Recovering Quickly

The shoulder was diagnosed as a Slap Tear. Quite a bit of pain, but rehab was thought to do the trick. Three weeks of rehab, and the shoulder was feeling much better. Just made it back to the gym about 3 weeks ago. Minimal impact on the bag, but still getting a great workout. Two months away from the gym, and you would think I was starting all over again. I forgot how much pain there was after a good work out.

Finally! Glad to be back!

Time Off & No Luck

Looks like a pretty substantial injury. Six (6) weeks out of the gym with no major improvement of the injury. I don't expect to be landing a cross anytime soon.

So the tide turns. Life always ebbs and flows...this is just a dip in the tide, a trough in the wave. Investment in other portions of my life will have to trump my strong desire to continue in my training. At this time, I just need to heal the shoulder and figure out how to stay in decent shape during the rehab.

Repeat Pain

Back in April, I had significant shoulder pain. I worked through it via back and shoulder exercises. Of course, once I was back to normal, I reverted to the same training routine. Again, I have substantial shoulder pain, which is probably due to unbalanced training (i.e. no back or rear shoulder work outs). It is time to try the same recovery plan. My goal is to avoid a repeat in another 2 months.

Diet and Weight Goals

I have been doing well eating foods that fit "fuel", but I have not been doing a good job of monitoring my portions. Over the last 2 months I have moved from a great weight of 183 back up to about 192lbs.

In order to get back on track, I have joined up with a group of fellow workers to lose some weight. As a reminder of the pain and agony of unhealthy eating, several of us have vowed to eat to gain weight for a week prior to our diet. This should help to serve as a reminder of the misery it is to be unhealthy. I usually revert after a couple of months to less portion control resulting in weight gain. I am hoping this week will remind me to never venture down that path.

Bottom line, starting Friday I will be on an aggressive diet, and I "will" have abs by end of summer.

Stay Present

I have found that it is very difficult to keep my life balanced. While focusing on exercise, work and home slip. Focusing on work, home and exercise slip. Throw some education into the mix and everything falls apart.

...An endless balancing act.

It is great to notice these challenges; it permits you to rebalance. In the past, I was not present enough to notice the fluctuation of priorities and the issues that were arising. Now, although I find it very difficult to stay in the moment, I understand that it is important to focus on the present and not focus on a goal while letting time slip. Stay present, but plan and focus on goals and self improvement. Time will pass, make sure you improve as it passes while enjoying today.

Second Wind

After a week off with time to allow the muscles to relax, I am feeling much better. Two rough classes this week and still feeling very energetic without a ton of soreness. Perhaps I just reached a limit where I needed a week to recover. I will keep this in mind for the next time my mind starts to drift towards the downward spiral - maybe it is just a mental signal that I physically need a rest. Back in the game...

Discouraged

Well - it's been about a month since trying to reinvigorate myself towards this commitment. It has been very difficult fighting through physical pain via exercise while fighting many work and personal issues as well. Physically, I am still fighting a sore shoulder that seems to be related to a non-balanced exercise routine. The problem seems to be that boxing focuses a lot on the chest and front of the shoulder, but my routine doesn't balance this with sufficient back and rear shoulder exercises. This has caused significant pain in my shoulder, but mainly when my muscles are tight for a day or two after exercise. The new plan is to hit the back and rear shoulders hard and consistently to see if I can rectify this issue. I may revert to reduced boxing, but I will try a strict workout schedule for about 2 weeks first to avoid losing any forward progress on my overall conditioning.

Refusal

Refusal to give in; fighting for more. I have been on a roller coaster of pain, frustration, and emotional battles. I am fighting to keep up with the daily chores of life and maintain a good training regime. I refuse to be beaten. This pain and irritation has made everything difficult, but I will fight through it. I am determined to figure this out and get back in the game. On the brink of defeat but bouncing back...Think positive...

Falling to Pieces

Well… can anything else go wrong? For the past two weeks, I have been physically challenged. I jammed my thumb during our knife fighting class, contracted some sort of crazy flu, sprained my finger, dislocated a toe, and severly cramped one of my trapezius muscles causing shoulder pain.

Needless to say, I have failed to keep up with my daily exercises for about two weeks. I am recommitting to my daily routine this week.

Maintenance

Maintaining a current exercise routine and diet has been difficult. Stress from work and additional scheduling conflicts have made exercising and sticking to my diet difficult. I ended up with some sort of cold last week, which limited my workouts to only one. That is not anywhere near enough to maintain a good regimen. I will be fighting to stay on track this week, and I am hoping that I will be able to be back to 3 times a week starting next week.

Meditation

My wife and I have been researching meditation. In the past, I always thought of meditation as a simple breathing technique for the reduction of stress. In reviewing a few websites, reading a couple books, and attending a few classes, we have found that meditation reaches far beyond simple relaxation. There are forms of meditation that delve into self-reflection, contemplation, and emotional analysis. We plan to continue to review and practice meditation to aid in our own personal development as well as to aid in stress reduction to improve our overall health and resilience to the complexities of life.

Diet & Nutrition

Our Coach's motivation to eat “fuel” has driven me to a strict diet, and it is beginning to pay off. I have started to minimize my simple carb intake and eliminate or significantly reduce my sugar intake. So far, I have been losing weight as anticipated (down 5lbs in 2 weeks). I still have a way to go to reach my ideal weight (180lbs), and it is not an easy task.

Additionally, I just finished reading a nutrition book that will supplement my diet in more ways than one. The text supported a lot of my previous knowledge on good eating habits, and it offered additional vitamin supplements that should aid in weight loss and several other conditions that cause me some minor inconvenience.

I would recommend this text as a great read to help get you on track for a healthier lifestyle. You will find that much of what you have been told is healthy may be misleading.

Crayhon, Robert, M.S. Nutrition Made Simple, A Comprehensive Guide to the Latest Findings in Optimal Nutrition New York: (1994).

Stick to it

I am still working hard at keeping to the goals of the program. I am almost up to par on my exercise goals. I am on par with push ups, but still a little behind on the sit-ups. I mis-calcualted originally, but I should be caught up in one week.

If you haven't tried grappling, it is a great class. It is unbeleiveable exercise and sometimes a very humbling experieince. If you haven't started yet, I am waiting for more people to join the class. Get off your butt, and get in gear.

See you in class soon.