I did 3 new things, you won't believe the 3rd

Let's dive right in, shall we?

First, I ran on Saturday. I ran 250m three times in our Women's Fitness class (those who were menstruating or later in pregnancy did a Farmer's Carry, row, or jog - have I mentioned how important it is to train WITH your hormones rather than against them?) and it was the first time I've run since my concussion 10 weeks ago.

I had the teensiest headache after the workout was over, but it was fleeting and only lasted a few minutes. It felt amazing to push myself a bit and not have giant repercussions. Cue the celebrations!

I was talking to my friend Laura yesterday and she said my patience through this healing journey was inspiring. That caught me by surprise. Y'all, this season has been anything but graceful. It has been hard to remind myself of how grateful I am. And it's been really, really dark at times. But Laura's comment reminded me of this video that I saw a while ago at the recommendation of my friend Samantha.

If you don't want to watch the full video, the part that stuck out to me was when Betty described that being "patient" insinuated that she'd like to be somewhere else. I've come back to that idea several times in the past 2 1/2 months of healing at a sometimes painfully slow pace: where else would I want to be?

I then answer myself with a variety of places/activities/levels of ability and then walk that back to realize that wishing myself anywhere else only robs me of the only thing I actually have, which is my present moment.

I appreciated Laura's comment, but the struggle to stay in the present moment is one I'm continuing to learn and work through.

One more note about concussions: I've been taking Dr. Stacy Sims' Women Are Not Small Men course and have learned that women take longer to heal from concussion and getting a concussion in the high hormone portion of your cycle (end of the menstrual cycle) leads to longer healing times. Fun(?) fact: I got my concussion on the very last day of my cycle.

The second new thing is that I set a new record for myself in the Plunge: FIVE minutes. Said differently, I sat my full body in 39 degree water (including head submersion at the beginning and end of the session) for 300 full seconds.

Caroline and I have been toying around with the Nordic Cycle sessions - plunging followed by hot showers and then back to the Plunge a few times through - so I did a hot blast in the shower and got back in the Plunge for what I hoped to be at least two minutes.

Nope, I had to exit around 1:15 because my toes hurt so damn bad from the cold that I just couldn't stand it.

And now I have a new ceiling to break through. ;-)

The third thing (the one you're likely going to be a bit shocked by) is that I've started a new weightlifting routine. I'm still doing Street Parking and Women's Fitness, adapting both to meet my post-TBI needs. But Dr. Lori O'Neill sent me a randomized controlled trial regarding vaginal weights for overactive bladder a few weeks ago. (Remember that whole sequence I sent about bladder spasms? If not, this is part 3, but it starts with links to the first two parts).

While I don't exactly have OAB, I have some similar symptoms, and vaginal weights are one of the things I'd yet to try. The first thing that came to mind when she sent me the article (aside from "well, why not?") was Kim Anami. I've followed her work for several years and loved just about everything she put out there.

But I have been a little skeptical of her Jade Egg recommendations. The truth is, most women are not lacking pelvic floor muscle strength. They've heard about kegels since middle school and have no problem contracting their pelvic floors.

Most women (and lots of men) have too much tension in their pelvic floors and have no freaking clue how to relax said muscles or eccentrically activate them. And lots of people have a hard time coordinating those muscles appropriately.

I've worked for years and with multiple therapists on having appropriate muscle activation, relaxation, and mobility. I do this work on a continual basis, am consistently practicing the Functional Progression and other core and pelvic floor exercises, and still struggle with bladder spasms.

So in my unending quest to be the best version of myself, I picked up Kim Anami's Jade Egg salonette and have started a vaginal weightlifting program.

Yes, folks, I am now lifting things (mostly quartz stones in a pretty little satchel) with my vagina. I can't tell you if this will solve my issues or if it will just make you chuckle, but it's what I'm doing. So now you know.

One last note before I go: I am still not participating in social media until my brain is fully healed, BUT because my symptoms are gradually improving, I am actually going to be on Facebook on Thursday night to do a Beautycounterevent with some friends.

Three possible reasons why you want to be there:

1. It's on Thursday, which is the last day to order $50 worth of clean beauty and be entered to win Beautycounter's new (and not yet available) Hand Savior (anti-aging hand serum and sanitizer) that I raved about last week. (You don't have to participate Thursday to enter that drawing and can just shop here.)
2. We're doing even more giveaways for those who show up Thursday night, where we'll dive into why choosing safer personal care products matters, how it affects you, and what Beautycounter is doing to make change.
3. You miss my rantings on Instagram and Facebook and the typed format of this newsletter just isn't cutting it.
Whatever suits your fancy, I hope to see you virtually on Thursday night right here at 8:30pm.

Until then, I hope you enjoy some sunshine and chirping birds.

Hugs.

xox
Lindsay