Success Warrior: The Blog That Embraces ADHD

Today's Lope Was An Actual Run

Holy mother of all that is good and evil!  What have I done to my abs?

My toughest student, Drill Sergeant, dropped the F-bomb this morning.  Her abs hurt worse than mine, or rather, more of her abs hurt and I had her doing a quad exercise that involved the abs to a great deal.  It sounds like her obliques hurt right up to her armpits.  Yes, as a matter of fact, your obliques do go up to your armpits.  I know this because I have done the same thing to myself before.  You know you have worked your obliques hard when your ribs hurt.  Damn.

After working out, I went to the couch with a bag of Cheetohs and some Dr. Pepper to watch American Idle reruns.

Actually, I mixed up some Shakeology and worked on a fitness plan for a friend but it's easy to see how the two could be confused.  Well, except for the fact that I don't eat orange colored styrofoam or drink sugar water and have never seen a single episode of American Idle (and I couldn't even put in something cute there because I can't remember what Idle is - singing contest?).  But, other than those minor technicalities, it's easy to see how the two could have been confused.

After I had Trey off to school, it was time for another experiment with the Fibram Five Finger Bikila.  I went up to Leppy Hills, which is a walking trail here in West Wendover.  There is a 1 mile loop, a 3 mile loop, a 5 mile loop, and lots of hills.  I thought it would be great.  I could head out hoping to get through the 3 mile loop but if it didn't look good, I could cut off for the 1 mile loop.  On the outside chance things were going great, I could hang in there for the 5 mile loop. 

I ended up going around the 5 mile loop and ran the whole way, which I thought was amazing for someone wearing new shoes and being "out of shape".  It was pointed out to me recently by Drill Sergeant during one of my "out of shape" whining sessions (there have been a few over the 5 months of my injury recovery) that while I may be a long way from my peak condition, especially when it comes to strength, my "out of shape" did not actually match the general definition of out of shape.  Only, she didn't caught say it like that.  It went more like this, as I dropped the weights to the mat:

"Sheesh, I'm outta shape."

"Bullshit!"

It's close though, right?

So, I haven't run for several months and setting out on a 5 miler might not be considering breaking back into it easily but there it is.  It felt good too.  Not super fast but that's okay.  As I hit the 2 mile mark, feeling really good, I thought that if I could make the 5 miles in 50 minutes with all the hills, I would be a super hero. 

56 minutes.

I missed super hero status by 6 minutes.  Crap.

I noticed some things on this longer, hillier run than I noticed on my super brief test.  My stride length returned to normal.  It was short in the beginning but as I got back into the rhythm of running, it lengthened out to my normal stride.  I still hit mostly with the ball of my foot.  It was like I would stretch my foot out front and then start the kick before my foot hit the ground.  Coming down the hills put a lot of impact on the balls of my feet.  In fact, I ended up with a blister on the ball of my right foot. 

I sprinted the last hundred yards to see how that felt.  It felt like sprinting.  Don't know what else I can tell you about that.  I didn't feel anything on my heel that was jarring but I wasn't thinking about it much at that point.  I was just see how fast I could sprint after running 5 miles.

I'll have to take some time off from running until the blister goes away.  I saw a place that would be fun to climb but that will have to wait as well.

I also think that a disk golf course would work nicely up in that area.  There are big enough boulders and ravines to keep things interesting.  I'll have to go back and walk the area more slowly.  The city manager has already warned me that the BLM will probably tell me no but I'm going to look anyway.  The disk golf course in Taylorsville goes around with a walking trail so it's something that can be done.  I didn't take my camera with me or even my Droid because I went light.  My VFF Bikilas and my iPod and that was it.  Next time (and there will be a next time because I need to see if I can shave off those 6 minutes to earn my cape), I'll take my camera so you can see the area. 

I found a pic online that kind of shows the "area" but not really the walking trail area specifically.  I'll give you this for today and fix it next time I go.

I was going to talk about dropping water weight in the first couple of week's of a diet change but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Now, it's time to get ready to start the weekend at work.  I've also got to start looking into what I'm going to be doing next week, taking the blister into account.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is 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, TurboFire, 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.

Disk Golf Today

So,

I was goofing around yesterday and did something a bit different for my abs.

I should never let me be alone with my thoughts.  Ever.  It's too dangerous.  My lower abs are damaged.  Not in a bad way (this time) but in a way where they would would rather participate in life for a day or two.

Hey!  So, you know what I did today, right?

In my defense . . .

Actually, I don't have anything to say in my defense. 

I didn't play very much disk golf, if that counts for anything.  My brother couldn't get a babysitter so that day was cut very short, in fact.  We got in one round and then kind of did a speed round that didn't really go so well except that I did have some really good drives today.

I tried out my Vibram Ridge and old habits die hard.  I tried throwing it like an Aviar and it floated right over several baskets.  Several.  Time and again.  Does it sound like me to not be aggressive enough?

We didn't keep score but my brother ceded the day because I was wearing my Vibram Bikilas.  No, not really.  Well, yes I was, but that's not the reason that he gave me the day.  I just seemed to be more on in the second round.  I won the first round by 1 throw and many of my drives in the second round were just pretty. 

I suggested that the next time we are so short on time that we give up all pretense of playing like we usually do, grab 2 disks, and see how quickly we can play through a few rounds.  That would make it different and a bit of exercise on top of that.  Maybe we could even sprint a few holes.  That might be taking it too far.  I will probably try that on my own though.  Standing on the desk.

Since we got done so early, I had some time to kill.  Okay, I never really have time to kill but I had already scheduled to use this time so I felt like I had free time.  On my way home, I took a slight detour out to REI, which is very dangerous but my wife had already told me no.  I made the mistake of calling her.

"Hi.  Hey, I'm going to zig a bit on my way home and stop at REI."

"No."

"What?"

"No."

"I didn't say anything yet."

"No."

"Fine, I was just going to look anyway."

Dammit!

I'm going back next week and this time, I'm not calling her.

"We're missing money from our account.  Did you go to REI?"

"Surprise!  I bought you a daypack.  Can I borrow it?"

I also found out that I'm going to be a kayaker.  There is a bit of problem with that and if you look at the pictures from yesterday's post very closely, you might pick up on what that is.

Anywho, I took a picture of a kayak with my Droid and texted (texted?  The English language is so mashed up) it to my wife.  This, of course, will only lead to future No's and may invoke her to put GPS on my car with a disabler if I get too close to REI.  I'm going to try to sell her on the daypack though with the old, "Hey!  It's not like it's a kayak.  Do you know how much those cost?"

When I go back for the kayak (and I will go back for the kayak), I'll have to hope she has forgotten about my argument or I'll have to come up with something better.  "Hey!  It's not like it's a powerboat . . ."

Today is my last low carb day.  It hasn't been any kind of struggle.  I just did it as kind of a preparation for the next stage, which will be primal + dairy. 

The thing is, unless I've completely lost my mind, I usually eat protein, fruits, and vegetables.  It's not like this is anything new.  I suppose the new part for the next 10 weeks is that I'm going to be strict about it. 

I usually eat this way but I'm also not any kind of purist about it.  For the next 10 weeks, I'm going to be better then usual.

I have also started reading The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain so that I have a better understanding of paleo.  It's not quite the same as primal but I don't think it will apply to me but I think it will be good for me to read.  You know, because I have a bunch of spare reading time.

Wait a tick!  In all my aimless rambling, I forgot that I did actually take a couple of pictures today.  We were playing so fast that there wasn't much time for getting the camera in and out of the bag.  It's too bad.  This late in the season, the Riverdale Disk Golf Course is tough.  All the greenery is in.  Well, you'll get the idea from the two pictures that I actually did take.

 
"I think I see the basket."

That's my brother out there in the thick stuff.  From there, he had to throw a tomahawk roller to get anywhere near the basket.  It didn't really roll though.  It took a lucky bounce off of a log and rolled to a point where he had a putt at the basket, which he made. 

I'm taking this picture from where my drive landed.  Not in the brush and trees.  Most of my drives were right on the mark today.  This is a weird drive too because I throw the disk with about a 75 degree dip down so that it just makes a big up and down arc, moving a little to the left as it goes.  There are all kinds of trees between the tee and the basket, to the point where you can't see the basket.  A lot of the baskets are like that.

 
Case in point

This is a tee pad for a different basket and I can't remember which number it is.  Not that it matters at all to any of you anyway.  The basket is about 300 feet up that path and then about 30 feet to the right of the path.  You can't see the basket.  You can't aim at the basket.  For a lot of people, it's wonderful if they get there disk past those sentry trees and any where near the path.

This is a tough hole and most of the course is very much risk/reward.  I haven't counted but I would say that you have an opportunity to birdie just about every basket on this course if you go for it and make it past the trees.  On the other hand, if you hit a tree way short or end up in some of the super thick brush, you're looking at a bogey. 

For people that are familiar with the course, I'm talking about playing from the red tees.  If you play from the yellow tees, you should probably getting a birdie or at least par every time. 

We came up on some guys that were kickin' it in the shade.

"You playin' off the red tees?" one of them asked.  My brother answered in the affirmative and the group had to briefly move from the shade because they were kind of ahead of the red tee pad.  My brother took the pad and let his disk fly.  It flew flat and straight, between a couple of trees, then faded to the left around a clump of big trees, going about 300 feet and landing in range for an easy birdie.

"That's why you're playing off the red tees," the guy said.

My shot wasn't quite as impressive but it landed close enough to give me a shot at the basket for birdie.  I hit the bottom of the basket for a gimme for par.

Now, back to the rambling for one more short bit.  I think I swallowed a piece of chicken bone and I think it's still stuck in my throat 2 hours later.  Besides driving for 100 miles to a hospital, does anyone have any suggestions (and besides suggesting not eating chicken bones, I've already thought of that one and written it down on a post it so that I can stick it on the next piece of chicken that I eat).

Tomorrow is some kind of lope.  I still thinking about going to the walking trail (can you lope on a walking trail?) but I'm also entertaining the idea of something rougher.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is 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, TurboFire, 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.

Changing Supplements Too

Have I mentioned that my 10 week plan is going to be different than anything that I have done in the last few years.  I mean, I'm even changing my hair style for hell's sake (No CV, not quite as long as the pic on that home page).

So, I thought I would completely change up my supplements too and BodyBuilding.com was running a special on a packaged deal so I picked it up to throw into the mix.

Let me point out one drawback to the "change everything" shotgun approach that I'm taking over the next couple of months.  I won't really know what had the most effect or if it was some combination that helped out.  What if it turns out that I'm like Samson and that growing my hair out is what has the most effect and I attribute any changes to eating protein and lifting heavy weights.  I would be so wrong and I might cut my hair not knowing how detrimental that would be for me. 

On the other hand, the actual goal over the next couple of months is mostly just to shake things up.  I just want to change.  If I come out on the other side, pretty much like I am now (except with longer hair), I will still have done what I wanted to do. 

Do you ever get like that? 

I'm not abandoning anything important to me but just changing my approach.  It's like standing on the desk in The Dead Poet's Society.  I just want a different look at what and how I am doing things.  My results are secondary to that.  I don't want to downplay the results too much.  I was injured in April and have been going light for 5 months now.  I fully expect that training hard for 2 months is going make a big change in my strength level and hopefully move me close to where I was before the injury.  I'm also hoping that my new found hobby of VFF loping helps me stay or become leaner. 

I expect results but when I think about my before picture, I know that it's going to be very possible for me to get stronger and not change that much.  I trained for and ran an incredibly tough half marathon 13 years ago (Race for the Angel - for those of you that are familiar with this bit of hell).  Before starting my training, I weighed 220 pounds.  After 6 months of running 3 to 7 miles a day, I weighed 220 pounds.  Do not even ask me how I did that? 

Back to the supplements for the next couple of months. 

Initially, I was just thinking about adding glutamine to what I was taking and calling it good.  Then, right on cue, Bodybuilding.com sent me an offer that caught my eye and struck my "change everything" nerve.  This stack has glutamine in it so what I wanted is there in addition to creatine.  Two things that I think just about anyone can benefit from, especially when combined with some resistance training. 

This stack has something for pre-workout, post-workout, protein, and something for joint health.  It's something that I would create for myself, in fact, or else I wouldn't be taking it.  I actually drink my post-workout/recovery drink during exercise and just start getting it in.  I have other things to do when I'm done exercising (you know, like shower - ewwww) so I just sip on it like I would with water during the workout.

Obviously, at this point, I can't attest to the effects of taking this stack although I have already started taking it.  I want the creatine and glutamine already in my body when I start the attack next week.  So, even though I can't say these particular products work, I do know that the stuff that's in these products work so I can recommend this package deal if someone is completely confused by all the products out there.  The work has been done for you on this one.  Easy peasy lemon squeezey.

Combos Action Star Stack, 4 Bottle Combo, Cookies N Creme / Raspberry Lemonade / Grape 

If you're changing everything or starting out and want a boost, this will help you out, no doubt.  I'm starting to sound like Dr. Seuss.

No more rhymes, I mean it.

Anyone want a peanut.

Enough of that, let's look ahead to what's coming up for the week.

Tomorrow is my lope to the top of a hill.  A steep hill.  A hill that overlooks the whole town.  I'm going to take my camera with me.  I was just going to take my Droid but I don't think that will do the view justice so I'm going to take my camera with me.  I'll take pictures on the way up and from the top (if I make it that far).  My wife has walked in the area and said there are lots of ruts and loose sand.  Pshaw!  Nothing that my new Bikilas can't handle.  Now, my ankles and legs, that might be a different story but my shoes, I'm sure, are up to the challenge.

Thursday is disk golf.  We'll probably play 3 rounds at our favorite course.  I just read an article on what an excellent activity disk golf is because of the low entry cost, zero ongoing fees, and the fact that anyone from 6 to 96 can play it.  Well, I happen to agree.  You can buy one versatile disk for $15 and go play at a free park.  Anyone can.  I highly recommend it.  I just need to move where it isn't so dang cold for so long so that I can play more.  The article said that you can even play in the snow.  I had to give that part a "oh hell no" but the rest of it, I agreed too.  They were comparing it to golf though and with disk golf, it would certainly be possible to play in the snow but I have yet to do that.  Maybe this year, I'll be out there in my VFF Flows, putting barefoot footprints in the snow, chucking a frozen piece of plastic around.  I could just see dinging the post that holds up the basket and cracking my disk. 

Friday is probably going to be a much shorter lope, or easier.  I'm going to go to the walking trails and give them a try.  I've walked the 1 mile trail.  They also have a 3 and 5 mile trail.  We had Trey with us so we took the short path.  He'll be in school so I'll just play it by ear and I'm not promising to stay on the trail.

That was the best part of my trip to Craters of the Moon with CV.  If you're confused by this sudden jump in topics, you haven't read recent comments.  Anyway, trail schmail.  We looked for the "Do not go beyond this point" signs and went right by them figuring that there was probably something good not too much past them.  We were right too.  There are caves all over the place out there.  The lava cooled and left huge pockets in the ground.  Some of them have openings and some of them connect to each other, although we had to belly crawl in some places with the rock scraping our backs to get from one to the next.  Incredibly fun.  We did some climbing inside them too.  Climbing was easy but coming down was really hard.  The person on the ground that was holding the flashlight had to call out foot and hand holds.  We spent the entire day out there spelunking.  Absolutely amazing.

There are caves around here too.  I'll have to see if there is a website with a map or something.  I may have to lope up into the hills and have a bit of a check around.

Saturday and Sunday will be back to the reality of work.  Bummer but I'm going to have a great time between now and then and I will, as always, keep you updated.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is 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, TurboFire, 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.

Vibram Ridge, Running for Fun, and a Metabolism Reset

Trey and I took the Vibram Ridge out for some practice at a ball field yesterday.  The Ridge is his favorite disk and he feels that he plays better with it than the other disks.  I may have to buy him one.  I think it would make a great first disk.  It's easy to throw for a kid.  It's more Frisbee-like than longer range disks.

I took my portable basket along with my Aviars, Sharks, and the Ridge.  I wanted to compare the three types of disks with each other.  There was a bit of a wind.  Not that it matters much when comparing all three disks under the same conditions but I was hoping for a calmer day.  It's always windy in Wendover though so I can't complain too much about the wind when it was gentle by comparison to most days here. 

The Ridge is softer than the other disks and is easier to grip.  It's got more of a rubber feel to it than plastic. 

I set the basket up at about 200 feet from where I was going to be throwing (best guess).  The basket was just to give me a target to aim at so that I could get a good feel for the disks.  I didn't expect to make any of my first shots into the basket.  A couple of them were pretty close though and I'm sure if I kept throwing, I would have eventually made an ace.

Here's an interesting note.  The disk that I did the absolute worst with was my new Star Shark.  I wanted to try the Star material because it's supposed to be better.  The disk kept slipping out of my hand early so that all my shots were way off to the left.  Way off.  Even though I was hitting the basket in one shot, I should have been getting an easy two.  I was far enough off with the Star Shark that it took me two putts to get in the basket.  Trey gets all my disks that I don't use and it looks like he has just inherited a Star Shark for his bag.

The rest of the disks were fairly evenly matched on the first shot.  The Shark had a little bit more distance on it, which was to be expected.  I never overthrew the basket with the Aviar or the Ridge.  I wasn't chucking the Shark out of the ball field, it just tended to go a bit farther if I put too much into it.  I played all the disks to the basket for practice and found out that I suck when I putt with the Shark.  The Shark is a good all purpose disk that a person could use if they were only going to buy one disk but I definitely putt better with the Aviar and the Ridge.

On the drive, there wasn't a whole lot of difference between the Aviar and the Ridge other than a bit more fade with the Ridge.  As it slowed down, it took more of a left turn. 

On the putts, the Ridge felt better in my hand but was a bit more "floaty" for me.  Now, mind you, I've been putting with the Aviar since I started playing disk golf so it is most likely the way that I'm throwing the Ridge and if I end up wanting to play with it as my exclusive putter, I'm probably going to have to drop practicing the with Aviar and stick solely with the Ridge.  It's something that I'm considering doing because I really like how the Ridge feels in my hand.

The drawback at the moment is that I've collected 5 Aviars over the years so they are great for practice sessions.  I can throw 5 disks before I have to walk to the basket to collect them.  I will have to build up my collection of Ridges if I want to be able to do the same thing.

I've been giving quite a bit of thought to running over the last couple of days because Trey starts school Monday and that means that I'll get to run a few times a week again.  I am going to take to the desert because the ground is softer and it's going to give me a chance to just goof off a bit.  I've got my eye on a hill not too far from here that is topped with boulders that I could climb once I get to that point.  I don't know how many miles of a climb it would be and I'm not even promising to run the whole way.  The focus is going to be on movement and enjoyment, not any kind of time scale. 

I am also going to be going for a hike next month, up a mountain and then back down.  I think that it's only a couple thousand feet up from where we are going to park the truck.  This first hike on this particular mountain is going to be from the end of the road and not up the entire mountain.  Just a little test and I might even take this test in my Bikilas.  Not sure on that yet but I might try it and have it my trail running shoes in the backpack, just in case the terrain is too rough.  The reviews that I have read on this particular hike state that the rocks can make the climb a bit harder than it would appear. 

Speaking of tests, I may head out for a short run in the desert in Bikilas today.  Time is going to be the factor here because I did not get anywhere close to enough sleep last night so a nap is going to be mandatory.  Tia didn't sleep well last night either so she's sleeping now while I keep Trey from bothering her.  She will return the favor later so I will have to see if there is enough time between when she wakes up and when I go back to bed, with some lunch in there somewhere as well.

To get ready for my 10 week training block, I am going low carb for a week.  Low, not "no".  I am still using orange juice in my Shakeology and I had a baked potato with dinner last night.  I want to get my body ready for what's coming but I'll start adding in plenty of fruits and vegetables next weekend because I'm going to need energy for the workouts, plus it's just plain good for you.

I have tried the edges of the spectrum, super low carb and vegan, and my conclusion is that the human body (at least mine) wasn't made for such extremes.  Plants and animals are here for humans to eat and I plan on eating them.  What wasn't put here for humans to eat are frankenfoods and I'll be trying to steer clear of those over the next couple of months (and pretty much for the rest of my life). 

The P90X program starts with a lower carb intake for Phase 1 to help get the whole thing kick started but it can lead to a bonk in the workouts and I want to avoid that so my "Phase 1" eating plan is going to end before I actually get into the tougher workouts.  I have 3 easier workouts planned for the next week, plus my running, plus I'm going to try to get my bike functional for this fall (the goathead thorns out here are killer on tires).  When I get into the ten week plan, I want my energy levels up so that the workouts are challenging based on the workout, not on energy depletion.

I'm really looking forward to everything that I have planned for this fall and I have a disk golf day planned for this Thursday.  I'll be taking the Ridge out into the real world to see how it performs (or rather, how I perform with it) out on a couple of different courses.

As always, I will tell you how it all goes.

Stay tuned.

Roughing It

I'm taking one for the team to write this blog post for you under the current conditions.  Check out my Facebook or Twitter profile for a picture.

One of the things that I like about our get-aways up here by Yellowstone is that there is usually some downtime for reflection.  That hasn't really been the case this time as it seems that just about every minute has been spoken for.  Things have finally slowed down and sadly, it's our last day here.  Then we have to return the desert and our broken air conditioner. 

I'm going to have to do some kind of diet detox when I get home.  I can say that without any need for reflection.  I have been eating s'mores and anything else that came my way. 

I called for a follow up with my doctor today.  Oct 12.  Nice.  I think that the trigger point stuff they did last time is on the right track and now I need to see if I can talk them into doing it where it hurts the most.  I should have been more on the ball at the time but I wasn't convinced they what they did was going to help since it seemed to make everything hurt more instead of less.  Now, a week later, where they did the injections feels better.  Not just kind of better but *better*.  If I can get that kind of relief on my back, I'm going to be able to turn and burn on my program.  That would be cool because I have a new plan for the next couple of months.

It's going to be a combination of heavy stuff (considering the class format) and intervals.  Not on the same day but alternating through the weeks, with a couple of recovery weeks, and a hell week.  I have the picture in my head but I haven't written the plan down yet.  I'm thinking about keeping the extercises to only 4 per day so we'll have to stick with some of the basics (push ups, rows, squats, etc.).  I won't be doing anything fancy for the next couple of months or doing funky combinations like I did for this month or last month.  Solid basics, done heavy on some days, and then done for intervals on other days. 

It's going to be draining so that makes me think that I better be serious about doing a diet reboot in the next couple of weeks.  Maybe I'll drop the carbs low for 10 days and then add the fruits and vegetables back in and stay strict Primal for those two months, at least as far as food goes.  I'll probably add glutamine back in to my supplementation for those two months to help with recovery.  If it goes anything like the movie in my mind, I'm going to need all the help that I can get.

I got my hot pink GymBoss timer.  I'll be using that for the interval days because I won't have time to look at the clock.  It's going to be "go, go, go," and then take a super short break.  Then go again, and so on, until I collapse into a pool of my own drool and sweat.  It's not going to be pretty.

I have an appointment with my physical therapist on Wednesday.  I hope she can help get the muscle situation figured out because I'm not going to be holding back or waiting for Oct. 12th or anything.  Oct. 12th is like a lifetime away and I'm glad that I don't have anything life threatening.  I asked for the earliest appointment possible and this is what I was given.  I'm not putting my life or fitness plan on hold any more waiting around for the doctors to figure it out.  Nothing *I* do makes it better or worse so I'm just going to go for it.

I think I'm going to do a bit of running too, at least until it gets too cold for me.  Trey starts school in a week and that will allow me to go and do a bit of running on a few days.  Nothing too far and nothing too fast.  I know that running isn't necessarily Primal but I enjoy it and I'll be going slow speed so it might still count if it's more of a lope.  I'm going to be looking into the VFF Bikila too.  If I'm running in those, it's going to be a different world so I'll be teaching myself how to run again.  That will automatically slow down the pace and the mileage. 

I am hoping to get a treadmill this winter so that I can keep running even when it gets too cold for me (which isn't really that cold since I hate having to put on layers to go run).  The upside to that is that I could keep running next summer when Trey is home from school.  Although, next year, he might be old enough to keep up on a bicycle.  That would be a great thing.

I'm hoping that he'll be old enough to start playing disk golf soon.  Tia was talking about learning too so that we could go as a family.  With a bit of practice, anyone can throw a Frisbee.  I was teaching them both how to throw a disk a couple of weeks ago because it's a little different than throwing a Frisbee.  Trey was doing pretty good yesterday when we were throwing them at the practice basket. 

Now, Tia is going for a ride with her mom and Trey is going to have a nap so I'm going to get a little private practice on the disk golf basket before I have to put it away.  We are leaving first thing in the morning so I will start the packing process tonight.  That means the basket will have to broken down and boxed up tonight.  So, while everyone else is busy doing their own thing, I'm going to put on my iPod, jam some tunes, and throw some disks.  I'm working on improving my putting so that I can attack the basket from farther away.  Right now, I'm prone to lay it up and take the gimme rather than risk overshooting the basket.  I should get to the point where I can confidently put in anything that misses, especially if I ever want to get to the point where I can play a sub-par game (which just doesn't sound right at all).

Speaking of which, my Vibram Ridge disk golf disk should be at home when I get there, or at the post office rather.  If we get home before the post office closes, I should have a new disk in my hand tomorrow.  How cool is that!

Enough rambling.  Time to go throw some disks.

I Ordered Toe Socks

There.  I said it.

<rant>

This morning, the doctor's office called me to remind me of my appointment tomorrow and also remind me not to eat anything after dinner tonight and not to drink anything after 6am tomorrow morning.

Roger that.

Later this morning, someone else from the doctor's office called to remind me that I'm meeting with the physical therapist tomorrow.

Roger that.

This afternoon, someone besides the first two people called to tell me that my insurance company had declined authorization of the procedure so my appointment was cancelled.

Lovely.

Of course, I immediately called my wife because she's The Fixer.

I was declined for two reasons.

1.  The doctor's office doesn't have the test results from my MRI.  If you haven't been following this blog long, you might want to check out the back story   to fully appreciate this rant (and long time readers might want to glance at it as a refresher). 

The short version goes something like this:  When I initially tried to make an appointment with this doctor, they said that I wasn't allowed to until they got the test results from my primary physician.  I had to put my wife on that job too but she made it happen and I was able to make an appointment.  I've been there twice now and this would have been my third visit.

All of that to say, they have the damn test results or at least they did at one point.  My primary doctor has my test results.  My neurosurgeon has a copy of the test results.  I have a copy of my test results.  *You* could probably google "Success Warrior + MRI test results" and get them, for hell's sake.

2.  The second reason that they are denying it is because the first treatment wasn't at least 50% effective. 

Hellooooooo? 

The reason that I'm letting the doctors stab me in the neck again is because the first time didn't work.  That's the point.  This is a different procedure that is supposed to do what the first procedure didn't do. 

But apparently my insurance company knows more about neuroscience than my plethora of doctors.

So, if they don't authorize this treatment and things don't change for the better by magic, I'll be taking my handfuls of pills until my liver craps out on me.  I wonder if the insurance company covers that.

</rant>

On a super cool note, I received a phone call today that made my day.  When I was a cop, there was this kid that was kind of taken under the whole department's wing.  We let him hang out at the PD and took him for rides in the cars.  Well, he grew up, lost his brain, and has decided to become a cop.  He found me on the Internets (Thanks Al Gore!) and asked for some help preparing for the physical test he's going to have to take to be accepted into the police academy.

So, I worked up a plan for him and he started it a little over a week ago.  He's supposed to email me, at the very least, every Sunday to let me know how things are going so I can tweak the plan and keep him on track.  Sunday came and went and I didn't hear from him.  Monday, I sent him an email reminding him that he's supposed to keep me in the loop (part of my job in these situations is being the kick in the ass guy to make sure people are moving forward).  Still nothing.

Today, he called to tell me that his email won't send for some reason (Damn you Al Gore!) so he was calling with the update.

He lost 6 pounds in the first week, says he feels better in general, and said that he's sleeping better too.  Bonus!

Here's the thing about Utah's police test.  It's designed for lean people.  Our job here is to make him stronger and faster than he currently is but much smaller.  Every single one of the tests is easier, the lighter you are and the smaller your gut is.  Stronger can't come at the price of bigger muscles, just stronger muscles.

We have under 3 months to turn him into a lean, mean, PT machine.

His phone call was the bright spot in the middle of all the other phone calls.  He's doing great.  I made it clear that I would design a plan for him but it was up to him to do the work.  It sounds like he's doing the work and that's great.

So, back to the toe socks. 

I warned you guys that I was going to be buying them so don't act shocked.  Remember, I have the cold weather Vibrams, the VFF Flow.  Also remember that while they do keep my feet warm, they don't keep my ankles warm.  So, I bought one pair of Injinji Toesox  to see how they would perform being worn inside my VFFs.  I'll keep you updated, of course.  I'm really hoping that they are comfortable so that I can wear my VFFs in the cold.

Yes, I know Rick.  I'm a puss when it comes to the cold.  I have accepted it.

Update: You knew this was going to happen.  My appointment for tomorrow is back on.  My wife just called me to let me know.  I told her that I fully expected that outcome with her on the case.  She said it wasn't really that difficult this time.  Whatever.

So, I'll be making some dinner soon and that will be my last meal until dinner tomorrow night.

Think of me and wish me well while you are eating breakfast tomorrow.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is 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, TurboFire, 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.

Yesterday's Disk Golf

I was up at the butt crack of dawn and out the door.  I had just barely written yesterday's post where I said that I would make sure to take some pictures and maybe even get some video.  Sometimes my brain isn't working at the butt crack of dawn and so I went out the door and left my camera charging on my desk.  It's fully charged now and has no pictures of disk golf on it.  I did take a few on the first round with my Droid and posted them in real time.  I can see the coolness of this and will probably do it again.  If you want to follow along, make sure you have me in your Facebook status updates or follow me on Twitter.  I'm still going to take my camera next time for more pictures and better pictures but it was fun doing the real time thing.  The lag time with the Droid was such that I didn't get any action pictures taken so I'm going to combine the two cameras next time and do some real time stuff and then take a bunch with my real camera to post when I get home.

While I was up at the butt crack of dawn, I actually waited until the local grocery store opened (6am) before really leaving because I wanted to pick up some ice for the cooler and some protein bars.  We don't take breaks for actual meals so I like to have a snack on hand.  In addition to the Big 100 bars that I like so much because they taste good and are filling, I've also started eating the Clif Mojo bars.  They have less protein but they sure taste good and when you're going out to play 4 hours of disk golf, carbs are a good thing.

The first thing that we noticed when we got to Taylorsville was that it was so much cooler.  We were starting a couple hours earlier in the morning that we usually did and it was very nice.  The second thing that we noticed was just how windy it was.  We had never played in this kind of wind before and it was going to add an extra challenge to the day.  The throws had to be a delicate balance between low and not-too-low.  When we threw the disks too low, the wind seemed to just drive them into the ground.  When we threw them too high, the wind got to pick where the disk landed and it usually wasn't anywhere near where we had intended for it to land. 

You might remember (but probably not) that after the last disk golf day, I said that we were going to actually keep score this time to see how we compared to par.  What a sucky day to do that because the wind made even putting a difficult endeavor.  We actually forgot for the first couple of baskets but an extra friend had tagged along for the day and it made our usual scorekeeping impossible and that reminded us that we were actually going to keep a real score count this time.

Now, you might also remember (and probably do) that I mentioned that I am slow to adapt to technology.  My mind just isn't there like it should be, or at least could be.  Anyway, the course brought us back close to the parking lot around  basket 3 or 4.  My brother thought that he had a blank scorecard from another course and asked if I had a pencil.  He grabbed the blank scorecard and I found a pen in my car.  We filled in the first 3 baskets and kept score for another 3 baskets.  I was taking pictures with my Droid and posting them to Twitter, which automatically posts them to my Facebook status (so freakin' cool).  He looked at me and said, "Doesn't Droid have an app for everything?"

"Yes, it does," I said, totally and completely clueless as I hit send on my latest tweet.  Helloooooooo?

"Don't you think it has a golf scorekeeper?" he said.

"Probably about a hundred of them," I said, completely catching on . . . finally.

I went to the Droid market, grabbed the first 4 star free golf score app that I came across and downloaded it.  Normally, I would read reviews and such but I didn't want to hold up the game and it was free so if it didn't work out, no loss.  It downloaded very quickly and man! Pencil and paper, schmencil and schmaper.  Once I had the names filled out, everything was a simple touch of a drop down menu and scorekeeping was incredible easy.  Where I had to hold the piece of paper in the wind on top of one of my disks so I could write the score with a pen that has been sitting in my car since pens were invented (you know the kind right? where the ink is more like dust?), now I just turned on the Droid where the app was already open and on the correct hole, tapped a couple of times and bam! we were keeping actual score.

How'd I fare?  Par for the course was 54.

On round 1, which we call the Practice Round even though it "counts" as much as any other round counts (very little), I won with a 64.  There was quite a bit of discussion on how to play the baskets with the wind factor.  10 over par seems pretty poor for what I can do but the wind did force me to change how I throw the disks and this is actually a good thing.  I started by changing how I putt because there was no way that my soft easy lobs were going to work in the wind.  What I went to was a martial arts move that I'm good at, only I was holding a disk as I did it.  It turned out to work very nicely and this will be how I putt from now on because after nearly 20 years of martial arts, this throw feels very natural to me.

On round 2, which we call the Real Round, my brother and I tied at 60.  This seemed better, still considering the wind.  We took what we had learned on the first round and applied it on the second round.  We each had a couple of birdies to help make up for the wind-caused bogeys.  We'll have to try this course again without the wind to see how it goes.

On round 3, which we call the Slop Round because we are usually pretty tired by this point especially since we tend to play in 95+ degree weather, I won with a 62.  I was just about spot on for the first 12 baskets even with the wind and then it all kind of fell apart on me.  Into the wind, I used my 180g Shark (which means absolutely nothing to readers who don't play or don't use Innova disks) so that I could throw straight despite the wind even if it meant shorter throws.  My brother thought that he would capitalize on this by continuing to throw his driver.  His theory was that if he got a good throw, he would be out-throwing me by 100-150 feet.  His theory was true except that the wind always picked up his disk and put it out into right field.  Quite literally.  On one basket, the wind got under his disk, took it up into the air, and then sailed it far, far to the left of the intended landing spot.  The disk flew over a 12 foot fence into right field of the nearby softball field.  I got to go get it for him since I was small enough to slip under the bottom of the fence.

All in all, considering the wind and the fact that I have never kept score before so this essentially becomes the basis for all future measurements, I was happy with how I played.  Trying a new throwing style on the fly can be a risky thing as far as scores go and it worked out nicely with me doing the best putting I have ever done.  On top of that, I found a Droid app that takes any kind of chore feeling out of keeping score.  I don't have to try to hold a sheet of paper on top of a disk and find the pencil.  My disk golf bag has a pocket that is perfect for the Droid and makes it very handy to retrieve, input the scores, and move on.

Now, the bad news. 

Apparently, sometimes when I drive, I pivot my back foot and drag the top of my toe across the cement pad.  This, as far as disk golf goes, is not a bad thing.  As far as Vibram Five Fingers go though, it's a very bad thing.  VFFs have a Vibram sole (they are famous for making soles for boots) and can be used for years . . . as long as you walk on the bottom of your feet.  The tops of the Vibrams are very soft and very breathable, which is a great thing, but also can't handle being dragged along the cement.  I ended up tearing a hole in the top of the big toe.  There's only a few weeks left of summer here so they are just going to have to make it to the end of the season.  Next year, I'll buy another couple pairs to replace it.  I've decided on at least two pairs because I want to be able to chuck one pair into the dirty clothes to be washed "whenever" and still have another pair to wear around.  I'm also going to be looking into a pair of the running Vibrams, the Bikila, but that will be a topic of another post.

In the Cool News section, there's this little tidbit tying it all together.  Vibram now makes putters for disk golf.  How freakin' cool is that? 

I was unaware of this fact until yesterday when my brother told me about them.  He said they plan on expanding their line to include all flavors of disk golf disks.  I, of course, ordered one today because I read this in the rule book and I quote:

"If you practically live in your Vibram Five Fingers AND you play disk golf AND you said something similar to 'How freakin' cool is that?' when you found out that Vibram now makes disk golf disks, you absolutely must purchase at least one disk immediately with consderation given to purchasing further disks in the future."

So, you see, I had to order one.  The Ridge, if anyone cares.

I'll take pictures or video when I take it out for play . . .

Unless I leave my camera charging on my desk.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is 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, TurboFire, 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.

Disk Golf Recap

There is a reason that disks are brightly colored. 

This is not a statement on how my day went.  It was a good day.  A bit warm as the day went on but that's just how it goes for us.  We seem to play the most in or very close to August so that it's 100 degrees out.  This day was only about 94 degrees, which sounds so much better 100 degrees. 

We played a course that we had never played before, in Taylorsville. 

My concerns about the course being crowded because it was a holiday were completely unfounded.  There is a softball complex at this park and a tournament going on so there were a bunch of girls warming up on hole #4 so we teed off from an alternate spot on the first round to avoid smacking some 10 year old girl in the head with a hard piece of plastic.  Pull!

We saw a couple of other groups of disk golfers but never came into contact with any of them except one guy new to the sport that let us play through because his drives were going less than half the distance of ours. 

On that topic, I actually outdrove my brother a couple of times.  Huzzah!

Although, the truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter.  All of the holes were listed as Par 3 (although a couple of them should have been listed as Par 2) so any distance won on the drive was lost on the second shot as we both were putting that shot near the basket for a putt.

The putt is where the game was one or lost.  I was on my game in round 1 and round 3 and I won.  During round 2, except for an amazing uphill second shot that was about 70 feet from the basket that flew absolutely, beautifully, perfectly into the center of the chains for a birdie, other than that I seemed to be hitting low, banging my disks off the outside of the basket more times than not.

In the end, I won the first round by four, lost the second round by 3, and won the last round by 2.

 

My brother driving for basket #18.  Yes, he's wearing VFFs. 

 

Something that occurred to us is that we have never, ever actually kept score.  We are playing these courses that have par listed and we don't actually know how we compare to par.  The only way we have ever kept score is in relation to each other.  Next time we go (hopefully in two weeks), I'm going to take a pen and a notepad and keep score.  I think it would be interesting to know how we are shooting.  Probably somewhere close to par.

We got birdies on several holes but there were those times that the putt hut the basket or bounced off the chains wrong for a bogey.  In the second round, my brother managed to hit the disk into the bottom of the basked in some way that caused it to shoot back out directly in his direction.  Incredibly bad luck, that.

 

Driving off of #18.  A Par 3 that should be a Par 2.

There has been some concerned expressed by several people that this sort of twisting, chucking motion may not be the best for my neck and back.  I had my concerns as well but all went better than well.

First, my logic for going ahead and giving it a try was based on a double-edged sword.  So far, nothing the plethora of doctos has done has helped in treating the problem.  The meds help deal with the worst of the symptoms but nothing has helped with the root of the problem.  On the other side of that, nothing that I have done has made it worse either.  So, I figured that I would give it a try.  It's not like I couldn't stop at any point if it didn't feel right.

Here's the kicker.  During, and for about an hour after, is the best that my back has felt in months!  I have no idea why.  The sheer pleasure?  The stretching motion?  The fact that it's mostly a right handed motion and the problem is on my left side?  I have no idea but I think I should use it as a treatment program and get my health insurance to pay for my gas to get to different courses.

I'll catch up my food journal tomorrow.  Have a good weekend.

***

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 HEREto 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 Disk Golf Day

I haven't written about disk golf much this year and that's because I haven't been able to play much this year.  There have been lots of obstacles that have come up between me and disk golf and I was beginning to think that this year was going to be a complete wash.  The planets have aligned, pluto is in the 7th phase (not that it matters anymore since Pluto got demoted from planet-hood), and the temperature is supposed to be under 100 degrees, so my brother and I are going to be playing today.  Not that there isn't going to be a price to pay for this.  I'm writing this at 5am and I won't be going to sleep until 22 hours from now but if I wait for all of the conditions to be perfect, I'll never get to play.

My brother and I are heading to a course that we've never played before.  I'm hoping that it's not too busy.  It's a holiday in Utah today so there is a potential that even though it's a weekday, the course could get packed.  Here's the thing with that.  I have to drive for about an hour and a half to get there and to get back and I have to be to work this afternoon.  If I lived anywhere near civilization, I wouldn't mind playing at a leisurely pace on a crowded course.  Since I don't have that luxury and it's been a month since I've played last and who knows when I'll get to play again, I want to get in as many rounds as possible before I'm forced to make the journey home.

Here's something that I often think about for those of you who think about the life energy on the planet.  Driving across the salt flats absolutely drains me, no matter what time of the day it is or how I was feeling before crossing them.  I live along a major migration route for birds because they won't fly over the salt flats.  As they come north or south, they divert around the salt flats increasing the concentration of birds that fly along the mountain range just to the west of my house.  The salt flats are a dead area used by speed freaks to drive as fast as they can and the military to practice dropping bombs on stuff. 

Exercise today is going to be chest and abs and I can tell you right now that I'm not feelin' the love.  Unless something changes in the next 45 minutes, I'm going to be taking it kind of easy.  It's not like I'm not going to get my ab work today.  My brother and I usually try to get 3 rounds of disk golf in when we finally get the chance to get together.  54 holes of disk throwing works the obliques like a muthuh and also the right shoulder and triceps (for those of us that are right-handed).

My brother and I always take our cameras and last time we did a really poor job of remembering to take them out of our bags and actually take pictures.  I'm going to try to be better about that today.  I've tried to take video but it's hard to do.  The disk flies off and disappears so you can see the throw but you don't get to see the results.  Last time, I tried standing at the basket instead but it still didn't turn out right.  I may try a video again, maybe of a second shot instead of a drive, so that people who don't know what disk golf is can get an idea.  Taking video of the second shot from the point of view of the basket will give people some idea of what the game is about.

Here's yesterday's food journal:

• Breakfast - Shakeology
• Post swimming victory snack - Trey wanted a snack after swimming again.  This time he chose beef jerky and I decided to join him in a snack.  I had a pineapple juice popsicle that had chunks of pineapple in it.  It was pretty tasty and I may have to do it again next week.
• Lunch - Ham and turkey sammich again.  Get used to it.  It's summer.
• Dinner - A couple fried chicken thighs, a couple potato wedge thingies, and a couple glasses of wine*.  It was late by the time we were heading for the grocery store so we just grabbed some stuff from the deli because no one was in the mood to cook.  This happens quite frequently on our grocery trips.

*There are two points that I want to make here but they are going to have to be very quick because it's nearly time for exercise and after that, I'm outta here for my trek to the disk golf course.  One point is for readers and the other is specific to me:

1.  If you are reading this blog for weight loss tips, alcohol should be in your diet very rarely if at all.  There are a couple of reasons for this but the main one is that it's sugar.

2.  I tried a little experiment yesterday with my meds.  The shot that they gave me in my neck could still work but it might take some time.  If I'm taking my meds, I'm not sure I'll know if it takes effect so yesterday afternoon, I did an experiment by putting off my meds for as long as I could to see how I feel.  Two words: Miss Steak.  The shot is not working yet, not in the least. 

Now, I'm off to work my abs before I go work my abs.

***

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

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Abs This Morning

I had to do some modifications but I thought that it went well.  It's a tough workout and I couldn't even do the modifications that I had planned.  I had to tone it back even further.  Not because of back pain but just because I couldn't do the workout.  How sad is that?  Halfpint kicked my ass today.  Of course, she's a bad-ass so I don't feel too bad about it.  It would have been nice if I could have even pretended to keep up.

Tomorrow is legs and I may do better at that.  Maybe.  I can't believe how I feel after doing nothing for three weeks.  I'm going super-light tomorrow again but I think it should go well for me.

I went for a three mile run today too. 

Martial arts class is tonight.  The doctor told me that I should actually fight anyone but I could do my forms.  My techniques are my forms so I'm thinking that if I don't have to wrestle anyone, I should be okay. 

Tomorrow is disk golf.  Tomorrow it's supposed to rain.  Natch.

I have to drive quite a way just to play.  I'm going to have throw the disks around here for practice.  I have a whole desert to throw them in.  There aren't any targets but I can work on my drive.  I'm thinking about buying a basket this year so I can actually work on throwing to a target.  I could work on my short game easy enough out here.  I can pick one up for a little over $100 so that might have to be on my list for this year. 

Father's Day is just around the corner.  Hint, hint.