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


__________________


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!

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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

Hospital Exercise Challenge - Day 5

Mckenna Rolls Over in the Hole

...and if your checking in for the Hospital Exercise Challenge:

30 minute walk
30 box/standing jumps
30 Push-ups

Great job to all who have been knocking it out!!!

Thankful Thursday: Increased PFTs & In-Laws

**For you that are doing the Hospital Exercise Challenge today - 30 minute walk for beginners. 30 minute walk plus 3 sets of wall sits and 10 box/standing jumps for moderate. Alternating 5 minute walk with 1 minute jog for 30 minutes plus 3 sets of wall sits and 25 box/standing jumps for advanced**


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 in-laws! Am I the first person to ever make that statement? Quite possibly...ha! I have spent a lot of time with Ronnie's mom these last few days and I've really enjoyed it. She's a great mom and grandma.

I'm thankful for sleep. Mckenna has had a few really awful nights' sleep the last few nights and it has made me realize how much I love sleep...you never know what you have until it's gone, right? 

I'm thankful for girl scout cookies, but my butt and thighs are not. I case you didn't know, it's that time of year again, so go indulge your taste buds and support the (girl scout) troops. MMM Thin Mints, how I love thee!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for increased PFTs. Generally speaking, my lung function always gets worse after my first week in the Hole. There are probably a variety of factors that contribute to this, but less exercise and heavy antibiotics are probably the leading cause. I'm happy to report however that my FEV1 actually improved by 5% after week one. Sweet!

I'm thankful for an easy baby. Mckenna has been quite the champ during this stay in the Hole. She's been shuttled back and forth I'm sure more than she would like and I know that she knows that she's out of her element. Even given all that, she's still been the happy and smiley daughter that captured my heart almost 4 months ago.

I'm thankful for a do-it-all wife. When I'm in here, Mandi has to pick up even more of my slack. I'm not sure how she handles it all, but I do know that I'm very lucky, grateful and thankful to have her in my life. I love you honey.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Hospital Exercise Challenge - Day 3

Hospital Exercise Challenge - Day 2

Happy Valentines Day!!



Hospital Exercise Challenge - Day 1

Hospital Exercise Challenge - Day 1

Wall Sit:



Box jump (or you can use anything 6 to 60 inches high that's stationary):



Standing Jumps:



DO NOT however, do this!

Not Sure If She Misses Me

Babies are so hard to read sometimes....