Andrew’s (Spring85sigma) BodyBlog

Today’s planche push-up training workout marks the beginning of Workout Cycle 14!

Given the stress and strain of the past week, I am happy to be back at it again! It gives me a chance to clear my mind and work out some of my frustration and stress. My grandmother is as well as she can be, but we learned last week that the time has come for dialysis. This week we will be vigilantly watching her condition and helping her to make the transition. Right now she will probably require treatments 3 times per week! She’s a tough woman and I am sure she will come through this with flying colors. I thank all of  you for your prayers and well-wishes. 

A brother has really lost his job (long explanation) and I take this as my sign to exit the mental health field. Competence and ability don’t seem to override cliques and mediocrity. ISSA personal trainers, give me some idea about the QUICKEST a person who has earned 3 degrees and almost a Ph.D. can work through the certification program. I forsee creating exercise programs for different age levels and integrating my knowledge of counseling and mental health! I’d appreciate any feedback that you can provide!

As far as workouts are concerned, my areas of concentration continue to be my chest and back. I’ve adjusted my workouts to include more push-ups and pull-ups. I continue to use lower and slower reps, concentrating on maintaining good form and really challenging my muscles. The cardio will remain essentially unchanged. I will also focus on my diet. I need to eat more protein and maintain a clean(er) diet. LOL!

The planche training went very well and I was able to see that the week off helped me to recover and that there was no loss of strength. I forsee adding time to the tuck planche very soon.

Thank you once again for your encouragement and support, my BodySpace friends—old and new!

Here is what I did today:

I just finished my 13th six-week cycle! I feel good because there were some tough spots in this cycle for me personally. I took time off twice during this cycle before resuming it to completion! I feel great about my progress and appreciate all of the positive feedback and encouragement! Now I’m planning for the next cycle! Today’s back workout went very well and the planche training continues to improve! I managed to run a 16:00 2-mile in rather chilly drizzly weather! Not too bad of a way to end the cycle!

A brother is virtually unemployed again! So next week I will be looking into ways, until I can get my PT certification to keep a little money in my pocket. I will try to complete my book during the next week along with some other things. Keep me in your prayers!

I will be snapping pics the entire week to keep myself honest with the diet. So, I definitely will be checking in! I wish everyone a great weekend!

Here is what I did today:

Yes, today is it! My first anniversary on BodySpace. While I would normally use this anniversary strictly for assessing the state of my physical fitness on this day, I have been, instead, assessing the contrasts between October 15, 2008 and October 15, 2009! This has been a VERY interesting 12 months.

Last year, in spite of the economic meltdown, I was fairly sure that I had found an agency where I would be able to grow and contribute to based upon my education and experience. On yesterday, I was told that I would no longer be allowed to see clients! While the owners of the agency were not courageous or appreciative enough of my efforts to tell me directly, I was told by one of the administrators within the agency who has been nothing but a great friend and a gentleman.  Now, the interesting point is WHY I will not be able to see any more children. Because I keep the SABBATH on Saturday and cannot and WILL NOT attend their Saturday session, I will no longer be allowed to see clients. When the Saturday session was proposed, I immediately told them that I could not attend because of my religious beliefs. I was told by the Executive Director that this would not be a problem because of my education and background and the excellent work I’d done for the agency. Furthermore, I was assured that I would be very valuable in assisting with training and other administrative duties. I saw both the Executive and Clinical Director on Monday and neither of them would tell me that I, for the most part, have been essentially fired. I write treatment plans for the agency, but this does not contribute a lot to my overall income. One person suggested that I not be so "strict" and "give in" sometimes. I certainly believe it is more important to obey God than man. So, I am looking for temporary work to keep my head above water and to pay for my ISSA certification.

When I joined BodySpace last year, Grandma was fairly healthy although we had weekly appointment with the doctors to assess the status of her heart and kidneys. During the past 12 months she has been hospitalized twice. She is finally reasonably stable and more or less back to her fiesty little self! For this I am thankful, but as dialysis looms in the future, will have to be more diligent and vigilant in caring for her.

More recently, my mother has been dealing with my Step-father’s madness. LOL! After nursing him back to health a number of times, including amputation and legal blindness, he wants a DIVORCE! He has been argumentative and plain nasty. I’ve been trying very much to support and help her out. It has been tough between her and Grandma, but I’m hanging in there. Much of the year has been spent traveling between doctors and lawyers—two professions for which I don’t necessarily have the highest regard! LOL!

As for BodySpace, the day I joined was a beautiful rather warm day! I had discovered this site in my search for bodyweight exercises and was rather intrigued by the concept of interacting on a site for people who, for the most part, are dedicated to improving their bodies and overall health. I’ve since learned that some people feel that the site exists for reasons other than health and fitness. LOL! Up to the point of discovering the site, I had never posted a shirtless picture of myself on the internet for any reason. I got up the nerve to finally complete the profile and posted a couple of pics of my self. The feedback was surprisingly good and now I guess I can be accused of posting too many pics! I distinctly remember my first few friends. Won’t name them here because they are still on my "friends" list but have never contacted me or acknowledged any communication from me. Since, I’ve noticed these people have thousands of friends, I suspect the self-gratification comes from collecting friends rather than actually interacting with them. I then, however, met IRA, T-Bone, Darkmuscle, BeBe, BigPops, B-Racer, Lovelyolmiss, JazzyJersey, Fit4Life, Al, and many others who have been great sources of friendship and encouragement! This friendship and encouragement has actually helped me to improve this old body in spite of using dumbells, pull-ups, chin-ups, bodyweight exercises, and a variety of cardio! I thank you and many of my BodySpace friends who have taken the time to type an encouraging comment or send an IM. I am also appreciative of those of you who have thought enough of what I do and have done to request workouts, diet tips, and other advice.

Now today has been rainy, off and on, all day. This morning I awoke to a torrential downpour which didn’t allow me to do my cardio, so I put off the workout until 12:00 noon when it actually cleared up. I was able to get in my 3-mile run and believe it or not I also took some progress pics. It began to drizzle again when I was taking these, so I took a few with the umbrella. I was comtemplating an Anniversary video, but decided that I may wait until the weather clears before doing this. After the first video ("An Honest Appraisal of How I Look at 45") , I guess I want to see if I can improve on my presentation.

In spite of what has been going on in my life, I have remained resolute in remaining secure in my faith and in taking care of this old body! I’m still convinced that I have not reached my peak! My Grandmother is 92 years old and her mind is still sharp as a tack! She is one of my inspirations. Another is Jack Lalane! The man does NOT look 95! In an interview he reported that he still works out two or three hours a day just to see if he can still do it! This resonated with me because one of the reasons I work so hard is to see if I can do it and see what level of physical fitness I can attain! I worked abs today and did a 3 mile run! Although I have received great feedback about where I am physically, there are still refinements that I want to see in my body during the next year on BodySpace (the back and chest are improving). I also feel that 2010 will be the year of my first planche push-up!:) I’m getting stronger.

I ask that all of my friends keep me in their prayers and thank you in advance for them and your continued support and friendship! God Bless you all!

Here is what I did today:

Back from the doctor and shopping with Grandma. She’s hanging in there. The doctor has told her that she is moving very close to dialysis. Not what she wanted to hear, but she is doing as well as can be expected without it.

On the fitness side of things. I did my tuck planches and my leg workout. Once again, the workout went very well. Hopefully, I can regain my momentum after taking next week off.

On the job front, a supposedly "promising" position with a "start-up agency" has gone awry! It’s time to get the ISSA certification started. I must do this as well as some of the other projects lodged in my brain. I’m a little tired so will do my Bible Study early tonight and get some rest. Looking forward to tomorrow’s ab workout!

I hope that Wednesday went well for everyone. Here is what I did today!

I hit the chest using my push-up routine (weighted backpack) and completed my planche push-up training. It continues to go well and I anticipate adding another 3-5 seconds to my tuck planche. The run also went well!

Not much to say. Getting ready to head over to check on my Grandma and take her to the doctor on tomorrow!

Everyone have a great remainder of the day!

Here is what I did today:

Today was one long day and this will be one short BodyBlog! LOL! Had a great arm and shoulder workout and cardio session. Went to the job (I thought Columbus Day was a Holiday!   ). Once I got home Grandma’s legs weren’t feeling well. So, I spent a long time with her tonight. I’m calling the doctor on tomorrow to adjust her medication. He significantly increased her fluid medication and now it would appear that he overshot the dosage.

Tonight I’m physically and mentally exhausted. Just want to get some sleep!

Here is what I did today:

I began my last week of my 13th workout cycle with a great planche push-up training session. Three tuck planches for 30 seconds and I could have held the position for a few more! This means I continue to gain strength! This is gratifying given the fact that I haven’t done anything with the planche training since last Wednesday and that I’ve been fighting a very strange bug for the past few days as well (sore throat, congestion, some sneezing…more annoyance than anything else). I enjoyed my time off. I got a little bit of rest and am ready to conclude this cycle. After this week I take another week off before beginning Cycle 14.

Thursday, October 15th will be my one year anniversary on BodySpace. Hopefully, I can take some great pics that reflect my year of progress. Right now I’m feeling a little soft, so I will be working my butt off this week! 

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Here is what I did today:

Not much to say today. Great workout. I hit the abs very hard today. I had a so-so run. 3-miles in 26:23. I probably was coasting and could have picked up the pace. Nevertheless, after one double workout this week to make up for tomorrow’s back workout, I guess I can loaf a little. Tomorrow is a religious holy day for me. I will begin the last week of Cycle 13 (six weeks are gone AGAIN!) with planche training on Sunday. After that, I take a week off!

Here is what I did today:

I had a great leg workout. I did my three tuck planches today! Since I had a double workout yesterday (chest and back), I will be doing my last full workout of the week on tomorrow! ABS! Planning on hitting them hard and eating clean the rest of the week and weekend!

Had a great day out with Grandma. She’s doing well! The vitals a really good. So…she went shopping! LOL! This was yet another leg workout for me. But, I’m glad to do it.

I hope everyone is enjoying "HUMP DAY"!

Here is what I did today:

I was able to get some sleep last night! Feeling a little better about things. I’m thankful that how I’ve been feeling has not interfered with workouts. I hit chest, back, and planche push-up training today. It was a good workout. I managed to get the 2-mile run in, keeping it under an 8 minute/mile pace. Not my best, but was a good run for me. Felt good—legs were feeling great!

I’m trying to make sure that I eat more today. I think my energy is flagging somewhat because I’m actually NOT eating enough. The appetite has been coming and going. I’ve had salmon and veggies. Now I’m eating a bowl of oatmeal with craisins, walnuts, a teaspoon of olive oil, and some yogurt.  

I hope that everyone is having a great Tuesday!

Here is what I did today: