Last Wednesday evening I strained some muscles in my neck. Starting Thursday I had stiff neck muscles and it led to migraines. So, I decided not to do any more strength training until it heals, but to continue with other exercise. I ran a couple times mixed with walking for c25K which felt great when I was doing it. Yesterday I biked for an hour and walked and that felt great, but... my head started pounding worse yesterday evening.

I want to do more as I'm on fire right now with determination since this past month was a bust with the scale and it pissed me off! Plus, i'm not sick, I just have a slight injury, so my body WANTS to move, but, moving isn't allowing those muscles to heal. I promised my husband today I would rest - so rest I did. But how long will I need to rest? And will I lose stamina or strength? That would bite as I'm at a really good point right now and just moving forward with running and biking and I'm excited about doing BOTH of them. Plus, I want to start gardening now that frost possibilities are gone.

But my darn neck strain is making me hold up!!! I'm just really hoping this determination stays with me for the entire month and next month too. I want to get the rest of this weight off SO BAD that I'm giving it my ALL to get there as I'm tired of this standstill. Why did my body have to get injured (even if slightly) right when I get this fire in me???

A few days off or with just light walking will not hurt your stamina or strength. Runners often taper off in the last couple of weeks before a big race because it gives your body a chance to fully heal and makes you BETTER on race day than continuing to work at your usual pace up until that day.

Continuing to aggravate a minor injury will almost certainly lead to a bigger loss of stamina or strength in the long run.

I have to give you *hugs*! My doctor wants me to wear walking boots on both feet for 4-8 weeks to try and heal my posterior tibial tendon and I am HATING the idea. I love taking my son for bike rides but the only thing I will be able to do is light swimming I swear 1 month before I started having troubles (May of last year) I was working out and kicking butt then these issues appeared... Had a not so experienced doctor treating me for 8 months with no improvement... Hoping letting the issue rest will do the trick. I doubt a few days will decrease your stamina, though.

sounds to me like it's your HEAD that wants to move and your body is saying no. Listen to your body - the last thing you want to do is make it worse. I can understand about your impatience - does that have to do with the trip coming up? Is it possible to cut down a little on calories as an alternative temporarily to make up for the lack of exercise? Would that work for you?

As for how long, I have no idea - could you call your doctor's office and see what they recommend?

I'm feeling antsy. It's gorgeous outside and I want to DO stuff. And wouldn't you know it, this evening my shoulder is killing me? from what I have no idea and I've never experienced this kind of shoulder pain before either - crapola!

I think my extra drive right now is partly because of the upcoming vacation, but tht's not until mid-July. It's part the time of the year (more daylight and perfect weather) and part having to do with being sick and tired of stuck at the same crappy numbers on the scale for the last several months (was at this weight mid december, went off plan in December, two two months to lose those "planned" pounds off and now for two months I'm bouncing the same pounds. I'm SICK OF IT!!!

And I have dropped the calories this week. Hovering between 1250 and 1300 the last few days and eliminated all simple carbs - even with accounting for them, they were not helping me in any way.

I just NEED to see something change - measurements, scale SOMETHING.

I can't offer any advice, but I can totally sympathize with you. I went completely NUTS yesterday because I had to rest my back after a stupid weight training mistake. It was so nice and I hated just staying still and lying on a heating pad!! Argh!! I walked around a bit but I had little voices in my head telling me to go running...I figure one is really hooked on exercise if the evil little voices are arguing FOR exercise instead of against it!

Ugh, sorry you are laid up too. Why did it happen when the weather is the most perfect? Why not in January? or during the heat of August? Or why not one of the months I didn't want to exercise anyway?

Well... I'll be good, but tomorrow I have to mow the lawn - no getting around that. Hubby has allergies too bad to deal with it in the spring and if I wait on it any more it will look like a meadow.

But this new shoulder ache has me worried - especially since I have no idea how I did it!

What about relaxing outside, in a rocking chair or something comfy? Maybe read a book or something?

Maybe you should go into the doctor? Seems odd it would just happen for no reason and be so bad!

Luckily, I have an appt. Thursday afternoon. The ibuprofen helped with the neck muscle. It's not touching the shoulder pain. I'm trying to think what I did today? Did laundry. yesterday I locked and unlocked my bike several times (straining over the bike to get it strung around things). It's totally weird and out of nowhere. But I wouldn't make an appt. for something that I've only been experiencing for a few hours. But if I'm already going for something else, I'll mention it. Same with this neck strain. It's the second time I've gotten it in the last 6 months.

I don't know if it will help but this is my experience. I have been very active through periods in my life: gym M-F (spinning, Body Pump, Pilates and belly dancing, three classes in a row at least 2 a week), walking and biking everywhere, running, skying, hiking, dancing. When I am in the active mood I canīt help it, I need to do more everyday even to the cost of neglecting time from other aspects in my life. I totally get what you are experiencing thinking of having a day off sounds like a nightmare.

I know see clearly where all this exercise led me, I injured my knee skiing when I was 16. Since then I have to pay attention to it everyday, specially when I exercise but also doing simple things like going downstairs, and I can assure you I hate myself for letting me go like that. My knee has not stopped me from doing things like running or continue with vigurous exercising but this is because I am very stubborn and did not want to hear any other advice, like my bf saying I pushed myself too hard exercising.

I have recently changed the way I see exercise after reading New Rules and JP fitness forums and lean gains. I see now that there is another way. I see resting days as really important to recover the muscles and I feel even greater now strenght training 3 times a week and biking to yoga lessons 2 a week than before with all that exercise. I am also implementing IF and LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) cardio in the morning. I have not put on extra weight, or put on more body fat, and I feel less stressed, and I don't have any more night sweats in the night. I even like my body now more than before.

Well this is my experience. I think if you are feeling like you are close to an injury I would suggest you to stop and rest, when the injury is already there probably there is not coming back the same as you were before. Sometimes I also have to step back and see things in perspective. Think about if instead of you, you see your husband, son or a good friend pushing him/herself too much so as to being close to an injury, what would you want them to do?

Berry - there's a possibility that your "strain" is much more than a "strain" - I thought I had a "pulled muscle" in my bicep for about 3 years. It would hurt like crazy for a while & I'd think "Oh, I've pulled that dang muscle again!" so I'd slack off the workouts & sooner or later the pain would go away. THREE YEARS. Finally had to go to doc when it wouldn't "go away" - that's how I found out I had a torn rotator cuff!!! - So weird... I never felt pain IN MY SHOULDER - it was always my arm!! And of course I eventually had to have rotator cuff surgery. Then I was in no-workout zone for MONTHS!!!! - and it was a full year before I could lift any amount of weight over my head after that!!

Also, I have two herniated discs in my neck. Sometimes I can do something simple like bend over the sink to wash my face, and WHAM-O! -one or both of those discs pinch on a nerve & I'm in crazy pain for days & days. Sometimes the pain is in my neck & shoulder, sometimes in my shoulder blade, sometimes it radiates down my back & butt & legs.

So ... I'm suggesting that IF YOUR BODY IS TELLING YOU SOMETHING - PLEASE LISTEN TO IT!!! You can make a simple injury much worse by pushing yourself.

I understand you want to get some good exercise & enjoy this beautiful weather! - how about some gentle yoga outdoors? Sometimes some good stretching can do marvels for your body.... and mind!

I'm told, if you are actively working out and your body is used to it - as in, it's become normal/common - you can usually take a week off without any damage to your fitness body. That's according to the personal trainer in our office - he's a dynamo and takes a week off twice a year.

So giving it a little time WON'T hurt and will probably be beneficial. You don't want to injure yourself worse and have to take a long break.

I feel for you and I know exactly how you feel!

My constant over this weight loss journey has been exercise; even when I'm having problems with my eating/binges, I'm still committed (and enjoying) my exercise.

You really do have to listen to your body, though. A few days, or even weeks, off to rest and heal will serve you better than pushing too hard and injuring yourself incapacitated!

I sprained my knee last fall in one of my Zumba classes and it nearly killed me having to take off a few weeks to heal. My ortho surgeon doesn't me doing anything except swimming (hah!) because my knees are really terrible. I pushed too hard in class, ignoring that my knees were already over-tired, and I sprained one - putting me out of commission for almost 4 weeks. I couldn't even take long walks for about a week. It was tough!

It's so frustrating when you actually want to exercise...even enjoy exercise...and you can't! Hope you heal quickly!

Thanks all. I'm being good. Helps that it's a rainy day today and we desperately need to rain. I'm trying to rest the shoulder as much as possible and it's feeling better than last night. I just unregistered from class tonight too and will skip tomorrow too - just some light walking if it clears up tonight and mowing tomorrow.