On The Mend / Toesox Review

Hi everyone!

My back is feeling loads better than it was last time I wrote. I still get the odd bit of sciatic pain though. Last week my left foot kept going numb or tingly if I sat at the wrong angle, but that seems to have gone for the most part and I can move around a lot better without anywhere near as much pain.

I was still pretty sore last Monday, but I figured going to yoga could only really help. Weirdly, the only poses that hurt were just lying flat on my back rather than any backbends. I even managed to do a full camel pose, which our instructor said to be careful in if you’ve got back issues. Definitely looking forward to going back tonight with pretty much 100% movement back.

I got to try out my new yoga socks too! (Image taken from the Amazon page)

 

Although I did still get cramp (it’s in a church hall, it’s cold), it was a lot easier to deal with than before because my toes were spread and the socks are so much grippier, which makes it easier to flex my foot while maintaining the pose. They’re also surprisingly comfortable. I went through a toe socks phase about 8 years ago and used to wear them all the time, but never with cut-off toes like this. I’ve read some reviews that said they can rub between your toes, but I haven’t experienced that yet. We’ll see how it goes tonight, I guess!

September/October Update

It’s been nearly a month now since my last post. The main reason for this is that I haven’t run since I did the 5k, and running has been the main focus of my blog for a while. As I mentioned at the end of my last post, I’d pulled some muscles in my chest and had been advised against running until it was healed. I think it’s better now, but as you’ll see below, a few other things have got in the way. Good news though, most of them are nice reasons!

Here’s what I’ve been up to for the past month or so:

• Working – my work’s picked up quite a lot lately and I’ve been getting longer translations to do (currently working on an app for a tourist board in Germany) as well as a few little ones to keep me entertained. I’m still really glad I gave up my regular income, but soul-destroying customer service job to join the more insecure freelancing world. I’m making more money over fewer hours in the comfort of my own home, doing something I really enjoy.
• Holidaying – Rob and I spent the better part of a week in Berlin last month. We did so much stuff! We saw the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the TV tower, the world’s largest dinosaur skeleton (I love dinosaurs), the Zoo, toured an former airport, rented bikes and rode down said airport’s runways, went to lots of museums, saw The Wall all over the place, ate Currywurst and Burgermeister burgers, drank beer…. Here are a few of my favourite pictures:

Me at the Brandenburg Gate

I just can’t get enough of the TV Tower

There was a petting zoo area at Berlin Zoo where you could get animal food by using this sweet machine type thingies. This goat clearly knew what was going on and headbutted me out of the way.

• Seeing family – Rob’s parents live about an hour away and mine live about two and a half to three hours away, so we don’t see them a lot. Rob’s sister is going out to Australia for a year soon though, so we met up with them for a meal and gin-based fun back in Birmingham a couple of weekends ago. And last weekend, my parents came up to stay with us. I think the point you realise you’re a grown up is when your parents come to stay in your house! We met up with my uncle and my two little cousins on Saturday to feed ducks and have a walk around at Attenborough Nature Reserve. We had a great time, and it coincided with mine and Rob’s eight year anniversary so we got to celebrate it with lots of people.
• Starting yoga – I recently joined a yoga class in a nearby church hall. The woman who runs it is really nice and I really enjoy it. It’s a strange feeling coming out of there totally relaxed but buzzing. The only problem is that I keep getting foot cramp and although this is normally solved by wearing socks, they don’t give you a lot of grip on the old yoga mat (I’ve named my mat Bella, is that weird?). I’ve bought some toe socks with grippy bottoms though, so hopefully next time will be better. I couldn’t try them out this week though because:
• I hurt my back – Lift with the knees, Leah! One day I will learn. I went to pick up our bedding and air mattress from the living room floor after my parents left and ended up severely spraining my lower back. I’ve done it before which, although making me even more stupid, means I know it shouldn’t last too long. I’ve been sitting up nice and straight at my desk and trying to keep moving, hopefully I’ll be recovered in time for yoga on Monday.
• Had my flu jab – I’m asthmatic so I’m entitled to a free flu jab and got it this morning. Make sure you get it if you’re in one of the at-risk groups!
• Got my new phone – My new iPhone 5S arrive yesterday! I was still using an iPhone 4 I’d had since it launched, so I figured now would be a good time to upgrade. I’m really liking the fingerprint sensor and the better camera, as well as the bigger screen size! It feels a little too big in my tiny hands at the moment, but I’m sure that will fade.

I’m hoping to get back to running at some point. I just keep hitting hurdle after hurdle at the moment, and the weather’s only going to get worse from here, giving me more of an excuse to stay inside. A hotel down the road from us has monthly memberships so we’re thinking about doing that to get access to their treadmills on rainy, cold days!

I’ll try not to leave it so long next time!