Thirtysomething

Crampin' My Style

So for years I would make half-hearted attempts to jog outside, but usually after a few minutes, I would get a stomach cramp and stop. I attributed that to being out of shape at the time. That, combined with my lack of will to jog lead me to quitting this exercise routine more than once.

Since I joined my gym a year and a half ago, I've used most of the equipment there, with the exception of the treadmill. But a few weeks ago, I decided to jump on the horse, so to speak. I started jogging at a very slow pace and invariably each time I'd get a stomach cramp. Always in the same place--just to the right of my belly button. How annoying. I was in shape now, so why was this still happening? I mean I could do an hour of eliptical or the bike, but I couldn't jog for 5 minutes?

After consulting with Ron, who used to be a fitness specialist in his former life, I decided to start out with power walking and work my way up to a short jog. I came up with a formula: 5 minutes of fast walking, 5 minutes of very fast walking, 5 minutes of a slow jog and 5 minutes of fast walking again. I did it once and it worked--no cramp! Figuring I had my method down, I tried it again another day only when I starting jogging, I also started cramping. Rats. Still I pursued the same formula and invariably I would get a stomach cramp each time, sometimes as early as the first couple of minutes while I was walking! I had never gotten a cramp just walking on the treadmill before. I consulted with Ron again who insisted that my stomach muscles weren't strong enough and that I was working myself too hard. I had to stick with walking fast only, not jogging.

Now lately, over the last two weeks or so, I've gotten a stomach cramp while walking to work! I'm a very fast walker naturally, but I wasn't walking at "power walking" pace. I had never gotten cramps just walking to work. I've started overanalyzing things: is it my posture that's causing the cramps? The way I'm breathing? Am I holding my stomach muscles in without realizing it? Am I pregnant with an alien child?

I have no idea and I'm sort of at my wit's end. I know it can't be that my stomach muscles are too weak though--I do pilates for Christ's sake, not to mention that this cramp has never popped up while walking until recently. This morning, I was cramping the entire walk to work and it hurt like hell. Someone suggested to me that it's my breathing. My breathing is a weak area for me. Even during yoga and pilates, I find it hard to coordinate my breathing the way I should.

Tonight I'm going to try the treadmill again and focus on the breathing. We'll see what happens.

posted by DJ Heavy D @ 1:42 PM