tight pants

my pants are tight today. uh oh. not good! but i'm not sure if it's because i've gain(ed)(ing) weight or because of other reasons. the other reasons could be:

a) post weekend - always a bit more bloaty due to excess alcohol and salt.

b) freshly washed jeans - and dried the whole way in the dryer.

c) last night i tried on a sweater and it looked tight and puny. but i haven't worn it in a while and i washed it and maybe dried it for too long and it could have shrunk.

excuses, excuses! i will see how i feel tomorrow. AND i bought a pair of silver jeans online after shannon mentioned the big sale in her blog, and they are the size of jean that i strive to wear and that generally fit me when i'm in my maintenance range. so they should be here today or tomorrow or this week (better be...) sometime so trying them on will be a very good non-scale indication.

in other news, last week i killed the exercise. i met my four x cardio goals and two x pilates video goals. AND i did one more cardio workout than planned. yarrrrrr. this week is going to be equally as magical for me.

for some reason i am experiencing some bum pain today. i've done a little more online research and i think the following describes it best:


Pseudo-Sciatica - Gluteus minimus

The smallest and deepest of the gluteal muscles, lying beneath the gluteal medius, its fibres run from the pelvis to the hip. Like the overlying gluteus medius it has a split role in life; the anterior fibres medially rotate the thigh whilst the posterior fibres assist lateral rotation, all fibres contribute to abduction of the thigh. It also helps to stabilise the pelvis during ambulation.

Symptoms

Hip pain that may cause a limp during walking. Lying on the affected side may be too painful and result in disturbed sleep. Pain on rising from sitting and standing up straight. The pain in the hip area can be severe and constant with no let up either lying down or walking. As this muscle lies close to the Piriformis, the pain patterns are similar. Like the Piriformis it can cause SI joint dysfunction. But whereas the Piriformis pain pattern can extend down to the knee, the minimus pattern includes the calf and the thigh. Low back pain in the sacral and sacroiliac regions is most likely be due to problems in the gluteus medius. Pain referred from trigger points in the gluteus medius is less likely to involve the thigh; gluteus maximus trigger points restricts flexion at the hip whilst Piriformis trigger points restricts medial rotation.

Activation

Trigger points may be activated by too much, too soon. For example, walking too far or too fast, especially over rough ground; overuse in running and sports such as tennis. Even painful blisters can alter the gait pattern sufficiently, or simply running awkwardly due to another injury.

Holding the foot constantly over the accelerator pedal during a long car drive results in hip muscle imobilization, resulting in activation of trigger points in this muscle. Likewise, prolonged standing will have the same effect. SI joint dysfunction will perpetuate the trigger points.

Sitting on a wallet placed in a back pocket can cause impingement on this muscle and therefore produce referred pain in a sciatic-like distribution pattern.

i'm sticking to not running until the spring although it's taking a lot of determination... hopefully this goes away and i can go back to my normal activities.