Learning About My Body, Etc.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am taking a water aerobics class this semester. I took it mostly because I thought it would be easy, it's my last semester, and I was hoping to get enough "fun" credit hours to avoid having to take a menial 1000-level academic class just to get enough hours to graduate on time.


So far it has been fun, a little challenging, but over-all an easy class. However, this morning while stretching, I pulled a muscle in my upper back. I didn't want to believe, at first, that I could A. get hurt while stretching, B. get hurt while stretching in water aerobics, and C. get hurt so badly that I couldn't move on in my workout. I sat out thinking that I would just stretch and massage the muscle and then jump back in, but I'm pretty sure now that even that was too much and I should have just let the muscle rest. Throughout the day, the pain got worse and now it is moving up my neck and across my back. So I guess my learn is: I am not a doctor, therefore I should rest instead of pretending I'm a sports injury specialist--over-working a hurt muscle does not make it better.


Also, I learned that if I've had Icy Hot on my hands at all, I shouldn't touch my eye, even if it's been an hour, because that will hurt!


Tonight I am cooking jack-BBQ chicken. I'm supposed to broil or grill the chicken, but it's too cold to grill outside and we don't have a broiler pan, so I'm just winging it. Also, I'm a little worried that the toothpicks I used to hold together the pepperjack-stuffed breasts weren't soaked in water for long enough and might burn or get stuck to the chicken. This recipe is pretty much all experiementation, so if it sucks, we can just order pizza!


Down the hall, walking. One foot forward: my torso shifts subtly sideways. The other foot--a shift in the other direction. Muscles in my shoulder blades and neck twitch, tighten, relax. The pulled muscle near the top of my spine sparks and cuts with each move of my feet.

Muscle pain: outside,
soothed by the blast
of cold winter wind.

Learning lots,
Monica