Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff
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@ganymede I didn't know that was a thing until I just googled it. The Amazon search algorithm didn't return it. What was your experience with it, if you tried it?
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@gangofdolls said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@ganymede I didn't know that was a thing until I just googled it. The Amazon search algorithm didn't return it. What was your experience with it, if you tried it?
I'm curious on this as well. With severe arthritis in my knee, walking 2+ miles 5 days a week has not been all that great. Some sort of brace/sleeve might be good.
(If only there were something I could do for my hip as well.)
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
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Yin yoga has been kind of amazing for me at helping with that. It's passive long held stretches instead of the up/down/up/down of flow yoga. I have Piriformis Syndrome in my left hip from an old high-school era sports injury and running makes it angry sometimes. Yin shuts it right up.
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@gangofdolls said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
Yin yoga has been kind of amazing for me at helping with that. It's passive long held stretches instead of the up/down/up/down of flow yoga. I have Piriformis Syndrome in my left hip from an old high-school era sports injury and running makes it angry sometimes. Yin shuts it right up.
I've never hear of this before. Do you practice at home or at a studio?
I've got arthritis in my right knee and hip both (probably my teenage years of soccer catching up to me now in my 30s) and my hip is, by far, the more painful and limiting of the two.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
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@gangofdolls said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
The Amazon search algorithm didn't return it. What was your experience with it, if you tried it?
The athletic sleeves that purportedly have copper woven into it simply compress the areas. I don't know all the science behind it, but the idea is that compressing joints and/or muscles reduces inflammation and provides support.
I've been using one for my left foot, after I tore a tendon near my heel. I can't tell you how well it works because those sorts of injuries take a long time to heal when you aren't off your feet (which I am not). What I can tell you is that, for an ankle injury, I liked it a lot more than a Tensor bandage because those feel big and unwieldy around a sliding joint. I presume the same for a knee injury.
Athletes use these all the time, and they tend not to do adopt these practices unless under the advice of trainers and other people that know a lot more about the science. This is especially true for sports that require substantial agility and stamina, like hockey or basketball. (Football and baseball players tend to use braces because those sports have a greater emphasis on explosive strength and speed, for which you may need stronger support.) It's definitely worth a shot, though, if you want to avoid a brace.
Yoga is immensely helpful when it comes to arthritis in ball joints. My understanding is that regular yoga will help stimulate the movement and production of synovial fluid, the absence of which can cause arthritic symptoms. This is especially important around the hips, where prolonged sitting can cause increased tension in your flexors, which, in turn, pinch the synovial membranes around the hip joint.
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@auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@gangofdolls said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@ganymede I didn't know that was a thing until I just googled it. The Amazon search algorithm didn't return it. What was your experience with it, if you tried it?
I'm curious on this as well. With severe arthritis in my knee, walking 2+ miles 5 days a week has not been all that great. Some sort of brace/sleeve might be good.
(If only there were something I could do for my hip as well.)
A knee brace helped me a lot.
My problem isn't usually the pain (I am managing this with Motrin for the time being, but my doctor is wanting to switch me to a real arthritis medication soon) it's the swelling, which makes my knee felt weak and unable to support my weight. The brace really helps with that. I can walk pretty much normally without worrying that my knee might give out at any time. I still have to use a cane when it gets really bad, but fortunately that's pretty rare (once or twice a year, maybe).
Ah, the joy of being 40
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@Ganymede I love yoga. I'm just terrible about doing it at home. Someday, I'll have a car again and the money to attend a yoga studio. I have noticed a vast improvement whenever I have been doing yoga on a regular basis.
I've just never heard of yin yoga specifically!
For the brace wearers: do you find it pinches or puts a lot of pressure on your knee? I have a hard time with braces & bandaging. When I had my knee surgery as a teenager, they didn't do stitches ("So you're less likely to be marred by scars!" I still have scars, shows them) and just wrapped it tightly instead. Too tightly. I was too drugged on percocet to notice how my leg was getting ice cold and I chalked the pain up to 'I just had surgery.'
It wasn't until I woke up screaming that we clued in: they wrapped it too tight and cut off circulation.
That pain is, 17 years later, still in my top three most painful experiences. But it's led me to major issues with braces and the like. I've had to try wearing them for my wrists at night, but I'll tear them off while half asleep.
So... how do these sleeves (like the copper sleeve) compare? Do they feel like they're pinching, constricting too much, etc...?
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
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@auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff
For the brace wearers: do you find it pinches or puts a lot of pressure on your knee?
There is some pressure, yes. It was uncomfortable to wear for the first week but then I got used to it and now I don't even notice it.
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@auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
So... how do these sleeves (like the copper sleeve) compare? Do they feel like they're pinching, constricting too much, etc...?
I don't have much problem with it. It takes a week to get used to, after which you may not even notice it. I'd recommend taking it off to sleep, thus giving the tissue some time to breathe normally.
You can probably find something at CVS or Walgreen's to start with. Try it on an uninjured place first for a couple of days.
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Belatedly (apologies, work travel) yin is mostly a seated practice. It goes beyond flexibility and building core strength and looks more at holding poses for 2-5 minutes that release connective tissues that go beyond muscles and gets into the joints.
Most classes I've been to tend to be quieter and often there's some kind of relaxing music going on and they turn off the lights. The studio I currently go to gets super crunchy granola on the spiritual stuff which I don't personally put a lot of energy into but I like the intent.
My best friend calls it 'Nap Yoga' which is half true, because it feels less active than a Yinyasa/Flow class. But it can be tough sometimes, when you're trying to get stuff to release that's all bound up. Getting stuffed into an airplane a lot wads up my quads and hip flexors so sometimes getting that stuff to release isn't painful but it can be intense. When I'm done with a class, you feel pretty great.
I always go to classes but I think Udaya.com and YogaAnytime has online yoga at your own pace classes. I've never used them so I don't know how good they are but they are definitely cheaper than monthly studio passes.
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I stand by Dailyburn.com. I've had it for almost three years, and they have plenty of different programs.
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This yin yoga sounds like just the thing for me. I may try to find some online stuff to follow along to.
...and hope my cats don't get in my way too much.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
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@auspice I haven't watched any of the videos yet but plan to after some sleep: https://www.youtube.com/user/yinsights1
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@karmageddon said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
Link is v. much appreciated! I am currently in a hella bad anemia episode, so I'm just sort of oozing around right now, but as soon as I recover my iron levels, I plan to try some of this stuff out.
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I'm not entirely sure if this is the right thread? But it seems an adult enough topic, I guess?
The Dollar Shave Club. Anyone here use it? Is it worth it? I go through razors like mad some months. On top of routine maintenance, I periodically use a razor to shave my head so if I do that three or four times a month because I just like the look? That runs through razors pretty quickly.
I think at present I spend about $30 or so on blades and sundries per month? So if anyone uses Dollar Shave Club, is it worth it?
MSB free since 24/3/2018
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@faceless I personally use a safety razor. It shaves great, and for an one-time investment of under $100 I can get replacement blades for almost nothing. And the razor itself will last for basically your whole life.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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@arkandel said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@faceless I personally use a safety razor. It shaves great, and for an one-time investment of under $100 I can get replacement blades for almost nothing. And the razor itself will last for basically your whole life.
Got a link? Googles pulling up some results that I'm not sure if I'm looking at the right thing/brand/etc.
Right now I'm using a Gilette Fusion, which with their disposable cartridge razors, comes out to about 8 for somewhere in the ballpark of $25, I think? I can go through one of those cartridges a week, easy. So something long-lasting and/or cheaper, while not being cheaper quality? Would be excellent.
MSB free since 24/3/2018
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Does anyone have some really really reeeeeeally intro stuff about retirement planning? Not just the planning part but how to actually get the money into those funds? Do I..just go to the bank? Can I do it online? Aaaaaargh getting old noooooo.
I have some money I need to invest but I have no idea how to do this. I know that for my needs, I do not need to waste money on a financial advisor to manage my cash -- I should just park it somewhere. But financial matters seriously make my eyes cross and I have trouble even using the retirement calculator on Vanguard. My retirement plan at this point is to get dementia so I don't realize that I'm living in a dumpster.
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@faceless said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@arkandel said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@faceless I personally use a safety razor. It shaves great, and for an one-time investment of under $100 I can get replacement blades for almost nothing. And the razor itself will last for basically your whole life.
Got a link? Googles pulling up some results that I'm not sure if I'm looking at the right thing/brand/etc.
Right now I'm using a Gilette Fusion, which with their disposable cartridge razors, comes out to about 8 for somewhere in the ballpark of $25, I think? I can go through one of those cartridges a week, easy. So something long-lasting and/or cheaper, while not being cheaper quality? Would be excellent.
To be honest I don't think the brand matters too much; I bought one from a small store in a town I was visiting for like $60 like... two years ago? And it's still in pristine condition. It came with a pack of something like 50 blades, and I'm just starting to run out now.
And the blades, especially compared to fancy multi-blade razors cost nothing. For example this is the first 4+-star match from Amazon which features 100 blades for like $10. Even if you only use them once (I use mine a few times before they are dull, but your beard might vary
) they are absurdly affordable. And I love the shave they give.My advice though, make sure to get something that comes with a base or stand... just to protect the blades by not resting them against the counter.
To me the multi-blade stuff are just gimmicks. We fall for it because they look cool in their cool packaging and their cool commercials.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
