So my doctor appointments yesterday were no fun. Nope. No fun at all. The podiatrist had no helpful solution for me. He said I had good running shoes and very good inserts, so he did not have anything to recommend. (By the way, I use the green Superfeet inserts in my running shoes.)
He said the small muscles in my feet probably just get tired. Whaaaaa? But why are they tired all of a sudden? I’ve been active since the age of 4. I played soccer for 13 years. How do I have weak feet??? (If any readers can explain this to me, please shoot me an email!)
Walking out of the appointment I learned these things.
- Wear supportive lace-up shoes all the time – even at home. This is bad. I’m barefoot as much as possible!
- Pick up things with my toes to strengthen the muscles.
- Plyometrics (such as my Kirsch workout) are hard on my feet. (He didn’t say not to do them though!)
- Increasing my running by adding one more running day per week broke the renowned 10% rule of running.
I used all this...
- Video 1: Warm Up – just followed video and did my own warm up with weighted punches and dynamic stretching
- *Insert first superset here (rest 20 seconds, repeat, rest 20 seconds, and repeat one more time)
- Video 2: Tracy Anderson Arms Webisode – It gets hard with weights!
- Video 3: Tracy’s Standing Ab Quickie – I gave my arms a break by throwing in this clip. The goal was to keep my heart rate up.
- **Insert second superset here (rest 20 seconds, repeat, rest 20 seconds, and repeat one more time)
- Video 4: Tracy Anderson’s Arms Quickie – It’s another burner, but I really like this one.
- I finished up with this arm set to really fine-tune the muscles before stopping to stretch
Tuesday Arm Superset #1
- 15 Push Ups, 15 Flies with 8-lb Dumbbell, 12-15 Tricep Skull Crushers with 8-lb Dumbbell
Tuesday Arm Circuit #2
- 15 Push Ups, 12 (each side) Resistance Band Overhead Tricep Extension
You can feel strong with 1 pounders...
Thursday Arm Circuit #1
- 15 Rows with Resistance Band, 15 Reverse Fly with Band, 15 (each side, alternating) Curls with 8-lb Dumbbell
Thursday Arm Circuit #2
- 12 (each side) Cross Pull with Band, 12 (each side) Curls with Band
August 6, 2011 at 9:46 am
So sorry that the doc didn’t have better answers for you, but it sounds like you have a good list of things to try!
August 6, 2011 at 10:17 am
Happy Saturday! Sorry your Dr. Apts didn’t go so well…that must be frustrating.. — Here’s to a fun weekend – you have to hop over and see my crazy yummy gnocchi post this morning…sooo good! Off to surf lesson #3 today-wish me luck! xoxo from Trinidad
August 6, 2011 at 10:22 am
Well that Doctor seems super unhelpful
He didn’t recommend orthodics or anything? I got mine (well, I had them as a teen but got a new pair) 1.5 years ago after pain in the ball of my foot (my feet are super flat and compensate in weird ways for the lack of arch and therefore were causing pain) and they have been worth every dollar of the $500 they cost! I hope yours start feeling better soon!
August 6, 2011 at 11:46 am
He said I could get custom ones, but he said he wasn’t confident they’d actually help. I may go get some anyway.
August 6, 2011 at 10:28 am
Sorry that the doc didn’t help
That’s part of the reason that I hate going to see professionals… they never seem to be able to fix things. But I hope some of those things you plan on trying help!
August 6, 2011 at 10:45 am
Awww sorry there is no quick fix for ya! My work covers orthotics maybe yours does to?
Love the weightlifting shot at the end, you work it
August 6, 2011 at 10:52 am
Boo about the doctor
Hope you can get to feeling tip top soon with all of the things you’re trying! Hope you have a great weekend!
August 6, 2011 at 11:41 am
Nice workout! Can’;t wait to try this one! Thanks Tiff!
August 6, 2011 at 11:47 am
I was trying to elevate my heart rate without having to do traditional cardio, but it didn’t get my heart rate up much at all. At least all those push ups really worked out my arms!
August 6, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Sorry that your doctor visit didn’t give you any real concrete answers. Things like that are super frustrating and I hope everything gets better soon.
I’d never heard of Tracy Anderson but I might try one of her workouts just for something a little different. Thanks for all the workout ideas!
August 6, 2011 at 5:48 pm
So sorry to hear your visit with the doc didn’t give you any good answers, but it sounds like you’ve got a pretty good plan hashed out yourself!
August 6, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Oy, doctors can be so frustrating!
August 6, 2011 at 11:32 pm
augh, that’s how i feel bout my doctor sometimes! it’s super frustrating! but think of it this way, this will give you a chance to change up your workout and try new things!
August 7, 2011 at 7:47 am
I had to get orthodics last year – all of a sudden my feet felt like they had shooting pain going through them when I was running. I think over time as you start to get older (wah!) your feet can just.. change! I have really high arches and it didn’t start bothering me until lately. I’m turning into my mother.
August 7, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Don’t let your hubby hear you say that!
just playin. Yeah, I’m thinking of getting orthodics. Hopefully they’d help.
August 7, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Haha! Love the title of this post! I swear doctors can be so useless sometimes! I just had an appointment the other day with a doctor that I’ve been going to for YEARS and who I’ve always felt very confident in, but when I started asking questions and she just kept giving me the same answers only in different words, I got so frustrated! They are always so quick to tell you the “what” but not the “why”!! Grr!
August 7, 2011 at 8:34 pm
I know! Dr-to-patient communication needs a bit of work.
August 7, 2011 at 11:54 pm
I have SuperFeet inserts! I use them for a totally different problem, but I do like them. Hope the Doc’s suggestions get you feeling better soon!
August 8, 2011 at 11:38 am
Tiff -
On running-walking shoes my rule of thumb: Approximately 1,000 miles per pair and then replace for any distance work.
August 8, 2011 at 4:36 pm
THANK YOU for thing you learned #2–I finally have a response to everyone who makes fun of me for picking things up with my feet/using the tv remote with my feet/using my feet to open the door if my hands are full. Life just got a little easier
August 9, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Great Article. We talk to alot of customers and run into alot of interesting footcare situations at http://www.TheInsoleStore.com. If I can ever be of assistance with questions, reviews, or thoughts on shoe insoles -let me know!
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