Anatomy Of A Workout

Preworkout blues: Shoes. check. propel check. Jitters check. Change in the locker room. Stow your stuff. Smile at the cute girl waiting outside the door. Make small talk. Turns out this is her first outdoor session. Winner. It also turns out she did three of the indoor sessions earlier. Bummer.

6:00-6: 15 PM: Assembling at the entrance to the gym, John calls out to run towards the courthouse. A slight wind chill permeates the north end as the 12 of us jog in place not to lead the cold get the better of us. John leads the way, breaking into a slight jog down Valenti way, crossing Merrimac street, as we enter the courtyard of the courthouse. A sheen of sweat appears on my arms as John makes us line up on the grass to commence our warmups. Buttkicks, Squats, hops, stretches and fast paced walks follow.

 

6: 15-6: 30 PM: John instructs us to run to the Boston Commons. Running along Cambridge Street, my breathing quickens while turning onto Tremont Street. As my heart starts pounding harder, I gaze at the ugly excuse for the Mayor's office, while avoiding the people on the streets. The run is harder than expected, I think, as I cross the Granary burying ground, where Benjamin Franklin was laid to rest and gaze at the lights of the Beantown pub across the street. I feel the beginnings of a snitch on my left stomach, but I keep running. I cross the lights at the intersection of Park Street and Tremont St, almost getting hit by an eager denizen on his way home.

We arrive at the base of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, where John instructs us to drop down and give 20 squat thrusts and then run on top of the hill to do 30 jumping jacks. This is followed by mountain climbers, pushups, dips and other profanity spewing workouts which pump the juice out of your joints with every step up and down that hill.

We pause for a water break. A long 30 second break to replenish lost fluids. We file up and jog around the corner along the length of Park Street where we do army style sprints. Your lungs fill out as you huff and puff and my legs are about to give up and I can taste the bitter bile at the back of my throat, then its my turn to sprint.

6: 30-6: 45 PM: We cross the Boston common to Walnut street and run up the hill. My snitch is getting worse as I cross the state house and descend on to Cambridge Street, where we turn left and reach St. Russell Street. 3 runs up and down the steepest slope of the hill leaves you wanting for more.

6: 45-7: 00 PM: We run across Cambridge street back to the court house where we do two laps up and down the 4 flight of stairs. We reconvene at the base to do another high intensity squat thrust routine and stretches before  John tells us how horrible a job we have done and asks us to scram. I scram, my lungs hurting, my legs heavy and a heady feeling of accomplishment. 

Mantra

To be fit is the mantra.

I want to be fit: 

To die strong.

To be independant.

To sleep well.

To wake up.

To be awake.

To be woken up.

To think.

To act.

To fill my lungs with oxygen.

To get that pump inside my chest lubricated and running.

To push myself to the limit.

To have great sex.

To look good.

To feel good.

To be inspired.

To inspire.

To never take life for granted.

To enjoy what I do.

To do what I love.

Bruxism

I have bruxism. Bruxism is defined by the medical dictionary as the habitual involuntary grinding or clenching of the teeth, especially during sleep. It is caused by the activation of the reflex chewing activity controlled by the reflex nerve pathways and the brain. During sleep, the brain control is lost but the chewing activity is present which causes the teeth to grind against each other (wikipedia). Bruxism normally occurs The biting force which is the pressure exerted when the teeth clench is six times more during the nights. Bruxism is attributed a variety of causes which include misalignment of teeth, improper diet and most importantly high anxiety and stress. Common symptoms include sore facial muscles, damage to teeth, TMJ problems, toothache and painful sensitivity.
The symptoms started at around midnight on a monday when I started having uncontrollable pain in my incisors and molars. I attributed it to my inconsistent oral care and met my dentist the following day after making it through the night with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. He checked my teeth for any signs of nerve damage or decay, two potential causes for pain but did not find any. He then noticed that the upper surfaces of my incisors were ridged and my teeth showed signs of wear, and then things fell in place.
The reason why I am writing about this is because I want everyone to be aware of such a condition. All of us go through stress at some point of time, and issues like bruxism are added baggage. I was unfortunate to have been identified with it at a very later stage, as a) It happens when you sleep and b) nobody sleeps next to me to be disturbed by the grinding and let me know about it. Its in our hands to keep ourselves aware of conditions such as these. If you notice
symptoms like dull headaches, sore and tired facial muscles, earaches, sensitive teeth, and locking, popping, and clicking of the jaw and damage to tissues of the inner lips and cheek, and you have been leading a stress filled lifestyle, its probably a good time to talk to your dentist.

So whoever reads this, please make sure to pass it on to your friends and ask them to do the same. Just like prevention is better than cure, awareness is better than regret.