Wednesday, December 14, 2005

My big, strong wrists (not to mention my giant feet)

I have been meaning to write about this for the past week, and something always comes up that seems more interesting to write about. Well, today, as I sit here playing with my new iPod Speakers/Docking Station, with its nifty remote control and nice (albeit slightly tinny) sound, and schlumping slightly on my sofa in order to de-intensify the tightness in my lumbar area, and, obviously, NOT at Shala X, where I should be practicing, I realize I might as well talk about something completely frivolous and possibly vanity-driven: my wrists.

Quite simply: they be huge. For me. For a little person. And while we're at it, my feet as well. I used to have small, delicate wrists, and medium-ish feet. After the babies, my feet grew about a half a size. But after three solid years of daily yoga - my feet have grown another size and a half. My toes are spread WIDE. And my feet resemble small shovels. Nice for balance. But getting into my cute little sandals from my more fashionista days is another story, and it's not pretty. Nobody needs to see two toes sticking out over the edge of a strappy sandal.

But back to my wrists...There was a time when I could wrap my thumb and middle finger around my wrist and get a good overlap. Old wives' tales say that this indicates a small frame, which I kind of always suspected, since I am a mere 5'1" tall (on a good day, with a compassionate nurse taking my measurement and giving me the extra half inch for being such a nice, nice patient). About 15 years ago, I broke my left wrist in two places, walking up the stairs in Grand Central Station (I used my hand to break my fall). That wasn't a really GREAT sign as far as future osteoporosis goes, and it wasn't a great sign for my muscular strength in general. But I didn't think about that much.

At the time, I wore an all stainless bracelet Movado watch, which was known at the time for its thinness. So I am pretty sure that I wore it pretty close to my skin. But I don't remember it being tight. Quite the opposite - I remember it having SOME give.

Fast forward a few years to my breast cancer diagnosis. As an added bonus, I got treated to a bone-mineral-density test, where they measured the density of the bones in my hips, ankles and wrists. Turned out that my bone density was heading into the not-so-good range, and that chemo would only make it worse...so I began taking a yearly infusion of a drug called Zometa, which is supposed to build up bone. It was during this whole fiasco that I made the transition from runner/biker/skater-girl to Yoga Chickie.

And now fast forward to this week. My Movado had been sitting in a drawer for many years by now. But it was time for my current everyday watch to get some much needed repairs. So, relinquising my current watch to a jeweler, I pulled the Movado out of its drawer and went to put it on.

Shockingly: I had trouble getting it closed. It is TIGHT. I can't imagine that it was this tight when I used to wear it daily. Now, I KNOW I have not gained weight since 15 years ago. Quite the contrary - my weight is back to its lower range. All of my clothes are either comfortable, loose or impossibly loose.

But not my Movado.

The only conclusion I can draw is that 40 or 50 vinyasas a day has actually built up the muscle in my forearms. But I still wonder: is this POSSIBLE? Can a woman actually pack on muscle in her forearms??? Perhaps it is easier for me to do so because my estrogen levels are below detectable?

Have any of the girls out there noticed a gain in wrist size or shoe size after years of yoga?

YC

P.S. Yes, I am going to practice a bit later. I just needed some chillin' time. Last night, after teaching at Yahoo Hot Jobs, my dearest friends took me to Amber for dinner. You downtowners probably wouldn't know it. But it's cool, hip atmosphere makes us Upper East Siders FEEL like we're venturing downtown. And no, we don't wear mom jeans.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The things you are experiencing don't really have much to do with yoga and muscle build up as they do with the fact that you are a cancer survivor who's body will forever be altered by the experience and also the main fact that you are getting older. The body changes with illness and age, as I sure you already know. Plastic surgery can't stop everything. I really hope you embrace these changes and not hide behind botox and surgical procedures to "see" you through. It's really sad how at least in this country from what I've seen( I'm from Spain) women are made to feel ashamed of the signs of a wise and maturing age. Though some common threads will always remain in your appearance and body type,you look different from when you were 5, 10, 20, and it's the same for 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70. Celebrate ( every day!)the fact that you still are here to do so!

One of the main lessons of Yoga is that it should( if you are learning correctly) teach you about going beyond the superficial realm of the body. Besides, in the end, The only thing you can ever really depend on is change.

best,
ST

Anonymous said...

YC

Additonal muscle mass in the arms would probably not lead to an increased circumference of the wrists. Comparable to those of us putting muscle on the legs, the knee joint remains the same diameter.

BUT--I have found that with many things about yoga, the things we learned go flying out the window. Yoga increases spaciousness in the joints --so it could be that versus bulging forearms:)

Yoga Chickie said...

Yes, in theory I agree with all you wrote...but my WRISTS???

Yoga Chickie said...

yeah, dk, my forearms don't bulge at all. just thicker wrists. not inches thicker - nothing grotesque. just enough to make my watch feel tight.

Anonymous said...

YC

There is space in my hips where there was once cement.

It is time for a new watch. Tell Mr. Yoga Chickie it is holiday season.

Yoga Chickie said...

lol...i would love a little space in my hips. getting as "old" as i am, the hips tend to narrow and the waist tends to expand. oh..but you meant space in the flexibility sense, right? i could always use some of that too...

as for a new watch...now i am REALLY lol!! Mr. YC is quite generous, but a new watch is not in the cards this year....YC spent quite enough money on True Religion jeans and other silly stuff.

Bob Cross said...

From casual observation, yes, it is easily possible for women of "slight" builds of various ages to develop noticeable wrist growth / muscle mass. Remember, if you're doing the circumference measurement with finger and thumb, a small change in the diameter of your wrist shows up as a 3-times greater increase in the circumference.

My experience is primarily with Tae Kwon Do and the smallish subset of ladies (of a variety of ages) who've been attending classes for more than a year. We do a few wrist grabs and such and I can feel the increased mass. My own wrists are thumb-to-fingertip as you described so I tend to notice "hey, this girl has wrists as thick as mine."

Not that I'm threatened. I'm totally comfortable with my size. Of my wrists. Ack, you know what I mean!

Casually again, perhaps (as you say in another post) since there was plenty of room to grow, it's easy to notice the difference when your body adds a bit of mass to handle the increased activity. From what little I know of yoga, strong wrists sound like an awfully good idea.

BTW, this also happened to me as a result of TKD. My watch fits better and, wierder, my wedding ring is tighter. I'm pretty sure that my fingers are not bulking up significantly. No real difference in the forearms. WifeUnit is pleased with the development of my neck: apparently it's plesiosaurus-like nature has been de-emphasized by the introduction of muscles on the shoulders. Muscles that I apparently didn't use to have but whose lack apparently didn't prevent the wedding.

I have to take her word for it since it's very hard to see your own shoulder blades.

Anonymous said...

I think you should get a new strap for the Movado. I am surprised you still have it. Good for you. I hope it has sentimental value.

BeBe

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About Me

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Northern Westchester, New York, United States
I live by a duck pond. I used to live by the East River. I don't work. I used to work a lot. Now, not so much. I used to teach a lot of yoga. Now not so much. I still practice a lot of yoga though. A LOT. I love my kids, being outdoors, taking photos, reading magazines, writing and stirring the pot. Enjoy responsibly.

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