Pictures Past

**Workout challenge - 30 minutes of cardio today! I ran for 30 straight minutes for the first time since getting out of the Hole. It felt terrible and glorious all at the same time :)

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Just recently got our hands on these pictures that were taken quite some time ago. Thought you guys would enjoy them :)

Thankful Thursday: The Vest & Quiet Mornings

**Workout challenge: I did the following in 30 minutes with only a max of a 10 second break in between sets - 

25 pull-ups, 50 push-ups, 50 jumping jacks, 50 box jumps, 50 step-ups, 50 squats, 100 curls, 50 tricep extensions, 50 forearm curls, 50 shrugs, 50 lat pull-downs, 50 chest press, 50 chest pull down, 50 seated rows, 50 front shoulder raise, 100 lateral raise, 50 incline chest press

You certainly don't have to attempt to complete that entire workout, but I would encourage you to do something active today for 30 minutes!!

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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 friends with adorable babies. This morning we're watching my friend's daughter while they move from their old house to their new house. Their little girl is just about the sweetest little love their ever was, and such a joy to watch. It's so great knowing you can have friends watch your baby - I know she'll return the favor at the drop of a hat.

I'm thankful for Ronnie's vest. Yes, it's great that it keeps him healthy, but their are alternatives to that. I'm especially thankful because it's a dream sleep machine for Mckenna. And on days when she's tough to get down for a nap, it works like a charm. She sleeps the best her first nap of the day...and that's with her daddy while he does a treatment!

I'm thankful for nice weather. As some of you know, I work from home. And I may be the only person on earth blessed enough to get to sit outside, in my bathing suit, in March, catching some rays while I work. Some of you may be thinking "umm dumb dumb, haven't you heard of a little thing called skin cancer?!" The answer is yes, but I have a friend's wedding I'm in in a week and trying to get rid of my terrible tan lines from my racerback tank tops I worked out in all summer! Then I'll pull my towel back into the shade.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for a hard-working wife. Mandi never stops. She's is constantly working to improve her family's life or improve the lives of others. I still don't know how she juggles it all, but she manages to do it all while keeping a smile on her face. Our family, house, business, life would cease to function without Mandi. SO thankful for my wifey.

I'm thankful for hard-working brothers. As I stated in an earlier blog, my little brother's car accident ended up being a blessing for myself and my other brother Andrew. We've all been able to hang out this week and my little brothers have took it upon themselves to build up some garden beds and get everything ready for some planting. They've been running to Home Depot, doing research and putting in some serious sweat equity!

I’m thankful for quite mornings. Mandi and I have been getting up a little earlier the past few mornings to spend some quite time together doing our devotionals, bible study, coffee drinking, breakfast and gardening. It’s been really nice to experience the cool air and quite times in the morning with my wife.

So, what are you thankful for today?

The Impact of an Accident

This blog is actually less about the accident and more about the impact of that accident (pun intended)....

Mr brother, Grant, and his friends were on their way to California for spring break this week and got into a car accident on the way. Before you panic, everything is okay, but the car they were driving is now inoperable. They were coming up from Tucson on I-10 through Phoenix and got into the fender bender at the same exit you would take to get to my house. Kind of crazy right? My brother called me to see if I could pick them up while they figure out the plan. I was not able to to do because we're down to one car and Mandi was out with it at that time.

Side note: We're down to one car because my other brother, Andrew, is using our Corolla while his car gets fixed in a body shop - yes, he was in an accident too (not his fault though)

The boys ended up throwing around a football in a truck stop parking lot waiting for Andrew to pick them up when he got done with one of his clients. The whole group came over to watch the Arizona-Colorado PAC-12 Championship game (I'd rather not talk about it). It was of course nice to watch that game with both of my brothers and was the first time this season I was able to do so (usually it's just Andrew and I).

The car got towed back down to Tucson and then the following day, Andrew took the whole group to a mid-point between Phoenix and Tucson so they could get a ride back home.

Soooo, what was the point of all that? If you're still reading, thank you for bearing with me. Here's the point: Grant called me a couple of nights ago bumming out about his spring break trip being ruined because of the accident. He asked if he could drive back up to Phoenix and just spend the week with Mandi and I. Uhhhh, yeah!!! See what happened there?

Grant might not be doing exactly what he thought he'd be doing this week, but he's still having a great time. We've been able to hang out a bunch in the last couple of days, and do some stuff together that rarely get the chance to do. He really likes gardening, and it just so happened that this week was the week that I was setting my all up for the spring/summer! My brother Andrew helped me get started on Monday and then Tuesday, Grant helped me knock it out. Sometimes, even though things don't happen or workout the exact way we were picturing, they still tend to workout. I know that Grant is enjoying himself and we are certainly feeling very blessed to have him around.

Which leads me to my final point - there are times in our lives that may seem like a low point, but we must remember that it can still be an opportunity to bless others. Sure, I was bummed that Grant wasn't able to go out to California for spring break, BUT I feel so lucky that I get to spend the week with him. His misfortune has turned out to be a blessing to me and my family and, as I believe he'd agree, him also.

It's so easy to get stuck into thinking about how are present situation is affecting us, and us alone. It's a big world out there though. We may be going through a bad season for the sole purpose of showing someone else a good season in their life. Something in our life may become a burden only to lighten the load of someone else. It's always good to take a step back and look at various ways our own struggles can actually positively impact the lives of others. 

If we're able to do that, we just may see our car accident as a huge blessing.

The Best Medicine Ever!!

**Workout challenge - At the gym I decided to go as hard as a I could for 30 minutes with only giving myself a max of 10 seconds to rest in-between sets. The result was 30 minutes of huffing, puffing and coughing. Here's what I ended up doing:

25 pull-ups
50 curls
50 tricep extension
50 side lateral raise (each arm)
50 front raise (25 each arm)
50 lat pull-downs
50 chest pull downs
50 straight arm push downs
50 chest press
50 overhead tricep extensions
50 step-ups
50 pushups
50 v-ups
50 jumping jacks
50 mountain climbers
25 pull-ups

I would encourage you to be active for 30 minutes today. If you're wondering why in the heck you'd ever want to do that, be sure to check out the video below...
**

This is one of the best videos I have EVER seen. It talks about a treatment that is basically a cure, or at least the best medicine, for most conditions/ailments out there. I've actually been able to undergo the treatment myself, and it's done wonders, for not only my lungs, but for the rest of my body as well.

Watch the video and then tell me - when does your treatment begin???



If you're not convinced to start this new "revolutionary" treatment today, then I'm afraid nothing is going to convince you. I don't care who you are or what you have going on, we ALL have 30 minutes in a day to devote to this medicine. It comes down to whether or not we choose to take it. Yes, it's tough. Yes, it's painful. No, it's not fun. And no, you won't like it...at least for a while.

I know when I started taking this new medicine I gagged so much I threw-up. It made me extremely short of breath to the point that I had to stop 30 seconds into my first treatment and reassess if it was really for me. I pushed through however on the back of all the wonderful stories I had heard of other having such great success. I myself had had the same success, but it had been so long, that I wasn't sure if the treatment would work anymore for me.

Fortunately, this is a med that no one is allergic to. The pharmacy will never be backordered. You don't need a script. Heck, you don't need anything but two feet, some heart and a dash of fight.

The need for this medicine is common to all of us; the determination to take it however is for a few of us.

Nighttime Waking

You may think this is a blog about Mckenna and her nighttime sleep habits. However, this blog has nothing to do with Mckenna, and everything to do with my hubby.

As some of you may have read in the past, Ronnie sleeps with oxygen at night. A few years back, he told his doctors that he often woke up with headaches, so they did a sleep study and found that his sats were dropping at night...hence the headaches. So ever since then he's been sleeping with 2 liters of oxygen, breathed in through a nasal cannula. Ever since he started sleeping with oxygen he sleeps so much deeper, better, quieter and wakes up with no headaches.

You may ask yourself, "quieter?!" And the answer is, "yes...quieter!" I'm sure most of you CF spouses, and maybe some parents, can related. There is a certain "snore" that Ronnie does sans oxygen. It's a half snore, have gasp sound, that is loud enough to make it hard to sleep. He's slightly loud when he's sleeping on his sides and really loud when he's on his back.

So I'm sure you're wondering why I'm posting this and what it has to do with me. I am the oxygen police. In the night if I hear loud breathing, I reach over and feel his face to see where the cannula is; when I get back into bed after feeding Mckenna, I feel his face; when I go to the bathroom and come back to bed; I check his face when I hear a "pufffshhhhhhhh" sound (which is almost alway the nasal cannula blowing into his eyes); I feel his face when he's breathing really loud. I feel his face and wake him to fix his oxygen at least 2-3 times a night. I do it for him (so he sleeps better) and I do it for me (so I sleep better not listening to him). Annnnd I also do it because when he's slightly awake I can say, "snuggle me," and he will! Hehe!

What's the point of this post? There isn't one. Other than maybe if you or your loved one wakes up with headaches it may be a good time to do a sleep study. And I'd love to hear from those of you who wear oxygen at night...where all have you found your nasal cannulas? I'm often shocked where I end up finding Ronnie's. Anyone have tips for keeping it in place?

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!!!

The Comparison Game

**Home workout challenge: I didn't get in a solid workout today. The only thing I did was go for a short walk. Don't be me today!! Challenge yourself. A 30 minute walk perhaps? 10 minute run? Let me know what you do!!
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I posted this on my Facebook page in response to one of my daily devotionals, but I wanted to share it on my blog as well...


It's so easy to get caught in the comparison game. I feel like that's the case times 1000 when it comes to living with a chronic illness. In the CF community, we are constantly asked "what's your lung function?". So ask only because they're curious (I would fall into that camp) and some ask in order to make a comparison to that person. When this happens, I'm always reminded of the phrase "Do you".

What does that mean? In this case, it means to only worry about how you compare to yourself. How are you feeling as opposed to last week? Can you be a better you today than you were yesterday? It's easy to be caught up in being better than "Joe", but what we should really be focused on is just being a better than you were the day before. Can you imagine what would happen if our only health goal each and everyday was to be better than the day before? To exercise a little longer. To do one more treatment. To do 3 more huff coughs? We get so caught up in these "big numbers" that we lose sight of all the little things it takes to get there.

God doesn't call us to be better than anyone. He does however expect us to help other be the best version of themselves. That all starts with an introduction to Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, it is impossible to be your best. His Hand has been all over my recent and deliberate quest to be the healthiest version of myself and without His Strength, I'm not sure that I could make it throughout the day.

Kind of got sidetracked there, but anywho, point is - don't worry about what others are doing. Their health has nothing to do with your health. Their CF story has nothing to do with your CF story. Their beginning wasn't your beginning and their ending won't be your ending. You have you're own story to write.

If you wake up in the morning and commit to being the best possible version of yourself that day, every day, you just may like the book you end up writing. Others can read it and when they're done, give them a pen and tell them to start writing!!

Thankful Thursday: Colder Nights & Partnerships

**Workout Challenge - Knee and foot were bothering me a bit today so I only did an 11 minute run. However, I also went on two 15 minute walks. Get out and enjoy some fresh air today!!

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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 soy milk. I have cut out cow's milk since Mckenna was about 1 month old (it didn't quite agree with her). I never realized how much had cow's milk until I cut it out. I don't so much milk (as it really keeps my eating in check..you can't pig out too much when avoiding cheese, ice cream, etc...although I've managed ha!) but I would be sad if there wasn't an alternative for my coffee. You see, I can't drink coffee black (probably because I don't drink coffee for the coffee flavor but for all the caffeine and yummy extra flavors you can add with syrups and such). So I now drink my coffee with vanilla soy milk and MM MM MMM I like it even better.

I'm thankful for partnerships. We are in the process of working on a HUGE project at CysticLife (more on that soon, I promise). I mean we're talking HUGE. And we've partnered with two other non profits to make it happen. It's been over a year in the making and I can honestly say no one organization could have done it alone. We all bring unique perspectives, resources and skill sets to the table. It's been a great partnership. I can't wait to announce what we have in store...stay tuned because it will be in the next few weeks!!!

I'm thankful for a close gym. Last night I was able to sneak away to the gym by myself, while Ronnie hung out with Mckenna. It was nice to get out of the house for a little "me" time and not spend the whole time driving. Having the gym close meant I was only gone for 45 minutes and could spend 30 of it working out.!!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful colder nights. It's been a little colder for the past few nights around here, and it has given me the perfect opportunity to open up an outside door to our bedroom at night to let in some cold air. There aren't many nights in Arizona that you get to use a big ol' comforter, so I make sure to take advantage of any opportunity that I get.

I'm thankful for a growing baby. Mckenna gets just a little bit older each day, and I love it! Maybe I'll miss her being a baby when she is no longer a baby, but as it stands right now, I can't wait until she grows up. Mark my words - my life will be perfect when both Mandi and Mckenna come up to snuggle me on the couch.

I'm thankful for quite time. I've been taking a little bit of time out each day to sit outside and do the workbook to our Bible study. It's been a little windy lately, and the sound provided by the rustling trees is a perfect backdrop to mediate on what I'm learning through the study.

So, what are you thankful for today?

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!

4 Minutes?!?!?

**At-home workout challenge - Hope all of you enjoyed your weekend!! For my cardio workout I did a 3 minute warm-up walk, ran for 25 minutes and then a 3 minute warm-down walk. If you're not at the point where running 25 minutes is an option, no worries, walk it!!

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We've had a running toilet for about 3 months now. I don't quite know how he does it considering it's tough for me to even run 3 minutes! (Anyone?) But anyways, seriously, our toilet has been running on and off for the better part of three months. I'm the furthest thing ever from a handyman, but I have gotten better about at least trying to fix things around the house. I used to be held captive by the fear that I would break something completely or make it worse, until I realized that either way, I would end up calling someone or replacing it if I couldn't tackle it on my own.

So back to the toilet. I tinkered with the handle. I messed with the chain. I changed the height on the bobber thingamajig. I even went as far as to by another rubber ring, take the toilet half apart, change out the ring and put it all back together again (Applause??). But to know avail, the stupid thing continued to run. It wasn't running as much, but it was still going on from time to time. I had gotten so fed up with it that I would use the other toilets in the house and turn the water off to ours completely. Pathetic, I know.

About 1 month ago, we had a plumber out to the house for an unrelated issue. I told him about the problems I was having with my toilet and about all of the "fixes" I had attempted. He said that if I did in fact replace the rubber ring, I should probably get a piece of sand paper and run it across the plastic piece where that rubber makes a seal. Great, I thought, I'll get right on that and try it out.

And again, that was a month ago. I don't know why, but I never got around to taking a piece of sand paper to the toilet. Even though the running water annoyed me SO MUCH, I still didn't take the time to try everything. That is, until yesterday. I finally walked out to the shed, grabbed a piece of sand paper, lifted up tank lid, turned off the water, flushed the toilet, sand papered the seal, moved around some little white tube, put the lid back on and turned on the water. I went through the process, because although it sounds like a lot, it took me all of 4 minutes. 4 minutes!!! I can't believe I put off something for a month that took me 4 minutes to do.

Isn't life like that sometimes? We build up a task, event, conversation, etc in our head so much, that we are guilty of "making a mountain out of a mole hill". Or we say that something is bothering us like crazy, yet we don't take the time to address the situation. I know for me, I used to complain about how I felt, yet I wouldn't take the hour or so a day to do my treatments. It's like I was waiting to feel worse in order to react. Kind of like my toilet. Finally, yesterday, something snapped in me and I decided to walk my lazy butt to the shed and get what I needed to get in order to give fixing the toilet a try. Fortunately, my toilet didn't break to the point of no return, otherwise, we'd have a completely different mess on our hands. I'm glad that my urge to do something about it happened before we were faced with that type of situation.

So I don't know what it is in your life, but DO SOMETHING about it. Stop waiting for the perfect time. Or the right tools. Or a better situation. Or for things to get worse.

Don't be like me and the toilet. Oh, and by the way, the stupid thing isn't running anymore.

All it took was 4 minutes.

Mckenna Monday: Back in a Groove

Well it's been awhile since I've written, so I figured I'd chime in and let you know what's been happening with me, now that I'm a big, bad 4.5 month old.

I got into a bit of a rut while daddy was in the hospital. I think I was overstimulated during the day since I was in a fun place with lots of new things to look at and tons of new faces smiling at me, so I didn't nap well, and then at night, sleeping at grandma's, I just couldn't sleep. It was hot, and then cold and then REALLY hot, and then REALLY cold all night. There were different sounds. The pack 'n play just isn't as comfy as my crib at home and my routine all day had been thrown off, so I slept horribly. I was up every hour or so, and would only really sleep if I was in mom's arms. She was nice and let me nurse pretty much all night, which I loved because that was the one thing that felt familiar and comfortable so that's all I wanted all night long. Anywhoo, after dad got out of that fun place with all the cool things, I think they called it a hospital, I was still just out of my groove for another 4 or 5 nights. And then, like magic, I was able to sleep again like before. I swear mom loves me a little more those nights. She doesn't know I can tell, but she sure is happy to see me when I get up in the morning. Now I go to bed between 8:30 and 9, wake up to eat once and then get up for the day between 7:30 and 8:15. Ah I feel good when I sleep well.

And all this sleep is making me one big baby. They were a bit worried at my 4 month checkup that I dropped from between the 25th and 50th percentile to between the 10th to the 25th. Mom wasn't worried. She could see all my rolls and that I was happy, so she brushed it off as if the doctors didn't know what they were talking about (it probably helped ease her mind that I was in the 5th percentile when born, and just happened to shoot up because of her oversupply issue, so she felt like I was finally where I should be). Anyways, to just be sure I didn't keep dropping in percentiles, I went back last Friday for a weight check. Wouldn't you know it, I gained a pound - putting me at 12lbs 11oz like a big girl. They were happy with that and mom said "I told you so" with her eyes...I already recognize her "I told you so" face...which I'm not sure is a good thing because I think I may be in for a lot of those when I hit high school.

Lastly, I want to tell you about all my tricks. I roll tummy to back, sit up when holding myself with my arms for added support, play with toys hanging in front of me while I'm on my belly, skootch around my playmat to get to different toys I want to play with (although sometimes I skootch off the mat so I can get a better view of the TV), and I love talking to my mom and dad! The new trick I'm working on is rolling back to front. I'm getting close, but mom says it'll be another month...I'll show her and then give her MY "I told you so" face!!

That's it from me. Oh, one more thing, I'm still swaddled at night...any tips for how to get my out of it AND me still be able to sleep?

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 :)

Mckenna's First Rice Cereal Experience

**At-home workout challenge - I ended up doing a second day of cardio in a row with walking 83 flights of stairs on the stair-stepper. If you have asking to a stair-stepper, hit that up today! If not, you can find some good ol' fashion stairs or try to do some lunges and wall sits at home :)

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The doc wanted us to put some weight on our little girl, so we decided to give her some rice cereal daily. This was her first time ever. She smiles throughout the whole feeding and was pretty good given that it was her first time with it!

Thankful Thursday: Lullabys & Cereal Time

**At-home workout challenge:
30 minute brisk walk. Need more of a challenge? Every 5 minutes, a 30 second sprint!
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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 easy bedtimes. Mckenna may not be the best baby in the middle of the night, but going down for the night, she's a doll. She takes a bath, gets on her PJs, nurses, gets swaddled, I stand next to her crib while holding her and sing a lullaby (which she smiles at me...which melts my heart every night), say "night night," lay her down and leave the room. That's it. She goes to sleep. No battles to rock her to sleep. No having her fall asleep in our arms, laying her down and having her wake back up over and over. It makes bedtime such an easy, stress free process. Plus I love watching her on the camera we have in her room, as she gets herself all wiggled and positioned and then, boom, she's out.

I'm thankful for my hubby and his ability to hear what I mean, not what I say. I talk...A LOT...and Ronnie would tell you "A LOT" is an understatement. When someone talks a lot, there are often times they say things that may sound strange. For example, I started a conversation today with, "I saw someone say they were "happily married," I'd never think to describe myself as "happily married." What I didn't mean was that I wasn't happily married. What I meant was that I would never think to use that phrase, and what I picture as "happily married" is what I pictured marriage as a kid...you know, rainbows and unicorns, candle lit dinners every night and roses at least twice a day. Knowing that I'm probably the happiest wife on earth, I know that happily married describes me, but it's just a phrase I never think of and picture something different when I hear it. Anyway, a different man may take offense and think "my wife is unhappy." My man knows I am just talking, to smile and nod, and that the last sentence I say is generally what I meant to say...after talking in circles and re-explaining what I meant in 500 times...so just listen for that sentence. 

I'm thankful for cereal time. Every night before bed, Ronnie and I chow down on a little dry cereal and watch TV together. It is my favorite part of the day. It is our time, just us, to enjoy each other. I LOVE IT. 

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for lullaby songs. We've been trying to get into a really good routine when putting Mckenna down and one of the things we do is sing her a lullaby. Two things that I love about it: one, Mandi's mom sang the same lullaby to her, and two, Mckenna gets a big gummy smile pretty much every time :)

I'm thankful for iPhone apps. What a great way to kill some time! There are times throughout my day when it's nice to take a 2-5 minute brain break. When that break is needed, I usually turn to something mindless - in walks iPhone apps. If you haven't played Temple Run yet, you have to check it out!!

I'm thankful for frozen treats. Now you'd usually think I was talking sweets, but I'm not in this case. I did a little clean-out of our freezer the other day and found some frozen chicken pot pie mix that Mandi's mom made us. We thawed it out and have now had it for dinner the last couple of nights. Deeeelish!!

So, what are you thankful for today?

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.   

Cystic Fibrosis is Not My Challenge

**If you're here for the at-home workout challenge, pick some of the following exercises that I did at the gym and give them a try. If you don't have access to a gym, let me know which ones that you'd want to do from home, and we can alter it. Here's my workout:

50 Squats
50 Barbell curls
50 Tricep Extensions
50 Lat Pulldowns
50 Straight Arm Pulldowns
50 Box jumps
50 Face-smashers
25 Decline crunches with weighted ball
25 Pull-ups

We did this as fast as possible to get a cardio workout in while lifting these weights. Don't have to do it all, just pick a few and give them a try!

++++++++++++

I also wanted to take a few minutes to respond to Mandi's blog from yesterday. If you didn't get a chance to read it, click here. And be warned, it will probably make absolutely no sense to those of you who read it (as would most of the stuff that runs through my mind). Here we go!!

It's funny the little things you learn (or I guess kinda big) the longer you are married to someone. I feel like I'm pretty open with all of my thoughts and feelings (since I have so few ;), but Mandi may fight me on that one. Nevertheless, I was surprised with how surprised she was at my statement at our last bible study. I know she knows that I'm extremely positive, but I feel like my statements gave her even more insight into how my brain works.

Let me be clear: I understand how and why others categorize CF as a challenge, but for whatever reason, I just have never thought of it in that way. It may be semantics, but when I think challenge, I also think conquer or work through. Basically, something that has an end in site. From a very early age, I was comfortable and embraced the fact that I was born with CF and I would die with CF (notice I didn't say from CF, that is probably another blog for another day). CF is a part of me and it's not going anywhere. I never saw CF as a challenge allowed by God because CF is so intertwined within my life, that to call CF a challenge, would be to call my life a challenge. And I'm sorry, but I do not live a challenged life; I live a blessed one.

I see challenges all around me however. It's a challenge to be the husband that Mandi deserves. It will be a great challenge to be the daddy that Mckenna needs. I've always felt challenged to be the son that my mom and dad can be proud of. I challenge myself constantly in the weight room. Every time I lace up my shoes and go for a run, it's a challenge. Not a challenge to my health, but a challenge to my will. And most importantly, and my greatest challenge, is living such a life that one day my Father in Heaven can say to me "Well done, good and faithful servant".

See, all of those challenges I will hopefully accomplish with CF still in my body. And looking at those challenges, those would be present whether or not I had jacked up cells in my body. CF is a part of me that will always be there and I feel it's up to me to choose how I want to use that fact each and every day. To me, CF isn't a challenge, it's a reality that propels me forward and gives me the clarity needed to tackle my life challenges head on.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: Since I knew that I could never defeat CF, I decided that I needed to win at life. 

But winning at life looks different to everyone on the planet; How does it look to you?

Eyes Open: A REAL Eternal Optimist

Ronnie and I are doing an bible study, Experiencing God, with a small group. It's pretty cool. Our church is doing a Sunday sermon series that ties in, and then all small groups (and even some new ones) are doing the workbook that goes along with it. Way cool: over 1600 people bought workbooks and over 600 bought devotionals...just an aside.

So in our small group this week, the conversation turned to challenges. Ronnie said, "You know, I always question how close I am to God because there are so many examples where God gave challenges to strong men in the bible. And pastors say, if you haven't been given challenges or hardship in your life, you maybe aren't being used by God because He often gives challenges to build character before He uses you. And I think, well shoot, why have I not been given challenges?"

...um what?!

I couldn't help but laugh a bit, and then replied, "umm I think probably CF is your thing?!" (that and having to live life with his face..HAHA I KID). Everyone in the group chimed in with, "yeah, I think probably so" comments. And then I started thinking. Man, when Ronnie says he thinks CF is a blessing, he REALLY thinks CF is a blessing. It doesn't even cross his mind that CF would be considered by most to be a challenge or hardship.

This realization stopped me in my tracks. I'm thankful for CF. I thankful for the man it made Ronnie. I'm thankful for the perspective it brings to our lives. I'm thankful for all the people I've met as a result. But I can tell you if you asked me about the biggest challenge in our lives, CF would be the first to pop into my head. And as I digested the statement and my own thoughts surrounding the topic, I began to feel a little twinge of envy. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. What must it feel like to be SO positive about anything and everything in your life that even with something like CF, you don't think you have challenges?

I am not wired like Ronnie. I am a worrier. I often jump to worst case scenarios. I find it easier to initially see the negative than the positive. I'm certainly not a negative Nancy, and try to be positive and an optimist, but it certainly doesn't come as naturally as it does for Ronnie. I hope the longer I know Ronnie, the more he'll rub off on me. What a blessing to have that perspective. So this week, I'm going to work on my perspective. I'm putting on my rose colored glasses and will try to never take them off. Ha!

PS - If you talk to Ronnie, don't mention this post, as I'm hoping he doesn't see it...I don't want to stroke his ego ;-)

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!!

Choking Hazard

**At-home exercise challenge: 30 minute walk

Figured I'd put it out there that I know this is a choking hazard, and although I was extremely careful, this still wouldn't qualify as a "best in practice". Irregardless, we thought it was cute and maybe you guys would too!

Thankful Thursday: Grilling & iPhones

**At home workout challenge**
5 minute warmup walk
5 minute run
2 minute walk
5 minute run
2 minute walk
5 minute run
2 minute walk
5 minute run
2 minute walk


Don't think you have to do this exactly. Try running for 5 seconds and walking for 2 minutes if you have to. Or not running at all and walking 15 minutes. The point is to do something. If you get up and try, I promise you'll go further than if you sat on the couch :)



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 family friends. Our family friends, the Giblins, were in town this last week and it was great to see them. They are my parent's friends, but have become like an aunt and uncle to Josh and I...and now Chrissy and Ronnie, too. It was so fun getting to spend time with them. 

I'm thankful for a new phone. Ronnie and I switched to iPhones from Blackberries a few weeks back because our phones were acting up. I totally love the fact that our new phones have great cameras to catch more on the fly moments of Kenna and I always love learning and playing with new phones!

I'm thankful for earlier bedtimes. Mckenna has been awful at night (we'll take any and all suggestions at this point so bring them on). But we figured we'd take this opportunity to adjust her bedtime a bit earlier. So we've been inching it back. It is so awesome to have an extra hour together in the evening without lady love around!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for the shortest stay in the Hole that I've had for quite some time. I don't think I've had a 13 day stay for over 10 years. There were a variety of factors that contributed to this, but one of the most major is my wife's support. She keeps me on task with my health and because of that, I don't go into the hospital super sick and needing it, I go in kinda sic k and wanting it. Thank you babe!

I'm thankful for great running weather. Today was a great day for a run. It wasn't too hot, it wasn't too cold and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It actually made it kinda enjoyable to run. And I mean in the very slightest of ways. Still, I'm so thankful to live in a place that provides great running weather nearly year round.

I'm thankful for my brother-in-law's grilling skills. We had the pleasure of gobbling up some of his grilled chicken, shrimp and vegetables last night and it was excellent. We are very blessed that they live only .4 miles away and that they are always willing to have us over for some grub!

So, what are you thankful for today?

At-Home Workout Challenge

Thank you to all who participated in the Hospital Exercise Challenge! It was such a success and I got so much great feedback, that I wanted to be sure to continue a little something at home. Here's the problem though, I'm not exactly sure what to do.

I need some ideas. What would be most helpful to you guys? Should I design a workout that I feel would be beneficial? Should I just report each day what I do and then you guys can try to match? I want to do whatever you guys feel would help the most. I'm down for whatever!!

If your curious, my workout today was...

50 leg squats on Smith machine
50 box jumps on 24" box
50 V-ups
50 pushups
50 pull-ups
50 barbell shoulder presses

I try to do all of those exercises as at quick of a pace as I can so it is not only an great muscle builder, but also a great lung workout. I'm huffing and puffing pretty much the whole way through, but it feels SO GREAT when it's all said and done.

Think you can match that today?

Different Hospital Stay

**If you're here for the exercise challenge: 30 minute walk, or 30 minutes of 5 minute walk 1 minute run cycle; 25 box jumps; 20 push-ups; 3 sets of wall sits. Also, I need suggestions from those who are up for the challenge. What's the best way to present the challenge each and every day. I want to do it in a way that works for you guys!!**

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

You know what one of the best feelings in the world is? Your first shower after getting discharged from the hospital. I don't know if it's the confining space, lack of water pressure or ever-changing temperature - but hospital showers just don't compare to home showers.

Anywho, wanted to give you guys an overview of the strange hospital stay that I just had. I say strange because it felt different and was shorter than any stay in the Hole that I can remember for quite some time. I don't have any official numbers on this, but I don't believe that a 13 day hospital stay has happened for me in at least the last 10 years. And I've got to say; Man, it feels good!

One important thing to point out is that I didn't go in super sick. Rarely do I wait until I feel super sick, but this time I was even more proactive. Sure, I had increased sputum, increased fatigue, increased cough and darker mucus, but...as always, I gave them a call when my workouts just didn't have the results that they normally do. Even if I pushed it, it was so much harder to get through my daily routine. For me, that's a sign that I'll be in sooner rather than later, so instead of waiting for later (and inevitably getting more sick), I chose earlier. They say my baseline FEV1 is about 75% (up from 60% 3 years ago) and going into the stay it was at 67%. So as you see, I wasn't exactly "suffering". But my doc agreed, get in and get out before I get worse (I love those guys).

My first week in the hospital is always the worst. I think it's a combination of the antibiotics causing me to have an upset stomach as well as being sore and achy all over my body. This generally leads to more rest, which leads to little exercise, which leads to more achiness, which leads to less exercise, which leads to a drop in lung function. Get that? Almost every single time I'm in the Hole, my lung function drops the first week that I'm in there. It's not always a severe drop (usually not more than 10%), but always a drop nonetheless. Well this time, I actually had a 5% increase! Yeah I know, weird. But there may be an explanation...

I only felt like a truck ran me over for like a day and a half. Instead of the normal 7 days, the antibiotic blues were only with me for about 36 hours. We're not exactly sure why this happened, but I have my theory. Now, it could have been mental. It could have been the fact that there wasn't as much time to sit around now that I have a daughter. It could have been the fact that I had to go and walk around with Mckenna attached to me so she would go to sleep. I guess it could have been a lot of things, but my guess is...a switch in the antibiotic schedule.

I'm always on the same cocktail of drugs when I'm in the Hole. IV Vancomycin, IV Meropenem and oral cipro. They kept that exactly the same, but this time, switched the delivery time of Mero. Usually it's given 3 times a day for 30 minutes, but this time they gave it 3 times a day for THREE HOURS (they said more would be absorbed and not peed out)!! Yeah, I know. I was hooked up to my IV line for all day everyday pretty much (when you include my 2 hour Vanco sessions), but I really think that was the difference for me. Other than working out a time I could get unhooked in order to exercise, I loved the new antibiotic schedule (because I think it worked)! I could be proven to be wrong, but for now, I'll go with it.

With my antibiotic blues time being so much shorter, I was able to get up and out of bed quicker and onto my exercise routine faster. It also helped that I walked Mckenna around in her carrier for multiple hours per day! Since I was able to move around more, I coughed crud up daily and quite a bit of it. I think this all snowballed on itself and was the reason I had such a short stay. I'm already crossing my fingers and hoping that it works out this way next time!

So in summary, why do I think it was such a short stay this time?
1. Change in the med schedule
2. Shorter antibiotic blues
3. Hours of walking per day with a weight attached to my chest
4. Getting to my workouts sooner in the stay
5. Daily prayer that I would continue to get better :)
6. Not waiting until I was sick to go in

So there you have it! It feels so good to be home and back with my girls. I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for your kind words of support while I was in the Hole, and you'll never know how much it they mean to me.

THANK YOU!!!

Hospital Exercise Challenge - Day 6