10,000 Lbs!!!

I DID IT!!!! 

I PUSHED MYSELF TO 10K Lbs! It wasn't easy, but I give myself a little pat on the back.

Okay, so what did I do? First and foremost, I pray and give thanks to God for my ability to work out, then 10 Mins of HIIT, warmup and some weight lifting. So that's actually as I'm looking at it, 10k ontop of all the other fun stuff I did this morning including vacuuming the 7lbs of cat fluffies! I still wonder why my cats aren't bald! 

Anyways, if you read my blog, do some bragging today! Let me and other folks know how good you are. Sometimes it's good to boost your ego on occasion! 

Later taters! 

Hindu Push-ups?!

Who in their right mind decided that this was a viable pushup?! Oh yes I tried,  I failed, I flatten a cat! What made me think I could do a Hindu pushup when I can't even do a regular pushup.  Heck I can barely do lady push up.  

So basically if you have never heard of it,  you get into a basic pushup,  stick your arse in the air, then swoop down and back up like a snake.  

So what I looked like... I got into a push up,  arse in the air followed by an avalanche. 🏔 There was cussing,  few cat scratches 🐈 and me trying to figure out what the heck just happened.

I just learned to plank! What in the world was I thinking. 

Anyways folks,  I highly recommend learning to do a regular pushup before you advanced to anything Hindu.  You really need a lot of upper body strength and control to do these exercises.

Have a wonderful day folks! 😊

No Motivation

Today my watch decided to wake me up am hour before my phone.  I didn't set it, but for whatever reason,  the ass crack of dawn seemed appropriate for it. Ignored, back to sleep.  Next alarm rings,  look at watch,  look at phone,  yep back to sleep.  I really had no urge to get out of bed! Even my cats couldn't get me out of bed! Wasn't for a lack of fighting in my window! Jerks.

So about 7:35, I finally got my lazy bones out of bed.  Funny thing,  and I know I am not alone here, but the moment I start to move,  Everything cracks back into place! It typically is the sound that gets all my cats to coming running to make sure that I am indeed going to get up to feed them. 

So my morning starts on it's usual way...

yes, all this shit goes into making my magic cup of mud.  For being a fat girl,  I really do not like to eat.  Honestly.  If it wasn't for my daughter,  I probably wouldn't eat.  So hubby brought home a bunch of health shit for me so I get some form of food into me.  Probably why I can't lose weight lol. 

So I drink my cup of mud,  and btw yesterday I found a dinosaur 🦕 drinking coffee in my coffee!

And get ready to get motivated to work out. 

Took me 40 mins to get through my coffee and another 10 mins to remember where I put my sports bra... oddly enough,  in my bra drawer. 

I took my sweet time, had to kiss all my cats just in case the BIG ONE hits you know... when can hope right? Nothing else to look forward to in this newest Ontario lock down... so I hop on the eleptical, I think that's how you spell that,  and proceed to blast my knee. Sat down for less than 3 mins and holy crap did it pain! So I stopped my stepping and did some HIIT and my warm up. Tried my best to do mountain climbers but it's really hard to do them when you have a cat under you. 

Now onto the real work! Barbell weight training! 

I try to mix up my workouts so I'm not doing the same thing all the time. Apparently,  muscle confusion is the name of the game! Today felt like I lifted a cow single handedly and I found a new muscle. I think that the hardest thing is a French press when you are near the end of your workout! My arms felt like jelly and I had to switch from the bar to dumbells.  

I won't push myself to pain.  I want to get healthy,  not kill myself.  It took time to gain weight,  It will take time to lose weight. At least I am trying! Maybe I should get a dog and start walking! 🤔 That would be fun,  but my cats would probably pack up and leave me. Besides I only want a Doberman and I'm not about to drop 3k on one! Do you know how many wigs and makeup I could buy with 3k? Besides,  I know my oldest male cat would hate me.  He hated when I brought home the babies. (Kittens)

Anyways,  back to the French press, I notice that since I was pretty fatigued, that I got complacent with my grip and posture resulting in a sore shoulder and wrist.  A mirror is always handy,  it's on my list of things to buy next. 

Again,  posture and grip are essential to a safe work out.  Don't hold to your grip to tight and don't lock your wrist. Keep your arm up nice and close to your head and arms straight up and slowly being your arm down behind your head.  Slow and steady wins the race. 

My advice for you. 

Night folks!

Happy post Easter workout!

For the record,  Easter is my favorite Holiday! The birth of Christianity is for me the most important celebration.  

He is Risen!

So,  my hubby didn't make it home this weekend and had to spend Easter alone in WV. He did get to go to Bob Evans for Turkey dinner so that was nice! My daughter and I went to my besties as usual and brought Ryan home through Video Chat. That is probably the best part of technology.  Being able to see each other. 

Sometimes,  I even get to see Ryan work out when he is on the road.  Me personally,  I don't like a lot of chatter when I'm doing my work out. I find that I really need to focus on what I am doing to get maximum results. 

Today I'm gonna whine about inferior equipment.

So today was leg day,  one of the last things I do is mountain climbers while being tethered to the weight stack.  Resistance is good,  it helps me with not only strength but posture.  

Well,  I completed one side 10/3 and of course I had to kiss my kitty a 100x as he walked under me. Well switching ankles,  I get to my 3rd pull at only 16kg and doesn't that stupid strap opened on me! Good thing I was not pulling a super heavy weight! I could have flatten my poor cat!!!

So, when you pay X amount of dollars for a machine you would imagine that the accessories would be some-what decent but when they malfunction and could potentially harm you or your beloved cats, then I get pissed. 

THIS DESIGN IS SHIT!!!!

When picking out ankle cuffs get one that at least doubles back.  This one is crap. The velcro isn't nearly wide enough or long enough and it isn't comfortable either.  

So lesson learned,  and now I am on the hunt for an ankle cuff!

Hope everyone is back to the gym today! Be consistent! Ryan was up at 3am hitting the HIIT and weights!

I did 8399lbs Today!

Mile stone...

Today I did 8399lbs! That breakdowns to about 8 exercises x3 x40lbs each! This is on top of the evil eleptical and my rowing.  I skipped HIIT today in favor of extra rowing. Not bad for this cranky old bear! 

I love the quote on the bottom "The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow. " my trash to this quote,  push through the pain.  It is going to hurt when you begin.  You will find muscles you never knew you had! I found that my whole right side which should be my strong side is pretty weak.  My shoulder and elbow give me alot of trouble. 

A couple years ago I was strapping a load of steel down and manage to end up giving myself "tennis elbow". I guess when I pulled down on the load/wench bar to lock the wenches (where the strap goes through) I must have strained to hard.  I ended up not being able to use my right arm for much of anything for the next few weeks.  Even holding a cup of coffee was difficult!Throwing a chain was a definite "Oh hell no!"

Everything we do, you do, we/you got to remember posture, grip and pressure. Even if it's lifting a cat! I'm serious.  Anyone with lower back issues knows that just wiggling the wrong way can put you into spasms! That's why I can't stress enough my friend,  POSTURE is so important! 

Today,  I was reading up on bent over dead lifts and what did I come across in all the articles,  posture. 

Keep your shoulders up,  back straight,  a good grip and a tight pull.  I encourage you to read up before you start exercising so you know exactly what you are doing.  Don't just rely on some app or some YouTuber, read, look in a mirror and know your own body especially if your new.  Who cares about how much you can lift if you are lifting wrong! You don't want to end up in traction,  you want strength.  Start low,  you are NOT  Dwayne Johnson! Heck you're not even Kevin Hart! Start low weight, perfect your posture then increase. 

I am working hard on being consistent. So far I have worked out 5 days this week and 4 days last week.  Weekends are hard because my handsome hubby is home and I want to spend as much time with him before he hits the road again. 😢 The life of the long distant trucker. 

So let's talk about Ryan!

Ryan is 49, a veteran trucker with 28 years under his belt. This man gets up at 4am, gets his dumbells and mat and gets pumping! He has said that the one thing he never wants to be is a Fat trucker! And after all these years,  he has kept the weight off! Koodoos to my handsome hubby! My Champion and cheerleader! He does nearly double what I can! I am so very proud of him. He eats right,  he makes good choices when he is on the road and most importantly, he is consistent.

Being consistent is the key to changing your life around.  Everyone has will power, but most of us need WON'T POWER.  I won't take my fat ass to Burger King. I won't have the second helping of mashed potatoes.  *cry*... this is about the only time it is acceptable to be lazy.  I'm far too lazy to hop on my car and drive to McDonald's. I have food in the fridge. I cook better then most restaurants anyways. 

I beat the Lion's Den today, now to hit the showers!

Photo time

Below I posted a couple of pics of my handsome hubby Ryan and my bragging rights.  

Ryan leaving for work at 3am

Ryan and Kamose doing some stretching before we moved the gym to the living room. 

Showing off for me 😍

BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR ME!!!

Screw the Doctors Report!

2 Timothy 4:17

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth

WELCOME!!!

So the fine print... THIS IS MY BLOG, the opinions express are mine. I am not ashamed or going to pussy foot around what I have to say. Don't like it? As Bob and Doug would say "Take off eh!". Only a real Canadian will get that...

So in 2019 about October, I went to the doctor cuz my lower back and hip were literally crippling me. I could hardly walk. Once upon a time I was a Flatbed driver with my sexy hubby, but getting in and out of the truck literally brought me to tears so I had to "retire" for a bit. Well, nut shell, I go in and do a few tests and find out I have some Autoimmune disorder, leaning towards lupus which runs in the family. 

Okay, I can handle that, it sucks but it's not a death sentence. Off to a rheumatoid Doctor to deal with my back. (My daughter falls in love with him at first sight) he is concerned cuz the tests he has done is showing blood in urine which doesn't jive with arthritis in my back... okay, a little concerning but again, not the end of my life... 

Off to have a camera scope my bladder... ya I don't recommend that. 

Bladder fine, but no clue why there is blood.

Sent to London to see a "specialist" at the big hospital there.

Pull up, look for the right door...

CANCER CLINIC

Beg your pardon? What the future...      (😂 autocorrect right there!!!)

So I figure maybe I have the wrong department. Nope. I'm at the right place but no one told me anything about cancer!!!

So I talk to this new doctor who is apparently the best blood Dr in Ontario... I'm not going to be specific with names or places... anywhere, we do more blood tests among other. 

Well he sez your lungs are horrible (ya saw that coming. I lived in -50c climate for a while and tell me how ur lungs fair, not to mention the on/off smoking I had done for 25yrs...) and you are what we call pre-cancer and then something about smoldering myeloma. I pretty much stopped listening at the word "cancer"... so doc, let's nut shell this for me, what exactly are you saying to me and dumb it right down. Basically I have a 5% chance of developing full blown cancer in the next 10 years... so what I hear is I have a 95% chance of never developing it! 

The glass is half full...

So my "sexy as all get out" hubby Ryan, my gorgeous daughter and I sit down to have a discussion. Nothing more exciting then telling a very dramatic teen your doctor report... tears and fear...  Well here is were the rubber meets the road, I am a firm believer in the Bible and Jesus and as we sat together we prayed for answers. 

Time to change my life. I had quit smoking 3yrs previous so that was a good start (cold turkey), but to beat the devil you got to fight from the inside out! I decided with my family that we would clean our eating habits and get our bodies right. AIP diet and Keto.

Cancer can kiss my grits. Lupus or whatever the hell it is can kiss my grits too! I AM NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!!!

MY LIFE TODAY 

Everyday bloody day, I literally fight to get out of bed. My back and hip hurts so bad that even rolling over puts my body into a pain spasm, but I do it! It takes me a good 30 mins some days to get from lying to sitting to standing, but I do it!

I am then lead to my bathroom by my escorts- my cats... apparently I am not allowed to pee by myself. 

Next I make my power coffee: collagen, bone marrow, vitamins, minerals, vegetables, Ghee, mct oil😋 I'm telling you,  if you don't have a strong stomach you ain't gonna drink this shit!

So after I get my kid off to school, I catch a couple Pokémon,  drink my mud then I spend the next 1-2 hours working out. Hard.

Now folks, don't any of you say you can't exercise! I call bullshit!!! 

I hurt,  I work out.  Yes I have to modify my workouts,  but I do it! Joint friendly HIIT is the way to go! 

So I start on my eleptical, then my rower to get my heart pumping followed by joint friendly HIIT and finally a good warm up for whatever part of my body I am working on then I hit the Smith machine. 

I'm a novice, I'm just starting out so I don't use weight plates just yet. My maximum lifting weight is 40lbs. Like I said I am not here to power lift, I'm here to build strength. 

I am slowly getting stronger. Last week I was doing 10lbs bent over pull ups and today I did 20lbs with minimal struggle!!! I've been consistent now for 3 weeks, so just at the very beginning. No I'm not seeing any physical changes yet, but for the past 3 days, I have been able to get out of bed with almost no pain!!! I take one extended release advil a day to help with inflammation. My goal is to be free of all medications. 

I am a very natural person. . I use minimal medications to control the pain. In fact, when I had my hysterectomy I didn't need any pain killers!!! 

I don't give a rats fat ass for what my doctors had to say. I will not die from cancer and I will not become cripple from the Autoimmune issue either. I can beat this.  Yeah I hurt, yeah I am always overly tired,  but every day I get stronger! 

That's what this blog is about.  We all start our journeys at very different places, I just happen to have waited till I was fat and sick! Lol 😆 Who doesn't like a challenge!

So,  let's walk this together,  I will tell you my daily life,  and y'all can tell me yours. 

I have had a few set backs, like the  hysterectomy, and my back going out,  but here we are. April 1st 2021! Look what I lifted today (photo below)... man, if my life journey can help one person, all this pain is worth it.

WELCOME TO THE LIONS DEN GYM, good by couch... no couch, no excuse.

_______________

3 sets, barbell and hex weights

THIS IS THE LION... 

I hate this machine! It kicks my ass, my lungs suck right now, so it's the hardest thing I do. My daughter does 45mins to 1hr on this thing like a hot knife through butter.

Plate for leg press, hex weights and gym shoes.

How bad do you want fight? What would you give up?

Me... My trucking handle is "Gypsy Bear"... I've been everywhere and I'm a cranky old broad! 

See you next time

Bernie

The Gypsy Bear