Jettisoned Ponderings

Well, I’m now looking at about 20 more chiro sessions. Initial spine scan wasn’t exactly surprising for where the nerves are going crazy and some muscles putting significantly excessive pull on the discs. X-rays also showd that I’ve got almost no curve in my neck right now, plus have what’s called Ponticulus Posticus, which explains the headaches during exercise. The definition of that is:

"a small bridge of bone resulting from complete ossification of the atlanto-occipital membrane reaching the posterior notch of C1. This is generally felt to be a normal finding but more recent studies have suggested there may be an increased risk of posterior circulation cerebral ischaemia, since the vertebral artery passes through the notch."

So, all I can say is that I’m glad I’m having this done now and am very eager to start getting my body back where it needs to be. I really wish I had more cash lying around to get some extra myofascial work done along with it.

Yep, a female bodybuilder! Small world, actually. I’ve been having some problems with my suboccipitals for a while and after working traps on Friday last week they really got set off. I’ve been having very intense pain anytime I’m doing a set and it lingers. Icing and contrast treatments along with some soft tissue work has only done so much. So this morning I called Kaiser to try and get an appointment, which of course there wasn’t one. I had to call and get another list of providers in the network. The closest one to me had a totally unprofessional staff only answering, "Hello?" and not even stating the name of the practice. Couldn’t find any info on the practitioner either. So I tried the next one after looking over her website and finding her resume and specialties more to my liking. Talking with her it caught my attention when I mentioned "I train for bodybuilding" and her immediate response was "When did you last compete?" and after replying, "Not till I hit 230" she said, "I usually compete about 155, but I’ll be bigger this year". Hmm, there’s something more here… As we’re talking and I’m having my spine scanned I mention, "Do you know Rita Rae?" and she pauses, "Rita and I train arms together every Friday!" Go figure I find she’s the training partner of my wife’s coach and she’s prepping for the USAs this year! Finally, a GOOD practitioner who understands the lifestyle and understands that telling me to lighten up my workouts just isn’t an option. I pulled up her site and found some of her contest shots. Pretty impressive! So if you’re out in Colorado and need a good chiropractor, it would be well worth it. Here’s one of her photos (not as recent, but still…). Very impressive work!

People always look better when they’re more conditioned. I stopped by my old work to pickup my checks and I’ve actually gone down almost 8lbs since and one of the first comments was, "How are things? You’re looking bigger." Always makes my day to hear that unprompted from someone.

Starting another 5 days in a row tonight with back and triceps. Curious to see how my weights will be different this week and next still being on the lower carbs and slightly lower on calories this week.

I had my parents over last night to make them dinner. My dad is 71 and my mom 59. Both have had and still have some pretty serious health issues in their lives. My dad had been borderline Type II diabetic for most of my memorable life, had gout, and eventually had to have a triple bypass a few years ago. My mom’s always been on the hefty side (runs in the family for all the women), but its been manageable for the most part. Beginning of this year she got to probably her heaviest that I’ve ever known her to be. She’s been on Jenny Craig and come down from 189 to 165 as of yesterday! My dad has consistently been somewhere between 200-230 the last decade I would guess.

Last night I was showing them the program I use to track my clients diets and measurements. I asked if they wanted to see where they were at. My dad seems to be in the same mindset that I was when I first got into fitness, only looking at the bottom line of weight and not composition. He’s 33% bodyfat and when you see his measurements he has almost a 1:1:1 ratio of Chest:Waist:Hips making it obvious where he carries all the weight. My mom is 35%, however two years ago she was 175 at 39.5%. Given she started dieting back down at 189, she’s lost at least 17lbs of fat through all that! She’s not done yet, but making great progress along the way. My dad is a different story. Aside from the occasional bit of yard work, he’s generally sedentary except for going up and down one flight of stairs at the house. Thankfully its a split level, so he has no choice but to take them at some point during the day. I told him that he needs to get at least 30lbs of fat off of him and that right now all he’s doing is making his already weakened heart work a lot harder than it should have to. It seemed to hit him a little bit like I hoped it would. I put together a diet for him to try for a week so I can get an idea of the right calories for him to shoot for. I know it makes my mom so sad to see him not taking better care of himself and knowing that it is doing nothing but stealing alway the number of days she will have left with him around. I really hope this time, having seen last night how I make all my food for the week and how easy it is, that he’ll take more initiative to improve his health. The best part was that I pulled up Hulu for the Biggest Loser replay since they had both missed Jerry at the beginning (I called twice and sent an email, but of course Dancing With The Stars was more important to them…) and prove a point that even at 63 years old there is absolutely no excuse to not change your life.

I’m trying to remain optimistic that this time I got through just enough to make an impact. Its one thing to say it and hear it, but another to be put under the tape measure and have the numbers stare back at you saying, "So, what are you gonna do about it?"

I finally got around to checking out the New York Pro photos. I was ecstatic that Markus Ruhl was coming out of retirement for this show! For those who didn’t know, he retired before due to a torn pec muscle that was going to require surgery and leave him unable to train at the intensity he would otherwise. Just knowing he was coming back for a show made me happy. We’re all in this lifestyle by choice, and its unfortunate to see someone taken from it unwillingly. When I saw the photos I was shocked! Personally, I think this is the best looking that Markus has ever been since back six or seven years ago. He came in incredibly dry and I’d never noticed vascularity in his arms like that before. Looking at the top 3 finishes, I really do not think that Evan was the best package on the stage that night. Markus, to me, has some of the best wheels in the business, highest peaking biceps, and finally has gotten the mass he struggles for in his triceps just because everything else is so huge! I mean, how many bodybuilders do you know that are still weighing an already dieted 300lbs/136kg 7 weeks out from a show? I know things are shifting away from the Mass Freak era again, but to me Markus will always be my favorite bodybuilder. He’s what got me interested in the sport, has a great personality, and a great heart for the sport.

Markus, you’re my hero. Stay big, buddy!

Here’s Markus 7 weeks out and a great shot that really shows how well conditioned he was:

Thanks to Kris Murrell for posting this in her blog. I felt it was worth reposting.

Carrots, Eggs & Coffee

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee… You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.  She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen.  She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.  Soon the pots came to boil.  In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.  She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.  She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.  She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.  Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.  Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘ Tell me what you see.’

‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.  She did and noted that they were soft.  The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it.  After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.  The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.  The daughter then asked, ‘What does it mean , mother?’

Her mother explained that! each of these objects had faced the same adversity:  boiling water.  Each reacted differently.  The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting.  However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.  The egg had been fragile.  Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.  The ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

‘Which are you?’ she asked her daughter.  ‘When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?  Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this:  Which am I?  Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?  Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff ?  Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean?  The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain.  When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.  If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.  When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level?  How do you handle adversity?  Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.  The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

If you followed Biggest Loser the last two weeks, you should have seen an episode where Jillian goes to visit contestants trying to adjust to life at home. For two of them they’re stressing out so she takes them out to get a drink. The point is that there has to be balance in life instead of stressing excessively over the minor details. One season as well they brought in cake and beer for the contestants (they always have a cheat meal once a week) to explain that its never about depravity, just good moderation and factoring in the calories.

So on that note, I just wanted to share with you what I usually have myself when I’ve had a long week and just need to kick back and unwind (aside from a good beer and pizza from Old Chicago in off season). Its not a habitual thing, but when the mood strikes and I’m not in a strict dieting situation this is what I mix up and more importantly only one!

1oz Effen Vodka (Vanilla & Black Cherry Flavor)
1oz Romana Sambuca (Or Sambuca Black, as in the pic)
6-12 oz Bing Energy (Black Cherry Soda if unavailable)

This has to be the best article that I’ve read ever since Fight Club ten years ago. Ten years ago I found myself really looking at my generation from a new perspective once I saw that film and read the book (better in my opinion, but both are outstanding). I even wrote one of my college papers freshman year as an argument paper why everyone in America should see it.

Anyhow, a decade later with the trends of America’s youth this really put all the words right in my mouth verbatim as I would’ve done myself. Give it a read, and please enjoy its blunt honesty.

"My_Speech_to_the_Graduates, 2009"

I’ve been working at Max Muscle over a year now just part time but always wanted to take on more hours. Its what I love doing, but we’re the little guy around here so there’s only one of us at the shop most of the time. That makes it difficult to get in a lot of time. To the point though, some things have been unfolding the last couple months and now I’ll be getting full time hours. I put in my two week notice to my other job Saturday and am quite anxious to have a fixed schedule with set income now. My other job was at a sushi bar and the inconsistent traffic plus a late schedule made it impossible to get my meals in on time. I can’t stop to heat up my food and eat it during a rush of people. We all know that regardless of whether the training is in place nothing is gonna happen if the nutrition isn’t nailed. So missing one of my meals (anywhere from 600-1000 calories for me) makes a huge impact on my day and its not like I can just double up the next meal.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m now the only one doing custom nutrition plans so this works in my favor. Frequently people would see me eating (only one in the shop, remember, so I usually bring my food) when they’d walk in and ask what I had. It works out better since we have a number of regulars and they’ve seen the changes in me having gained an extra 20lbs of lean mass since I started there. It fits well because its rarely ever take out and I can twist it around to pitch a meal plan package for them from a number of different angles. I hope it’ll pan out. People are quick to get a trainer to help them in the gym, but hesitate to get the same sort of help when it comes to their diet. Just reading a few articles here and there online doesn’t make you a nutritionist by any stretch and everyone’s body is unique. I’ve seen people get frustrated far too often and quit thinking that the problem is in the gym when really its everything outside of it. Prime example was a lady who came in and had been using an app on her iPhone to track her food. She was only getting around 1200 calories per day, but the problem was that she was only getting about 40-50g of protein a day. She was just thinking calorie bottom line like many people do. That whole "Calories in vs calories out" idea is true, but greatly over simplified.

Overall its a change for the better that I’m looking forward to. Is it the highest paying job? No. Does it cover all my expenses (including supps) with some left over? Yeah. Am I glad to have a job right now? Damn right I am, many people are without one entirely. Is it what I love doing? Absolutely. Most importantly I have to thank my wife, GeminiJedi, for being supportive of all this.

I’ve taken over the responsibility of doing all the custom nutrition plans at my work. One client in the last two weeks has actually stuck to it and is down two belt loops and over 10lbs! Her husband after adjusting to the diet (he didn’t like giving up his snack foods and ice cream at first) is now starting to see results on it, too.

So to extend the offer, I’d be glad to work with anyone online to help them out as an extension of my work. Of course progress photos and such would be needed to know whether or not the plans are working, but if you’re interested please let me know and I’ll get you the information. My rates are far less than what it would cost for an normal registered dietician who may not be in tune with the fitness lifestyle to be able to accomodate it as well.