Have been completely enamored with 'food forests.' Never heard of such a thing until I came across it on Youtube searching some permaculture topics. I think this definitely has to go on the bucket list (I'm renting and don't want to invest too much).
But...I will be soon planting new plots and looking to expand. Going with a sheet mulching technique to build 4x 49 square foot plots:
Layer 1 - Aerated Soil. Use garden fork to loosen up soil but do not till
Layer 2 - 3" Compost
Layer 3 - Overlapping Cardboard
Layer 4 - Mulch (Wood chips preferable).
A wire fence will enclose the area to keep out groundhogs and assist with possibly growing climbers. Each plot I'm aiming for a a mix of 4 varieties of plants each. Ones that will assist one another.
That is the plan for now.
Lemur Journal!
Re: Lemur Journal!
Start - 187 lbs
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2- 184.0
Week 3- 183.1
Week 4- 182.3
Week 5- 181.7
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2- 184.0
Week 3- 183.1
Week 4- 182.3
Week 5- 181.7
Re: Lemur Journal!
Investments: Up to $137k now. Looks like I'm regularly going up $2k every two weeks. Good pacing. Not exactly sprint mode based on savings rate but not a marathon either...like a 1 mile run I would say.
Physical Health / Diet: Still dropping bodyfat slowly. It would go faster if I didn't screw off on weekends but can't complain with steady progress either.
Start - 187 lbs
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2- 184.0
Week 3- 183.1
Week 4- 182.3
Week 5- 181.7
Week 6- 181.1
Mental Health: Good. Only complaint is the weather. Its getting cold...maybe should consider supplementing a vitamin D. I am dealing with a sciatica flareup as well from an old back injury about a decade ago.
Job: Work is busy but I learned a checklist method of organization (using a color-coded matrix chart) that has really kept stress levels down. Its a simple method that works for me...green = done, yellow = in-progress, red = blocker. A blocker is a task that can't be completed until I receive some type of documentation or feedback from someone else. This is important for timeline purposes as well as political defense in the workplace (covering ones own butt).
Gardening: With the compost bin created with stakes and chicken wire; now I just need to fill it with material. Looking to do that this weekend. My grandfather has a load of grass clippings gathered over the course of the year in his wood area...looking to take that as well as some shredded leaves and food leftovers to toss into the bin. Trying to get at this early so I can have compost ready to use by next week.
Other: Nothing interesting actually. Family drama is relatively cool too. Calm before the storm though; there lease is up in November. I'm wondering what decisions will be made. My sister has become a free uber since the one car was repo'd. Oh well.
Physical Health / Diet: Still dropping bodyfat slowly. It would go faster if I didn't screw off on weekends but can't complain with steady progress either.
Start - 187 lbs
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2- 184.0
Week 3- 183.1
Week 4- 182.3
Week 5- 181.7
Week 6- 181.1
Mental Health: Good. Only complaint is the weather. Its getting cold...maybe should consider supplementing a vitamin D. I am dealing with a sciatica flareup as well from an old back injury about a decade ago.
Job: Work is busy but I learned a checklist method of organization (using a color-coded matrix chart) that has really kept stress levels down. Its a simple method that works for me...green = done, yellow = in-progress, red = blocker. A blocker is a task that can't be completed until I receive some type of documentation or feedback from someone else. This is important for timeline purposes as well as political defense in the workplace (covering ones own butt).
Gardening: With the compost bin created with stakes and chicken wire; now I just need to fill it with material. Looking to do that this weekend. My grandfather has a load of grass clippings gathered over the course of the year in his wood area...looking to take that as well as some shredded leaves and food leftovers to toss into the bin. Trying to get at this early so I can have compost ready to use by next week.
Other: Nothing interesting actually. Family drama is relatively cool too. Calm before the storm though; there lease is up in November. I'm wondering what decisions will be made. My sister has become a free uber since the one car was repo'd. Oh well.
Re: Lemur Journal!
I decided today to learn a business intelligence software application that is starting to pick up demand in my field: https://www.qlik.com/us/
I'm very lucky this training is employer funded...This is for a few reasons: pumps up my resume with more analytic skills and very strategically keeps me in 'specialist' career track so I can effectively avoid management. We've a 5 year contract that our company is bidding on (period of work starting in June) where the proposal includes users that are certified in that software...I am going to build my case by getting a certification and finding some real-world experience before that date. Maybe I'll luck out and end up getting remote time next year too if this all pans out.
My diabolical plans to avoid management and live in Excel world. muahahahaa
I'm very lucky this training is employer funded...This is for a few reasons: pumps up my resume with more analytic skills and very strategically keeps me in 'specialist' career track so I can effectively avoid management. We've a 5 year contract that our company is bidding on (period of work starting in June) where the proposal includes users that are certified in that software...I am going to build my case by getting a certification and finding some real-world experience before that date. Maybe I'll luck out and end up getting remote time next year too if this all pans out.
My diabolical plans to avoid management and live in Excel world. muahahahaa
-
MidsizeLebowski
- Posts: 79
- Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 12:58 pm
Re: Lemur Journal!
Hello Lemur! On a whim I read your journal in it's entirety, congrats on your progress thus far.
Just watched this video last night and your mention of the food forest and living in MD makes me think the mid-atlantic climate is likely close to this guy's in NJ - wildly unpredictable
. He has a great deal of quality content surrounding his successful early-stage food forest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rOZj6GoJrg
Mulberry and Paw-Paw used to thrive in the forest behind my home when I lived in Baltimore, perhaps ideas for low-maintenance options?
May your gardening habit flourish and the fruits you sacrifice to the ERE gods be found sufficient my friend!
Just watched this video last night and your mention of the food forest and living in MD makes me think the mid-atlantic climate is likely close to this guy's in NJ - wildly unpredictable
. He has a great deal of quality content surrounding his successful early-stage food forest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rOZj6GoJrgMulberry and Paw-Paw used to thrive in the forest behind my home when I lived in Baltimore, perhaps ideas for low-maintenance options?
May your gardening habit flourish and the fruits you sacrifice to the ERE gods be found sufficient my friend!
Re: Lemur Journal!
@Midsizelebowski
Hope you enjoyed the read! My journal is mostly random musings and doesn't follow much of a template...not many pictures either haha. That is a great channel by the way; that is the same guy that I found the food forest idea from. I am subscribed.
I definitely want to post some pictures of my recent progress with the garden. I've been at it for 2 years now but never have the time of day to really go big besides just a few beds...this is the first year I am building a rather large compost bin and I'm going to plan out a large space with a sheet layer of compost. Should be interesting. The key here is with my lack of time is building a system that can somewhat maintain itself.
Hope you enjoyed the read! My journal is mostly random musings and doesn't follow much of a template...not many pictures either haha. That is a great channel by the way; that is the same guy that I found the food forest idea from. I am subscribed.
I definitely want to post some pictures of my recent progress with the garden. I've been at it for 2 years now but never have the time of day to really go big besides just a few beds...this is the first year I am building a rather large compost bin and I'm going to plan out a large space with a sheet layer of compost. Should be interesting. The key here is with my lack of time is building a system that can somewhat maintain itself.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Finally going to a doctor about my lower back. I had a L5-S1 microdiscectomy in 2011. Sciatica has flared up horribly these past few weeks. I want to get a MRI to see what is going on...
-
2Birds1Stone
- Posts: 1606
- Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
- Location: Earth
Re: Lemur Journal!
I had a very similar issue a while ago, turns out it was largely due to sitting at a desk all the time (40-50 hours a week). Best of luck on treatment!
Re: Lemur Journal!
There is a very good possibility this is my issue as well. 3 hours commuting a day (sitting) + office cubicle 8-10 hours a day (sitting) and finally coming home and plopping on the couch....sitting. I'm sure the lifestyle is exacerbating my problems but I do want to rule out with a MRI if there is some kind of odd bone spur, some odd spondylosis, or a new herniation...2Birds1Stone wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 4:43 pmI had a very similar issue a while ago, turns out it was largely due to sitting at a desk all the time (40-50 hours a week). Best of luck on treatment!
I do have a good habit of getting up at work to walk around so I am trying to mitigate some of the issues.
Re: Lemur Journal!
First time building a garden bed with a sheet mulching technique...I also decided to try something random...instead of buying timber, just found some logs that were out in the back woods where we live. I reinforced it with some mud (my soil is fairly clay like). I'm not sure if it will hold up but figure it was worth the learning experience. If it seems like it won't hold, I could always get some wood later.
1.) Lined up the logs
2.) Aerated the soil with pitch fork
3.) Added Compost
4.) Added Cardboard
5.) Added Mulch
6.) Reinforced bed with mud
1.) Lined up the logs
2.) Aerated the soil with pitch fork
3.) Added Compost
4.) Added Cardboard
5.) Added Mulch
6.) Reinforced bed with mud
Re: Lemur Journal!
My weight has gone up the past 2 weeks unfortunately. Mainly due to lack of sleep, some bingeing from stressing out about my chronic injuries, work stuff. On a positive note, this recent misstep had me re-think my overall strategy to dieting. While calories are important for science (energy balance & all), I didn't emphasize psychology enough. Its very tough to just willpower yourself through things (Google the bodyweight set point or body-weight settling point). Its much more effective to understand how habits form... specifically when it comes to breaking habits and re-forming new habits in a eating context. I found a good Youtube link that talks about this topic...will post it when I find it later. Also another short article that talks to something similar: https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/how- ... bad-habit/
Counting calories for a week or 2 is a good idea to get a understanding of how much energy you're putting in your body; however, after a period of time this can make one a little neurotic. Incidentally, the more you tell yourself you can't have something, the more you want it. A better strategy - form habits. Habits can't be formed if there isn't a reward and counting calories is not a reward. In fact, its very laborious.
So I designed some easy heuristics to follow that I think can put me on a good path and without counting calories. The plan below also allows me to build in flexibility to my food choices (so my brain isn't constantly thinking chicken + Brocolli is the only answer). I'm also going to force myself to eat Breakfast (I don't think there is any particularly strong evidence to show that breakfast is vital for health; however, it may be important for habit forming to 'start off the day' on the right foot). I also really need to get on a even sleep schedule especially during the week and bump up exercise even if it is just walking during lunch (I'm wayyyy to sedentary and this is probably the cause of all my current physical issues...and pre-hypertension). This is definitely a +1 for those who cycle to work or have the ability too...the exercise is already built into your routine so even if you don't feel like it (lack of willpower) it doesn't matter because you've to do it anyway...(routine).
Breakfast: Smoothie: Whole Greek Yogurt, Mixed berries, Raw Oats, A fruit, Skim Milk. Black Coffee if necessary
Lunch: 50% Veggies, 25% lean meat or veggie protein source like beans/legumes, 25% whole grain carb or potatoes, a fruit (optional)
Note: Cease caffeine intake after 12:00 pm
Dinner: 50% Veggies, 25% lean meat or veggie protein source like beans/legumes, 25% whole grain carb or potatoes, a fruit (optional)
Any snacks: : Fruit preferably, Nuts, Seeds (but don't overdue it on the nuts/seeds, just a handful should suffice).
I'm still keeping up with the daily weight tracking and look forward to posting the updates through the next couple of weeks.
Counting calories for a week or 2 is a good idea to get a understanding of how much energy you're putting in your body; however, after a period of time this can make one a little neurotic. Incidentally, the more you tell yourself you can't have something, the more you want it. A better strategy - form habits. Habits can't be formed if there isn't a reward and counting calories is not a reward. In fact, its very laborious.
So I designed some easy heuristics to follow that I think can put me on a good path and without counting calories. The plan below also allows me to build in flexibility to my food choices (so my brain isn't constantly thinking chicken + Brocolli is the only answer). I'm also going to force myself to eat Breakfast (I don't think there is any particularly strong evidence to show that breakfast is vital for health; however, it may be important for habit forming to 'start off the day' on the right foot). I also really need to get on a even sleep schedule especially during the week and bump up exercise even if it is just walking during lunch (I'm wayyyy to sedentary and this is probably the cause of all my current physical issues...and pre-hypertension). This is definitely a +1 for those who cycle to work or have the ability too...the exercise is already built into your routine so even if you don't feel like it (lack of willpower) it doesn't matter because you've to do it anyway...(routine).
Breakfast: Smoothie: Whole Greek Yogurt, Mixed berries, Raw Oats, A fruit, Skim Milk. Black Coffee if necessary
Lunch: 50% Veggies, 25% lean meat or veggie protein source like beans/legumes, 25% whole grain carb or potatoes, a fruit (optional)
Note: Cease caffeine intake after 12:00 pm
Dinner: 50% Veggies, 25% lean meat or veggie protein source like beans/legumes, 25% whole grain carb or potatoes, a fruit (optional)
Any snacks: : Fruit preferably, Nuts, Seeds (but don't overdue it on the nuts/seeds, just a handful should suffice).
I'm still keeping up with the daily weight tracking and look forward to posting the updates through the next couple of weeks.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Start - 187 lbs
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2 - 184.0
Week 3 - 183.1
Week 4 - 182.3
Week 5 - 181.7
Week 6 - 181.1
Week 7 - 183.1
Week 8 - 184.1
Yesterday was day one with a new lifestyle eating plan. Calories will not be counted going forward. Basically doing portion control, avoiding processed foods; something I recall actually worked well for me in the past. Weight loss may or may not be a side effect - I'm merely interested in collecting the data points. The focus here is a psychological shift...and something very interesting I learned is that people who lose weight often regain it back (because there "diet" switch turned off). The only real goal should be long-term and lifestyle.
I am going to end the tracking around week 20 (targeting end of January) because that is when I have a follow-up Doctor's appointment. My goals are three fold - Ingrain easy to follow lifestyle eating habits, reduce my blood pressure from 128/83 to below 120/80, and hopefully fix my sciatic/back problems.
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2 - 184.0
Week 3 - 183.1
Week 4 - 182.3
Week 5 - 181.7
Week 6 - 181.1
Week 7 - 183.1
Week 8 - 184.1
Yesterday was day one with a new lifestyle eating plan. Calories will not be counted going forward. Basically doing portion control, avoiding processed foods; something I recall actually worked well for me in the past. Weight loss may or may not be a side effect - I'm merely interested in collecting the data points. The focus here is a psychological shift...and something very interesting I learned is that people who lose weight often regain it back (because there "diet" switch turned off). The only real goal should be long-term and lifestyle.
I am going to end the tracking around week 20 (targeting end of January) because that is when I have a follow-up Doctor's appointment. My goals are three fold - Ingrain easy to follow lifestyle eating habits, reduce my blood pressure from 128/83 to below 120/80, and hopefully fix my sciatic/back problems.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Hope my herniated disc naturally reabsorbs or gets eaten up by antibodies or something...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025225/
Can't wait to start physical therapy though.
Work has been so incredibly boring. I'm in a slump period where things have become so routine & easy that I'm getting bored. This is largely impacted by the holiday season I think. I should embrace this donwtime...I have numerous occasions coming up: my son's birthday, Thanksgiving, my spouse's birthday, Christmas.
A few corporate "Christmas parties" and other events I'm trying to weasel my way out of haha.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025225/
Can't wait to start physical therapy though.
Work has been so incredibly boring. I'm in a slump period where things have become so routine & easy that I'm getting bored. This is largely impacted by the holiday season I think. I should embrace this donwtime...I have numerous occasions coming up: my son's birthday, Thanksgiving, my spouse's birthday, Christmas.
A few corporate "Christmas parties" and other events I'm trying to weasel my way out of haha.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Dr. Stuart McGill seems pretty reputable after watching a few Youtube lectures. His book has great reviews as well:
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Mechanic-St ... B01FKSGJYC
Considering picking up a copy but going to try his 'big 3' exercises daily to see if that can start working long-term.
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Mechanic-St ... B01FKSGJYC
Considering picking up a copy but going to try his 'big 3' exercises daily to see if that can start working long-term.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Start - 187 lbs
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2 - 184.0
Week 3 - 183.1
Week 4 - 182.3
Week 5 - 181.7
Week 6 - 181.1
Week 7 - 183.1
Week 8 - 184.1
Week 9 - 182.8
Dropped 1.3lbs. Largest drop since I started. Other then some Halloween Candy here and there I held up my plan pretty good. The sciatica in my right leg is really bad though...looking forward to PT starting next week.
In working life, I got so bored I ended up asking for more work. I mentioned here once a few months ago my goal was to automate most of my work. I've succeeded in that regard. Most of the things that used to take me 5-6 hours now take less then 30 minutes. Getting the point from 30 minutes to fully automated will be a challenge that would take more then just code. I would need systematic changes in our organization to accomplish this one...The incentive is almost not their because I need something to do so I can have my checkmarks for the day.
Week 1 - 184.8
Week 2 - 184.0
Week 3 - 183.1
Week 4 - 182.3
Week 5 - 181.7
Week 6 - 181.1
Week 7 - 183.1
Week 8 - 184.1
Week 9 - 182.8
Dropped 1.3lbs. Largest drop since I started. Other then some Halloween Candy here and there I held up my plan pretty good. The sciatica in my right leg is really bad though...looking forward to PT starting next week.
In working life, I got so bored I ended up asking for more work. I mentioned here once a few months ago my goal was to automate most of my work. I've succeeded in that regard. Most of the things that used to take me 5-6 hours now take less then 30 minutes. Getting the point from 30 minutes to fully automated will be a challenge that would take more then just code. I would need systematic changes in our organization to accomplish this one...The incentive is almost not their because I need something to do so I can have my checkmarks for the day.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Well damn. My spouse had a medical claim denied for blood work. They said the blood work was 'medically unnecessary' and denied a claim for $2,600. LOL. Anyhow...yesterday I spent a good portion of the day making myself aware of what a deductible is, co-payment, co-insurance, out-of-pocket max, premium, 'estimated benefits,' all that good stuff and how to handle these situations. Almost certain this one is due to incorrect billing. In any case...why does this stuff have to be so complicated? Seems there is a whole industry built up of just middle men between then provider and insurance company. Its quite annoying.
In more terrible news, I'm physically in a lot of pain. I started physical therapy but the first day they tweak you around looking for pain/trigger points so I'm sure that is a big part of it. I start a long road to recovery today. Insurance on that is a $40 copay + 90/10 (meaning insurance pays 90% after deductible). Luckily, my deducible is low (actually can't remember what the individual amount is off the top of my head) but in any case I'm glad I familiarized myself with this stuff so I'm not surprised.
The amount you pay for premiums is your risk. Spouse and I certainly did not anticipate all these medical issues in 2019 but here we are unfortunately. But for me locus of control has always been strong in regards to health - one need not to lay down and fall apart. My determination is rising again.
In more terrible news, I'm physically in a lot of pain. I started physical therapy but the first day they tweak you around looking for pain/trigger points so I'm sure that is a big part of it. I start a long road to recovery today. Insurance on that is a $40 copay + 90/10 (meaning insurance pays 90% after deductible). Luckily, my deducible is low (actually can't remember what the individual amount is off the top of my head) but in any case I'm glad I familiarized myself with this stuff so I'm not surprised.
The amount you pay for premiums is your risk. Spouse and I certainly did not anticipate all these medical issues in 2019 but here we are unfortunately. But for me locus of control has always been strong in regards to health - one need not to lay down and fall apart. My determination is rising again.
Re: Lemur Journal!
^^Well that was easy. Just a billing issue and should be fully covered. In any case....I'm still perplexed at this system. Moving forward. Its been a rough 2 weeks on the savings rate with the amount of co-pays. Various appt's between spouse and I. Also found out my Physical Therapy is 100% covered (not 90/10 I had to call and verify). A highlight of my day is I no longer have to pay for parking at work ($150 a month). Client decided to cover it as long as I'm on the contract. Early Christmas Present I guess. I'll take it but that will break even when health insurance premiums go up next year.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Investments: $143k. Every paycheck I'm still able to invest $500 post-tax after maxing 401(k). For a while now, I have been just plowing this into 'VXUS' an international ETF. I'm at 22% allocation. My allocation is 60% US (VTI), 30% International Equity (VXUS), 10% Bonds (BND). The only debt I have is my spouse's wedding ring and I have 2 more payments of $133 and I'm done with that. These savings will lightly be soaked up by increase heating costs coming now. I have taped some windows and bought door stoppers so I'm watching that one to see if that investment will return by comparing last years usage for the month (e.g. Nov 2018 vs Nov 2019). My client is now covering my parking so starting in 2020, I will be saving $150 a month (its a wash though with the increased healthcare preimum).
Physical Health / Diet: I'm dumb because I was calculating 7 day rolling average incorrectly. I have a much more accurate method now that clearly shows the trend. I'm feeling slightly better today pain wise...been doing a lot of core and spinal stabilization exercises every day pretty consistently. Can't wait to go to physical therapy again despite the $40 copay. It seems to be helping and so far I have some good trust with my PT. He seems knowledgeable and knows what he is doing.
Mental Health: Other then the slight irritation I get from my pain, I'm good otherwise. Lately I've been learning to see the big picture ideas...the systems...the overall impacts rather then getting soaked into minor details. At work, rather then thinking of my daily tasks (that I still do), I'm leaning more towards building processes to cut down on time.
Job: Most of my work is automated to a large degree (I used to have 5 tasks that took me roughly 6 hours each, now I have 6 tasks that take me about 30 minutes each roughly). I didn't want to fall into the "oh you just earned yourself more tasks" bucket. Instead, I've convinced my boss to let me tackle some other things. This has opened me up to more strategic initiatives. I'm building a system right now to handle data quality fixes for our databases which are still a rather lengthy process (technically easy but auditors can be a real pain in the ass lol for good reason though I suppose) ...I've the process but need to get people on board to make it work. This is a fun new challenge.
Gardening: Need to build another plot. My compost bin is growing as I've been gathering vegetable scraps and have my family on board to put scraps in a separate bin.
Other: My son turned 4. He is growing fast. He loves astronomy/planets and building things. I've gotten into the habit of reading to him every night for the past few weeks. I feel good that I started that habit because admit-tingly I should give my spouse breaks more often and reading to him at night benefits him as well.
Physical Health / Diet: I'm dumb because I was calculating 7 day rolling average incorrectly. I have a much more accurate method now that clearly shows the trend. I'm feeling slightly better today pain wise...been doing a lot of core and spinal stabilization exercises every day pretty consistently. Can't wait to go to physical therapy again despite the $40 copay. It seems to be helping and so far I have some good trust with my PT. He seems knowledgeable and knows what he is doing.
Mental Health: Other then the slight irritation I get from my pain, I'm good otherwise. Lately I've been learning to see the big picture ideas...the systems...the overall impacts rather then getting soaked into minor details. At work, rather then thinking of my daily tasks (that I still do), I'm leaning more towards building processes to cut down on time.
Job: Most of my work is automated to a large degree (I used to have 5 tasks that took me roughly 6 hours each, now I have 6 tasks that take me about 30 minutes each roughly). I didn't want to fall into the "oh you just earned yourself more tasks" bucket. Instead, I've convinced my boss to let me tackle some other things. This has opened me up to more strategic initiatives. I'm building a system right now to handle data quality fixes for our databases which are still a rather lengthy process (technically easy but auditors can be a real pain in the ass lol for good reason though I suppose) ...I've the process but need to get people on board to make it work. This is a fun new challenge.
Gardening: Need to build another plot. My compost bin is growing as I've been gathering vegetable scraps and have my family on board to put scraps in a separate bin.
Other: My son turned 4. He is growing fast. He loves astronomy/planets and building things. I've gotten into the habit of reading to him every night for the past few weeks. I feel good that I started that habit because admit-tingly I should give my spouse breaks more often and reading to him at night benefits him as well.
Re: Lemur Journal!
Physical therapy has given me a crash course in anatomy 101. The hamstring connects from the pelvis to the knee. If these muscles become tight, they can pull the pelvis backward. In my case, just my right hamstring is REALLY tight (according to my PT, the tightest he has ever worked with). So what this does is pull my right pelvis backward causing a rotated pelvis. Due to the time I have been in this compromised posture, my right quad became weaker over-time since the posterior side of my body has taken the workload. Over-time, tight hamstrings cause pain to the lower back - chicken or the egg...did my disc herniate first and cause me to compensate my posture or did the hamstring tightness come first and cause the herniated disc? Regardless, after intense stretching of the right hamstring the past 2 days, I'm starting to feel some improvement. I must have had a suppressed memory because now I remember injuring my right hamstring in high school over 10 years ago...when you've a severe strain, or tear, the body will remember this neurologically and tighten the muscle to protect itself.
Re: Lemur Journal!
I have the same issue though on the opposite side and probably from a different cause. My right foot angles slightly out while my left sits straight. The slight difference in my stride due to this has led all the right side muscles on the outer side and rear of the leg and connecting up to my lower back to be far stronger than on the left, causing my right pelvis to rotate forward. I think it has probably been that way for a long time and I didn't notice until I injured my back 5 years ago this month.
It's a constant struggle attempting to keep things balanced and symmetrical from side to side. Still unless I'm actively thinking about it my lift side muscles collapse letting my right side bear all the load. When the ever present twinge flairs up in my left lower back a good hour of yoga will take care of it. I think the remedy for such long standing imbalances like we have is consistent activity specifically focused on balance and symmetry. Having said that I need to finally own up to it and actually be consistent with my own practice! Everything is so much better when I do.
It's a constant struggle attempting to keep things balanced and symmetrical from side to side. Still unless I'm actively thinking about it my lift side muscles collapse letting my right side bear all the load. When the ever present twinge flairs up in my left lower back a good hour of yoga will take care of it. I think the remedy for such long standing imbalances like we have is consistent activity specifically focused on balance and symmetry. Having said that I need to finally own up to it and actually be consistent with my own practice! Everything is so much better when I do.