Monday, May 27, 2019
May 2019 Diabetes Self-Treatment Story
Someone through my work connections was diagnosed as diabetic and put on insulin. He gained 20 lbs and wasn't feeling great. He was referred by another work buddy for a way to deal with diabetes without the meds.
I shared the link for how I had dealt with diabetes diagnosis. His sugars were at 273. He was dealing with the "dawn effect" on his morning readings. He reviewed my post and watched the videos. I suggested he talk with his doc about fasting. He had already decided to take himself off of the insulin and start fasting. After a few days his fasting glucose dropped from 273 to 190.
He's been trying one meal a day. His blood pressure is really good his numbers keep dropping. He's dropped weight and still having good blood pressure readings. His reading are below 170 on the glucose.
I know what type of challenge this is and I appreciate that he wants me to share this to hopefully inspire others. I'll be checking in with him as he goes forward. It's important to have support on this type of journey.
Since the Y was closed today I went to run and do the push-ups. I did 0.59 miles at an 11 minute pace which is faster than my 12 minute pace from Saturday. I think as I get comfortable and in better shape the pace will keep improving.
KEEP GRINDING!!!
Saturday, May 25, 2019
5-25-19 Weekly Check In
This week felt very hectic. Got my training in still. I'm feeling tired often and still trying to build up some aerobic endurance as hopefully a way through that.
Cardio days still are essentially 25 minute exercise bike rides and some calisthenics. I'm working on consistently getting 5 miles consistently. It is interesting to notice that my heart rate sometimes goes down while at 90 RPM, sometimes needs to be at 80. It depends on the resistance and where I am in the program.
It was good to share about the push-ups earlier in the week. It has been good to push, and good for me to use it as a way to send good vibes to a friend who could use them. I've noticed that I have started to forget to report them to her daily. So I'm adding 10 push-ups when I do that. I'm going to add 25 on days I forget for any reason. So on a day when I forget to report, next day is 110. If I fail to do them for any reason I'll do 225 (100 for the day and 125 for the day before).
I ran .45 miles today. Longest run since I've started running again. It was good to have family and friends with me. It was after hanging out in a pool and playing tag with my grandson for about an hour and a half. That after training in the weight room this morning. We talked about injuries. I remember looking for that balance between strain and injury.
Before I started running my hips and legs felt really tight and I was expecting to have a painful run. As I started running that seemed to go away. So there is some balance between giving too much attention to something painful and letting it stop you, and not giving enough and getting a real injury. When I dropped the weight squatting earlier this week I was partially expecting to be hurt. I kept my mind on by body healing and that the pain was part of the healing process. Turned out there was ultimately much less pain and discomfort.
Here's my weight training for the week. I'll keep adding small distances to my runs and hope that with that and more intense calisthenics I'll have more energy for my increased work loads. To me it feels like I'm needing more to manage energy than time.
Tuesday:
Bike, Range of Motion, and stretching
Squat 155x5, 175x3, and 200x3
Partial set on 15 on the rack 245 for 5 singles, I dumped the 3rd while trying to rack
Seated calf raises 55lbs for three sets of 10
Circuit of push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, mountain climbers and jumping jacks for 5 sets of 10 each
Stretch
Thursday:
Bar curl 30lbs x20, 40lbs x18, and 50lbs x15
Circuit of push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, and air squats for 5 circuits of 10 resps each
Stretch
Saturday
Overhead press 45lbs x5, 5, and 15
Gripper 52.5lbs for a 5 sets 10, 15, 15, 15, and 30 (trying to get my grip up for deadlifts)
Push-ups 10, 25, 25, 25, 25 for 110
Circuit of hang on pull-up bar for 16 seconds, 10 sit-ups, single-leg squat 5 on each side for 3 circuits
Toe raises for 3 sets of 20
Stretch
KEEP GRINDING!!
Cardio days still are essentially 25 minute exercise bike rides and some calisthenics. I'm working on consistently getting 5 miles consistently. It is interesting to notice that my heart rate sometimes goes down while at 90 RPM, sometimes needs to be at 80. It depends on the resistance and where I am in the program.
It was good to share about the push-ups earlier in the week. It has been good to push, and good for me to use it as a way to send good vibes to a friend who could use them. I've noticed that I have started to forget to report them to her daily. So I'm adding 10 push-ups when I do that. I'm going to add 25 on days I forget for any reason. So on a day when I forget to report, next day is 110. If I fail to do them for any reason I'll do 225 (100 for the day and 125 for the day before).
I ran .45 miles today. Longest run since I've started running again. It was good to have family and friends with me. It was after hanging out in a pool and playing tag with my grandson for about an hour and a half. That after training in the weight room this morning. We talked about injuries. I remember looking for that balance between strain and injury.
Before I started running my hips and legs felt really tight and I was expecting to have a painful run. As I started running that seemed to go away. So there is some balance between giving too much attention to something painful and letting it stop you, and not giving enough and getting a real injury. When I dropped the weight squatting earlier this week I was partially expecting to be hurt. I kept my mind on by body healing and that the pain was part of the healing process. Turned out there was ultimately much less pain and discomfort.
Here's my weight training for the week. I'll keep adding small distances to my runs and hope that with that and more intense calisthenics I'll have more energy for my increased work loads. To me it feels like I'm needing more to manage energy than time.
Tuesday:
Bike, Range of Motion, and stretching
Squat 155x5, 175x3, and 200x3
Partial set on 15 on the rack 245 for 5 singles, I dumped the 3rd while trying to rack
Seated calf raises 55lbs for three sets of 10
Circuit of push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, mountain climbers and jumping jacks for 5 sets of 10 each
Stretch
Thursday:
Bike, Range of Motion, and stretching
Bench Press 120x3, 140x3, and 155x10Bar curl 30lbs x20, 40lbs x18, and 50lbs x15
Circuit of push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, and air squats for 5 circuits of 10 resps each
Stretch
Saturday
Bike, Range of Motion, and stretching
Deadlift 185x3, 210x3, and 240x3 (I need to remember to do the "+" on last sets)Overhead press 45lbs x5, 5, and 15
Gripper 52.5lbs for a 5 sets 10, 15, 15, 15, and 30 (trying to get my grip up for deadlifts)
Push-ups 10, 25, 25, 25, 25 for 110
Circuit of hang on pull-up bar for 16 seconds, 10 sit-ups, single-leg squat 5 on each side for 3 circuits
Toe raises for 3 sets of 20
Stretch
KEEP GRINDING!!
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
5-21-19 Last Week's Check In
This post is a little late. It is for last week. I have worked out this week. I had to dump a squat for the first time ever today. I wasn't expecting it so I didn't have the safety bar set, it was on one. I learned to not relax my muscles until I know the weight is racked or until I dump it. I thought I had it racked correctly and then it started falling. Lesson learned.
I've been working at 100 push-ups a day. I've missed a day here and there, then I do them the next day (so 200 on days after I miss). A friend keeps telling me that I'm super committed to push-ups. It's really that I'm doing this as a way to show support for a friend who has breast cancer. After she told me I asked her to choose between squats and push-ups. She chose push-ups and I told her I would do 100 a day for 2019. I wish I could do more than push-ups. Sending a daily text with "100" has felt good and she appreciates it. It's one way to send positive energy to others and I'll continue at least until December 31.
I did cardio as usual. I ran a longer lap on two days last week. While running I feel some discomfort and start worrying. Usually I'll remember to try to reframe the discomfort as my body growing stronger. Helped so far.
So on to the lifts... (I lift in pounds)
Tuesday:
Bike, Range of Motion (ROM) warm-up, and stretching
Squat 145x5, 165x5, and 185x5
Partial Squat with the rack pin on 16. Since it was first time I did 135 then 225 for one each. Then a set of 5 singles with 245. I'll do that weight all the way down as far as I can get under safely. It was a partial where I dumped it today so I'll have to be careful.
Then I did the following as a circuit for 5 rounds of 10
Push-ups, Sit-ups, Burpees, 4 count Jumping Jacks.
Seated Calf-Raises 35x12 for 3 sets
Stretch
Thursday:
Bike, ROM, and stretching
Bench 120x5, 130x5, and 155x5
Push-ups for 5 sets of 20
Assisted Pull-ups for 5 sets of 11 at -100lbs
Had to work early so I cut it shorter than usual
Saturday:
Bike, ROM, and stretching (Maybe I should just write "warm-up" here)
Deadlifts 175x5, 200x5, and 225x5 (did overhand grip for first 3 reps)
Gripper 50x15 for 3 sets (will work on grip in a lot of ways until I fix comment above)
Endurance Circuit
Push-ups, Shoulder engagement pull-up, Sit-ups, Burpees, 4 count Jumping Jacks for 5 sets of 10
Machine Rows 60x15, 75x12, and 90x10
Seated Calf-Raises 50x12 for 3 sets
I forgot to stretch! Then I went to a park and did a lap.
KEEP GRINDING!! KEEP HIITING!!
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Weekly Check In 5-12-19
Stuck to the cardio this week. Tried the heart rate workout program this week and it was a bit tricky as it kept adjusting during the middle of the workout. Overall OK.
Here is what I lifted this week.
Tuesday:
Bike warmup 10 minutes, ROM exercises, and other stretching
Stretch Squat (holding squat at lowest point for 3-5 seconds) 65x10, 85x10, 105x10
Squat 155x5, 165x5, 180x5
Partial Squat (set at 17 on rack) 225 for 5 reps
Seated Calf Raises 47.5x10, 10, 10
Leg Curl 55x10, 10, 10
Bench Hip Bridge 20x10 and 30x10, 10
Calf and Quad stretching
100 Push-ups
Thursday:
Bike 5 minutes, ROM and stretching
Bar Curl 45x5, 5, 5
Flat Bench 150x5, 160x5, 170x5
Incline 70x20, 20, 20
Decline 50x20, 20, 20
100 Push-ups
Rows 50x20, 20, 20, 20
Wall stretch
On Friday I remembered that I had wanted to work on some endurance for this next period so I changed my workout Saturday.
Saturday:
Bike 5 minutes, ROM and stretching
Deadlift 135x5, 185x5, 205x5
Then I did the following as a series
10 push-ups, 10 mountain climbers, 10 burpees, 10 sit-ups, 10 4 count jumping jacks and then repeated 3 times for four sets of that.
I tried to do pull-ups during the first set and couldn't get over the bar, my bicep was hurting and not getting me over. I ended up doing the supported pull-ups for -80lbs.
Then I did some overhead presses with 20lbs for 4 sets of 20.
Finished with stretching.
The calisthenics routine really had me winded. I'll continue this and include things like flutter kicks, air squats, and other exercises. By Tuesday I'll have a new routine to post. I re-did my weight expectation so I will still do squat, bench, and deadlifts each week. On squat day I'll do partials and see if I can do those at 245lbs.
Saturday after the gym I had time so I went and did a lap around the soccer field. Was already starting to feel like I starting to have leg problems and went ahead and finished anyway. I'll keep trying to that into my week however I can.
KEEP GRINDING!!!
Here is what I lifted this week.
Tuesday:
Bike warmup 10 minutes, ROM exercises, and other stretching
Stretch Squat (holding squat at lowest point for 3-5 seconds) 65x10, 85x10, 105x10
Squat 155x5, 165x5, 180x5
Partial Squat (set at 17 on rack) 225 for 5 reps
Seated Calf Raises 47.5x10, 10, 10
Leg Curl 55x10, 10, 10
Bench Hip Bridge 20x10 and 30x10, 10
Calf and Quad stretching
100 Push-ups
Thursday:
Bike 5 minutes, ROM and stretching
Bar Curl 45x5, 5, 5
Flat Bench 150x5, 160x5, 170x5
Incline 70x20, 20, 20
Decline 50x20, 20, 20
100 Push-ups
Rows 50x20, 20, 20, 20
Wall stretch
On Friday I remembered that I had wanted to work on some endurance for this next period so I changed my workout Saturday.
Saturday:
Bike 5 minutes, ROM and stretching
Deadlift 135x5, 185x5, 205x5
Then I did the following as a series
10 push-ups, 10 mountain climbers, 10 burpees, 10 sit-ups, 10 4 count jumping jacks and then repeated 3 times for four sets of that.
I tried to do pull-ups during the first set and couldn't get over the bar, my bicep was hurting and not getting me over. I ended up doing the supported pull-ups for -80lbs.
Then I did some overhead presses with 20lbs for 4 sets of 20.
Finished with stretching.
The calisthenics routine really had me winded. I'll continue this and include things like flutter kicks, air squats, and other exercises. By Tuesday I'll have a new routine to post. I re-did my weight expectation so I will still do squat, bench, and deadlifts each week. On squat day I'll do partials and see if I can do those at 245lbs.
Saturday after the gym I had time so I went and did a lap around the soccer field. Was already starting to feel like I starting to have leg problems and went ahead and finished anyway. I'll keep trying to that into my week however I can.
KEEP GRINDING!!!
Monday, May 06, 2019
1st May 2019 Check In
Been feeling tired. Still working at keeping at it. Doing 30 minutes on the bike Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays.
Here's the lifting routine for last week. I'll be adapting stuff for a new cycle. I hit a wall in the last cycle and hopefully I can figure out a good way to keep growing.
Tuesday:
Bike 10 minutes
Range of Motion exercises
360 hip rotation and stretching for squat with the rack as a guide
Stretch Squat (hold at the bottom) 45x10, 65x10, 85x10
Partial Squat (set at 18 on the rack) 135x10, 185x10, 190x10
Seated Leg Curl 50lbs for three sets of 10
Seated Calf Raises 45lbs for three sets of 10
Push-ups for four sets of 25
Wall stretch
Thursday:
Bike 5 minutes
Cobra stretch
Bar Curl 20lb x 10, 15, and 20
Corner Pec stretch
Flat Bench 155 x 10, 8, 8
Incline Bench 65 x 10, 12, 15
Decline Bench 45lbs for three sets of 20
Push-ups two sets of 25 and an incline set for 50
Squat stretch, calf stretch, and inverted table for 5 minutes
Saturday:
Bike 5 minutes
ITB Stretch 30 seconds, 3 times on each side
Hammer Curls 10lbs for three sets of 20
Rack Pull 45x5, 95x10, 115x10, 125x10
Single leg deadlift w/5lb dumbbells for three sets of 10
Lat pulldowns 75lbs for three sets of 10
Incline push-ups for two sets of 50
Calf stretch and Wall stretch
Simple week, still working a little around the bicep injury. It is getting better. I almost forgot to mention that on May 1 I went and ran a little and will keep working on that when I can. I'm also supporting a friend who wants to get into running. She's all bad, doing marathons. One goal I have is to be able to do 3 miles with her by December!
KEEP LIFTING! KEEP HIITING! KEEP RUNNING!
Here's the lifting routine for last week. I'll be adapting stuff for a new cycle. I hit a wall in the last cycle and hopefully I can figure out a good way to keep growing.
Tuesday:
Bike 10 minutes
Range of Motion exercises
360 hip rotation and stretching for squat with the rack as a guide
Stretch Squat (hold at the bottom) 45x10, 65x10, 85x10
Partial Squat (set at 18 on the rack) 135x10, 185x10, 190x10
Seated Leg Curl 50lbs for three sets of 10
Seated Calf Raises 45lbs for three sets of 10
Push-ups for four sets of 25
Wall stretch
Thursday:
Bike 5 minutes
Cobra stretch
Bar Curl 20lb x 10, 15, and 20
Corner Pec stretch
Flat Bench 155 x 10, 8, 8
Incline Bench 65 x 10, 12, 15
Decline Bench 45lbs for three sets of 20
Push-ups two sets of 25 and an incline set for 50
Squat stretch, calf stretch, and inverted table for 5 minutes
Saturday:
Bike 5 minutes
ITB Stretch 30 seconds, 3 times on each side
Hammer Curls 10lbs for three sets of 20
Rack Pull 45x5, 95x10, 115x10, 125x10
Single leg deadlift w/5lb dumbbells for three sets of 10
Lat pulldowns 75lbs for three sets of 10
Incline push-ups for two sets of 50
Calf stretch and Wall stretch
Simple week, still working a little around the bicep injury. It is getting better. I almost forgot to mention that on May 1 I went and ran a little and will keep working on that when I can. I'm also supporting a friend who wants to get into running. She's all bad, doing marathons. One goal I have is to be able to do 3 miles with her by December!
KEEP LIFTING! KEEP HIITING! KEEP RUNNING!
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
May Day 2019
This blog started on May Day 2005. 14 years, with some long periods of not posting. Thanks for those of you who have been here back in the day and those who are new.
Went to the gym today and did 30 minutes on the exercise bike and my 100 pushups. We went to the park and I used the map app on the phone to figure out that the short end of the soccer field we walk around is 350 feet and the longer end is 400 feet. I walked the long end around and jogged the shorter end. So ended up doing 6 of the 350 foot sections. I'll likely stick with that for a while then do the 400 foot sections.
I'll be walking tonight for May Day. So lots of good movement for the day. Below is a song for the day.
KEEP GRINDING and KEEP HIITING!
Went to the gym today and did 30 minutes on the exercise bike and my 100 pushups. We went to the park and I used the map app on the phone to figure out that the short end of the soccer field we walk around is 350 feet and the longer end is 400 feet. I walked the long end around and jogged the shorter end. So ended up doing 6 of the 350 foot sections. I'll likely stick with that for a while then do the 400 foot sections.
I'll be walking tonight for May Day. So lots of good movement for the day. Below is a song for the day.
KEEP GRINDING and KEEP HIITING!
