The link above prompted me to write a new post and give you an update. If you have read any of my previous posts you will know that I try to maintain a strict exercise regime in the hope that it will someday help my balance/vestibular issues. Now I am certainly not training for something as challenging as a triathlon like the brave young woman in the story above but I have took on a small challenge of my own recently.
That challenge being the infamous INSANITY workout. If you have not heard of the Insanity workout, I will quickly explain. The Insanity workout is a 60 day total body conditioning programme developed by fitness instructor/dancer Shaun T and is considered to be the hardest workout ever to be put on dvd. It is high intensity interval training and you do it 45min- 60min six days a week for 60 days.
Now I know what you are thinking, you are thinking maybe my vestibular issue is not as bad as I have made out or that I am truly INSANE attempting such a feat whilst living with a chronic vestibular disorder. after all exercise generally requires a fully functioning vestibular system. the truth is i must be a little insane.
My condition has impacted my life profoundly, at times I have wondered how I have kept on going. Waking up day after day having to constantly think about putting one foot in front of the other, always aware about how I move my body and head so as to try and control the dizziness. It has robbed me of my life and after having to deal with it for so long and watch everything crumble around me I am battling it head on and I mean head on. I have done everything I can to get better but cannot shake it. Therefore I am now pushing my body to the absolute limit to see if I can improve my circumstances. INSANE I might just be.
The truth is I wake up every morning feeling like crap. Head swaying, vision bouncing so I may as well workout with my head swaying and vision bouncing at least my body gets to move instead of sitting or lying down like I spent most of these past years. The insanity workout as you can imagine is a real struggle not least for a person afflicted with the horror of vestibular dysfunction. Jumping and moving quickly is a true assault on the senses for me. When I jump or jog on the spot the sensation I feel is not one of a healthy person. When I jump or jog the spot the floor feels like it is lifting up and down or being pulled from underneath me. When I jump or jog or bend over the world around me shifts left to right in my fuzzy slow motion like vision that comes in and out of focus all the while my head is swimming and swaying inside. Hell all these symptoms and sensations continue to occur when I am standing completely still. working out is an extremely difficult experience for me and I do wonder why on earth I am putting myself through such an insane challenge.
There are many reasons why I am doing this such as:
- To hopefully retrain my vestibular system (countless attempts at standard vestibular rehabilitation and mild exercise and medication didn't do it maybe Insanity will)
- It is a goal ( I haven't had a goal in a long time)
- It makes me feel like I am trying my best and exhausting every route to get better
- It gives me an enormous sense of pride after every workout
- Completing it everyday is like a big F*** you to my vestibular dysfunction
- I enjoy the challenge
- It has gotten the rest of me in great condition (Unfortunately not my head)
- I am INSANE
It is 45 min to an hour a day and I certainly pay for my efforts. I usually have to just lie down or sit for the remainder of each day as it takes so much out of me and my vertigo can become much more sensitive. It has not cured me of my vertigo (yet) but it has given me a great sense of pride knowing I can do this given my circumstances. I WILL complete the 60 days of Insanity, hell I only have 14 days to go.
I should say that I could not have attempted such a workout (any kind of workout for that matter) until last year when I was given medication that has helped me somewhat. I DO NOT advise any fellow sufferer to attempt such a workout. No doctor has advised me to do this, I have taken it upon myself to complete the challenge.
Swimmyhead
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