My journey.

For me, yes it does.  If you’ve read my previous blogs then you know i had a serious injury in August.  If you didn’t, well here’s a quick update.  I broke my fibula, fractured the fibula from the top to the bottom (my leg was twisted), multiple tibial plateau fractures and sprained ligaments in my ankle and my knee.

I’ve been going to physiotherapy for 4 weeks now and i’m not having any problems getting those muscles to work for me again.  I’ve tripled the weight i press in just 2 weeks.  I’ve also started back at the gym.  Nothing to heavy, full body w/o 3 times a week.  I didn’t realize how much muscle the rest of my body lost until i started training again.  I’m still really weak compared to what i was lifting before.

Now i’ve always thrown around the statement “thank god for muscle memory”.  Then i thought about it, i really don’t know what that is.  I did some research and most of what i found states that it’s neurological.  That your brain is what remembers, not your muscles.  This didn’t make sense to me.  If i think back to when i was a mechanic for 5yrs, i had gained a lot of strength and muscle in my upper body due to my profession, and when i stopped being a mechanic, i lost most of that muscle.  When i started training again in Jan 09, which is years later, it took less than a month to gain most of my muscles.  I just figured “muscle memory”, right?  But if it’s neurological, why would they come back so quickly when i had lived for years without them.

So i did a little more searching and found one article which quotes a study done on muscle fibers before resistance training, during resistance training and after 3 months of detraining.  My understanding of this article is that when you engage in resistance training you actually change your muscle fibers, and leaving you more fibers for growth when you start training again than what you had to begin with.

I believe this.  Unfortunately i can’t find anything else that backs up this statement.

http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/haycock/muscle-memory.htm

If you’ve found something else about muscle memory don’t hesitate to post it. 

Well, it’s been 7 weeks since i brook my leg and i’m still crutching it.  urrggg!!!!!!!  I hate this.  I definitely don’t take anything for granted anymore, even laundry.  lol

I started physio this week and man is it painful.  I was trying to switch the crutches for a cane but no go.  Apparently i’ve got a long way to go with my recovery.  There seems to be some issues with my PCL as well.  My understanding is that damage to the PCL is rare and difficult to fix.  I know that ACL injuries are common but mine is only strained.

Surgery was tossed back and forth after the accident due to my tibial plateau being impacted but the doctor says my femur and tibia are sitting pretty so no surgery.  Now there’s a chance of surgery again due to the PCL.  sigh…

I’ve gained some weight and lost a ridiculous amount of muscle in my right leg.  I try flexing my quads and it just twitches.  It’s kind of funny to look at but strange at the same time.  I have no control over my leg anymore.

I asked if i could go back to the gym and i was told no.    I have to try.

I’m back at work on modified duties of course.  Safety officers have to be able to walk around a construction site.  (If you’re on my page for the first time, yes, i broke my leg on my construction site where i’m the safety officer.)  I’m working in an office doing a lot of paper work.  I don’t mind paper work but i don’t think i could do office work full time, all the time.  I like to move around.

Well, that’s all for now.

It happened last Thursday, August 20.

I’m going to be down for a while.  I will admit though, getting around on these crutches is a workout in itself.  lol

I had some drywall at work fall on my leg the wrong way.  If you don’t know what i do, i’m the Safety Officer on a construction site.  Ironic isn’t it?  Out of all the workers in the last 2yrs, i will miss the most work due to an injury that happened on site.

I’m going to keep visiting BB.com to keep my mind in the right place.  I’ve got some dumbbells here at home and i will try and do some upper body routines.  I’ll see what the surgeon has to say and go from there.

I’m at work right now and i just finished my report about a man who collapsed on my construction site due to a seizure.

His co-workers told me this has happened a few times before.  They told me he drinks a lot of alcohol, doesn’t eat during the day and rarely drinks water (not good when working outside).

If this isn’t a good enough example of why people should be eating well and keeping hydrated, i don’t know what is.

It’s been a while since i’ve posted a blog.  I’ve been doing all my typing lately in the forums.

I’ve been on and off my diet and training for the last 4 weeks.  I have to admit, i don’t like being off of either of them.  I usually feel like crap when i am, not to mention i feel fat and bloated.

The reasons for being off of the diet a couple of times is camping and my best friends wedding.  Now the camping was more of an excuse but the wedding was not.  My bff was married this weekend and i spent 4 days being a Maid of Honor/slave to my bff.  lol.  It’s ok but i was unable to calculate or track my eating, i could barley pay attention to anything other than the wedding.  But it’s over and i’m back on my diet and back in the gym.  I feel great.

I’ve been working hard on coming up with a workout program to fit my diet without being stuck in the gym for over 2hrs.  (Single working mom, i don’t have 2hrs to spend in the gym)  I need to work certain muscle groups on certain days and i’m used to doing isolation exercises 5 days a week not compound for 3 days.   I’ve learned a few things along the way too.  I truly believe i’m working smarter and not harder.  My muscles get the same workout in less time.  The supersets help too.  lol

Well that’s it for now.

Well, i’m into week 3 of the keto diet and it’s seems to be working.  I’ve dropped a lot of water weight, and put it back on every weekend, but i’ve become smaller as well.  I seem to be getting smaller around the hips and waist.  I wasn’t able to take measurements last Friday morning because i slept in over an hour.  yikes.  But i did make it onto the scale.  I’m going to take measurements this Friday morning and i should see some smaller numbers.

Last week i stated i wanted to lose 2-3lbs and i did.  I lost 2lbs.  I’m sure some of this is water weight but i don’t think it’s all water.  I weigh myself on the same day at the same time every week. I don’t see any loss of muscle or strength, but i may lose some muscle yet while trying to lose fat.  I finally used my skin calipers which i’ve had for over a month.  I took 3 readings and used the average of the 3.  The caliper says i’m at 21%.  Whether or not this is accurate, i will use this process throughout the keto diet.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=117206431

You’ve probably never heard of the Calgary Stampede but it’s been around for almost a 100yrs.   It’s 10 days of food, drinks, rodeos, fireworks, and cowboys.

Today was the first day of the Stampede which means there’s a huge parade going on downtown this morning.  We have fighter jets flying by, helicopters everywhere and people crowding the streets.  The vibe in this city for the 10 days is amazing.  In a city of over a million people, everyone is happy, calm and ready to have a good time   You will make so many new fiends you won’t remember them all.   The beer will help with that too.  haha
For the next 10 days, every company will put on a FREE Stampede breakfast and/or Stampede party.  The corner stores, grocery stores and department stores will sell cowboy hats and if you don’t have one during Stampede, well, something is wrong with you.

Not only will there be company parties, but all the "big" clubs will have beer tents outside of their main building, some the size of a football field, and every other club and/or pub will be packed with people out having a good time.

If you’re lucky enough to get into the beer gardens on the stampede grounds you’ll see some great free concerts at the Coke stage.  Previous artists have included, Three Days Grace, Good Charlette, Live, Sloan, Lifehouse, Hedley, Finger Eleven, and Puddle of  Mudd to name a few.    This year we’ve got Teri Clark, Hinder, Simple Plan, The Trews (love the Trews) and Bif Naked (love here too).

Also, another main attraction of the Calgary Stampede is Nashville North.  If you want a seat to see your favorite country singer while you down a nice cold beer, you better get in line first thing in the morning.  It’s always packed, usually a 6hr wait.

This just some of the things that go on during the 10 days of Stampede, so if you’re ever up this way in early July, stop by and see what all the funs about.   As the Cowboys night club would say, "It’s the most fun you can have with your boots on"  haha

Enjoy the fireworks, BBQ’s and time spent with family and friends.

I started my second week yesterday on the keto diet and i have to say, this is the EASIEST DIET EVER!!!!

I feel great, it’s easy to stay under my maintenance calories and i get to eat good food.  Who can argue with steak, cheese, whip cream, pepperoni, and did i mention CHEESE!    Of course, everything in moderation.  I still have to keep my food as clean as possible.  For this diet anyway.
My body’s energy levels are usually really high.  The depletion workout is something to get used to.  I felt like a big pussy in the gym on Friday.   There wasn’t much glycogen left in my muscles and I was lifting a 10-25lbs lower weight than usual.  My strength in the beginning of the week is awesome but if i was lifting the same at the end of the week, i wouldn’t be doing this program right.

Anyway, i’m hoping there will be a change in my weight at the end of this week.  I would like to see a 2-3lb loss compared to last week.  No, that won’t include water weight.  That comes off in the first 2-3 days of the week.

Ok. I’m trying a new diet this week. I know i’ll get some criticism for doing it but i need something that will keep my energy levels up. The one i was on was working, but i was so lethargic sometimes i could barely get through the day.

I’m on the keto diet.  I’ve been researching it for about 3 weeks and i made the decision this Monday morning to try it.

I will add the micro-nutrients to my journal every day.  They’ll be logged in my keto log.

I’ve adjusted my workout routine slightly to accommodate this diet and carb ups every weekend.

Mostly, this is a test. I want to see if my energy levels will stay up due to the high fat content and if i’ll lose the weight quickly.  So far my energy levels have been really good throughout the day and the food is soooo goood.
It’s looks like i started creating ketones in my body on Tuesday night, which is amazing that it happened so quickly.

If you’re interested, you can check my progress here: Keto Log