Day 352: The Beauty in Strength & Determination

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY

TRAINING

ANOTHER week NOT training - instead, being bedridden 95% of the time, because walking around last week made my left knee worse, swelling up more and more (and now my RIGHT knee is starting to swell as well, from all the moving around I have done the last two days). So, not the happiest of people right now, but hoping that the rest HELPS my body RECOVER!

OTHER NOTES

Body Composition

Body Composition continued to drop this week, now back at 7.8% bodyfat this week - again, very surprised, since I have done NO training for ~2 weeks now, and my eating has NOT changed (and if anything, this week, I have had the munchies - and given in, as always - rather badly)! All my injuries must be taking more out of my body than I thought. I will note though, that I DEFINITELY notice the difference from NOT training - although I am the same body composition as I was when I shot with Walt Ostarly ~3 weeks ago, my muscle definition not as hard and therefore not as "defined", and I actually feel rather soft, if I am honest. That said, my girths have also continued to decrease, and I am now 0.5 cm smaller re chest (smallest it has ever been!), glutes, and thighs than I was when I shot with Walt, my arms also smaller (THAT is NOT a good thing, but the glutes and thighs I am ok with). REALLY hoping and praying that I am not out from training for long (I canNOT even do cardio on my bike until my knees stop swelling and go down), because I do NOT want to lose the muscle mass that I have just painstaking built for a second time this year!

Joints

So, an ignored aggravated biceps tendon (since 2007) finally tore - at the shoulder. That single injury created a domino effect in my body re other injuries - some old, but just getting worse, and some new. Not just my right biceps tendon is torn, but also my right rotator cuff tendon. There is impingement in my right shoulder, and I still cannot even lift my right arm - even UNassisted - past ~30 degrees without wanting to fall on the floor and scream in pain. I have nerve root impingement in my neck - an old injury (from when I crushed my cervical vertebrae in 2004) aggravated from the way my right arm has been hanging and the way I am favouring my right shoulder. My lower right back is still bruised and there is literal pain when the bones at the base of my lower back are touched. I have chondromalacia in both knees, and there are now bone fragments in my right knee capsule, causing it to catch and seize, hence the sharp pain, swelling, and lack of range of motion there. The last couple of days, my LEFT knee has also started having sharp pains across the kneecap, and that too has started swelling - despite the fact that I am now using a walking stick to hobble around (when I do). On top of that, my right wrist has been playing up, and my left wrist I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on when I use the walking stick  - my body is falling apart, LOL.

Recharge with Rosie | 7-Week Motivational

Don't forget that you can download for free, my 7-Week Motivational eBook, Recharge with Rosie.

RCS Newsletter December 2011 | The TRAVEL & HOLIDAY Edition

It IS the Holiday Season, so be sure to check out December's RCS Newsletter, The TRAVEL & HOLIDAY Edition.

Christmas/New Year

I survived the 17-hour drive from Texas back to Wisconsin over the weekend, back for another white Christmas (I really wish I was back home, enjoying the New Zealand summer and having Christmas on the beach with a barbeque dinner - with the way this year has gone, that was not an option, even though I have been wanting to go home for a while now, and I am hoping to get back for my nephew's first birthday next year at the latest now!), and a couple of weeks off before having to head back to Texas for work. My goals for 2012 have all been done and my FIRST priority of the New Year (starting now, really) is to recover and rehabilitate myself from all these injuries AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, so that I can get back to training and doing what I want and need to, because 2012 is going to be a BIG year for me (already the plans have been set in motion).

For all of those traveling over the following week - whether back "home", or to visit family and friends, I hope you all have a safe trip. God Bless you all this Christmas, overflowing those blessings into the New Year, giving you more than you could ever hope and dream of!

Day 345: Forced Out by More Injury!

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY

"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." - Victor E. Frankl

TRAINING

It WAS supposed to be "back to the grind" this week, but God had other plans for me, unfortunately. On Monday, I woke up with extreme, sharp, shooting pain down the right side of my arm, and could not even move it without wanting to scream bloody murder! So, Monday was a decided day off - planned on it being the day off this week.

I barely slept at all on Tuesday night (maybe got ~30 minutes, just before I had to get up for work) - couldn't get comfortable at all or find a position that didn't have me in tears, despite trying Joint Force and BioFreeze in the hope that it might ease the pain somewhat.

Wednesday was not a lot better, the pain magnified by what felt like 100 times, and I got no sleep at all that night, even with the Hot-Cold Patch, which was tried in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

On Thursday, the pain was more than ever, and my boss actually realized there was an issue (I could have told anyone that - everyone else saw it from Monday!), and allowed me to go home earlier than usual.

I also, for the first time, saw a professional on Thursday re the pain - since, whilst I have training in musculoskeletal injuries and rehabilitation and had a fair idea of what my injury was, I wanted a second opinion; besides, the pain was not allowing me to move my arm more than perhaps a finger here and there without me wanting to be on the floor, so I could not do any tests to "confirm" my suspicions - and was informed that I was right re the chronic and ignored aggravation of my right biceps tendon leading to a tear, but also with possible rotator cuff injury as well, AND neck problems (although I could have already said I had "neck problems" from crushing my spine back in 2004). Wow - talk about from now on I WON'T be ignoring injuries as they arise and take care of them as they come!

Thank God for small blessings, though - the next two days were off work, but the pain did not let up (even though I iced it on and off in the hopes that it might help decrease the swelling and pain), and most of those days were spent writhing in agony (or trying not to, because EVERY movement sends shooting pains from my shoulder down my arm).

The only training done this week because of everything were two 20-minute sessions on the Recline Bike (Tuesday and Wednesday), because I thought that they might not aggravate my right side, but they still caused pain - even walking causes pain, a sharp, stabbing pain radiating from my neck to my elbow every step, as well as down my back the entire right side. So, my body is FORCING ANOTHER time out from training, just after I have just completed a period of training coming back from my second fractured wrist - ironic, because last week I was in the BEST condition of my life!

OTHER NOTES

Body Composition

Body Composition actually dropped back to 8% bodyfat this week - I was surprised (but happy!), since I only did two 20-minute cardio sessions and have been eating as normal. The extreme stress my body must be under from my shoulder must have something to do with this. Just as long as I am NOT losing muscle mass - I do NOT want to go through what I did re muscle loss with my left wrist earlier this year!

Supplements

I actually stopped Battlefuel on Tuesday, once it became apparent that I was not going to be training this week, and might not be able to for a few weeks, holding off until I can get back into the gym again...On that note, over the short span of a week, at least the Colostrum has helped me recover from the headcold-sore/swollen throat-voice loss-fever/temperature-cough thing I was battling with for weeks prior to this...

Joints

See notes above under "Training". I have noticed over the last two days that the strain of favouring my right shoulder/arm is leading to other injuries coming up - my lower back on the right side feels like someone has literally bruised the bone; my right knee is tight and flexion causes sharp pain (my knee literally looks like a softball instead of a knee, it's that swollen!); my right hip is tightening up on all movement, and I can feel it pulling all the way down my right side from my neck to my knee whenever I move. I find out on Monday or Tuesday just how much damage I have done. So, NOT in a good place right now, and praying for a swift recovery!

Everything Happens For A Reason

I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and although I didn't see it at the time, I came to realize what that was the first time I had a double-fracture in my left wrist in 2009 (my first broken bone, by the way)...When I REfractured the same wrist in the SAME place earlier this year, I saw the opportunity that it offered me in "slowing down" and getting a lot done that I might not otherwise have got done and still be planning on doing now. Even after I lost all the muscle mass I had worked so hard over the last half year to gain during my time out from training because of it, I came to see the blessing in it happening, as I rebuilt my body, coming back leaner and with more muscle mass than before, symmetrical for the first time in my life, and all after "easing back" into training. Over the training period, I also realized the best type of training programme for my body and went with that...Now, though, I am wondering a little WHAT I am supposed to learn from THIS, what opportunity I am supposed to take and use - the thought hit me yesterday that maybe, just maybe, God is giving me time out to finally be able to get a handle on my nutrition re managing it for my health and fitness, since, as you all know, self-confessed, my nutrition is "terrible". Maybe it's time for me to FINALLY stop relying on my training so much re my conditioning, and my "getting away with whatever and whenever I want" nutrition, and start treating my body kindly, improving my inner health, and strengthening my entire system. Or maybe it's to make me realize once and for all that I can only abuse my body so much before it gives out on me, and I need to be better in walking that fine line between extreme and progress...

World Physique Magazine

A smile amidst the pain this week was the news from Tammy that I am being given a page of my own for inspirational writings in each of her magazines: World Physique Magazine, WPM Women, and WPM Comps. So, very excited about that - and look forward to the FIRST issue of WPM Women coming out towards the end of December!

Day 34: RESOLVE

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." - Calvin Coolidge


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY

Hatebreed - Hollow Ground




TRAINING

HIIT Cardio:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 9 x 20 sec sprint/40 sec rest
c. 4 min jogging

Stretch 20 min.


COMMENTS

Sleep - Time and Quality: ~5 hours. I also passed out early evening yesterday for ~30 minutes.

Mood/Aggression: Looking ahead.

Energy: I have energy, but my back has pain - it is inflamed and I'm being smart about training today and letting it recover.

Mental Focus and Clarity: A couple more things left to do today . . . And then it's time to try and relax (I say "try", because there is no guarantee that my mind will turn off) - I'm going to do this every night before going to bed, whether I watch a movie, read, or just chill out listening to music; something to try and get my stress levels down some and better manage my constant need to be "doing" . . .

Joints: My back has been killing me since the shoveling yesterday, and right now it is quite inflamed (although not all from the shoveling I am sure). I have had problems on and off since my back injury in 2004, and I will continue having them for the rest of my life (like I will with my wrist), so I have to learn how to manage them - rethinking the squats and deadlifts in my training programme, since these both aggravate it badly.

Endurance: Good.

Vascularity: Strong.

Quality of Training: HIIT was a little harder today. Feeling the impact inferior to my knees, trying to ignore the pain in my back. As I was stretching I realized that my mind had already lost focus and that to continue on would be doing more damage than good, so am using this as my training day without weights (replacing the V-Burn Challenge Circuit).

Recovery: Just my back (not from training).

Appetite: My nutrition is one factor that is being scrutinized excessively during my Life Audit. Just because I have always gotten "away" with it means nothing anymore, and I have the resolve to ensure that my HEALTH takes #1 precedence re diet.

Body Composition and Look: Despite the abundant amount of basmati rice I have been consuming (several times daily - so much that we got a 10kg bag of it, and that's not going to last long at all!), my body mass is slowly dropping as I lose any water weight that my body might be holding onto. Have also noticed top of my midsection, obliques, and hips tightening up - Erase and Shred Matrix make ALL the difference!

Other Notes: Second day of my Life Audit. Everything is going well so far, and it's actually a RELIEF to be cutting some of the ties I have been holding onto!

FIT TIP OF THE DAY

Learn how to fish and don't just be fed. It's not enough to simply blindly do as your trainer (if you have one) tells you. Ask questions. Want to know WHY the trainer has you doing what they have you doing. Understand how it is specific to you, will help you achieve your goals, and fulfill your needs. Get INVOLVED mentally as well as physically!