My "Get Healthy" Checklist

Guest blog by Ashley Coleman

If you asked me who I am and what I am about, you probably wouldn’t ever hear me being defined by my Cystic Fibrosis. First and foremost, I am a devoted follower of Christ. My passion is to help people find truth. The truth sets us free. Where does freedom come from? Jesus Christ. I’m defined by few things outside of Him, but Ronnie has asked me to write about my Cystic Fibrosis journey, and so I will.

Stay with me as I make this long, long journey into a few paragraphs. At the end of February 2012, I noticed I was getting sick. I had just finished a long day at work and had a really lame workout because I was so fatigued. I bought some groceries because I knew I would need a few days of rest. Little did I know, I wouldn’t be able to carry those groceries in my house. I was so out of breath, I had to call my mom to come unload my groceries. This was a Sunday. She convinced me if I was still unable to make it up the stairs without getting out of breathe that we would visit our local ER (not my CF Clinic that is 90 minutes away). Needless to say, I didn’t improve and I found myself staying in the local hospital for a night without them knowing what to do with me. I was sent home with some oral antibiotics and not even given a PFT.

A few days later, I found myself walking the halls of my CF Clinic, Tulane, to my doctor’s office unable to even carry my purse. Once again, Mom to the rescue and after much convincing my doctor admitted me. I stayed 3 nights and was released just in time for my 25^th birthday. 20 pounds lighter, lung function at 57%, first PICC line, first CF hospitalization, first real CF exacerbation; I was scared.

57% was a number I had never seen. Not me, I am healthy. Not me, I don’t really have CF. It was time to wake up and get out of this cozy place of denial and take control of my health and well being. For two weeks, I did every single IV and breathing treatment and even walked some. There was no getting past this; it was now or never. Wake up and deal with my CF or just lay here and die, literally. It was life or death for me. I did improve to 78% but that wasn’t good enough for me.

I was born a fighter. Not literally, but figuratively. I was not going down like this.

As soon as I got my PICC line out, I was cleared for vigorous exercise again and could get super sweaty. I grabbed my Insanity DVDs and sometimes did two workouts a day, walked my dog, did every single treatment, and went to the gym. I packed on some weight, a little more fat than I wanted, but over the past 18 months my body composition has changed. I have packed on solid muscle and improved my lung function to 95%. I went from 86% to 95% in just three months. At 86% my doctor’s words were “don’t expect too much improvement from here” so just imagine his reaction when he saw 95%!

My biggest and only change is exercise. I workout 30-120 minutes per day, 6 days a week. Every day I go to the gym to workout a different muscle group. I would recommend beginners to start with a 3 day a week full-body routine, but I have been weight lifting for about 3 years now. I also do some sort of cardio. Lately, it’s been Insanity videos, swimming, and running. Now that it’s getting cooler out, I am going to be cycling more. I also walk my dog 1-2 miles a day and I look forward to that increasing as well. My diet consists of anti-inflammatory foods 5-7 days a week.

So what do I suggest to improve your lung function and quality of life?

•      Add things before you start taking away. Add the anti-inflammatory foods before taking your daily Doritos away. Eventually, you will begin to relate how you feel to what you are putting in your body. FOOD is FUEL. Add a little exercise at a time. You don’t want to overwhelm and burn yourself out.
•       Do what you can with where you are and what you have. What does this mean? If you can walk to the mailbox and back 5 times do it, then do it again the next day and do it 6 times. If you can run a mile, do it. If you cannot afford a gym membership, do your best to fit that in your budget. Join a class at the gym. The YMCA turns no one away for being unable to pay.
•       Don’t do this alone. Get friends involved. Ask for accountability, whether that be friends in person or friends on CF forums. Make a commitment and do it. If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer 2-4 times a week. I am beginning online training if you are interested, but I’m not here to plug myself. A financial investment is sometimes all you need for lasting motivation.
•       Mentally prepare yourself. Tell yourself every single day that you can and you are doing this.  Tell yourself what a good job you are doing and truly believe it.
•       Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but in the end produces a harvest of righteousness”. I posted this scripture everywhere in my house.
•       Be kind to yourself. You will not change over night. You aren’t where you want to be, but you are on your way. Remind yourself every day of this. Love yourself well enough to take care of yourself.
•        Find a balance. Be diligent with your treatments, but also don’t beat yourself up if you miss one. It’s okay. Find that healthy balance.

Please, let me know what I can do to help. My goal is to see us as a CF community (and human race as a whole), take charge of our individual health – mind, body, and spirit. We can do this. You can do this! Believe me. Believe in you.

Bio: Ashley is 26 years old and lives in Mississippi. Ashley is trying to make a difference in this world, starting with her community while seeking health in all areas of life, freedom, and happiness for herself and others. She hopes to encourage and inspire transformation, not only those with CF, but every person she comes in contact with to be healthy and strong, but most importantly tap into God's perfect plan for their life and walk in God’s promises for all of us. She is a personal trainer and aspiring writer and blogger. She is passionate about life, loving people well, laughing, running, reading, and learning. Ashley believes every day is a journey, an adventure, a learning experience, and another opportunity to live a day full of love and life. Join her on this journey by visiting her blog: http://www.findingtruth1.blogspot.com/ She would also love to hear from you. Her email is ashleycoleman87@gmail.com. 

The Lucky Seven: Intensity Class

I know Mandi and I have mentioned this before, but we do a class at our gym called Intensity every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (and sometimes more if we feel like being mean to ourselves). The class is, well, INTENSE. It is 45 minutes of trying not to barf and doing a variety of lifts, jumps, squats, swings, ups, downs and everything in between. I absolutely love it, here's why:

1. Sweat - Whenever I sweat, it feels like I'm working hard. In this class, I'm drenched with sweat within the first 10 minutes and I drip sweat like a madman for the full 45. There are times when I can actually wring sweat from my shirt.

2. Coaching - There is a personal trainer who runs the class and comes up with a different set of moves each time. He's also there to correct improper form and to motivate you when it feels like you can't push any longer.

3. Variety - Like I said above, the class is always different. It's pretty much impossible to ever get sick of it. Only thing I could get sick of is working so hard!

4. Partner - Having Mandi there with me is awesome. Not only does she motivate me by kicking my butt every class, but she looks super hot doing it. Seriously, you should see her in that class. Rarely is the prettiest girl the most fit one also...and she's my wife! #winning

5. Gym friends - We don't have any actual friends in the class, but we have plenty of gym friends in the class. It's like we're all part of the same team when we see each other in other parts of the gym or outside of the gym in the community.

6. Benefits - I of course like the benefits of kicking my butt. I always have more energy when I work out consistently and I usually sleep better too. My lungs remain clearer longer and I have more capacity when I take deep breaths. And I can tell you one thing, that class forces me to take MANY deep breaths!

7. The End - I like the end of the class for a handful reasons: 1) It's the end of the class 2) I no longer have to work to keep my food down 3) I can catch my breath 4) I can see results 5) I feel a sense of accomplishment 6) Lunch time is coming up next! 7) Recovery

If you're not active in something that gives you a sense of accomplishment and pushes you beyond what you think you can handle, I would highly encourage you to find a class at your local gym. If you have the commitment level and motivation to push yourself that hard, then go for it! I know as for me, I would never, ever push myself as hard as I do on my own, as I do in Intensity.

Sometimes You Can't Do It Alone (as well)

As many of you know Mandi and I started torturing ourselves exercising again as soon as I got out of the Hole a few weeks ago. We decided not to go it alone in our exercise routine and rejoin the GPT (group personal training) option at our gym. GPT opens up a wide range of other classes that mainly consist of booty kicking, high energy group classes meant for those that want a little more of a challenge at the gym, have high fitness goals and/or need a little extra attention from one of the many great trainers.

Our general class of choice is called Intensity and is 45 minutes of a variety of exercises at a frantic non-stop pace. For example, yesterday, in 45 minutes we had 3 minutes of break time TOTAL. The other 42 minutes we were doing exercises ranging from kettlebell swings to plank jacks to sumo squats to bar bell curls to decline pushups to straddle jumps. Needless to say, at the end of a 45 minute class, I'm sweating like I just ran across the entire Gobi desert with no water profusely and on a normal day, seeing some sort of star pattern in my line of vision.

This class in one that I love to hate. Every time we commit I'm hesitant (because I'm lazy and don't enjoy pain), but every time we do it, I ask myself why I ever stopped doing the class. Not only am I getting pushed in 45 minutes way more than I would ever push myself, but the benefits do not just stop there - I just simply feel better. I feel better throughout the day, week and hopefully, month and year. When I'm involved in the GPT classes, I'm a better husband, father, friend and human being in general (there's no actual proof of that last one, but I went with it anyway).

Simply put, there are some things in this life that we do better when surrounded by others. We need their accountability. We need their motivation. We need their energy. We need their encouragement. We need their strength. We need their help.

If you're the kind of person who struggles getting to the gym by yourself, stop going it alone. Join some classes. Meet some people. Ask for help. Get a trainer. Commit to two weeks of exercise instead of a lifetime. Go to the gym and sit instead of sitting on your couch (it's more expensive, but at least your at the gym). Stop thinking about how bad it will feel at the time and start thinking about how great it will feel in due time. Side note: I started walking normally again after my first intense workout after about 6 days. It happens.

I promise you're worth it and the person at the gym you haven't met yet that will hold you accountable thinks so too.

Weight Lifting Plan

Had a few questions about my weight lifting plan, so instead of answering individually, thought it would be easiest to write it up on the blog. (Note that this plan will change every 8 to 12 weeks or so.)

I generally lift weights on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but it can change based on what else I have going. I lift after a 30 minute core class, which they don't recommend, but hey, there are only so many hours in a day right?

Chest/Triceps

Dumbbell Press - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Smith Machine Incline Press - 4 sets x 10-12 reps
*Dumbbell Fly/Bench Press - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
**Cable Crossover - 7 sets x 10 reps

*Done as a super-set (meaning rotating lifts one right after the other with no rest)
**In between sets, alternate between 30 seconds of stretching and 30 seconds of flexing

Close Grip Bench - 4 sets x 4-6 reps
Dips - 4 sets x MAX
Skull Crusher - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Cable Kickbacks - 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Diamond Push-ups - 3 sets x MAX

Back/Biceps 

Wide Grip Pull-ups - 4 sets x MAX
*Lat Pull Down/Seated Row - 4 sets x 10 reps
Bent Over Row - 4 sets x 10 reps

*Done as a super-set (meaning rotating lifts one right after the other with no rest)
Note: All back lifts are done to a 2-1-2 count. Concentric movement for 2 seconds, hold for 1 second, eccentric movement for 2 seconds.

*Drag Curls - 4 sets x 4-6 reps
*Incline Curls - 4 sets x 4-6 reps (start palms facing down and end palms facing up)
**Preacher Hammer Curls - 2 sets x 12-15 reps
**Preacher Reverse Curls - 2 sets x 12-15 reps

*Done to a 1-2-1 count. Concentric movement for 1 second, eccentric movement for 2 seconds and fully extended for 1 second.
**Done to a 3-2-1 count. Concentric movement for 3 seconds, eccentric movement for 2 seconds and fully extended for 1 second.

Shoulders

Side-lying External Rotations - 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Arnold Press - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Dumbbell Press - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Military Press - 4 sets x 4-6 reps
45 Degree Lateral Raise - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Upright Shrugs - 2 sets x 20 reps

For those of you who are curious, I'm currently not lifting on legs as my 45 minute, 3 day-a-week class does many leg exercises both aerobic and anaerobic.

As always, if you have questions or suggestions, fire away!!

Workouts Get BORING

Let's face it, if you get to the gym with any kind of regularity, the workouts you do quickly become rather monotonous. I know for me, it usually at about the 6 week mark of doing the same workout routine that I'm ready for a new one. In fact, just the other day, I overheard a "TV trainer" say it's wise to switch up your routine every 6 sessions or so to avoid muscle memory and/or just going through the motions. And with all of the new workout crazes that stress "muscle confusion" and a host of varying movements. I'd say that it is pretty sound strategy.

With this in mind, I've recently ventured into something new at our gym (with a little coaxing from Mandi of course). The past couple of weeks, we've been giving group classes a shot. 

Leading up to this point, I was never really interested in the group class setting. Here were my reasons:

1. The classes are generally full of women, and consequently

2. All of the men in the gym are lifting weights

3. Seemed to be pretty cheesy

4. Intimated by the constant movement

5. Figured my two left feet wouldn't be great for all of the different steps

6. Did I mention that classes are for women?

So as you see, it's not as if I had some slam-dunk reason as to why I never gave the classes a shot. I did however need a little bit of a push by Mandi to actually give them a chance.

I'm glad she pushed.

We started with a class called Body Pump which is essentially a full-body workout using barbells and hand weights. It's set to various music tracks and focuses mostly on form as well as varying repetitions, positions and movements. It all feels pretty good, except for the leg portion of the class. It's crazy how weak my legs have gotten. Half way through the class I couldn't have the slightest bend in my knee without my legs shaking. I felt Body Pump for a good 3 to 4 days after my initial class. If you saw me, you would have thought that I rode in on a horse.

Yesterday, we gave Body Combat a shot. This is a high energy class that has you throwing jabs, uppercuts, hooks and various kicks for about an hour straight. I couldn't believe how much I was sweating just after the "warm-up" had taken place. I was coughing up storm and may need to look into a mucus bucket to bring with me next time. :)

Anyway, what's the point of this blog? Well, if you find yourself "going through the motions" with your exercise routine, switch it up. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself. Don't be too uncomfortable with change. Get out there and try something that you've never done before. Whatever you decide to do, give it a fair shot and don't second guess yourself. Just go for it!!

I'll be the very first to admit that I was skeptical about changing up our lifting routine. I'm just so very thankful I did...even if I did "kick and scream" a bit on my way to the first class. 

Thankful Thursday: Kidzone & Clouds

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for childcare at the gym. Ronnie and I are able to take Mckenna to the Kidzone and spend some time together pumping iron. I am so thankful that we can spend some time just the two of us, doing what we love to do together, while Mckenna plays happily with her "friends" at the gym.

I'm thankful for family close by. Monday night Ronnie, Mckenna and I popped by Josh and Chrissy's (my bro and sis-in-law) and then we all went for a walk, and Tuesday night Ronnie's bro, Andrew came by for dinner. I really love having family close by, so we can hang out a lot!!

I'm thankful for middle of the night snuggles. Mckenna is a ball of energy. She is always on the go. She rarely will just lay back and let you snuggle her. One of the only times she just lays, totally melted into my arms is during her middle of the night feeding. While getting up to feed her in the night may initially seem awful, the thought of weaning the last remaining night feed makes me really sad. I don't want to give up those snuggles just yet!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for cloudy days...and I cannot believe that just came out of my mouth. So, I'm an Arizona guy born and raised, and so with that, I'm a total sun in the sky without a cloud in sight kind of a guy. But, when it starts to heat up so much, so early in the year, I'm actually thankful for the occasional cloudy day. Cloudy days not only give my garden a little break, but they also give Mandi, Mckenna and I the opportunity to take our walk at any time during the day!

I'm thankful moisture meters. I'm no green thumb. This is my third year gardening, and although I have learned quite a bit, I still have a LONG way to go. Something I read from other gardeners is that they "know their plants". Like I said, I don't think I've been in the game for a long enough time to get the vibe from my plants yet. I mean yeah, I can tell if they're severely under-watered, but I think pretty much anybody walking the streets could too. That's where my handy-dandy moisture meter comes in. I simply stick in it the ground by the root of the plant, and it tells me whether or not I need to be watering. Anything that takes some thought out of gardening is good in my book!!

I'm thankful for daytime workouts. Because of great childcare offered at our gym, Mandi and I have been able to take a break from our workday the last couple of days and hit up the gym. I love working out with my wife and I love getting my workout done and over with. Day workouts are definitely a win all-around in the Sharpe household!!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Disappointed in...

I had a clinic appointment yesterday as a 6 week follow-up from being in the Hole. I didn't go into it thinking my PFTs were going to be awesome, but I didn't think they would be bad either. I was right. And sometimes, I hate being right.

There were a couple reasons I thought this:

Mckenna came down with Influenza A a couple of weeks ago, and although I avoided the full on flu, I definitely developed a cough that still hasn't gone away.

I was particularly tight yesterday. I'm not sure if it was because of dust in the air or some other environmental factor, but it definitely wasn't "just CF". My cough is generally fairly dry, but yesterday it was tight and dry. Glenda could hear it in my cough and was not at all surprised by my numbers.

Those are pretty good reasons for my lower lung functions, but, and this is a big butt, I mean but, those were in no way the biggest contributing factor to my lower lung function.What those are are excuses. They just happen to feel a little better cause it happened to be out of my control. They'd be reasons if I didn't know this...


The biggest reason my lung functions were down was because, get this, because of me. 

I've been doing a really good job at getting all of my treatments and then some in each and every day. I have however only been doing an average at best job getting in all of my workouts. Now, I'm active everyday without fail because of the many walk we take with Mckenna, but that's just simply not enough for me. If I expect good lung function, I have to do more.

I can't settle for only running 2-3 times this week like I have the previous month. I can't go to the gym only 2-3 times a week and expect my FEV1 to increase. Some people out there may do great with that amount of work, but for me, it's not enough.

How do I know? Because I've put in way more work in the past and have had way better results. It's not the lung functions that I'm so much disappointed in, which by the way were 67% down from 74%, I'm disappointed in my focus and effort. 

I know I can do more. I know my priorities have been shifted over the last month or so. I know that I was more worried about running being hard than I was about the results. I was focused more on how tired I was rather than how much more energy I feel when I'm consistent with my runs. I thought about how cruddy my lungs felt before the run and not how great they feel after. I was focused on all of the wrong stuff.

When it comes down to it, it's not about me. It's not about how I feel. It's not about what I think. 

It's about them. It's about the two people on this planet that keep me going. It's about the commitment I made to my wife. It's about the commitment I'll make to my daughter when she's old enough to hold me accountable.

I know what I need to do. Now I just have to do it.

I need to remind myself every day that it's not about me, it's about what I do, and who I do it for.

Your Body; A Machine

Do you ever have those things that someone says to you that really stick with you? They maybe said something that wasn't even meant to be impactful or it could have been said in passing, but for some reason it stick with you?

I had a soccer coach once, that was a huge jerk. He was just plain mean. But he said something once that has stuck with me for over 10 years, and I use it to fuel myself at least once a week while I'm working out. During a pre-season practice, we were running suicides. In typical high school girl fashion, many of us were complaining about how hot it was and how we couldn't go on. He looked at us and said, "Girls, your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it." And then I'm sure went on to chew us out and belittle us...he was a major jerk :)

But those few words have been etched into my being at this point. During a run, when I feel like my legs are jelly and I simply can't go any farther, I say to myself, "your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it." When I was in labor and getting ready to push, scared I said to myself, "your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it." When I'm running with Ronnie and he looks like he wants to die, I say to him, "your body is unlike any other machine. It will adapt to the stresses you put on it" (which I'm sure he just loves to hear when he's pulling for air).

I love everything about this quote and what it means. My body is a crazy awesome machine. Most machines were made to do a simple tasks or a series of tasks. Those machines, once made, can't add new skills, get better, change what they do. But my body can. My body was made to adapt to the stresses put on it. When I run an extra mile, my body makes changes so the next time that extra mile will be easier. When I lift heavier weights, my body builds more muscle to accommodate for that weight. Everyone's body is like this. Some people's bodies take longer to adapt or are slower to improve, but everyone's body was built to adapt to the stresses put on it...so everyone can improve! I love that. I love knowing I can push my body and it will adjust to make it easier for me.

Do you have a quote that you've heard that sticks with you over the years that inspires you? Pass it along, I need more fuel for my self talk during workouts!

Tired vs. More Tired

As I boarded the plane on Friday afternoon to Cincinnati, I couldn't help but think how Mckenna's doctor appointment would turn out. She was burning up earlier that day and was just "off". She wanted to snuggle even more than usual and was very content to snooze for hours and hours in our arms. She's a very loving and snuggly girl, just usually, not that snuggly and loving. I finally got the news when I landed in my destination - Influenza A. Mckenna had 103 temperature and now we knew why.

There were two thoughts that entered my mind as soon as Mandi told me the news: 

I'm glad that we have an answer as to why she was off.

I'm glad that I'll be away from her for a little bit...followed by asking Mandi to find my Tamiflu prescription. 

Mandi was told to give Kenna some liquid tylenol to break the fever as well as some Tamiflu of her own to try to stave off some of the symptoms. It seemed to work almost immediately as Mandi saw improvement the next day. I got back into town on Saturday night and Mckenna seemed to be steadily improving through Sunday. She's definitely not 100% as her sleep has been disrupted more and she's not totally interested in eating, but we are seeing a lot of improvement.

I started taking Tamiflu the night I got back to do my best to avoid any of the crud, and so far, so good...I think. I did wake up with a sore throat and an ear ache, which has lasted throughout the day, but I don't have a fever as of now. I was also pretty devoid of energy all day, but that's pretty common for me after a couple days of travel with such a short turn-around time. Needless to say, I had a major case of the Mondays plus whatever the heck, if anything, was going on.

The last thing I wanted to do was exercise. Through some dumb motivational luck, I ended up seeing this post on Facebook:

Its days like today that I need you guys the most. I am physically tired and still sore from the run the other day. I would usually skip exercising because I am tired. But I know I need to stick to my schedule that I made. My schedule is to exercise mon wed fri as long as I am not coughing up blood. So being that I am tired and unmotivated, what are some good exercises that I can do that won't make me too exhausted????

To which I responded:

When I'm tired or exhausted I think to myself - will I get more tired if I exercise? Which is followed by, what's the difference between being tired and more tired? That's generally followed by whatever workout I planned on doing that day :)

Hearing my own advice is just what I needed!! There's no way I could "preach" without following through in my own life. Right after I typed that out I asked Mandi if she'd like to go for a walk. We ended up doing a 20 minute walk which was followed immediately buy a 25 minute run/walk that I went on while she fed Mckenna at home. 

As is always the case, I was so glad that I pushed it and did my regular workout even though I was feeling a bit under the weather and tired. I've said this many times, but it is so true - You'll never regret doing a workout!! My natural instinct is to want to shut it down and rest, but I've been led astray by my natural instinct before. It's just SO IMPORTANT that were moving as much as possible. This is especially true when we're sick. The last thing we want is for whatever is going on in our head to make it's way to our lungs. 

It's times like this that we must do anything and everything to keep our lungs breathing deeply and with purpose. You don't have to do everything when you're sick, but you should definitely be doing something!!

Active Weekend

Here's my workout for this weekend:

25 pull-ups
50 pec flys
50 curls
50 tricep extensions
50 box jumps
50 straight arm push-downs
50 lateral raise
50 barbell bench
50 incline bench
50 leg press
50 calf press
50 lat pull-downs
50 v-ups
25 pull-ups

Run for 30 minutes

Certainly don't have to match what I did for my workout, but you should aim to do more today than you did yesterday. Didn't do anything yesterday?? Perfect! It will be easy for you to do more today!! Remember, doesn't matter how strong or fast you are, what matter is that you are moving and breathing. Challenge yourself this weekend and GET ACTIVE!!!

Lung Workout

At-home workout challenge - Here's my workout for the day:
25 pull-ups
50 hammer curls
50 tricep extension
50 step-ups
50 push-ups
50 v-ups
50 incline press
50 shoulder press
50 leg press
50 calf press
50 face smashers
50 jumping jacks
50 overhead tricep extensions
50 straight arm pull downs
50 pec deck flys
50 jumping jacks
50 mountain climbers
25 pull-ups

You don't have to do all of these, especially if you are just beginning to workout. Pick 5 if you are a beginner, 10 if you are a moderate and try all if you think you can handle it.
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My blog today actually has to do with the workout posted above. When I do this, I move as fast as I can through each exercise and give myself as little rest as possible. It becomes just as much of a workout for my lungs as it is for my muscles. I work up quite a sweat and I'm taking extremely deep breaths almost the entire time. I wanted to throw down a challenge for all of you today.

If you already workout regularly try timing your workouts this week and each day you exercise, try to go a little faster than the day before. The workout above took me 35 minutes. If you don't work our regularly, maybe you can pick 5 exercises from above and time yourself doing them. After you're done, right down the time. Take a day off, and then the following day, do the exact same exercises and try to beat your time from the previous workout. Do that for a couple of weeks and let me know how that feels. If it starts to get too easy, pick 5 more exercises. If it gets too hard, back off a little :)

The key to this workout, and really any workout where we want to hit both muscles and lungs, is to keep moving at a fast pace the entire time. It may feel funny at first, but if you stick with it, I promise you'll like the results. With me, I don't even pay as much attention to form as I do pace. Right now, I'm not trying to bulk up, but I am trying to expand my lungs. The only way to do that is to work them out!!

Anyway, thought I would throw this out there for those that wanted a challenge or a new workout idea!

Get that heart rate up!!

Here is my workout from yesterday. I tried to perform the following at the quickest pace that I could and the total workout took me about 35 minutes. Try picking out a few to do on your own this weekend!!

25 Pull-ups
50 Tricep extensions
50 Barbell curls
50 Lat Pull-downs
50 Chest pull downs
50 Step-ups
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Straight Arm Pull downs
50 One Armed Cable Rows
50 V-ups
25 Push-ups
25 Pull-ups
50 Jumping Jacks

Good luck! Let me know how it goes :)

Sometimes, You're Just Going to Look Stupid

**If you're looking for the at-home workout challenge, you've come to the right place. Remember, this is just an example of something you can do. Feel free to go beyond this list and push yourself even more. If you can't fathom running then walk; can't walk? Crawl! Remember, the important part is to move; it's not important how fast you move!

Here is my workout for today:


5 minute warm-up walk
11 minute run
2 minute walk
11 minute run
5 minute cool-down walk


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One worry that gets brought to my attention often from peeps who are thinking about starting a workout or running routine is that they are going to look stupid. Truth is, they're probably right - the fact is, most of us look pretty stupid when we're active. In case you haven't noticed, there aren't too many natural born athletes just walking around us and working out near our station. 


Now, you will come across some that just look like they were born to run, lift weights, etc, but remember, they are the exception to the rule. Do me a favor - next time your near the local gym, peak in the windows. You will see a smorgasbord of people all with the same level of intensity, coordination, looks, feel and clothing choices + or - 10%. There will also be people just like you who have never been in a gym or haven't been to one in years and are looking to make a positive change in their lives. Point is, there are plenty of "yous" in that gym.


Here's another favor to ask - pay attention to the people running on the streets. You'll notice that plenty of them move at a snails pace and don't exactly look like they're taking the running world by storm. I often point to people running and say "Look! There's my running partner" in reference to them moving so slow. But, and this is a big but, they. are. moving. I can assure you that many of them would love to go faster physically, but they just simply can't. They aren't physically able at this time. Just like you. Just like me.


What I have described above was easy as I was just telling my own story - especially when it comes to running. And again, I use the word running very loosely. There are times like today that many would consider what I did a slow jog or maybe even a fast walk. But do you know what? I don't care. I often catch the eyes of the people who pass me in cars, and what they are thinking is pretty clear - "That guy looks like he's hurting". They're right, I am! I can promise you that when I run I'm slow, I look the opposite of athletic, I'm in pain and mostly, I look really, really stupid.


So why am I even bothering to write all of this? Because I want you to look stupid too. More than that, I want you to take a chance on doing something active that you've never tried for fear of people giving you funny looks. I can't tell you the number of times people have moved off of the treadmill near me because of a coughing fit. Multiple people in the gym have told me that they don't want to get sick and to please leave the gym if I am. I've had more pairs of eyes look at me and think "that guy has no idea what he's doing" than I have had look to me as an example. For goodness sake, I've had a woman stop me on the road while I was running and offer to take me to the hospital!!


Each and every time this happens I react in the same ways - I either take it as an opportunity for Cystic Fibrosis awareness or I give them a look that says "What's up? Can I help you??". See, they don't have the opportunity to go home to Mandi and Mckenna. They don't feel what I feel when I breathe. They won't be doing a treatment for me. They will most likely never see me again. They don't have the same motivation to live that I do. They don't know why I'm there. They don't have the same skin in the game. They don't understand that I'll do anything to be at my best for my family. 


There's really only one thing I care about when I get those looks...


All I care about is being the best version of myself every time I put two feet on the ground, whether it's in the gym or on the pavement, even if I do look stupid in the process.   

Rest and Recovery

***If you're here for the at-home workout challenge, today is a day of rest for me. Refer to yesterday's blog.***

Overtraining

Regardless if you perform a combination of overall fitness training or a single aspect fitness program, it is important to properly design/spread your workouts to not overtrain certain muscle groups and to implement rest days into your program. If you have taken a few weeks off of your usual training program, or are starting a brand new fitness program all together, you should start slow and use light weights focusing on higher repetitions.

Ask our MidwestFit Team at anytime if you are in need of guidance or advice.

Integrated Training Programs

A combination of weight training, cardio training, and flexibility training is considered the best style of program to achieve overall fitness because properly combining the different training programs allows for the body to extract the most benefits from all of the separate training styles.

Weight training can benefit you by producing strong bone mass and reducing the risk of osteoporosis, strengthening joints, developing toned muscles and alower body fat percentage, developing better body mechanics and proprioception to assist with daily activities, boosting metabolism, and burning calories even after you are done exercising.

Cardiovascular training can benefit you by increasing heart health and heart strength, reducing blood pressure and bad cholesterol, reducing stress and depression, boosting metabolism, decreasing recovery time, and overall muscle toning.

Flexibility training can benefit you by improving overall physical performance, decreasing risk of injury, reducing muscle soreness, improving posture, reducing risk of low back pain, and improving coordination.

Training Opposing Muscle Groups

Depending upon the style of training you focus on, it is necessary to understand the importance of spreading out your workouts and training opposing muscle groups to avoid overtraining.  Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Today's Challenge

If you're looking for the at-home workout challenge, you've come to the right place. Remember, this is just an example of something you can do. Feel free to go beyond this list and push yourself even more. If you can't fathom doing this list, pick one thing and do that! Remember, the important part is to move; it's not important how fast you move!

Here is my workout for today:

25 Pull-ups
50 Box Squats with Smith Machine
50 Curls with Barbell
50 Tricep Extensions on Cables
50 Box Jumps
50 Lat Pull-downs on Cables
50 Straight Arm Pull-downs on Cables
50 V-ups
20 Decline Sit-ups with rotation using medicine ball

25 minute walk

Be sure to do something active this weekend. Challenge yourself, you won't regret it!!

Quick At-Home Workout

We're all busy. None of us have 30 minutes to spare each and every day to get in a solid workout. But, as many of you know, one thing I preach around here is "a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing". So, on those days that you only have a few minutes to spare, I present to you The Super Quick At-Home Workout :)

This will hit almost your entire body and best of all, it will make you breathe some deep breaths.

Start out with a wall sit. You'll want to do 3 sets of these and hold them for as long as you can.



Now that your warm, we're going to get you into a front plank. You'll do 3 sets of these and hold them for time as well! (FYI - the extremely fit instructor in this video is none other than super cyster Julie D!!)


What would a quick workout be without isolating those arms? Finish off this at-home workout with 3 sets of 10 (or as many as you can do to 10) of chair dips.



That's it, you're done!! How'd that feel?

Jump!!!

We took a big step forward in the old Sharpe household today!! We left Mckenna-bear with complete and total strangers for the first time ever!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Oh, sorry, that was Mandi you heard screaming :)

Mandi and I were on our afternoon walk when she said, "Maybe we take Mckenna to the childcare at the gym and workout together today?" which was quickly followed by, "Ahhh, I just wanted to see how I felt with saying it out loud...and I don't like it!". I figured that was the end of the conversation and we would just split up our gym time like we have been doing since Mckenna was born.

After we got home and I hopped on a treatment, Mandi sent me a message on AIM (which by the way is how we communicate at home even though we're only a room away). It said - I'm doing it. I'm calling right now and we are just going to go for it!. I was very proud in that moment. You see, I have absolutely no reservations leaving Mckenna into the care of others. I've never been a worst-case scenario kind of a guy, so I figure that everything will work out at the very least, acceptable. Mandi on the other hand? I wouldn't say she is a worst-case scenario kind of a girl, but she is a self-proclaimed control freak! Letting go of something so close to her, whether it be me, Mckenna, work, etc can be a little tough for the wifey. So when I saw that message come across the screen, I beamed with pride. Both of my girls are growing up!! (Kidding babe) :)

I had such a great time working out with Mandi. It's the first time we've been able to hang out at the gym together for quite some time and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Mandi even agreed to partake in the workout I've been doing for the past couple of months that is an absolute killer. It definitely kicked her butt and I can't wait to see how sore she's going to be in a couple of days. She's a trooper though - she looked about 100 times better than I did after my first time going through it.

Anyway, wouldn't you know, after our workout Mckenna was still alive. Better yet, she was sound asleep in a little bouncy chair. All of the caretakers at the gym seem very kind and it was actually heartwarming to see them handle Mckenna with such care. I think it's safe to say that we'll be back.

It turned out to be one of the best times that I've had with Mandi and it was all a result of us deciding (and more so her) to jump!

What are you going to jump into today???

Workout Wednesday: The Update

I wanted to give ya'll an update on that exciting new workout I talked about a couple of weeks ago (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here). The "spartan" workout has been going really well and it's provide a nice break from the routine that I was stuck in for many many months. It got to the point where I was bored while doing certain lifts and found myself starting to just go through the motions instead of really focusing on what I had to do. It's so important to exercise with purpose. Going through the motions simply won't get it done. Sure, it's better than nothing, but since I'm at the gym anyway, I might as well give it my best effort.

Anyway, the first couple times doing this workout was quite an eye-opener as it is one intense booty kicker. I knew going into it that it wasn't going to be easy, but I never thought that it would make me sweat nor breath as hard as it has done. I figured that the required 3 times a week of doing this workout was going to be a piece of cake, but I now see that they purposely give you some rest days cause they're absolutely needed! I mean, I couldn't walk straight for about the first 10 days of the regiment. But as a lot of you know, getting that sore can only mean one thing - I hadn't worked out those muscles like that for a long time. And now, it's up to me to keep those seldom used muscles in shape!

The other thing that I've added to intensify this new workout is to run to the gym on my workout days. This really gets my heart rate going and I feel warmed-up before I start "pumping the iron". Now, it also make my workout more challenging as some of the lifts require me to use leg strength and stamina, and after a mile run, my legs feel a little bit like jell-o. I like it though because I'm already sweating when I enter the gym and I continue to sweat the entire way through. There's nothing like sweating your butt off at the gym, or as I like to call it - the liquid representation of all your hard work :)

Like I said before, if you're looking for a new challenge, look no further! This is a great workout and will get your lungs as pumped as your muscles. If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask.

Happy lifting!!

Kicking Cystic Fibrosis!!

Guest Post by Eric Verdon

My name's Eric, and I'm 17 years old from the Great White North's capital, Ottawa. On October 27^th I officially made it 4 years that I have been blowing an FEV1 of over 100%, and I owe those numbers to exercise. At the age of 4 my parents put me in soccer, and it wasn't until I was 16 that I stopped playing. I've spent countless hours at the soccer field near my house, literally countless. I have spent summers there, the soccer field WAS my second home, and it really payed off. I managed to make a provincial team, and I played with them for three seasons. All of that time spent running around the field with a ball, practicing my shot, and whatever else I ended up doing there for hours definitely payed off for my soccer skills, but more importantly it payed off for my health.

This all started about 5 years ago, and during that time it definitely started to show that an increase in my health was being made. In about 2 years, I jumped 3 divisions and made it to a provincial level, and from 14-16 I continued to play with the same team. The practices were brutal and and honestly there were mornings I wasn't getting out of bed because my abs hurt too much, or because us scrawny soccer players can do a max of 15 pushups and our coach squeezed one more out of us. In the end it all really payed off, because once I made that provincial team my PFTs finally reached 100%. The amount of mucus I was coughing up was huge, disgusting really (ask my girlfriend), but great for me. The numbers didn't increase much for a good while after, not until I quit soccer and began running.

Running is such a simple thing (and free!) and so good for people like us with Cystic Fibrosis. I don't exactly know why running gets stuff up, maybe it's the increased and harder breathing, or maybe it's the vibration of both feet hitting the ground, but whatever it is it gets junk out of our lungs. I began running about 3-4 times a week about a year ago, and not long after that I did my first 10km run, and did it in a time of 44:37. That's when I hit my highest PFT at 114%! It's been all over the place since then, as I've dealt with minor complications, but not once did it drop below 100%.

Now I've added swimming, biking, and lifting weights to my regime, and am really looking forward to completing my first triathlon next summer! Every single Cyster and Fibro can benefit from running twice a week, even once a week! There are countless stories of CF patients increasing their lung function and living a better life because of activity, and it doesn't necesarily have to be running, go join a recreational soccer team, basketball or any of the sort! Go get a gym membership and start lifting weights, or use the cardio machines they've got there. Anything is better than nothing! If this 17 year old boy can take control of his health, then anyone can.

Bio: My name's Eric Verdon, and I'm from Ottawa, Canada. My parents put me in soccer at the age of 4, and I continued it until I was 16. When I stopped playing, I found a new passion in running. Today I swim, bike and continue to run in hopes to complete my first triathlon next summer. I absolutely love learning about the body and am planning on studying kinesiology next year in hopes to continue my studies into medical school, focusing on sports medicine.

Note from Ronnie: I just want to thank Eric for sharing his story. I think it's so important to remember something he touched on - something is better than nothing! Many of us decide that since we can't do a lot of exercise, we'd rather just do none at all. Just as Eric pointed out however, there are plenty of options available to us if we want to get active. It's all about us choosing to quit making excuses and as Nike says, "Just Do It!!". Thank you again Eric for sharing your inspirational story!

First Day Back in the Saddle

As many of you know, you're supposed to take some time to recover after having a baby. Makes total sense, you shoot a cannon ball through the eye of a needle, your body probably wants to take some time to heal. Generally they tell you to wait 6 weeks to really get back into your normal routines. However, 6 weeks seemed a little long to me. My discharge instructions were to not lift anything heavier than my baby...really?! They think someone can't and won't lift something heavier than 6lbs for 6 weeks?! That would mean I couldn't even lift a full gallon of milk on my own - a little silly if you ask me.

Anywhooo, I decided to just go by how my body was feeling, and slowly ease back into my normal exercise routine. Last week I started walking farther distances (2-2.5 miles) to see how my body did with that. I felt great and didn't have any increased bleeding (Sorry if you're eating lunch!! That's just one key thing they say to watch for to know if you're over-exerting yourself). Since I was able to walk farther and do more last week with no issues, I decided to try to run starting today. I'll be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it when I woke up this morning. I was excited to get back into my normal groove, and this was the first step, but I wasn't exactly giddy about strapping on my running shoes. But today was the day that I had committed to in my mind, so today was the day I was going to do it.

I was nervous. Why? No clue. Maybe because I wanted so badly for it to be easy and comfortable, but I was a afraid I'd feel like Frankenstein, awkwardly making my way down the sidewalk. I decided to suck up the anxious feeling (what else can you do with an unjustified emotion, right?!) and hit the road. The first few steps felt just like I anticipated, awkward but exciting. I felt great. "I'm doing it...I'm doing it and I'm a rockstar!" I thought to myself the first 30 seconds. "People are wimps for waiting 6 weeks." I thought to myself as I hit the one minute mark. "Gosh. I stayed in better shape than I thought." I pat myself on the back as I made it another 30 seconds. "Ouch, what's that?!" I was quickly humbled 2 minutes in. "Yikes, that's a serious side cramp," my growing head began to shrink. "OOO yowzers, that doesn't feel awesome," I thought as my left knee let me know it wasn't excited about running. "OH" "EH" "OWWIE" I thought to myself as I Frankensteined down the sidewalk.

Never-the-less 2 miles and 20 minutes later the torture was over. I was back in my house, forgetting the discomfort of the first time back at it. "Ok, that wasn't so bad." I thought to myself as the discomforts from the run had already faded away....faded away just as quickly as they came; quickly enough to make me think, "Welp, at least tomorrow will be better."

Moral of the story? Running pretty much sucks for everyone who's out of shape! But I can assure you, there's no day as bad as the first day. So if you're out of shape and starting to run again...join me in my new anthem: tomorrow will be better!