I’d been referring to this injury that had been dogging me for three weeks a hamstring pull, but I knew that wasn’t right. For one, the pain was at the front of my leg, nearly to my groin; wouldn’t I feel hamstring in the back of my leg? And the more I worked it, the less it hurt. Seemed a hamstring would continue hurting, hurt even more, the more I worked out. So when the physician’s assistant returned to the exam room with the results of an X-ray, I was pretty sure I knew the diagnosis: stress fracture.
Cheap fun: Free fitness
It was the day after Thanksgiving and the 12-year-old asked the question I’d been dreading. “So,” she inquired, “what are we doing today?”
Dreading for two reasons. One, I’d tweaked a nagging leg injury at the Inside Out Turkey Trot the day before and my mobility was limited. (“Limited” meaning I could barely walk. Oddly, I could ride a bike pain free. Trouble was, the weather wasn’t supportive of a body-friendly bike ride.) That left going somewhere inside and likely spending money, a commodity in short supply going into the holidays. After explaining this limitation, Kate resorted to her fallback on such occasions.
Hike in the holidays
Not a mall person? Avoid the maddening crowds this Black Friday and throughout the remainder of the Thanksgiving holiday with one of these five hikes, culled from “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina.”
Coast
Neusiok Trail, Croatan National Forest
Havelock
20.1 miles (with shorter section hike options)
Getting there: From U.S. 70 in Havelock, go left on NC 101. After 5.3 miles, go left on Ferry Road/NC 306. Go another 3.3 miles, then go left on FR 132; it’s a little over a mile and a half to the trailhead.
More info here and here.
Are you bigger than you think you are?
Something to be aware of as we enter the holiday season: You may not be the person you think you are. Or more to the point, you may be more of a person than you think you are.
A study in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology reports that of 2,224 women taking part in an assessment of “perceptions of body weight and weight-related behaviors,” just one in four considered themselves overweight. In fact, when the 2,224 women had their BMI calculated, 1,162 — that’s over half — surpassed the BMI’s overweight barrier of 25. (Curiously, of the 1,062 women who were normal weight, 16 percent perceived themselves as being overweight.)
Kick ’em out! (Your kids, that is)
The following GGNC story appeared in the November 23 editions of The News & Observer in Raleigh and the Charlotte Observer. It’s rerun here, with links. For additional information about getting kids outside, visit yesterday’s post.
The virtues of kids being outdoors have been touted in a number of studies. But when it comes down to it, the proof is in the playing.