I've gotten pretty good with my 1 lb Indian clubs so I just bought a pair of 5 lb Clubbells. That's a pretty big jump in weight for a club. A 5 lb Clubbell feels surprisingly heavy because of the leverage. I'll have to go slowly with these, but I'm excited. This is all uncharted territory for me, so we'll see what happens.

Here's what a Clubbell looks like:http://www.clubbell.tv/ A 5 lb Clubbell is the smallest. I'm not trying to be a hero here. I think they go up to 45 lbs.

1 to 5 is a big jump, but you can do it! I saw them being used in a gym recently and the way the people moved with them was so cool. It reminded me a lot of Qigong, but with a weight. The Eastern practice of moving in constant 3D makes a heck of a lot of sense for our bodies.

I agree with you about moving. When I was told not to move, no cooking, no driving, rest, rest, rest, I got worse. Prior to resting, I could cook, but after several months I felt I could barely open a can or stir a pot. Complete BS!

Thank you for continuing to share your progress. The DVD is still mocking me. I haven't opened it yet as I'm afraid . I have a tendency to go all out and then curse myself later.

Thank you for continuing to share your progress. The DVD is still mocking me. I haven't opened it yet as I'm afraid . I have a tendency to go all out and then curse myself later.[/QUOTE]

I hear ya on doing too much. I have a tendency to get excited with something new and over do it myself, but I'm learning. I'm wanting to play with those new clubs so badly, but I'm still a little sore from using them the first time. Patience is hard.

It's been several months since I've had a major flare-up so I kind of forgot how bad they can be. I played with the new clubs a little bit on Tuesday and a little bit on Wednesday. Obviously, it was way too much. When the flare calms down, I'm going to have to dial things back and start out much slower. Trying something new is usually when I get a flare-up but it's also kept me progressing. When I get complacent the progress usually stops.

I really like the Joseph Weisberg stretch set and it only takes 3 minutes. You might consider adding it to your routine. I think it's unlikely to cause flare ups and you'll still have plenty of time for anything else you want to do.

My legs hurt so bad this morning I could hardly walk when I got up. I had to have painkillers for breakfast. Plus, every night this throbbing, shooting pain on the left side of my neck wakes me up. It's driving me crazy. I think the only positive thing I have to say right now is my surgical side really isn't bothering me that much, it's just that the rest of my body feels like it got run over by a truck.

Sorry to hear that. Is this the continuation of the same flare up you reported Nov 21?

For what's it worth, I think Thomas Hanna's Somatics and Craig Williamson's Muscular Retraining are friendly ways to get more out of your body that are unlikely to cause flareups. I'm still in the middle of them so we'll see where I'm at in another month, but so far, so good.

Also, find yourself an OMT or a PT that knows OMT.