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'Do what I say, not what I do..'

Here's a lesson in ignoring my own advice(!)
This, kind of, serves me right..
 
I commonly write about (and advise in clinic)..
To increase activity by less than 10% /week
 
And you might’ve notice last week that my activity..
Peaked up rather more quickly than that.. 😬

(red arrow)

So what happened?
 
A twinge in my right quadriceps. 

OW!

Now, I get right hip pain..
(as I regularly bang on about)
 
BUT this was different.

I don’t think it’s coming from the hip above.

That's a dull ache that's there after exercise..

An ache that stays settled when I'm moving more.

This is a twinge when I power up that quadricep muscle.

A twinge while I'm exercising + moving more..

That's muscular pain by definition.
 

So, what to do?
 
Well, first thing: Do NOT ignore it.
Awareness is key. I do not want it getting worse.

Second, I always think BIKE.
(my partner often jests that it's my answer to everything..

ANSWER: 'Cycle more')


Cycling mixes up my activity
 
And mixing it up is best.
That's clear from the Cochrane studies
We went over in Newsletter #009.

 
Now Storm Éowyn was coming in..

(hope everyone was okay)
BUT the weather around the storm looked okay..
(weather data + apps are a godsend!)

So, I could fit in a couple of days..
Commuting by bike 🚴
 
Shifting the balance of activity does 2 things:

1. Maintains activity levels at lower impact 🚴 
2. Moves the inflamed muscle in a different way 🚴 
 
And it's a good lesson that applies to joint inflamation.
Our joints and muscles need to keep moving.

And that low impact shift can work just as well for joint pain.
I’ll let you know how I get on..