6/27/16

That date was the last time I was in Urgent Care,  according to my chart which I glanced at today while at Urgent Care...again. 

On June 27th I had dropped a dumbbell on my index finger while letting it go after my second set of bench presses. Which resulted in me grabbing my hand while contorting and grunting audibly for no one else at the gym at 4:30 in the morning.  Then I took a deep breath, weighed my options of a. just stopping and going home or b. continuing to work out. Going home didn't seem to make sense as what would I do there at 4:45 am? Urgent Care wasn't open yet, Mr. MFN was asleep like most sane people. So I took a deep breath and continued my workout. Which I then ran my finger under cold water between sets. Why did I do this, because I am determined to make this competition happen.

So I now I go about my daily activities with limited feeling in my right index finger waiting for the nail to fall off. Which everyone has told me will happen, but it hasn't yet. There may be pics when it finally does. 

Then I woke up this morning in the middle of the night with a shooting pain in my left shoulder. Thinking I had been sleeping on it wrong, I just went back to bed. When I woke up for good it still hurt- both when I moved it just right (which was most ways) and when my arm hung by my side. I considered putting my first aid skills to use and fashioning a sling. Then I noticed a small, hard, painful lump on my shoulder. I took a 800 mg Ibuprofen from the finger smash accident but to no relief. 

What happened? No clue! Then I did like I usually do- went to the gym to do my assigned cardio because what else would I do at 7 am. Thankfully, that was okay for my shoulder.  

After Mr. MFN felt the lump, he immediately suggested Urgent Care. After a 2 hour wait to get in, the doctor was mostly quiet while he twisted my arm about having me push and pull. He mentioned it might be a cyst or calcified tendonitis. But to be sure, it was off to x-ray for me. 

After four hours, two stops in exam rooms, and a trip to radiology- I still had no definitive diagnosis from the doctor. The x-ray showed nothing interesting, which is good I suppose. He then instructed me to decrease my weightlifting for the next one to two weeks. Which I interpreted to mean- work what you can. He also recommended I wear a sling for the next 3-5 days, ice it, take pain relievers as needed, and lean on a table while swinging my arm (in a controlled motion) about. So I will be holding this arm high and tight- until I find an upper body part I can work pain free. 

Nope, not trying this.
Source: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/shoulder-pain/deltoid-muscle-strain 

 

So It Began

In 2002 I decided it would be a good idea to enter into a bodybuilding competition- more specifically Miss Bikini America in Minneapolis, MN.

Thought process on my decision to enter: I workout, I look good, I can do this. Plus, I'll get to go on a trip with my best friend.  

Little did I realize how much more than just "working out" and "looking good" went into preparing for a show. Which "little" is exactly what I did. Did I have clue what I was doing? Nope! My friend was my saving grace and told me what she was doing to prepare at each step. (Which I was then doing in much shorter time frame resulting among many other dropped balls- a fun sunburn after 3 minutes in a tanning bed.)

After being awarded "Honorable Mention" (Translation: Award for putting heels and a suit on and not using use drugs) I thought I may try again, after I can eat again.

I would enter a photo of myself right about here of the end result, but I believe a guy I used to know has/ had ownership of it. Please settle for a picture of my medal.

For the last 14 years I have continued to workout and with the thought of "maybe someday". My best friend continued on her journey, kicked some ass, kicked her own ass, and posted plenty of photos. You can factor her into my inspiration to compete as well. Then in 2015 I began borderline obsessed with the idea of competing again. I began searching blogs and reading all I could on figure and bikini competitions and recommended workouts and diets.

Because if not now, when? There is never a perfect time to start something. There's always after "this weekend/ cheat meal/ pint/ glass/ [insert all too familiar excuse here]."  That had a grip on me for the better part of the last 10 years.

Eventually, if you're self aware enough, you may reach the point where you think, "F*c< it, let's roll!"  

That's what happened to me. On March 1, 2016 I pulled the trigger and contacted Sledge Athletic Solutions (SAS). Why SAS?
Reason #1: Mr. MFN's co-worker was a member and told the Mr. MFN about the great things the owner, Mark, was doing. He also slipped in that Mark trained bodybuilding competitors as well.
Reason #2: Because working out at my neighborhood gym with the acoustic guitar strumming owner was not cutting it for me.

This is what I thought of every time he took it out. 

Prior to entering SAS, I was greeted by numerous well sculpted women leaving. I was a bit in awe of these ladies. When I got inside, Mark was super friendly and readily answered any question I had. I laid eyes on the dirty boxing ring, transition my gaze to the leg press, and finally panned to the skeleton holding a "I Skip Meals" sign. I knew I had found my gym.

Fast forward to today. I am now less 10 weeks out from my first competition in 14 years. I have been meaning to get this blog up and going, but time eternally escapes me. (Better at 10 weeks prior than 10 weeks after!)

Please stayed tuned for updates (and few throwback stories from early prep) as I document this journey. On my quest to compete in NPC Battle for the Eagle on October 15, 2016.

I'm off to finish cooking up some sirloin and down the last of 170 ounces of water required for today.

Signing off from hazy kitchen... 

Thanksgiving, Football, and an In Home Workout

Happy Thanksgiving (and Hanukkah for all you lucky folks getting two holidays in one). On Thanksgiving we feast like the famine is upon us and movement is pretty much limited to going from the couch to the table. Although most gyms are closed today, don’t use it as your excuse to skip an opportunity to move. I’m suggesting you put down that beer for the football game you're watching and pick up your water bottle. (Well, you could have a beer and then make it an Appalachian training routine.)

All you need for this workout is a football game that is of some level of interest. Maybe a jump rope or step stool if you're on overachiever.

What to Do:

First, pick a team to cheer for. (Follow these directions for the team you are cheering for.)

Push ups Do one for each point your team has on the board each time they score.

Burpees One for each penalty yard your team’s defense draws. If you’re doing this after dinner, you should pick a cleaner playing team.  

Crunches One for each penalty yard your team’s offense draws.  

Punting/ Kickoff Hold a plank from the time your team lines up until the end of the play. You better hope the other team doesn’t have a kickoff return.    

Commercial Break Car-di-o! Jumping jacks, high knees, fast feet, jump rope, step-ups. You get the idea, keep moving and get that heart rate up.   

Half-time Depending on if your game is a blow out or not, you can throw in the towel here or keep it going. To keep it going get outside and toss the old pigskin around or go for a walk/ run. Then repeat the instructions above for the second half. This may also be the optimal time to assist someone in the kitchen.

After the game, don’t feel an ounce of guilt when you reach for that pie later. You earned it! 

Almost-Better-than-Second-Base Cupcakes

One day, not too long ago, a good friend stumbled upon a video of Emily Nelson, wife of Packer WR Jordy Nelson, making “Better-than-Almost-Anything Cake.” As my friend described it to me, the pure gluttony of this cake made me want to make it… my way.  I’m not quite as innocent as Emily, so I added stout to the mix and nixed the condensed milk. I present to you “Almost-Better-than-Second-Base Cake.” Or as my husband labeled them at work “Mocha Stout with Caramel and Toffee.”

What You Need:

1 Package of German Chocolate Cake

Vegetable oil and eggs as called for on the box

1 -3.4 oz Package of Chocolate Pudding Mix

½ Cup of Stout (I used Oakshire Espresso Stout)

Caramel Topping

1 Container of Cool Whip Topping

1 Heath Bar (or another toffee candy bar)

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with liners (it makes about 24 cupcakes).  You may want to double- line the tins since these cupcakes can be on the gooey side.

Mix the cake according to package instructions and add the stout to the mix. Divide the cake mix evenly among the cupcake tins. Bake according to package instructions.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.

After the cupcakes have cooled, take a wooden spoon handle and make a hole in each cupcake. Drizzle the caramel over each cupcake, with a little extra going into the hole. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Frost each cupcake with the Cool Whip topping. Next, crush the toffee candy bar into pieces using a mallet, the thick handle of a kitchen utensil, or Clay Mathews’ wrecking ball of a hand. (Whichever you have access to will do.) Open the wrapper and sprinkle the toffee bits over each cupcake.

Store covered in the refrigerator.   

Fall Paleo Lasagna

Ditch the pasta sauce in favor of fall flavors with this Paleo friendly version of lasagna. This recipe takes some time to put together, but is well worth it for a nutrient dense meal. (Plus, it can be dinner/ lunch for a few days.) 

What You Need:

4 Medium zucchinis

2 10-ounce packages of frozen squash

1 Medium head of cauliflower

1 Small onion

2 Cloves of garlic

½ T of Apple cider vinegar

1 Pint of Grape tomatoes

2 lbs of Bulk Italian sausage

1 lb of Raw mushrooms, sliced

1 lb of Baby spinach

Italian Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

What To Do:

If not already indicated as washed, wash your produce before beginning. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet (lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper) and roast for 30 minutes.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel zucchini noodles (zoodles) until you reach the seedy middle of the zucchini. (You can also use a mandolin to make the zoodles.) Lay the zoodles, overlapping, on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper (you will likely need two cookie sheets for all the zoodles) and bake for 10 minutes.  

While the zoodles bake, cut the cauliflower into florets and place in a microwaveable container. Add a little water, cover, and steam in the microwave until cooked through. After steaming, place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and process until it is of mashed potato consistency. Add ½ T of apple cider vinegar and blend.

Heat the squash according to package instructions (I prefer the microwave option).  

Chop the onion and garlic. Spray a skillet with cooking spray, place on a stove top burner, set the burner to medium, sauté the onion and garlic until soft, and set aside in a bowl. Next, using the same skillet, sauté the mushrooms with the spinach and set aside.

Turn the burner under the skillet up to medium-high and cook the sausage until browned and crumbled. 

Turn the oven temperature up to 425 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 inch cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Take one sheet of zoodles and place on the bottom of the pan. Use half of the squash and spread over the noodles with a spatula (this will help hold it together). Layer half of the mushroom and spinach mixture, onion and garlic mixture, and sausage over the squash. Spread a layer of half of the cauliflower mash over the sausage. Layer all of the tomatoes over the cauliflower. Sprinkle ½ T of Italian seasoning over the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Repeat starting with the zoodles and ending with the cauliflower mash. 

Place the lasagna in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Diabetes and Exercise

Awhile back a friend who also is a personal trainer asked me for some information on diabetes and exercise. Knowing that he couldn't possibly be the only person interested in this, I decided to make a whole post dedicated to this topic. Most of the information in here is quite general. If you have questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I will answer them. This post is not meant to diagnose or treat diabetes (or any other disease), it is merely informational and perhaps inspirational to get someone to move a little more. For more information, please refer to a physician, a diabetes educator, or visit diabetes.org.

(A Very Brief) Overview

In 2011 it was estimated that over 25 million U.S. citizens are believed to have diabetes. Of that number 18.8 million people were diagnosed while approximately 7 million people were currently undiagnosed. That was 8.3% of the U.S. population in 2011, almost 10% of us!

There are two main types of diabetes. These are referred to type 1 and type 2 diabetes (think Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss books). In both types of the disease the body has trouble utilizing glucose (i.e. fuel) in the blood. Typically in a person without diabetes, when blood glucose levels increase (which generally occurs after a meal) insulin is produced and released by the pancreas which activates cells to transport glucose into cells via transporters and the glucose can be used in the cells for energy or stored for future use.  

Thing 1 and Thing 2 are far more pleasant than type 1 and type 2 diabetes. 

Type 1 vs. Type 2

In type 1 you do not produce insulin, so when blood glucose rises there is no signal that cells need to move transporters to the cells' surface to take in glucose. When this happens blood glucose can remain high and cause a litany of complications. In addition, when your body is unable to use blood glucose it causes the body to think it is starving and it then resorts to other sources of energy. This can lead to muscle breakdown and excessive utilization of fat stores (which can lead to a dangerous complication known as ketoacidosis). In type 1 diabetes, patients are prescribed insulin to help the body move glucose into cells.

In type 2 diabetes your body still produces insulin but your cells do not react to it as well, this results in glucose utilization by cells being lowered. This also results in high blood glucose levels and can result in complications. In type 2 diabetes, patients are not usually given insulin since their body can still produce it. Instead, patients can be given drugs to increase insulin production, to lower glucose release by the liver, and /or to make cells more sensitive to insulin. In addition to prescription drugs, type 2 diabetes can be managed through a healthy diet and exercise.

Diabetes and Exercise

In both forms of the disease, blood glucose levels should be monitored pre-, during, and post- exercise. If blood glucose levels are above 250 mg/ dL, the urine should also be checked for ketones (if they are present it could indicate ketoacidosis). Monitoring pre- exercise will let one know if they ready to exercise. For instance, it is not recommended a person with diabetes and blood glucose level above 250 mg/ dL with ketones present exercise. However, a person with diabetes and a blood glucose level above 250 mg/ dL without ketones could initiate exercise. Blood glucose levels should be monitored throughout exercise, especially if the workout is longer than 60 minutes.    

Type 1 and Exercise

In people with type 1 diabetes, exercise can be a balancing act. Caution and careful blood glucose monitoring should be used when beginning an exercise program.  People with type 1 diabetes will need to find the perfect balance of eating enough carbohydrates to fuel their workout while using enough insulin to be able to utilize the glucose. 

Too many carbohydrates and not enough insulin can lead to hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) which can lead put one at risk for complications associated with uncontrolled diabetes. Too much insulin and not enough glucose can lead to hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). Risk of hypoglycemia is highest during and post- workout. To counteract hypoglycemia, additional carbohydrates should be consumed and blood glucose levels should be monitored. It can take time to adjust one's diet when beginning an exercise program, so it is best to check blood glucose levels consistently when starting an exercise program to find what works best. 

Type 2 and Exercise

Unlike type 1, people with type 2 diabetes will typically not need to balance blood glucose by using insulin. In fact, people with type 2 diabetes can potentially control* the disease with exercise. Exercise alone can make the cells more sensitive to the blood glucose, meaning the cell's glucose transporters can move to the edge of the cell to transport glucose into it to be utilized. With time, the need for some medications prescribed for type 2 diabetes may be diminished if not eliminated.

(* Please note that I used the word control, there is currently no cure for diabetes.) 

I hope this short run down of diabetes and exercise gave you some insight into what to pay attention to as well as a sense of what direction to go. As with any exercise program, please consult with a physician before beginning.        

Weighting for Change

There it is, that magical date on your calendar. May it be a wedding, school reunion, post-baby date, beach trip, etc.; you have a date and a goal in mind.

"I need to lose X pounds by (this date) and then my life will be perfect."

Next thing you know you're paying more attention to infomercials for battery operated waist bands that do your work out for you while you sit. Dr. Oz suddenly has you mesmerized and whatever flies out of his mouth is the God-given fact to weight loss. You stand in GNC/ Vitamin Shoppe/ (Insert your supplement store of choice here) in awe of your options for fat-blasting aids and metabolism boosters. These are the answers you have been looking for! These will finally help you lose that pesky weight you have carried for so long!

At least that's what you think.

But why invest your money in pills with more ingredients than what goes into a loaf of bread? Why strap and battery powered belt yourself? Why put the stress of one, inconsequential day on yourself?

Setting a date/ goal is a preliminary step in weight loss. But having just that and no real idea of what it takes to lose weight will only set yourself up for failure. And no, buying pills and products does not count as a plan. These are "quick fixes" if they deliver what they promise. But odds that it will last you a lifetime are not so high. The thing is, many of the products promise results in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise!

I have seen/ heard from too many people who have said "I want to lose weight, I just don't want to change." (In all fairness, the phrase "I don't want to change" in its entirety was not stated. With that out there, the statement "I don't want to change the way I eat," or some variation of it, has been expressed.)

What You Need to Realize About Weight Loss

YES You will need to change. If you don't, how can you expect things to be any different?

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."- Albert Einstein.

NO You don't need the "latest and greatest" pill/ gadget to do it.

Someone once said "Your body is 80% what you put in your body and 20% what you do." Considering how far you have walk to burn off a doughnut, there is some truth to that.

NO You don't need to starve yourself. But...

DO Pay attention to what you're putting in your mouth; its the best place to start.

Tip: Look at the nutrition label to see what a serving size is and use that to put what you're eating in perspective. For instance, pour yourself a bowl of cereal. Then measure out a proper serving from the bowl you just poured with a measuring cup or a kitchen scale. How does this look compared to what you usually eat? Is there cereal left in your bowl or is the measuring cup coming up short? Do this for everything you eat for at least for a week. Some items you may be eating under a serving, but with others you may be eating double. Pay careful attention to items you are going over board with. Having too many vegetables isn't bad for the calorie bank, but too many chips can send you over your limit quick.

Pro Tip: Avoid eating straight from the package, things can quickly get out of hand. 

Image of the LoseIt! App

DO: Keep a log whether it be with pen and paper, on a website, or an application on your smart phone. This log can be not only for what you're eating, but for exercise too. There are a ton of options out there. Ones that I have personally used are Myfitnesspal.com and Loseit.com (both have apps and websites so you can update your log from just about anywhere).

Bonus: Most of applications out there can let you know how many calories you need to maintain, lose, or gain weight.  

DON'T Wait! Why put weight loss off for a special occasion? There may already be enough pressure on that special day, why add to it? Get out of the mindset of "now is not the time." My dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two days before Thanksgiving. Two days, talk about "now is not the time." The holiday of gorging oneself was now him asking what he could eat and my mom scrambling to alter recipes. Chronic diseases don't wait for the "right time", why should you wait for the "right time" to be the healthiest you can be? Put yourself first and go after it!