45 Days and counting

August 30th, 2017 / Categories: Hear Me, inspiration, makin' my own fun, Moose Nuggets, Moosin Around / Comments Closed

What’s that you say? You thought the challenge was only 40 days? Well, you are correct, sir. Congratulations. However, why waste the start of a good thing is what I would like to know.

You don’t, of course. My goal is to continue this as a new lifestyle. There are changes just waiting to be seen.

For instance: my knees no longer hurt! I mean, seriously – they no longer hurt. Now, that is not directly due to the challenge. It is mostly due to Coach Nikki and I working hard at getting them to the point that they no longer hurt. She has been wrapping my knees with her voo-doo band whenever I’m in the gym. Now I do the wrapping and she oversees to make sure it is done correctly. After two minutes, the wrap comes off and I walk about in the gym making sure my toes are pointed forward instead of duck walking like I used to do. (especially with my right foot.) I can’t tell you how many times I would come home after a great workout and have trouble bending my knees to sit after standing in the shower, standing to dry my hair, standing to do my breakfast . . . this week I noticed that is not happening any longer!!! Whoot!!! Article on using voodoo bands

But, that is not even the biggest change. This one can pretty much be attributed directly to the past 45 days of learning to eat clean, reducing sodium and refined sugars . . . at my eye exam last week I discovered my blood pressure was extremely low (for me) at 88/54. Ummm, yes. You read that correctly.

I had to place a call to my doctor to see if she wanted to see me sooner than my normal time in October. Spoke with the nurse, scheduled an appointment for tomorrow. Then the nurse called me back yesterday and said, nope, an appointment is not needed. We will lower the dosage on one of your meds and see you in October, unless you feel you need to come in sooner.

After years of having my BP in the 135-140 range (top number) and 90s range (bottom number) I can only attribute this to the past 45 days. article on blood pressure

Now do you see why I intend to continue?

Thanks Coach Nikki and Crossfit Certitude!!!

40 days – and 40 nights

August 27th, 2017 / Categories: Hear Me, Moose Nuggets / Comments Closed

My crossfit gym recently held a 40 day partner challenge and a friend and I signed up. We downloaded apps that helped us understand how many calories we needed each day in order to build muscle, lose weight, get stronger.

Now, if you are like I am, you have always thought – fewer calories equal weight loss. Right? Wrong!!! As counter intuitive as it seems, you NEED to take in enough calories for your body to survive day in and day out. I slowly got my head wrapped around that and discovered for my height, weight, and age, I needed to take in nearly 3000 calories per day. Yes, blink, you read that correctly.

Before pics and measurements were taken. Instructions on point systems and prizes were given. The process began. My partner and I chatted constantly via messages daily. We worked out together and separately. We tracked our food intake and our exercise both inside and outside of the Box.

Friday was day 40. We had done a certain WoD (work out of the day) back in July and this day was a re-test. We had also done our max on back squat back in July and re-tested that as well. I was excited and pleased to add 35 pounds to my 1 rep max back squat (from 150# to 185#) and cut 2 minutes and 37 seconds off Angie. (100 Ring Rows, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 air squats)

We did our after pics and measurements Saturday. My weight loss was nearly 5 pounds. Now, that may not sound like much to some, but it is exciting for me. Look at the pics and I think maybe you will see it, too. I replaced fat with muscle and we all know that the volume of one pound of fat is more than the volume of one pound of muscle. I call the past 40 days a success!

Oh, and I am not finished. I plan to maintain the same healthy eating and exercise program. After all, it takes 90 days to form a habit. This habit is my lifestyle choice.

p.s. it appears that my partner and I won the challenge also – all those extra point challenges on top of our regular points came in handy for the win.

Many thanks to Coach Nikki and CrossFit Certitude for the challenge and for the encouragement. Thanks also to my family who have supported me through these past 40 days – for your love and encouragement. Thanks to my coworkers who have had to listen to me daily yak on about it all.

before after front before after side

Bonus Anniversary #2

May 10th, 2017 / Categories: Family, Moose Nuggets, Moosin Around / 1 Comment »

weddingday

We were 19 – young, scared, in love, full of ourselves. We had the world at our fingertips and, rushed headlong to meet it. We were barely out of diapers, looking back.

But, we had each other and were ready for whatever the world would throw at us:

In sickness and in health . . .

That title up there? Bonus Anniversary #2? July 31, 2015 almost saw the end of us. The “us” we knew. A cardiac arrest almost took my heART away from me. But, with the grace of God and the hands of the surgeons and doctors He placed in our way he survived. And, for that, we are grateful.

And with that, we celebrate not only our 48th wedding anniversary, but it is our second bonus anniversary.

We will be going to Homer for a couple of nights to rest and relax and just BE together in the place we hope to call home someday.

Valentine's dinner smooch 2016

Valentine’s dinner smooch 2016

Light Bars and Fog Lights and Aged Eyes, oh, my

April 17th, 2017 / Categories: Alaska, Hear Me, Moose Nuggets / Comments Closed

We are saying goodbye to the long winter dark here in Kenai. Yes, we are thankful the ice and snow have (mostly) faded away to only a few blackened lumps around town. Yes, we are grateful the icy roads are (for the most part) a thing of the past.

But, as my early morning drives to the gym are gradually getting lighter, there is one thing I am really looking forward to: no longer needing to flip off on-coming drivers. No, not THAT kind of flipping off, sillies. I’m talking about using my dimmer switch.

What? You didn’t know there was such a thing? I’m afraid you are not in the minority. It would seem several people do not know that particular switch is installed in their rigs.

Although I use the thing rarely, I would be thrilled to not have to use it at all.

It depends on you, dear early morning drivers. I would not have to flip you off if you would be courteous enough to turn off your fog lights and light bars when meeting on-coming traffic. Like me. Driving to the gym in the early morning hours.

I try to be courteous enough to make sure my brights are dimmed while you are still down the road. I figure if I can see your lights you can see mine and take appropriate action.

Yes, those light bars are great fun – and it shows you have some status, well, cash to put into such toys. And, I know they are useful for those long hauls to Anchorage in the dead of night. And, they are even useful on the street-light-less roads between Kenai and Soldotna.

But, please, take into consideration those of us who have aging eyes. If you are close enough to me that I am blinded by the lights (two points for lyrics!) then you are causing both of us possible harmful reaction time.

Now, go on . . . go play with your toys on the escape route. Please dim your lights and turn off the light bars and fog lights when in traffic.

Don’t say you’re sorry

December 28th, 2016 / Categories: Hear Me, inspiration, makin' my own fun, Moosin Around / 2 Comments »

“Sorry.”

“Don’t say you’re sorry,” said my coach. “You’re still learning. You’ll get this.”

I wasn’t too convinced that I would ever figure out what a “clean” was. Or a “jerk”. Or a KBS.

But that was then – about three years ago. I’ve discovered that within this nearly 67 year old body lies a beast waiting, raring actually, to come out and prove itself. Not to others, but to me!

I can do it; with commitment and hard work, and lots of 5:30 a.m. classes. I’m getting stronger. Bolder. CrossFit is fun. Yeah, I said it. Come play with me.
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Tara asked for 100 words with “Sorry” as the prompt. (Word says this is 100 – WordPress says 98 – we’ll go with this anyway)

If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, come play with me at CrossFit Certitude. 5:30 a.m. classes are a hoot. Really. Don’t believe me? Yeah, come play with me. You’ll see.

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