with a relatively high cut if your arch is high) are your best bets. I wouldn't buy new sneakers until you get the orthotics -- then when you go shopping, you can try the orthotics in your sneakers. Best bet are New Balance. Their stores have people who understand how to properly fit a shoe (I grew up in a shoe store and trust me, most shoe store/department clerks don't know squat about fitting), and more importantly, their shoes are excellent value and easily accomodate orthotics. Not cheap, but if you're planning to spend money on sneakers, they're worth every penny. My New Balance sneakers are only now starting to deteriorate, and I've had them for about four years, wearing them at least 200 days of the year. Even really well-used ones sell on eBay for serious money, they're that good.

You'll notice a huge difference when you've been using the orthotics for a couple of weeks. You'll feel taller, you won't have leg or foot pain, you'll take longer strides... honestly, it's like getting a whole new body. My dad has always maintained that if you don't take care of your feet, it affects your whole body, your health, your state of mind -- we walk upright, it makes sense. :)