Black and Pink

"The Kinesio Taping Method is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion." It is used to "re-educate the neuromuscular system, reduce pain, enhance performance, prevent injury, promote improved circulation and healing". Do I believe that? Oh yeah! This is perhaps the 10 000's time I am using Kinesio Taping and I do believe it helps to a faster recovery. Today's colors: black on infraspinatus and trapezius and pink on deltoid and biceps, aka left shoulder and neck. Previous locations of taping had been left heels and calves, left knee, right underarm, right hand, right shoulder, lower back, left underarm. Wow, I am glad I don't need to tape those at the same time. That would look weird. Unfortunately the tapes do not glue for very long time on the skin if you are a swimmer so I have to renew it quite often. After the first two times, I am really tired of it and wish someone else could do it for me. However, I actually wanted to update you about my training. This week I am attending morning for the first time since November last year. It wasn't hard today to get up at 4:51am. I actually fell asleep thinking about my training program today and looking forward to it. I didn't join my swim mates, but trained on my own. I have to take care of my muscles again, prevent further injury and fix that one. So, yes, I will put off the paddles again, avoid any butterfly and do my best to attend swim training every day.

In spite of the light pains here and there, my swimming year 2011 started quite well. I have a strong team behind me- my swim coach Csanad Feldhausz, my friend and biokineticist Jess Bonstein, who I am trading treats for personal training with, and my masseuse Heidi, who I am trading swim lessons for massage with. I never had so much support. This year have to be good. I haven't started training with Jess yet, but it is clear that I will be spending more hours in the gym. The training volume might go up to 9-10 sessions per week; 6 swims and 3-4 dry land sessions. Honestly, I am looking forward to it. After all, consistency is strength... However I am sure we will talk about it again in a couple of weeks, when I am not that fresh, all tired and constantly hungry.

Give me a reason/ you better have a reason

I would love to double check now in the encyclopedia what the official definition of disappointment is. Not that I don't know what it means. I know that far too well. I would just love to see how the smart bums of humanity defined it. One of the explanations could be "that, what is all around you". Easily. Or "the most common feeling of them all". Sad, but true. Or "when someone else is laughing instead of you right now". I am very sure that all that is going on in this very moment. Another definition could be "what leaves bitter taste in the mouth (no, I am not talking about beer, read on!), a very heavy heart and a long face". Gee, part two and three of that one sound like I am describing a horse, haha... and as long as you are smiling that nicely, here is my question- Will I EVER like my job? My boss better has a very good reason for the way he is and he's treating people, or this would be a reason enough for me to... uhm...well... do something stupid.

Love,
Nora

PS: The comparison with the horse-look above was accidental, however it hits it quite well. Because that's how ugly we are when we are disappointed and sad. Don't you get me wrong, I love horses. They are such beautiful creatures. But when a human looks like a horse, man, this is just wrong. So, get out there NOW and make someone happy and make him/ her smile! :) :) :)

Who's bad?

You probably have made the experience when a person, usually a female, starts complaining about another person, usually another female. No, I am not being sexist here, I am the same sex myself. However, it is true that guys are less complicated... well, at least most of them. They might fight in the one second and in the next second they and are best friends again. All gone and forgotten. It doesn't work that way with women. They don't even need to fight, because talking behind each other's backs is so much easier. Complaining to another person is not too bad actually- you don't want to let the other one know you don't like her; well this is fine. BUT only if you can let go. Yes, that person might annoy you. She doesn't behave like you would like her to, she doesn't dress like you would like her to, she doesn't speak as you would like her to, or whatever pushes your edges and makes her bad in your eyes... SO WHAT? Do you realize that such continued complains are actually called bitching and that they turn even the prettiest girl in the world into a very ugly one? So,

who is bad now?

Love

Nora

Erector Spinae

 Jan 4th, 2011

The erector spinae travels along the lenght of the spine and is responsible for the spine and neck extension, lateral flexion and rotation. It consist of the spinalis, longisimus and iliocostalis muscles. They are attached to the Sacrum, Ribs, Lumbar Vertebrae, Thoracic Vertebrae, Cervical Vertebrae and Ligamentum Nuchae (in origin aka muscle attachment that moves least, generally more proximal) and to the Ribs, Cervical Vertebrae, Thoracic Vertebra and Skull (in Insertion, aka muscle attachment that moves most, generally more distal).

 Incresed risk of lower back injury occur mostly during lumber spine extention and hyperextention. However exercises with full range of motion of the spine have demonstrated very good results for those with lower back pain. Example for such exercises are dead lifts and straight back lifts, back extentions, squats and cable row with spinal articulation. Also very important for the prevention of back and lower back injuries is a strong core. Excellent exersices for srengething the core muscles are crunches, abdominal and oblique.

Why am I telling you all these?

I have lower back pain for three weeks now, especially now sitting on my office chair. However non of that above matters in my case, becasue I have a cramp; not weakness. Meaning, that I overdid it, again, and it needs a stretch, massage and a happy-hugger.

Love,

Nora

PS: The autor of this blog cannot be hold liable for any misanderstandings of graphic above.

PS2: All rights reserved.

What's on your mind?

Jan 4th, 2011

The very reason, I am starting e-blogging is, first, I am incredibly bored right now, and second, my lap top is broken and it is impossible for me to update my website or/and waste my time else how. However, 

Welcome to the e-blog of Nora Elisabeth, aka sharksnack, aka my e-blog.

It is the 4th of Jan today and guess is the only person at work right now! ME! Being at work is actually not too bad. It keeps me busy and earns some money. But being at work when having no work at all is indeed incredibly unpleasant. You don't believe me? Well, The phone doesn't ring, so I cannot answer it (again, no one esle is working), I run out of websites to surf on,  the games on my computer did indeed run old quite quickly, I updated my training log and I even created a budget planer for the next 5 months. Unnecessary to mentioned that is just after lunch time. For those of you who do not know me, I  am a swimmer, personal trainer and an architect, and exactly like my few activities my entire nature is divided and spread and simply doing everything at the same time. No, I am not a schizo, however you will notice now I sometimes jump from one topic to another. Anything and everything reminds me of everything. I must have a perpetuum mobile for a brain, because it ALWAYS works (and I am not talking here about the unwilling functions of the brain like giving commands to the body to breathe, blink etc); it always thinks of or about something. I could even bet that I am pondering even when sleeping, however I cannot prove that since... well... I am sleeping at that exact time. So, let's talk!

Starting with the fact that my boss is also supposed to be also in the office,right now, however there is no sign of her yet, and yes it does piss me off quite a lot that she can just decide to come in late, if coming in at all, without a notification, but I suppose this is just what bosses do... having started with that, I really don't feel talking about it. So, 

What is on my mind right now?

Simple. Sports... at least mostly it is sports. I know, you don't really understand that right now. It is 34 degrees Celsius outside and I should be probably thinking of the beach, the ocean and just laying in the sand and enjoying the day. Honestly, I cannot do it so why torturing myself with thoughts about it? I am just happy that the office has an air-con, because I have to be here anyway..for whatever so far unknown reason. So, let's go back to sports. Someone asked me the other day what my favorite (swimming) set is. The question sounds very simple, but in fact, it is not simple at all. At least not if it is directed to me. To be able to answer that question, I have to first define favorite. Favorite is, like by anyone else, something that I love. However this something changes anytime. It changes with my mood and it changes with the purpose. Why? Because I really hate to lose. So, knowing that I am doing a set that it won't help me much in near or far future makes even the most fun set to a stupid set. A waste of time. Not having the right mind set and mood also can turn a fun set into hell. After all the first step of losing is failing to prepare. So what is my favorite set? Any set that makes sense in that particular time of the year/ month and that I am performing well. It can be a very hard set. like 4x (400personal, 400 stroke, 400IM) in IM order. Believe me I do want to run away when my coach is announcing such sets. But it won't be in my advantage, would it? And after having been swimming hard, there is nothing better than the active rest, sprints and short swims...

1pm. 4,5h more hours till quitting time. Holly potatoes, I feel like time is not moving at all today... and my boss in just walking in, yay. 

I have to go. Chat later and try not to melt away (in case you're on the beach).

Love

Nora

PS: "You have an email with isntructions" . So I am waiting now for the email. I cannot believe that I get paid for that.