On a Roll... in These Foolish Things
- Oct. 4, 2019, 7:37 a.m.
- |
- Public
Oh look! It’s October 3rd and I seem to be writing an entry a day! Perhaps practice for NoJoMo? Maybe. Let’s see how far I can get.
After about a week of sleeping for shit, I went to bed at a decent hour last night and slept for a full 8+ hours. I got an 88 sleep score on my FitBit and am so freaking proud of it. It’s the highest sleep score I’ve gotten since I’ve been watching my sleep health.
I slept horribly with the Big Wild Rancher on Tuesday night…but then again, I think we didn’t go to bed until something like 2:30am and then my alarm went off at 5am, so…of course it was a shit sleep. And we both sleep HOT and the bed was soaked with sweat when we woke up. Gross.
I won’t see him for a while as he’s driving out of state to race one of his cars (leaving at 4am tomorrow), so we’ll see if he likes keeping in touch. My guess is no. His texting style is not so great. Maybe we can talk on the phone. Trying to start a relationship is hard nowadays, I guess.
I’m still so shaken by the fact that I met that guy who’d dissected his carotid artery like me. There are so many similarities, such as the fact that he’d been running very hard on the treadmill at Orangetheory just like I had been. Someone asked WTF about Orangetheory could possibly nearly kill not just one person, but TWO in the same city and my answer to that is this:
Orangetheory is based on your heart rate. When you take a class, you wear a heart rate monitor and the whole “theory” behind is is to get your heart pumping in the “orange zone”, which is 84% + of your maximum heart rate (based on AVERAGES) for at least 12 minutes during the hour-long class. This is supposed to cause your body to kick in some kind of overdrive that will help you burn extra calories for up to 36 hours.
Thing is, no two heart rates are the same. Sure, most people normally fall into a range at certain ages, but for someone like me who has a very low heart rate for my age, I was having to bust my hump much harder than someone who has a naturally higher heart rate.
And of course, I’m competitive, so I was always watching my zones as well as the people on either side of me. It became something of a contest. The harder I worked, the more I was in the Orange Zone and I’d try to get more and more minutes in the zone.
But what was happening was that I’d hop on the treadmill first thing before even really waking up (4:30am, remember?) and I’d immediately try to run as freaking hard as I possibly could, which caused a HUGE spike in my heart rate AND my blood pressure and I guess after doing this for about 6 months, my carotid artery just blew!!
Now. I’m not blaming Orangetheory by any means. But what I’m saying is, I have never worked out so hard in my LIFE. I believe that it makes competitive people like me kind of crazy in that we’ll push ourselves beyond our limits trying to give ourselves a good score. And in the end, we hurt ourselves…be it internally (as in, my carotid artery or someone’s heart or whatever) or other body parts (blowing out a knee, elbow, back…whatnot). Again, not just Orangetheory…in my FB support group a lot of people talk about how their dissection happened at Crossfit in the same way - we are literally beating ourselves up!
But then get this - the guy I was talking with told me that he knew something happened while he was on the treadmill and he had the same symptoms I did (severe headache lasting several days, fatigue, weakness, etc.) and he went to the doctor a few days later (like me), but he was misdiagnosed!! They basically said ‘take two aspirin and call me in the morning’ and he asked if they thought it was okay if he went on a business trip to China the following day. They were like, you should be fine…so he WENT TO CHINA with this issue!!
By the time he got there, he knew something was very, very wrong.
Bottom line, he cut his trip short - but it was only after he’d had a STROKE.
You guys. I’ll say it again and again…I AM SO VERY LUCKY AND BEYOND GRATEFUL!! Thank God (and my wonderful, amazing friends) that everything happened the way it did. I know had it been any longer I’d have had a massive stroke. I know that sounds dramatic, but I’ve just heard too many stories and have felt too many strikingly similar sensations.
Okay. Enough of that.
It’s approaching the end of a long, kind of stressful day at work. Ugh. They are only going to get worse from here until the end of the year and I have vacation I need to use…which only means that I’ll be stressed out during vacation. I can’t have that!
How do you unwind during a short vacay when there’s so much going on?
I’m beyond excited for the Grand [Canyon] Adventure, though. It’s going to be a thrill, that’s for sure!! Plus, we’ll be doing massages and relaxing things, so I’m sure I’ll be able to relax. Eeee! I’ll be off in a little over three WEEKS!!
Well. I need to close up shop for the day and send my final emails. I just realized that I have nothing to eat for dinner tonight so looks like I’ll be taking myself out to dinner. Not a bad way to end the day, eh?
Sending LOVE,
GS
Athena ⋅ October 04, 2019
I will do the blaming of OrangeTheory for you. I had a bad feeling about them from the moment they came to town. I am beyond relieved you didn't have a stoke, which really could have been moments away. We will never know just how close you were -- so frightening -- but for sure close.
.allison. ⋅ October 04, 2019
Yes! the hear rate monitor thing is bullshit. I don't wear one and they are ALWAYS trying to get me to because I run really fast. But I've worn one elsewhere and my resting HR is in the 40s, so it's very hard for me to get into the orange and nearly impossible to go red. Basically my cardiovascular endurance is super high, but i'm 36 and been running for 20 years, so my body can't move faster or take the impact, so I'm never going to "improve." The other thing, though, is that not all OTF coaches are certified in personal training- they are OrangeTheory certified so they can run the classes, but they don't always know the nuances on form, or modifications, or recognize the fact that every body isn't going to get x amount of splat points. Plus, sometimes there's 60 people in those classes, so they can't possibly be watching everyone for safe form. Ive worked with trainers enough to know what good form is, plus I've been active for all my life, so I know my limits. Because of this, I feel comfortable attending regularly, plus my studio is a ten minute walk from my house and the schedule is convenient. But most people who go there put way too much trust and faith into the coaches.
Ginger Snap .allison. ⋅ October 05, 2019
Yes, yes, YES! One size does not fit all!! Smart people know their limits... But I got addicted to that damn heart rate monitor because I wanted to see progress, dammit! And you know what? I did see progress but it wasn't the kind I wanted to see. I was actually BULKING UP instead of getting longer and leaner. I was lifting very, very heavy and eating like crazy to make up for those extra calorie burns! All-in-all, counter productive!
Gangleri ⋅ October 04, 2019
That is some scary shit. Jesus.
Marg ⋅ October 04, 2019
That explanation makes sense but they should have been aware of that and told folk of the potential danger. You don't go to a workout to literally kill yourself! You were so lucky with what happened to you - I'm so glad it's had such a positive outcome for you.
Jinn ⋅ October 04, 2019
As the Greeks said : moderation in all things. I think exercise should be just that; moving your body to stay fit and flexible ; not a competition. When it becomes a competition ; it also becomes a stressor. Like anything it can be overdone . Also people live years with congenital defects so perhaps you were even born with that weakness in the artery wall and that day you stressed it too much . Three of my maternal aunts died from aortic aneurysms. There has to be a hereditary predisposition there . All three were very active , thin , and had no other significant health issues but suddenly died. It makes you wonder .
Soliloquy ⋅ October 05, 2019
I have side-eyed OrangeTheory pretty hard for exactly the reasons you describe. Being held to a standard like a heart rate "zone" is not an appropriate approach for everyone, there are a lot of individual differences that can influence the optimal amount of exertion for everyone. It encourages people to aim for an objective number that might not be good for them instead of listening to their bodies and adjusting based on how they're actually feeling. And yeah, I've heard horrendous things from people I've worked with as CrossFit clients who went to OT and said the trainers had no clue what they were doing as far as form and safety go. CrossFit can be the same way in making people push themselves further than usual, which is why it's so crucial for trainers to be involved and know their members well. But because CrossFit is only the branding (I liken it to restaurant cuisine, you can have a dozen Chinese restaurants in a city and you can get a general idea of what kind of food you'll get at each one, but they aren't owned by the same people and the quality can vary a lot between them) and there's no overall regulation, you can wind up with some really underqualified people running things.
Ginger Snap Soliloquy ⋅ October 05, 2019
Yeah, I've seen mostly not-helpful coaching at Orangetheory. I will say that on the day of my "incident", the coach did notice my struggling and she asked me if I was OK. I said "no" but kept going. I told her that I was just going to take it easy for the rest of class. And I did. I freaking kept going, continuing the class and lifting heavy-ish weights and rowing like a crazy lady. Ugh. I truly could have stroked out right then and there!! That part is truly my fault. But I have 100% learned my lesson.
.bob ⋅ October 05, 2019
I do Orangetheory and I like it. But I also self-modify constantly, and that's in large part because I've worked with a trainer for years who has taught me how to use weights correctly and what exercises and/or poor form can lead to injury. I also don't feel competitive with the other people in class or really even with myself, so I don't go crazy and push myself beyond my limits. But I know plenty of people who do. I don't like that Orangetheory has uncertified or inexperienced people in the role of "trainer" or "coach" and don't create time for proper guidance or instruction. I see people doing things I know aren't good for them and I cringe. But I think there is a dual responsibility here -- on the studio and on the client.
Ginger Snap .bob ⋅ October 05, 2019
Absolutely. That's why I don't blame OTF. I am not really blaming anyone, really. I'm just saying this is how it happened and it's just a matter of fact. I now know I pushed myself too hard. But also, a carotid artery dissection can happen to anyone almost at any time. I have a book that lists off all the many ways that this rare event has happened as recorded by hospitals. They include (but are not limited to): running, aerobics, hiking, child birth, head banging (ha!), dental procedures, tennis, cupping, star gazing, yelling, yoga, massage, archery, sex, scuba diving, biking, sneezing, bowling, nose blowing...seriously. The list goes on... so yeah, I loved working out hard, but I'm not gonna do it anymore.