Plank you

Photo by Larisa Birta on Unsplash

This week began with me wincing in pain. 

I should already be feeling some relief now that I started medication, right? Well, if it’s my primary complaint, then there were obvious improvements there. The symptoms that I was having days ago have lessened and I still have another week before my follow-up check-up with my gastroenterologist. 

But what started as an abdominal pain already went on to a full-blown, widespread pain all over my body. Name it: neck, back, legs, shoulders—all throbbing. It seems my body sneakily comes up with something new to torment me every day.

The tricky thing with this is I can’t just take pain relievers or NSAIDs because it’s bad for my stomach. So, for two days I have pain relief patches all over and my Peppermint Oil handy. If I had to take something it’ll be Paracetamol, which might as well be Altoids because it does nothing. 

This can’t be the case for me every single day. I can’t live like this. 

I deduced that my back pain might just be because of sitting in bed while working. If you must know, I’ve been on WFH since March of last year but I didn’t bother with the ergonomics of my workspace at home because I never thought that it will go on this long.

Well, I started with a decent workspace which was a small spot in our living room but had to transfer back to my room since I can’t concentrate in a common area. All I hear was the TV, my mom’s nagging, and my nephews’ bickering. And because we have only one window in the living room, it can be pretty dark without the lights on. Fluorescent lights hurt my eyes so it’s something that I don’t like especially when I’m facing the laptop screen for hours. 

Since my room is very small (and shared with my kuya), I never actually thought of setting up a workstation there. I mean, there’s no space for another office table or chair, really. At the moment, I sit on my bed and use this small table that can only fit a laptop, keyboard, and mouse. Yup—for almost 7 hours on a workday. I have totally neglected to consider other things such as a sturdy chair, keyboard-and-mouse positioning, table and monitor height, etc.

Even when seated on the edge of the bed with my feet resting on the floor, the problem is I don’t have any support for my back. If my back and neck start to hurt, all I can do is lie down or stand up against the wall for a few minutes. I fear another year of this and I’d find myself hunched and pals with Quasimodo.

Realizing that I can’t be like this now that I’m having all sorts of pain, I thought I should at least do myself a favor and buy an office chair. But I don’t want just any chair—I like the one that is adjustable, reclinable, and with a headrest and footrest to boot. I don’t even care anymore if it will take up space because, damn, I deserve comfort! I haven’t been doing my spine any favor the past few months so cut me some slack here.

I saw one I like (with good reviews) and it costs almost 3,000 bucks. I tell you—once I paid up some of my other obligations for this month, you can expect me to click that “Add to Cart” button very soon. I can’t wait. 

***

BTW, while that office chair plan is on the back burner at the moment, I had to have Plan B. I started doing planks, yo. 

I read (and many of my friends swear) that doing planks can really help in strengthening my abdominal muscles. It’s also advisable for people like me who can’t go out for a run or has no time (read: lazy) to do a basic workout. Planking is said to be a total body exercise that can help you build strength in your lower and upper body. 

On my first few attempts, I am only able to hold it for 20 seconds which was not only dismal but also shameful. And take note, 20 seconds of that and it made my midsection and nape hurt. Like, is it normal for it to hurt? Did I break a bone or stress a muscle? I was never the physical type so normally I would stop at the first sign of pain but I just went on and did some more.

It’s true when they said that doing planks gets easier in time because now I able to hold it for another 10-20 seconds. I know it isn’t much but at least it’s improving. I do this thrice a day: as soon as I wake up, before lunchtime, and before dinner. 

I can’t say that I can already feel its benefits this early, especially on my core. I’m still taking my medications for my stomach troubles so if I’m feeling better then I can’t give all the credit on the planks I’ve been doing but it must have done something. For one, I no longer feel as sluggish or heavy compared to the past few days. After doing planks I am more awake and energized for some reason. 

If I can’t run or do regular workouts, then doing planks is better than reverting back to the inactive, pain-ridden me.