(Post 153 of 263)

Too tired for bla bla bla, but I had a break-in last night. This is what followed.

(Post 152 of 263)

“In 10 sessions you’ll feel the difference, in 20 you’ll see the difference, and in 30 you’ll have a new body.”

I’m about 20 sessions into Pilates and blown away by how much more this workout has done for me in that short time than all the time at the gym, running, hiking, etc. did for me in the past.

As I get older and creakier, my “bad” leg has caused me increasing grief. Not only do I have to contend with the degenerative cartilage condition I got from my dad, but the joint is actually crooked, making the leg shorter than the other. So I limp when I’m tired and this imbalance has been starting to cause hip pain and scoliosis, on top of my existing kyphosis. I’m still young and vital and reasonably flexible, but before Pilates, I was not on my way to aging well at all. I’ve always felt an urgency to do, do do because I would likely have mobility issues in my more advanced years.

My Pilates teacher said that most of the problem with the bad leg has to do with the shortened and atrophied thigh muscles. She worked out a plan to gently lengthen and tone those muscles to help with the overall strength of the leg in order to reduce pressure on the knee. I was doubtful. Surely if there was something to be done with that leg other than lose every ounce of body fat possible, someone would have told me by now, no?

And so, we began. At the start, there were exercises the right thigh could not do at all that the left thigh could do with little effort. At all became with great pain and needing breaks. Great pain and needing breaks became effort. Effort gradually became ease. Today, for the first time in my life, I exercised both legs equally and with the same ease. And I realised that my limp is gone. That is just twenty sessions spread out over only seven weeks.

We are now working on my kyphosis (hump, like a hunchback). Part of that involves planks, which I loathe. But now that I have evidence that my teacher knows exactly what she is doing, that she will change my body without breaking my spirit first, that she really does know what is best for me, I am willing, even eager, to do the work. I hope I can talk her into another set of 12 private lessons before I have to move to group lessons!

(Post 151 of 263)

I remain so grateful to finally have access to reliable healthcare now that I live in Mexico. Five years in Mérida, and I still don’t take it for granted. It’s not just finally having a doctor, but also being able to walk into a pharmacy and get help for little things instead of wasting a day at a walk-in clinic. For example, a few weeks ago, I thought I might have contracted athlete’s foot. I went to the pharmacy down the street to speak with the on-site physician, but the pharmacist said she could help me herself. I left with a tube of inexpensive cream and a treatment plan.

Today, I finally had to concede that the cream had only 90% worked — one toe was still itchy and burning. I went back to the pharmacy and was given another cream that was described as “a step up” from what I’d bought, then told that if that one doesn’t work within 10 days, then I need to go see my doctor. Each visit is about 15 minutes from the time I leave the house to when I return. How convenient is that? And there’s no cost for such a quick consult, either.

I sometimes think back to my first months in Mexico in 2014 and wonder if then I would have had enough Spanish to do what I did today. Probably not. Immersion really works and I don’t really have any stress anymore about living my life in Spanish. I remember having to rehearse things before I’d head out and even something so small as picking up electrical tape at a small hardware store had me nearly breaking out in a rash.

Speaking of a rash, the new cream is already helping. Bliss! Maybe I can focus on my job now!

(Post 150 of 263)

The only new development in my life these days is that I go to Pilates three times a week.

In my pre-Mérida life, I was travelling a good chunk of every year, and with travel came lots of steps. It became clear to me during the Oaxaca trip that I was becoming too sedentary in Mérida. Oh, my cardiovascular health was fine, but I could not spend the long days on my feet walking 20KM or more as I had in Europe. Then, the pandemic stepped in and I wasn’t going anywhere anymore. I could feel myself fall apart day by day.

Any effort that I made to be more active in my daily routine didn’t feel like enough, and there was no structure or accountability to my routines. Treadmill was good for lower body, but I needed more core and arm work. I tried yoga, but having no padding at all on my butt, knees, hips, and shoulders, mat work was very painful. I did some arm work with weights, but was missing the core component. I knew I needed more overall strengthening than cardio to reboot my metabolism, which had finally given up the ghost after living for decades with an undiagnosed thyroid condition. I really needed a formal program with one-on-one care and attention.

My first thought was to find a personal trainer who would come to my house. But even as things are reopening, I’m finding myself loathe to go out unless I have to. I could combine the need for exercise with having an out-of-the-house activity that would put me out and about in my neighbourhood, the way I had intended to live here. The hiccup was that I wanted something I could walk to and there had to be a hope for longevity, such that I could fall into a routine.

There’s a gym pretty close by that I considered, but they did not have personal trainers. The other option that looked interesting and similar to yoga was Pilates, a toning program done on a bed called a “Reformer” that uses various accessories and your own body weight to shape and tone all over while focusing on core strength. Unfortunately, the only Pilates studio I found that was taking new clients for one-on-one training was too far too walk to. I knew I was never going to get into a routine if I was at the mercy of Ubers to get there and back.

Well, on January 31st, I learned that a spot had opened up at a Pilates studio a 22-minute walk from me that has been in business six years and survived the pandemic! I immediately contacted the trainer and took my first class that night! I initially signed up for 12 private lessons, and tomorrow is going to be lesson 14 after buying a second 12-pack. My teacher is now pushing for me to join a class, but I’m pushing to stay in private lessons for at least another 12 lessons. Pilates is expensive, not something I could have even considered in Canada if such a thing had been available to me, but here, at 2,550 pesos for 12 lessons, so basically per month, it is affordable, and I love the individualized attention and accountability.

I know lots of Pilates evangelists. I don’t know if I’ll ever be one. I don’t mind the workouts, and they go pretty fast, but I’d rather be out in nature with a pack on my back. But the activity has fallen nearly seamlessly into my routine. Monday and Wednesday, I have to leave at 6:30ish for a 7PM class, which perfectly fills that gap in my schedule where I’m done with dinner and trying to motivate myself to do something other than get an early start on vegging on the couch. Friday’s 11:15AM class is disruptive, so I’m trying to make Fridays my day off now.

There are a couple of routes I can take to class, which pass big box stores like Walmart as well neighbourhood shops. Soriana Híper is across the street from the studio and has ATMs for all three of my banks, so finding myself without cash and having to waste time for a bank run is a thing of the past. Fridays, I enjoy stopping by a small fruit stand for smoothie ingredients and a cold fresh-squeezed orange juice. A few evenings a month, I’ll flag down a pan dulce vendor on the way home and get a treat as my post-workout snack. The cops who watch traffic at the intersection where I cross Calle 60 will actually stop traffic and escort me across when it’s not super busy, making that part of the walk so much easier. I enjoy watching children play soccer, chat with people in the streets, and feel more connected to my neighbourhood. I also appreciate how green the neighbourhood is compared to so many other parts of the city.

I love this big coco palm.

Some Pilates exercises are proving to be easy, others are teaching me about muscles I did not even know I had! My instructor keeps marvelling at my progress and how fast my shape is changing and toning compared to her expectations during our first class. My diet is about as “perfect” as it’s ever going to be, so it seems like I found the missing puzzle piece to be my best self. I appreciate the individualized attention and that we’re working to not only straighten out my spine but also my crooked leg and its atrophied muscles. I already don’t limp nearly as much as I used to when I’m tired, and that’s only five weeks into starting! The walk to class is good cardio and a warm-up, and the walk home at a slower pace is the perfect cool down.

I’ve opened up the pool and will be doing pool exercises on my days “off” to give my knees a chance to recover. Pilates is low impact, but there is a lot of flexion of the knees, and that can hurt since I have a degenerative cartilage condition that means bone is rubbing on bone. My teacher is aware of everything and tailors my exercises to what I can do safely and without causing further damage.

It’s also doing me a lot of good to be out doing an activity in Spanish three times a week. Sometimes, I have to remind my teacher to slow down as she can overestimate what I understand, especially when introducing new concepts or doing a deep dive into anatomy, but all in all, communication is good and I think I could follow a class when it comes to that.

The biggest challenge of Pilates right now has got to be doing a workout focussed on deep breathing while wearing a four-layer mask!!! There are times when I have to whip it off to take a proper breath. But I like how the mask hides my grimaces when I’m doing something involving my right upper thigh muscles!

I’m sure all my exercises have a proper name, but these are the ones I go by:

The Danny Rojas: Jumping up and down (while lying on your side on a spring board)

The Charles Ingalls: Not dissimilar to driving a covered wagon

The Wicked Witch of the West: Peddling in the air while cackling madly to not showing how much pain you are in

The Dr. Strange 1: Making circles with your arms

The Dr. Strange 2: Making circles with your legs

The Black Swan: barre work

The Peter Pan: that’s what she calls it, so it’s pretty self explanatory

The Hulk: arms square and back and bring forward like you’re going to smash something

The Thor: arm goes up like you are lifting a mighty hammer

The Black Widow: on all fours in a ridiculous stretch position

The Captain America: Raise up your arm like you’re going to throw a giant heavy shield

The Gandalf: It’s a kneeling one while stretching on the platform where I have to use a staff to support my bad leg so that the good one can focus

The Jack Sparrow: Flailing around like a drunken sailor during a new move until your body figures out what it is supposed to do

I add new exercises, and new equipment, every week as I progress. The variety definitely suits me more than doing endless reps in the same weight routine. So Pilates does feel like a good fit for me even if I’m not yet in love with it. I look forward to seeing what the next couple months will bring.

(This does not count as one of my sponsored posts, but is a follow-up to my last post about Bonita’s Adoptiversary).

“Our resources are stretched to the breaking point. Over the past 18 months during Covid, we have been overwhelmed and distressed by the daily calls for help and animals continue to be dumped outside our gates in ever-increasing numbers. We cannot stop doing our part so donations mean life to these beings in need – no amount is too small and will do so much good.

Ways to donate below, or Email patintheyucatan@gmail.com to make a cash or in kind donation and we will make it happen.

“Many of you are dealing with setbacks due to Covid but can you find it in your heart to fill a hungry tummy? 250 pesos/$12.50 USD/$15 CAD will feed 1 animal for a month with 50 pesos going towards medical care..

If you have responded to Evolucion’s Facebook appeal, thank you from the bottom of our 2, 3 and 4 legged hearts.

Patricia for Silvia and the Animals of Evolucion”