Hello! It’s about time I posted a workout recap again. As I mentioned last month in my March wrap-up post, I did something to my lower back at the beginning of the month that set me back in my plans to get into more of a workout routine. But towards the end of the month, I tried running a couple of times, and while it didn’t bother my back at first, by the weekend it was a little crabby. So right now, I feel like I need to take running off the table. Plus, given the current issues going on with CoVid-19, the parks have been a little crowded on the nicer days, and some people really don’t respect the social distancing guidelines, using this time to congregate at the parks. This has lead to the temporary closure of some of my favorite spots to hit up after work, which really sucks.

But enough complaining about that. On to the workouts!

So, while I know a lot of my lower back issues most likely stem from a weak core area, I decided to give the Tone It Up app a try, since it is currently free until April 22nd. If you haven’t heard of Tone It Up, it’s a fitness lifestyle brand founded by two friends. While I’ll be the first to admit that the workouts have slightly silly names, they are actually fairly effective workouts. Tons of women have found success in using their programs, and I actually really liked that I could stream the workouts on to my TV via AppleTV, versus trying to watch them on my iPad or phone screen.

I completed three workouts before it felt like it was aggravating my back issue more than helping it. The lower body portion of the total body workout was killer for me! I’ve never done much with resistance bands before, so I really liked that aspect, since bands are very easy to travel with. Sidenote-I freaking HATE burpees! They can go burn in fitness hell for all I care.

I’ll definitely be coming back to this program once I get my lower back to heal up a bit more.

I’ve been doing a few yoga poses here and there in an attempt to loosen my back up, but while they offer a little relief, it’s not as long-lasting as I would like. I did reach out to a chiropractic office that I had a little experience with from a race expo a few years back and luckily right now, they are accepting new patients. I had a small re-emergence of my jaw pain that set me back in progress a few years ago, so it was enough for me to finally reach out. I’m looking forward to setting up an appointment with them!

After ruling out running and resistance/weight work, I’ve decided for the time being that I will walk for a bit each day. Lucky for me, even though I live in a rural area, there are plenty of places that I can go for a quick walk without having to get in my car and drive somewhere to a park that may or may not be closed at the moment. I walked three days last week and put in six miles. Friday I took a rest day and Saturday and Sunday I spent time throughly cleaning the house, which is a workout in and of itself!

Here’s to hoping I can get into the chiropractor soon and that things start righting themselves in the world!