health scare

I had a horrible idea - what if I'm actually sick? What if it's mono? A lot of the symptoms match up, the fatigue has been building, and I've got a worsening sore throat.

So I went to Boettcher this morning and they told me it's NOT mononucleosis - yay! They did, however, confirm my overtraining self-diagnosis. My immunity is down right now, so I can easily catch all kinds of colds. So I'm avoiding everyone that sniffles.

In other campus health news, there seems to be at least one person with swine flu at all times. They get quarantined in their room for a week, and then emerge, slightly famouser.

Overtrained

Finally, I found the proper term. And it can happen on a normal work load, from pushing too hard or if psychological stress wears down on you . . . . .

Overtraining Syndrome [quoted]
Overtraining is a physical, behavioral and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining occurs more readily if the individual is simultaneously exposed to other physical and psychological stressors, such as jet lag, ongoing illness, overwork, menstruation, poor nutrition, grief, etc.

What happens?
1. Microtrauma to the muscles are created faster than the body can heal them.
2. Protein deficiency. Amino acids are used up faster than they are supplied in the diet.
3. Calorie deficiency.
4. Excessive strain to the nervous system.

Symptoms:
* Low white blood cell count
* Persistent muscle soreness (Delayed onset muscle soreness)
* Persistent fatigue
* Elevated resting heart rate
* Increased susceptibility to infections
* Increased incidence of injuries
* Irritability
* Depression

Treatment:
1. Rest
Allowing more time for the body to recover.
Taking a break from training to allow time for recovery.
Reducing volume/intensity of training.
Suitable periodization of training.
Splitting the training program so that different sets of muscles are worked on different days.
Increase sleep time.
2. Changing diet:
Ensuring that calorie intake at least matches expenditure, esp. protein.
Addressing vitamin deficiencies.
3. Fixing it:
Massage.
Temperature contrast therapy: ice and heat.

Later this week in Survivor: Advanced Modern

I basically tried a lot and died of tiredness at the end, so, the usual.
Jeff (the instructor) picks on me. A lot. That, or he thinks I'm good and wants me to improve. Either way, it means I'm having a tougher time than anyone else.

My 1st pointe class

Advanced Ballet on Wednesdays is now pointe class.
We did 1 hour barre, then half an hour en pointe. I did it all on training wheels (holding on to something). It was quite difficult, and it will be a while before I get the hang of stepping onto a straight leg or rolling up, but I managed admirably, I think.

Earlier this week in Survivor: Advanced Modern

I was smart and brought socks today. Jeff was much more impressed with my sliding lunges, which were impossible to do beforehand in bare feet. We did the same hard running around stuff and I was tired halfway through as usual.

At the end we did the jumping and catching circle, which was fun. We did exactly what it sounds like - we got in a circle of nine, and one person was supposed to run at a random person, jump high, and be caught. Somehow.

Then, because that was only Level One of Fun, Exciting, and Terrifying, he made us get in pairs and catch each other pas-de-deux style. Difficult. But I lucked out - Rosie Handschy and I are comfortable enough throwing ourselves at each other. We made one spectacular catch in front of everyone. Pretty!

Then Dolo's flying elbow knocked Jordan in the face and BLOOOOOOOD . . . . . . . . yes, this is the Jordan&Dolo of Candycane and Cupcake fame from my dance last semester. Jordan had to get stitches and Vicodin, Dolo is very upset. The two are rather dance-lebrity partners-in-crime within the dance-community and I'm worried for their dance-lationship.

P.S. I feel an indiscriminate sense of hurting that I'm not familiar with, and it's lasting for days. It's the kind you can't describe much, I just ache everywhere.

Tai Chi routine

We might get graded on our Tai Chi form. Here's how I remember the routine (with help from Katie Ferguson):

You got a watermelon. Show off the watermelon to the right, to the left, to the right. Do they want the watermelon? They don't want it (wafting). Say PSSHH to them and run over the mountain. Come back. Then give them a pointy gesture - ghostride the whip. Go away. Come back a little... yeah, actually, go away. Be a robot. Beep. Boop. Fly away! Wave to your kungfu master. Push him away. Slap him, ha ha! Reach for the birdie. Get the birdie. Take him over the mountain (4 steps to the right). Let the birdie go, so your hands can be free to take your watermelon again, yay!

In other news, I was really tired today and decided to sit out of ballet.

Also, here are the Fall Dance Workshop pieces I have been cast in:
Cameron's experimental multi-media Seven Deadly Sins piece. Khanhsong and I are SLOTH.
Jazmyne's afro-caribbean hip-hop fusion piece.

adv. modern is hard

Technique class - Advanced Modern

Okay, I tried really hard today and I believe I did really well in every exercise and combination.
BUT I THINK I AM GOING TO DIE. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THIS.
Maybe it was fthat we did a few too many repetitions, or from the effort I gave in ballet, but I pretty much got to muscle failure right at the end of class.

I like the instructor from Taiwan, Jeff. But man, did I pay it all out. It wasn't that I was hungry or sleepy or particularly weak, I made sure I forced down a lot of calories today. I guess that's what true effort is. So....the better you get at dance technique, the harder practice becomes? I thought that that particular law of returns applied to things like XC. Speaking of which, I can't ever remember my legs being so tired except at the peak of Jesuit cross country season. Wow, I feel like I just ran a half marathon.

Mountain bike

I put Étaín together today, and took her to the store and on a pleasure trot. She runs fine and I am very happy.

hungry?

Now that I think on it, I have not been eating nearly enough for my activity level, but I have just been NOT HUNGRY. I do not want to eat, seriously it's like I don't like food anymore. This isn't good.

I should eat this burrito.
God, please send down an angel to help me eat this burrito.
With thy salsa and thy guac, awaken my hunger, or at least shoveth unto my throat tortillas, beans, and rice, so that I am nourished, for, yea, I do need protein like St. Brad needs chocolate milk, and speaking of that, Lord, bringeth me chocolate soymilk and thou art my savior for realz, for this non-dairy drink has the optimal post-workout carb-fat-protein ratio, and it is good. amen.

Bloooood!

Last night I sliced the top part of my pinkie toe. I was coming out of the bathroom at 2 in the morning and tripped over the doorframe. Blooooood!
So in Adv. Modern today, anything with tendues or releves or deep plies was particularly painful, and I looked dumb during said basic exercises at the beginning of class.

We improved at the end of class, which was excellent and fun enough to forget about my pain. We did stuff against the wall . . . . . . kind of pretending the wall was the ground . . . . . like Spiderman . . . . .

Block 1, 2009

Block 1 is DA 225 The Body in Motion: Anatomy and Kinesiology

First week: Anatomy. We learn all the important muscles and bones.
2nd week: Movement analysis & Injuries.
3rd week: Application of Somatic methods such as Tai Chi, Pilates, Franklin method, etc.

We do (almost) an hour of Tai Chi every morning.
I love Tai Chi!