Self-experimentation

As I think I haven't said in this space, I've formed a vague intention of consciously doing some kind of experiment on myself each month this year. Partly because small experiments are cool and who knows what benefits might accrue, partly because it started as a January contest with norwoodbridge and now he's trying something new every month too, partly because it's been fun so far.

In January I closely tracked my new "getting up when the goddamn alarm clock beeps the first time" habit/resolution. I failed twice (narrowly beating norwoodbridge, who was trying to go to bed at 11:30PM all month). Since this is for the whole year, I have continued, but no longer in a contest with anyone, and it's a bit easier now than it was at the beginning, so I think I can get away with layering.

In February, I refrained from buying physical items. This "no thing buying" is a thing I often do in the early part of the year, and have often done it for ten weeks rather than just four; still, I've been enjoying the small discipline of adding things to the wish list instead of buying.

In March... I'm considering two things, actually.

First, I need to nominate myself for promotion at work. My self-puffery is due on the 19th and oh, how I hate self-puffery. My idea is to work on my packet just a little bit, every day between yesterday and the 19th, so that I won't dread it and delay it and make myself miserable right at the end of the allotted timespan. As this does not align with calendar months and does not even hint at a lifestyle change I might maintain in the future if it "works", it may not be a self-experimentation thing at all.

I'm also considering eliminating dairy for a month in March. There seems to be some correlation between dairy intake and acne -- not for everyone, but with marked correlation for some individuals. There have been biggish studies of 9-to-15 year olds, though not of adults. Intriguingly, this dermatologist's comment on one of Seth Rogan's articles points to dairy as the cause of a specific kind of spot (the kind I get). So that's very interesting and maybe worth an experiment. I could try taking lactase enzyme supplements instead, but then if I didn't get results I would be unsure if I was taking enough -- it seems I'd get better data by completely cutting out dairy. It might work, it might not. It would at least teach me how to survive without cheese (or prove to me once and for all that I will die in its absence).

Other ideas for future months include: draw/sketch something every day or week, program something for fun every weekend, knit more, do something quantified and specific about flexibility training, pet ocikitten every day... we'll see. Things come up in my head often enough.

Flexy times with contortion teacher

I've been thinking about seriously focusing on middle-split flexibility ever since Guest Celebrity Handbalancing Coach recommended I do so last week. I know that my current situation sucks; I know also that my pancake has improved beyond recognition over the course of the last two years, and therefore significant change is possible if I am willing to stick to something that works.

What works, though, is tricky to know. There's plenty of evidence at this point that whatever it is need not be limited to static stretching (one study here, more all over the web). apfelsingail has been having good success lately with a super unstructured program that focuses on mental components of working with the stretch.

As for me, the things I've found that work are unnervingly dissimilar for different parts:

• I've found a circuit routine that gives me steady straddle pancake progress, which takes 30 to 45 minutes and should be done 2x/week and uses weights and moves in and out of the stretch. (Thanks, Toledo!) I've made astonishing gains here in the last 2.5 years.
• I've found a routine that gives me pretty steady front/back split progress if I actually do it, which takes 10 minutes and can be done every day, and involves static holds that get progressively longer. (Thanks, Zac!)
• I don't do anything regular for backbends right now at all. And for shoulders, though Rocky and I once worked out a routine to follow, I just sporadically do things the teachers say to in handbalancing class.

I know of an exercise (benjamin curls) that uses a weight and moves in and out of a pike stretch, and a single set can get me ready for skin-the-cats, and I've begun to wonder about creating a pancake-circuit-style routine that will work my pike in the same way. And I've begun to wonder also why my split routine is so different, if I could circuit it up or do PNF resistance against the floor.

To add confusion to the mix, I did a 60-minute private lesson with the Local Circus School's contortion teacher on Saturday. I found that, after some wiggling about to get over initial discomfort with movement into extreme ROM, she is all about static stretches. In her own personal experience, holding for 60s isn't enough; she'll move deeper into a ROM that way but will have to fight just as hard the next time, and needs ultimately to hold stretches for 90s in order to build flexibility that lasts.

We did middle splits (with very helpful half-frog half-middle-split variation), and lots of standing pike (including helpful-feeling standing stretch with kettlebell help). So static! I was extremely surprised. I did get pretty stretchy though, and I learned things about what does and does not hurt my gluey-fascia'd hamstring while moving in and out of extreme ROM. Hint: it hurts to lengthen and shorten it, it does NOT hurt to remain in the stretched position. Huh!

I learned hopeful things, really. At the end of the lesson I was able to pretty easily pike with my hands flat on the floor right in front of my hands, limited by wrist flexibility rather than hamstring flexibility. That should be enough to help with the initial part of the press. Middle split... well... I still think I can work it into my life if I add it to the end of my pancake routine. After more than 2 years I'm finally feeling confident enough about my understanding of the pancake routine to begin altering it, also, and may be able to shorten it to create some pure-adduction time at the end.

Wish me luck. This shit is woefully understudied, and different people's mileage varies a lot.