Feel Sick? Push Harder!

8:00am: Another great day of a couple extra hours of sleep. Granted, I woke up at 5:50am and then every 30 minutes until 8am, but it still felt good to rest up. I was up a little later than I'm used to last night and ended up falling asleep watching Sports Center. My brother was asleep on the couch next to me and Mandi was passed out in a chair next to him. Gotta love slumber parties! Mandi and I decided to take Jezzabel for a morning walk because there was a slight breeze and it was still somewhat cool out. It felt great to get up and at em this morning cause I did have some lung tightness and pain when I first woke up. Generally when I feel like that it just makes me want to push myself even harder. I probably feel that way because of some extra mucus in my lungs, so I figure if I really make myself work, I'll be able to get that extra crap up and out. With that in mind, we headed for the hills.

Now, these weren't crazy steep hills, but they definitely had a nice little incline to them. All in all we did a 2 mile walk, but I would say that at least .5 miles of it was up hill. It forced me to take deeper breaths while walking and it got my lungs opened up quickly. We tried to keep up a decent pace but J Bell was a detective this morning and decided to sniff everything in sight. I worked up a sweat though and got myself in a better position to do my treatments more effectively. I hate doing my treatments when it feels like I can't take big ol' deep breaths. I just feel like I'm short changing my lungs when that happens. Anytime I feel that way when I first wake up in the morning, I make sure to step it up in whatever exercise I am doing. Feeling sick doesn't discourage me, it motivates me to push harder.

Total Distance: 2.0 miles

1:00pm: Mandi and I headed to the gym after a morning of shopping with my brothers. We let them have a break and rest on the couch while the "adults" handled business in the gym. It was arm day, so as always, I was looking forward to it. Mandi and I barely took any breaks in between sets and were pushing each other the whole time. She wasn't sweating nearly as much as me, but she was really stepping it up in terms of finishing sets strong. She's gotten much stronger since we started working out and it's cool to watch her strength continue to increase. For example, the first time that we ever did diamond push-ups, she could only do about 5. Now, she is doing 4 sets of 10 with a slight spot on the last one of each set. Her arms are looking jacked and she constantly is threatening me with a flex of her bicep. It puts a smile on my face every time. Current Weight: 185.5 lbs

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles

Sleeping in the Rain!

7:30am: So I actually woke up at 6am at first, but it was raining and J Bell wasn't going to be getting her walk in that, so I decided to sleep in. It felt AMAZING to do so, but I did feel guilty about not rolling out of bed and going to the gym instead. Oh, well, things happen. I love laying in bed listening to the rain and eventually falling asleep to it. I felt so refreshed when I actually got out of bed. My morning was full of breakfast and work. I was also planning out a weekend with my brothers who were heading up today. I know that my schedule is going to be thrown off slightly while there here, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They are fully aware that I still need to take care of myself while we're having fun and hanging out and they support that 110%. It brings me great joy to be able to spend time with them.

12:00pm: After hours of work I finally got to the gym. I went to a different one than I am used to going to on the other side of town and it ended up being a real good experience. The LA Fitness I went to today is newer than my regular gym, so I got to use new equipment that I haven't used before. They seemed to target some of my muscles differently and I have a feeling I'll be very sore the next couple of days. I lifted on my chest and back and was able to increase the weight on almost every lift. I've also started doing my push-ups at a decline which seems to really work the pecs like crazy. I just want to continue to push myself and make my body work and never get too comfortable. I'll be taking off the rest of the day to spend time with my little brothers (who are both taller than me) and just enjoy their company. Current Weight: 184 lbs.

Side Note: Since I know all of you love my movie reviews, I'll give you one. I went and saw the new Terminator movie tonight. Let's just say that it's a two hour long movie that's about 90 minutes too long. It felt like the thing went on for 4 hours. About half way through my ear drums started bleeding because of the crazy loud fighting and shooting scenes. The movie had good action, but apart from that was actually kind of pointless and predictable. Just my 3 cents.

Random Picture of the Day

Picture: Yes, we ran into Dr. 90210 in Miami, and yes, his shoes matched his glittery gold jacket (I know you can't seem them, but just trust me on that one).

93 Floors, Throwing Up, and Putting Out Fires

6:00am: I absolutely did not want to get out of bed this morning. My body AND mind still felt tired from yesterday. I'm looking forward to the weekend, which means I'll get ONE day off of the gym. Maybe I can sneak in a Sunday afternoon nap as well. Then again, I'll be hanging with my little brothers this weekend, so the activity level will probably be ramped up a bit. I'll see if I can convince them to do an early morning hike with me on Saturday or something.

I felt bad that J Bell didn't get a walk yesterday, so I knew that instead of the gym this morning that I would take her around the block. So I took a few swigs of Powerade and off I went (that becomes important in a bit). I felt good in the very beginning of the walk and was able to move some stuff up, but I started to have a really deep cough about five minutes in. Well, if you're a CFer, you know what a stomach full of liquid plus deep coughing can produce. That's right: Projectile Powerade. I water somebody bush on the side of the road with my stomach juice. I wonder what the passing cars were thinking?

Anyway, after that little episode I felt fine. I had a decent pace and was breathing with very little effort. Jezzabel had a smile from ear-to-ear the whole time and behaved herself rather well. I'll have to make up some cardio time at the gym later. Today is legs and shoulders, so maybe I can blast my legs on the stairmaster...

Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 38'31"

3:30pm: ...and blast my legs I did! But first I did rehab lifts on my shoulders, which seem to be responding to the new "very light weight" workout. Hopefully in about a month's time I'll be able to really lift on them again. I also did some squats and leg presses, but just mostly to warm up my legs for climbing some floors of stairs. I decided to do the stairmaster for 30 minutes today! Let me just say, about 10 minutes in, I hated my decision. I thought that somebody was playing a joke on me a slowed the timer down. I pushed through it though and then before I knew it there was only 5 minutes left. I then decided to really kick my own butt. At the 5 minute mark, I started increasing the level every minute. The last minute I was hauling tail on that thing and I had the sweat soaked shirt to prove it. There was sweat running down my arm and spraying off of my elbow like a water hose. I honestly think I could have put out a camp fire with the amount of liquid that was pouring off of my body. Man did it feel good!!!

Total Floors: 93 floors

Total Distance for Day: 2.1 miles Total Floors for Day: 93 floors

CFF Pool Parties Ahead!

6:00am: I think I hit snooze about 4 times this morning! Not sure why I was so tired, but I think it may have to do with yesterday's workout. I'm really trying to step it up in the gym and get stronger every single time I am in there. So far, I've been able to steadily gain strength and size, but I want to make sure that continues. The longer you work out, the harder you have to push yourself to get the same results as before. By stepping up my workouts, I'm just hoping to keep that ball moving down field.

Anyway, I was off to the gym this morning to do some cardio. I ended up starting on the elliptical which I did for 20 minutes. I've started bringing magazines with me which really help to pass the time. I learned all about Jon's affair on Kate and how Brad and Angelina haven't been spotted together for weeks. I mean, who doesn't want to know that stuff (before you pile on me, the magazines are Mandi's)? They do help the time fly by though and I would suggest it to anybody who has actually read this far down in the post. After 20 minutes on the elliptical, I moved to the stairstepper which I did for 10 minutes. It's actually a little bit unbelievable how much I manage to sweat first thing in the morning. It just starts pouring off of my forehead and onto and off my nose. I can't think of a better way to start the day though. These morning workouts give me a boost that last the whole day!

Total Distance: 1.65 miles Total Floors: 30 floors

4:00pm: It was arm day today at the gym, so I was definitely looking forward to working out. Arms are fun to do and you get to see instant results since they're not covered up by your shirt. Plus, it gets to the point where I can barely lift my arm to scratch my nose, so it feels like I'm doing something that works. I guess most people would consider your arm being "dead" a bad thing, but I look forward to that feeling every Wednesday and Saturday (or Sunday). I also was able to do abs today. It's harder to get motivated to do abs without Mandi there with me, but I usually hear her yelling at me in my mind, so I guess it's all the same. I ended up doing a variety of crunches, but they totaled about 200 of them. I felt nice and tight in the mid-section, which I hope keeps up cause I have a few CFF pool parties that I have to attend :)

There was no J Bell walk tonight cause my foot was giving me issues. I iced it on and off while I watched the finale of American Idol. Which, if you're wondering, I would have been happy with either one winning. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd rather go to an Adam concert, but I'd rather by a Kris CD. So, for me, it was a toss-up. It did however warm my heart to see Kris' wife's reaction. Way to go Kris!

Total Distance for Day: 1.65 miles Total Floors: 30 floors

Random Video of the Day- Barbie Girl

Back by popular demand...yet another installment of cross country music videos.



Enjoy!!! And just so you know, I had to learn the words, I didn't already know them. That would be sad. Then again, maybe me taking time to learn the words is the sad part.

Lack of Oxygen Headache?

6:15am: I was traveling today so my schedule was a little different than normal. I did however get to sleep in a teensy weensy bit, so I'll take that whenever I can get it. I didn't sleep with my oxygen last night and I woke up with a very slight headache. Now, let me just say, this could be for two reasons: 1) I didn't sleep with my oxygen or 2) I slept on a couch with my head in a really weird position on a slightly hard couch arm. I'm thinking that could cause a headache as well. I slept well throughout the night though and don't even remember the circumstances around falling asleep, so all in all, it was a good night and morning. I woke up with plenty of energy for Jezzabel's walk, so she was certainly happy about that!

Like the last couple of days, I really didn't have a whole lot of mucus to cough up. And it's really hard to know if that's a good or bad thing. I could be clear and not have that much mucus in my lungs OR I could be getting backed up with mucus plugs that refuse to budge. Judging on how I'm feeling overall though, I'm guessing that my lungs are pretty clear. Plus, for the majority of the time, my mucus is clear. Let's just hope I'm right in my assumption.

Total Distance: 2.0 miles Time: 37'37"

4:00pm: After more traveling I was glad that I was still able to make it to the gym. I've always gotten kind of wiped out from any form of travel whether it be by car, train, or plane. Not sure what it is about it, but I always need a recovery period of some length to feel right. I got to the gym though and did chest and back. It turned out to be a great workout! I felt really strong and was able to increase the weight on most of my lifts. I do have to admit though, I felt very bloated during the whole workout due to a little stop at McDonald's. The old chicken wrap and french fries got me. I was on the road and needed something quick. I know, poor excuse, and I paid for it. I rarely eat fast food (except Dunkin), but when I do, I get pregnant with that food every time. I waddle around for the following 4 hours after the grease and fat filled meal and feel like someone pumped my stomach full of "hard air". Do any of you other CFers out there get this? I'm guessing I'm not the only one....

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles

17.2 Total Miles for the Week of March 11th

Week of March 4th: 17.7 miles
Week of April 27th: 15.7 miles
Week of April 20th: 22.9 miles
Week of April 13th: 18.75 miles
Week of April 6th: 20.95 miles
Week of March 30th: 31.7 miles
Week of March 23rd: 24.48 miles
Week of March 16th: 34.85 miles
Week of March 9th: 23.6 miles

Feeling Very Refreshed

5:45am: Woke up a little earlier than usual this morning to get the day started. My body and mind felt very rested from the weekend. Although I did not have a very strenuous weekend physically it was still very busy. It was basically the best of both worlds. Sometimes, when I overwork myself physically it can last with me for days and affect my performance moving forward. On the flip side, if I just lay around and doing nothing, I feel sluggish and can also feel the mucus building up. The key for me this weekend was resting from the gym, walks, runs and other physical activities, yet staying very busy and always moving. I was still able to get short walks in and went to the gym once, but I was also able to rest my feet by not pounding on the for too long. It was also a great mental break. I got to hang out with friends and catch up on everbody's story. That was much needed and a great escape from the daily grind that has become my life. Now, don't get me wrong, I love it and more importantly, I feel great, but I know that breaks are needed now and again. When I break it down, between doing treatments and exercising, I'm committed to at least 5 hours a day. That's over 30 hours a week! It's practically a full time job to just take care of myself. I'll tell you what though, the benefit is much greater than a paycheck.

I got up and went to the gym this morning to do a little bit of cardio. My lungs felt pretty clear first thing this morning and I didn't do a whole lot of coughing. I certainly coughed still, but instead of 8 times a minute, it was 4. I brought up small amounts of clear stuff, so that's always a good sign. I worked up a really good sweat doing 20 minutes of the stairstepper followed by 10 minutes on the elliptical. Like I said before, I didn't cough as much, and it was pretty easy to take in some deep breaths. I feel like my lungs aren't very junky right now. But, as most of you know, sometimes that feeling doesn't last very long. Hopefully though, by staying on top of exercise this week, that feeling can last for a while!

Total Distance: 1.0 mile Total Floors Climbed: 53 floors

3:00pm: It was off to the gym for some shoulders and legs. I'm still taking it easy on my shoulders because of the pain (and I probably will rehab them for a while) but I was able to step it up a little bit on my legs today. I didn't go all out, as they are still very tight and sore, but I pushed them a little harder than I have the last couple of leg workouts. I still did a lot of stretching on them, but I added some actual weight lifts as well. I did some squats and leg presses for the first time in a week. My legs feel fine and should be totally ready to go by the next leg day.

Total Distance for Day: 1.0 mile      Total Floors: 53 floors

Great Post on Exercising and Running

I really recommend that you check out this blog post by Chic Runner. She has compiled a great list of how to put yourself in the best position to run/exercise. I highly suggest you check it out!!!!

http://www.chicrunner.com/2009/05/starting-out.html

Encouraging Words from Friends

8:30pm: Today was another unusual day in Sickboy land. I did get to the gym to do arms which was nice, but I didn't get any cardio in besides a .5 mile dog walk. I think overall it was a good thing though cause my foot has been bothering me all weekend and staying off of it was probably the best thing I could have done. Tomorrow I'll be back on schedule and pushing it to the limit as always. My lungs have felt good the whole day though so that's definitely a huge blessing. I also had A LOT of friend time this weekend which was really good. With such a busy schedule, my friends usually get the short end of the stick. I generally only have 1 to 2 hours of free time a day and if it doesn't fall in line with my friends free time then we don't get to see each other. This weekend I was able to hang out with about 15 different friends and do a lot of catching up. Some of them hadn't seen me since I've been out of the hospital and they all had very encouraging words about how I looked. Most of them just said I looked to be in good shape and an overall "healthier look". I must admit, it feels good when people notice the change and comment on it. It gives me some added energy for the workouts and an extra boost to get up early in the morning and tackle the day ahead. So to all of my friends out there reading this, Thank you so much for your encouragement and I promise that this is just the beginning. Continue to send your thoughts and prayers this way as they are much needed. That's all I've got. Good night.

Total Distance: .5 miles

Total Distance for Day: .5 miles