Success Warrior: The Blog That Embraces ADHD

Weirdness

So,

Until this afternoon, I hadn't exercised for three weeks.  The doctor has cleared me for some moderate workouts and this afternoon I went for a four mile run.  It felt absolutely wonderful!

Here's the weird thing.

I've lost my appetite.  Poof.  Gone.

I went to see the doctor last Monday before my trip to make sure I wasn't going to paralyze myself by riding roller coasters going mach 3 with my hair on fire.  I mentioned that I have lost my appetite.  He asked me how much I have lost.  I asked him if his brand new, handy dandy, patient-tracking software, showed my weight when I first came in to report that my back hurt a little over a month ago.

As it happens, the million dollar software does keep track of my weight and I have lost 7 pounds over the last month.

I can take my pants off now without unbuttoning them, which is kind of cool, but is definetly a fashion misdemeanor when I cinch up the belt to keep my pants from falling off and they bunch up all over the place.  I'm on the last notch on both my belts and will have to buy new ones if I lose any more weight.  I bought two new belts that don't have holes but can just be cinched around a couple of loops.  I wear those with my shorts.

I'm trying to force myself to eat a bit more, at least at one meal a day. 

I asked the doc if it was normal and he said that it wasn't uncommon with patients in pain.  I still think it's weird. 

People all over the place are commenting on my weight loss.

"What's your secret?" they ask.

"I quit eating," I reply.

They laugh but it's the truth.  Three weeks of no exercise and 7 pounds lighter.  That's all diet, or lack thereof.

Not that I would recommend this approach to anyone.

My fear at this point, after three weeks of not lifting weights, is that I'm going to start losing muscle.  I've worked too hard over the last 3 years building up to let it go so tomorrow, I'm back at it.  I am going to start super light but I have to do *something*.  I feel like a total goof with 5 pound dumbbells but I'm trying to think of it as rehab.

All the women will be outlifting me.

Pathetic.

But I'm losing weight faster than them.

=P

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Breaking the Blog Fast

Lucy!  You got some 'splaining to do.

For those that don't know, exercise is a major foundation of my life.  Even before I was blogging about it full-time, it was a cornerstone to my day. 

A little over a month ago, something went wrong with my back.  Still don't know what it is/was.  The doctor was supposed to call me this week but he didn't.  I sat in an MRI tube for 90 minutes a couple of weeks ago to get to the bottom of it all.  Meditation is a life-saver when you're trapped in the tube for that long.

About 3 weeks ago, it got bad enough that the doctor said to stop all exercise and karate, and that's when I dropped out of the blogging scene.  Not because I don't have stuff to talk about without exercise but just because it tipped my world upside down.

My world isn't completely righted but I feel that it's time that I start putting things back in order.

I just returned from my trip to Cedar Point so I'm going to have some pics and comments about that coming up.  I am still trying to do the basic recovery from the trip.  Putting stuff away, doing laundry, downloading pics and video, and trying to catch up on a week of being gone.

I actually read a fictional book on my trip, Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews.  A book about a mercenary in a world where magic has returned and where it comes and goes in waves.  The hero has to try to solve the murder of her guardian.  I have mixed feelings about the book but enjoyed it none the less.  It was a great book for a vacation.  As with all my books, I'll send it on to anyone that wants it.

Here's a pic to get things started.  The whole reason for my trip to Sandusky, Ohio.  The left pic is my going 120 mph on the launch, which is absolutely amazing and hard to put into words.  It's like taking a ride on a huge wrist-rocket.  The pick on the right is me going about 120 mph at the bottom of a 45 story drop at 90 degrees with a 270 degree twist thrown in for good measure.

Frikkin' Brutal

That's what one of my students said yesterday about my exercise routine when she came back in from puking. 

"Frikkin' Brutal."

And I'm stuck on the sidelines watching all the fun. 

I was talking to the son of my newest student over the weekend.  He said that his mom had plenty of bad things to say about me after the first couple of days of class.  Lena, who *asked* for copies of my workouts, accused me of trying to kill her. 

I've been called bad names, been flipped off, and gotten some really weird looks.

But they just keep coming back.

Anyway, that's not really what I wanted to talk about today.  What I wanted to talk about was modifications for this month's ab workout.  I have a couple of students that have shoulder issues and don't like all the time spent in the push-up position for this month's ab work.  For them, I have changed the exercises.  This is the workout as written:

2.    High Knees/Mountain Climbers

   Plank In & Outs

   Standing Bicycle

   Plank Diagonal In & Outs

   Standing X Lifts

 

Here's what the modifications look like:

 

2.  Fast Scissors - but done at a pace sustainable for 30 seconds.
Seated In & Outs
Standing Bicycle
Seated Diagonal In & Outs
Standing X Lifts

 

It's not as intense but I promise that it still works the abs very nicely.  We do the first four exercises for 30 seconds each with no break between them.  There is no break before the fifth exercise either but we do a set number of reps instead of going for time.  And by "we", I actually mean "them" for right now.

 

Today, I showed a way to take the Plank In & Outs up a notch.  You know I love to bump up the intensity.  I only did 2 reps because I'm not going to mess up my recovery.  After 2 reps, another student started doing them perfectly so it was enough. 

 

I'm sorry I can't do videos right now so I'm going to go old school and try to describe this with words.  With Plank In & Outs, you get into the top part of the push-up position.  From there, you jump your feet up as close to your hands as you can get them so that you are crouched with your hands and feet under you.  Then you jump your feet back to the start so that you are in push-up position again.  Do as many of these as you can in 30 seconds.

 

To take it up a notch, grab your handy dandy box (you have one by now right) and start with your feet on the box.  Jump your feet to your hands.  Then jump your feet back up on the box.  Everything has to stay a bit tighter as you aim your feet for the top of the box.  Man, I can't wait until I'm healed up.

 

There you go.  A way to take the intensity down a bit or take the pressure off your shoulders and a way to take the intensity up a bit as well.

 

Try it out and let me know how it works for you.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Sandusky, OH?

Last Christmas, my brother and his family were out here and we had a get-together at my parents house.  We played games all afternoon and the TV was on some channel that was doing a marathon.  I don't know the show but it was all about thrill rides and the show played all afternoon.  We looked up every once in a while to see what was going on.  We'd see one and someone would say, "We should go there."  It went like all afternoon until we saw this one:

"We *really* should go there," someone said.  We talked about going in the spring sometime before school lets out so that maybe the lines would be shorter. 

My brother went home, did a bit of research, and then emailed my other brother, sister, and me.  He wanted to know a more specific date.  The park was actually open for a few days in March.  "What's the temperature in March?" I asked.  "About 40 degrees."

This roller coaster gets up to about 120 mph in that little short stretch (and then climbs 45 stories - and pretty much freefalls back down those 45 stories).  So, I'm thinking 40 degrees with 120 mph wind chill factor.

No thanks.

What's the latest we can go before school lets out.  Last week of May.  What's the temperature.  About 70 degrees.

That I can do.

So, two weeks from today, I'll be on a plane to Cleveland. 

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

It's Official

I'm out of commission as far as exercise goes.  At least the exercises that I do. 

If the weather turns around, I will probably do some walking or running when I can.  Other than that, I'm taking the next three weeks off.

I started a new exercise program today and I went light.  I mean *light*.  I was using a pair of 12 pound dumbbells for the circuits today and doing all the push-ups on my knees.  During the circuits, the muscles in my neck, traps, and upper back were popping and cracking and otherwise doing things and making sounds that muscles just shouldn't do. 

Later in the day, the whole left side of my back is jacked up and in pain.  It hurts worse than my strained ab muscles (also on the left side).  That's saying something since the ab pain was serious enough that I went to the doctor to make sure I hadn't truly messed something up. 

So, for the next two weeks, I'm going to supervise exercise and I'll report in with any findings on the new circuits.  Then I'm taking a week completely off to go to Sandusky OH to ride some roller coasters.  Hopefully, when I get back, everything will be healed and I'll be ready to jump back in to my routine. 

Some notes from today's circuit, which involved chest, back, biceps, triceps, and shoulder:  Last month we kind of went light on the shoulders.  This workout completely makes up for it.  By the end, my left shoulder (which was scoped years ago) didn't want to lift anymore and remember, I was using 12 pound dumbbells.  I usually work my shoulders with 40 pound dumbbells. 

We did 10 reps of each exercise and transitioned very quickly to the next exercise.  You pick one set of dumbbells and you don't change for all six exercises.  You just move from one exercise to the next and keep on moving.  It was a very smooth transition between all the exercises and I like this workout.  You are going to blast the shoulders with this circuit.

Here are some ideas to use when you can't do ten reps of an exercise any more:

• Quit.  Always an option.  This is a tough workout that keeps your shoulders involved nearly the whole time.
• Switch exercise when you can't do any more reps of a certain exercise.  Maybe you're only going to get 6 push-ups on your third circuit.  That's fine.  Move on to the next exercise.
• Grind it out.  Take as many breaks as you need until you get to 10 reps.  You don't have to set a time limit on when you get done.  Take little mini-breaks until you can get to your 10 reps.  That's what I did in the later circuits (we did 11).
• Switch to lighter weights.  If you want to keep cranking out 10 reps for each exercise and keep the cardio action going, drop the weight a bit and keep on going.

This is a great circuit for the upper body.  You could even combine it with the ab and leg circuit from day 2 and 3 and work your whole body in one workout in less than 10 minutes.  If you were just trying to maintain or get started, you could even do the full body workout every day as long as you didn't feel like you were putting your all into it.  Or you can split up the days like we do and cut down on the time you spend exercising or increase the number of circuits that you do.  You can probably do 3 of these circuits in 10 minutes.  I promise that if you haven't been doing something else, you're going to see and feel a difference over time.

Try this circuit.  I love it.  The whole upper body done in a couple of minutes.  Bam!  Done!

Check this post if you have forgotten what the circuit looked like.

P.S.  Videos of exercises are also going to have to wait for 3 weeks until I'm healed up.  I am truly sorry about that.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

7th Day; 7 Words

Appetite loss showed on the scale today.

 

Leave your seven words in the comments.

Next Week's Workout

Instead of listing my workouts randomly throughout the month, I thought I would list them all in one place from now on.  So here's what I'm going to be doing for the next month or so, starting on Monday.  I'll go into more detail during the month and do videos of the workouts but for people who have asked what I'm doing, here you go:

1.    Dumbbell Push-Ups

   Bent Over Lat Raises

   Shoulder Press

   Curls

   Bent Over Triceps Extensions

   Upright Row

 

2.    High Knees/Mountain Climbers

   Plank In & Outs

   Standing Bicycle

   Plank Diagonal In & Outs

   Standing X Lifts

 

3.    Box Toe Touches

   Leaper

   Diamond Hops

   Side Straddle Hop

   Super High Knee

 

4.    Wide Push-Ups

   Kneeling Outward Curls

   Military Push-Ups

   Kneeling Hammer Curls

 

5.    Palm Down Row

   Dips

   Palm In Row

   Tiger Push Ups

Okay, it did a funky format when I did the copy/paste but there you go.  This month, we're going to slide the scale toward the cardio end of the circuit training model.  On workouts 1, 4, and 5, choose a weight where you can do 10 reps on the exercise that you find the hardest.  You are only going to use one set of dumbbells for the entire day's workouts, going as quickly from one exercise to the next.  Number 5 isn't as smooth as the others but do the best you can.

On days 2 and 3, there are no weights so you are just going to go from one exercise to the next.  Set a time that you think you can sustain throughout all 5 exercises.  I'm going to start with 30 seconds just to see how that goes.  That's 2.5 minutes of intense exercise when done back to back.

Take a short break between circuits.  You want to catch your breath but not start to cool down.  You can either do a set number of circuits (2 or 3 might be good if you're new to this) or you can try to get as many circuits done in a set amount of time (that's how we do it). 

If you have questions, feel free to ask.  I'm going to do videos of the exercises that I haven't explained yet and videos of the complete circuits but I will work in answers to any questions that you might have as well.

It's going to be a month of sweating.  At least that's the goal.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Tough Love

I went in for a visit to my massage therapist today. 

Today was also the day that I was supposed to call my doctor and let him know if I was feeling better.  If not, I'm supposed to be referred in for an ultrasound.  I decided to give it a couple more days and give him a call on Monday because while I've been taking it easier, I haven't really given my abs a complete rest.  I'll do that for the next couple of days.

I worked arms a little bit today but even working arms puts pressure on the abs.  I did a few extra sets of concentration curls in place of everything else because they put the least amount of pressure on my abs.  I'm creating a new workout plan for the next month or so and I'm a bit worried that I'm not going to be able to take part.

My massage therapist said that my muscles are inflamed.  I'm not even sure what that means but if it means that I have knots in my back that make it feel like a motocross course, then she's right.  She tried to work them out and I tried not to cry while she did it. 

What a mess.

My back is all knotted up and my abs are strained. 

I should just sit still for a couple of weeks days and see if that helps.  =)

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Still On My Mini-Break

So, I'm just going to share a video with you that I ran across today.

It looks like Chalene Johnson from BeachBody is going to be releasing a new DVD program this year.  It looks fun.

Some of it looks like Turbo Jam but taken up a notch and you all know how I like to take things up a notch.  =)

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Taking a Breather

Remember when the Millineum Falcon comes out of hyperdrive and all the stars stop blurring and come into focus?  That's how today has felt.  Everything just stopped.  The whole world slowed down.  And I'm quite enjoying the feeling. 

I cleaned up the tumbleweed from the week of wind storms that we've had and I have mowed the lawn but other than that, I really haven't done a whole lot.

I went to lunch with Tia, who had just finished taking the final exam in her statistics class.  She felt good about how the test went and that's a load off of her shoulders.

Now, I'm just doing some light reading and not planning on doing much more other than teaching karate tonight.  I had planned on taking part in a very active class tonight but with my ab injury, I'm going to have to be content to watch a very active class tonight.

That's what I did for this morning's exercise class.  I supervised as they burned out a record number of circuits.  Bastids.  I think they did it just to taunt me.

On that note, that's all the effort that I'm going to put into today's blog post.  If you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue with my "ahhhhhhhhhhhhh" moment.