Bones, Muscles and Body Mechanics

We arrived at Foothill College, per usual, to do our Tuesday night workout. Tonight's workout consisted of:

going up and down the bleachers 14 times, 6 of those sideways;

stretching exercises;

core exercises (for strength training);

"funny" walks (on tiptoes, heels and with feet pointed inwards and then outwards;

one half mile around the track going slow; and

one half mile around the track going fast (although still walking);

Tonight's workout at Foothill College was shorter than usual due to a presentation given by a chiropractor on body mechanics and stretching. For the last 45 minutes, we learned about what is going on when certain muscle groups start to cramp. I learned that the lower back pain that I had for a short while during the Alum Rock hike last weekend was due to my gluteal muscles locking up. We learned some good stretching exercises to do. I also learned that calf stretches are good for keeping the Achilles tendon healthy. (I figured this one out on my own, but it was a useful confirmation of what I had already learned.)

The most interesting thing I learned tonight had to do with the mild pain and numbness that I've been having in the toe of one boot. I've been at my wit's end because my shoe is wide enough, yet if I go any wider my toes will hit the front of the boot on the downhill. It turns out that this symptom is caused by a fallen metatarsal arch. What to do? The chiropractor recommended metatarsal arch supports, so I will go down to the specialized shoe store and see if I can find some and where to place them in my boot. Superfeet are also recommended as a replacement insole for hiking boots, as they give more support in all of the right places.

All in all a very productive night for me, although I think Duane could have used the information a week earlier. He didn't do the workout tonight because his foot was still hurting, so we saved some money on a babysitter and Duane watched our son, who ran around the track as fast as he could. The little guy was thrilled when I told him that he was going to be running a foot race in two weeks. He started running around the track even faster in practice mode!