Pain, you motivator you…

I am extremely motivated to get this hip into place and have it stay there.  Partly I'm motivated by the money I have already spent on my entry fee for the half marathon at the end of May. Mostly, though, I'm motivated by the pain.  I do not want to keep on feeling this spasm in my lower back, or this tightness in my hip flexor that I can feel extend all the way up into my interior abs and down to my inner thigh.

Since I don't want to feel this way, I am eating lots of chocolate totally dedicated to doing the work that my PT is giving to me, even though it feels like I’m not doing much of anything at all.  She, by the way, is fabulous.  She gives me great visual images to work with (I work well with those) and she's laid out the overall plan for me (I really, really need to know where I'm headed.  Really.)

So, as per her instruction, I am constantly correcting my posture.  In her words, I am suppose to have the posture of a teenager with a perky butt - more back arch, more sticking my bum out.  So while I do the dishes, I tell myself "Perky Butt".  And while I stand and sort papers at work (Perky Butt).  And while I make supper.  And while I walk down the hall.  Perky perky perky.

Also, I have learned that where the pain is is not necessarily where the problem is.  For instance, my left hip was always aching, however it was actually the right hip that was out of alignment.  Then, my lower back was spasming and I was stretching it like crazy, but it wasn't helping.  Which is because the actual problem was my hip flexor and interior ab muscle.  Huh.  So now I lay backwards over my big exercise ball and stretch out my abs etc, and frequently stretch my hip flexors.  Much better.