forgotten_aria

In other news I decided since my knees are SO MUCH BETTER from when I last saw a PT, that I would go see the PT for my now very distinct lunge knee pain. She couldn't find much, other than my knee cap seems to not like moving to the inside. She suggested my quad was tight too. So she gave me some manual knee cap stretching and suggested quad and hammy stretches before workouts. I've also, on my own, been doing single leg strengthening and it's made a big difference already.

She then got a new job closer to Somerville and couldn't see me any more, but that's fine. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing big I could be doing to work on my knees.

Both PTs I saw were awesome, really listened to me, and not once made me feel like my knees were my fault for being fat.

I still need to get a new PCP and optometrist. I'm also considering getting a gynecologist to help me navigate pre-menopause.

I'm still having my arms fall asleep while sleeping and it seems likely it's something pinched in my neck. Stretching my neck and shoulders before bed helps slightly.

TKD schedule changed and I get to go back to lyra class. Though now it's being taught 100% by the teacher who never puts the hoop low enough for me, so I have to fight to get into it. I can't wait until I can do a chopper mount so she can have both hoops high.

I was able to do full speed air squats today and do a light (55lbs) full speed squat clean a few days ago. This is such huge progress for my knees.

I missed a board break and bruised my hand. It will heal reasonable quickly. I'm more annoyed I can't do 7 boards anymore.

One year and one week ago, I went to my first physical therapy evaluation session. Since early in college (~26 years ago) I had lived with bad knees. I had assumed they were just "toast" and that it was one of the few health issues that could actually be blamed on my weight. In ~2005 I even lost 70lbs for fear I wouldn't be able to walk at the weight I was (which of course I gained all back and more as most people do.) A year ago it hurt to do more than 10 shallow squats. Now, I admit that I need to go lower than what's in this photo (I don't know if my PR was low enough after seeing these) but today I did 155lbs back squat. My knees still give me trouble off and on, but they are so much better. I am so thankful that taekwondo showed me I could make my knee pain less by strengthening the knee. I am so glad that I found a physical therapist who was amazing, believed the amount of exercise I was doing and never once told me to lose weight. I am so glad to be able to work on my knee strength and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring.

I did my first ever box jumps in a work out. It was a short box and I was slow, but this is another knee milestone.