Fitness Friday: 6 Benefits of Exercise That Have Nothing to Do With Weight Loss

I think a pulled a hammy.  Actually, I have no idea.  Pretty sure I don't remember doing anything like this either:

source/via Pinterest

A few weeks ago I felt a twinge behind my left knee when I was running.  It felt like someone was snapping a rubber band against the back of my knee!  So bizarre.  OF COURSE, I continued running for the next 2-3 weeks.  It wasn't especially painful and the weird sensation would only last for the first 1/2 mile or so, then fade away.  But it has gotten progressively worse, so I finally decided to take some time off.  Trying to be a good Bean here even though it's driving me UP THE WALL.

The strange thing about the pain is that it isn't present on the back of my thigh at all, where I imagine a hamstring strain would be.  The pain is behind my knee only and has me thinking it is an inflamed tendon/ligament (tendinitis maybe?) at the point of insertion of the hamstring muscle.

Why am I telling you all of this?!  Partially because I want someone out there to tell me what this mystery injury could be.  And partially because it relates to the title of this post!

There are SO many other benefits to working out than just weight loss, or weight maintenance.  Now that I am 'injured' I am acutely aware of all of these benefits and missing them incredibly.  These are some of the beneficial side effects I experience from exercising.  What about you?

1.  MORE ENERGY
Even on days when I'm feeling tired or unmotivated, actually especially on those kinds of days, if I get myself to the gym or fit in some kind of workout, it actually gives me an energy boost.  It sounds counterintuitive but it's a real side effect of movement.  And the cumulative effects of working out regularly lead to a steady state of increased energy.  It's akin to a rock rolling down a hill, picking up more and more momentum with every movement. 

2.  BETTER SLEEP
Works with kids, and adults too!  The more you wear yourself out during the day, the more restful your sleep will be at night.  Total nanny knowledge right there.  Even after taking just a few days off, my sleep has been affected.  I am tossing and turning and not sleeping soundly.  I have way too much pent up energy.

3.  LESS STRESS
Exercise is a natural way to release stress (as opposed to throwing back a fifth of Jack).  If I have a lot on my mind, or am feeling frustrated/angry/etc, running is a HUGE release for me.  But whatever your exercise of choice, working out definitely helps release some of the stress hormones we all tend to accumulate over the course of each day.  Since it's only one of my legs that's affected, I'm considering taking up punching, I mean boxing, for awhile. 

4.  MENTAL CLARITY
This is somewhat related to #3 but I feel like over the course of a day, there's a lot of 'junk' that builds up in my brain.  And working out has a magical way of clearing that out.  I think if you exercise you will agree, you feel so much sharper and mentally focused right after you work out. I feel like all those little neurons in my brain are firing a mile a minute. I wish I knew the scientific reason for this but I do not. 

5.  HAPPINESS
One of running's greatest side effects!  Endorphins are nature's pharmaceuticals and working out pumps a bunch of the 'feel-good' hormones right into your bloodstream.  Oh Goddddddddd am I missing runner's high right now.

6.  SELF CONFIDENCE
Working out obviously increases your body confidence, but we're focusing on non-weight related benefits for this post, so I'm talking more about self esteem here.  When you accomplish something physically, it absolutely makes you feel more powerful and self assured about other aspects of your life.  You feel like you can take on the world.  After finishing a half marathon, I almost always feel like I can probably run for President.  Or something like that.

For all of these reasons I hope this hammy, or whatever it is, shapes up and ships off REAL FAST!


How about you?

What non-weight-related benefits do you experience from working out?

Have a great weekend!

My Non-Running Injury

You may have noticed I've been missing from these parts for the past week, and for that I apologize.  What was I doing?  Oh, you know just spending a few days incapacitated by a freak injury.  I'm feeling a lot better today but mannnnnnnnn, I was down for the count for a couple of days there.

Let me explain....

I fought the law and the law won.  No, not really.  But I did fight winter and winter kicked my A$S!  So far I'd say the tally this season is Winter: 1 bazillion twelve million, and Humanity: 0. 

We got yet ANOTHER snowstorm Sunday evening.  I normally am not one to run out to the grocery store every time snow is in the forecast, but it was Sunday and that's usually when I go shopping for the week.  Never again.  People were clearing the shelves like we were on the brink of apocalypse. 

source via Pinterest

 

I woke up Monday morning to snow, but we didn't end up getting the foot they were calling for (thank goodness for small miracles).  There were probably about 5 inches or so total when it finally stopped later that afternoon.  Annoyed that I had to shovel my car out again for the 17th time this winter, I suited up in my running tights, various layers of t-shirts, my ski jacket and the rinkiest dinkiest gloves I could find and headed out into the third iteration of the polar vortex to get to work.  Oh I forgot to mention that just prior to this, I got a nosebleed.  HAHAHA.  Ever since I was a wee one, I get nosebleeds, especially in the winter, when the air inside is hot and dry.  Every once in awhile I will get summer nosebleeds if I get really overheated.  Anyway, my heat was on high blast this weekend because it was so cold outside so I guess that's what did it.  Sorry if that's TMI but it's important in the retelling of this disaster. 

 

So I waited until I thought my little snout was healed and out I went.  I proceeded to clear the snow off my car without incident and then moved on to shoveling out around it.  However, I guess my body started to heat up once I started to shovel and my nose began dripping blood onto the snow! Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww.  If you are not sufficiently grossed out, please read on.

 

Of course I did not have any tissues with me, and of course I didn't feel like walking all the way back around my building and up 3 flights of stairs to get some, so what did I do?  Oh I just continued to drip blood in the snow like a dying animal while shoveling like a maniac to finish what I came out there to do.  You can prob see where this is leading.  I have never once injured myself shoveling snow (and I grew up in even snowier Pennsylvania).  I thought that was a fate reserved for my AARP years.  Wrongo.  All of sudden I felt a pang? A snap? And then a shooting pain across my back.  I guess I twisted the wrong way in my rushed attempt to finish while bleeding profusely from my nose.  Man, this even sounds gross :(

 

 

I'm with you kid.

 

You may think at that point I would have admitted defeat and went back inside.  You'd be wrong.  I CONTINUED TO SHOVEL like a moron despite the shooting pain in my back.  When I finally came inside I convinced myself it wasn't that bad.  I was in pain, but rarely if ever, pay attention my body's pain cues (not good).  I took some Advil, put a heating pad on it and then carried on with my evening.  I mean, I even had time to post this good humored little status update on FB.  All was right with the world. 

 

 

 

And then...

 

That night was TORTURE.  I was in so much pain I couldn't even sleep.  There was no position whatsoever that did not cause me pain.  My bed was like my worst enemy.  When I got up the next morning I could barely move.  I have never suffered a back injury so I had no clue what was wrong.  Did I break something?  Is there even any way you can break your back shoveling?!  If it's just a muscle injury why do I feel paralyzed yet also in extreme pain?!  So I did what most women in their 30's do when they are sick.  Texted my mom!  She's a nurse so I knew she'd have some good advice.  She said I should probably go to the ER and get some kind of shot or muscle relaxants and pain killers.  Well, I don't have health insurance currently so that wasn't an option. 

 

I basically spent the next 24 hours of my life popping Advil like it was candy and lying on the floor.  Yes that was the only thing that was comfortable.  My sofa hurt me, my bed hurt me, standing hurt, sitting hurt.  Lying motionless on the ground was the only thing somewhat tolerable.

 

I ate Advil non stop for the next 3 days and today I'm feeling much improved.  I still have pain in my back but at least I can move, sit and bend, if somewhat awkwardly.

 

I am hoping I NEVER SEE SNOW AGAIN and if I do that this never happens again!  I haven't gone to the gym since Sunday and I'm kind of scared to start working out again until I have no pain lest I reawaken the monster. 

 

Gosh, I am sorry this post got so long! 

 

Moral of the story though:  WINTER BLOWS.  The end.

 

 

 

Have you ever injured yourself shoveling snow?

Do you have any experience with back injuries?  Can you offer me any advice?!