great, not even a week goes by and I pull a muscle in my lower back... slow roll while that heals... not my day.

wii aren't doing that much...

work continues slowly on the Wii Fit Plus. got a routine of strength and yoga set up, but the pushups on the wii balance board make my wrists snap, crackle and pop (not to mention hurt). doing some bodyweight stuff at dojo, but even less frequently. working more on coordination, eating better and trying to sleep than on body building. shoulder still isn't 100% (still?!?!?!?), and it popped (and still is tender) on Tuesday while doing a cartwheel.

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happy new year

well, no tags on this one. nothing much has been happening. been thru a series of colds, lower back / pelvis still not right and the holiday rush had me beat. now we have a Wii Fit+, and things are getting better. mostly exploring, and finding out how pathetic my balance is (sometimes doing so poorly, they don't even give me a star for trying!)... more later.

Now and Zen

well, it's time for another Zen Virtual Retreat... it shocked me when I realized that it's been more than half a year. amazing how quickly I have fallen out of practice of meditation... lots to do in the next week or so in preparation, quite a task with all the other things going on, busy weekends, family, work, hobbies, dojo, projects at home... need to create some space and free some time for this (sharpen the axe).

so much for intentions. it is now time for action.

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healing...

after spending a month not getting better, it became time to set a deadline and take action. the deadline was the end of Sept, and the action was to limit activities that could degrade my back while boosting activities that could help it. so far, things are getting better. less activity in martial arts class (no throws, limited exertion with twisting motions - slow is smooth, which then becomes fast), but more stretches and strengthening exercizes (superman, limited crunches, trunk twists).

also been working on pushups (last week was 20, this week I'm doing 25 each time) and Australian Pushups (low pullup bar, pulling up from inverted pushup position - think of doing a pushup on the other side of the planet), but that's still slow going - not my strong suit... yet.

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long time... no post

well, that went well. lower back still hurting - I can't seem to leave well enough alone. each time it gets feeling better, I push it and end up back at the start. shoulder is doing better and I have been doing some pushups, but not to the tune of the 100 yet. the lower back has my reverse crunch stopped, will likely re-start at week 6 and see if I can't get back into it.

meditation is something I really need to get back into, as I'm getting really down about my injuries, and that leads to bad posture, which doesn't help my lower back, which doesn't help my attitude...

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long time... no post

I've done it again. my back is still messed up. I keep pushing too hard at dojo, I guess. no real progress with pushups, pullups, crunches, or reverse crunches, other than I am doing between 10 and 30 of each 3 or 4 times a week, building up to a basic level of competence.

it's very frustrating, and that is the perfect excuse to use for meditation, only I keep forgetting to do that. and with 100+ degree temperatures, walking outside doesn't happen too often.

frustration can be motivating or demotivating, and I'm on the cusp. must work harder to maintain my attitude, as it is the most precious thing I have... without it, I truly am nothing.

oh, and to get the last usual tag on this, my braces are doing fine, teeth are still in (super slow) motion, and the inside of the lips are slowly toughening up.

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Body Modification 8#

braces were tightened up a little bit on Monday, and a heavier wire was put in on the top. also got little rubber bands to help keep the brackets from chewing my lips up so much.
the teeth were a little tender for the first two days, but are back to normal now. no problems chewing (using the molars), and very little trouble biting (using the incisors). I may just live thru this... 8#

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Reverse Crunch - rehab...

still taking it easy on the reverse crunches, adding 5 at a time, while my back gets better. hope to do the 100 on video sometime this month.

(also still need to render the video and figure out how to post it...)

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Pushup Practice

also started doing pushups over the last few dojo sessions, the shoulder is doing better, almost healed. did 10 (as a test) then 15, then 20. hope to do 25, 30 and 35 this week and start with week 3 or 4 (again) next week... we'll see how that goes.

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Pullups - history

I've never been good at pullups. now, at 220 to 230 lbs, I'm really bad at pullups. first time I tried was just before the trip, and got one. not bad, after all these years. been working for a while and can do two fairly well. tonight, got my first almost-three (chin didn't quite clear the bar). I won't be working on it like the others, but will be trying to add a count every week or so.

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long time... no post

not dead ... yet!

been busy. vacation, worrying about a traveling kid, prep for brown belt test, getting the kids ready for school, all the usual excuses...

shoulder almost back to 100%, so I go and tear something in my back two days before brown belt test. real rocket scientist, me. 8( passed the test, but only on condition of a repeat to show proper form for two of the techniques.

started some limited pull up tests. this has always been my weakest point, and now that I weigh 230 pounds, it's even tougher. I can do two pull ups clean, and a third if I struggle. going to start working this into my "regular" routine, along with pushups.

braces are doing well, ached and made biting and chewing an annoyance for the first three weeks, but hasn't been a problem since. Monday is the next appointment, so I'm going to ask them to step it up some. also, the worst part of braces is they are still chewing up the inside of my mouth. I'll talk to them about that.

still need to do my 100 reverse crunches for record, but that's out until I get my back straightened out (so to speak). hopefully in the next few weeks I can re-do weeks 5 & 6 as a way of getting back into the swing of it.

also haven't done much with silent meditation, but having fun with guided ones instead. I think I will need to circle in on pure silence, although I do try to get short bursts of silence from time to time. another seminar, on zen and stress (if I recall correctly), will be starting in a few months, so I'll need to get my zen on... practice doesn't make perfect. perfect practice makes perfect. 8(#)

bad blogger - no cookie!

been a while. haven't been doing much between shoulder (almost better - collar bone was not re-seating properly), the discomfort of the braces and (deep breath) scouts, ballet, recital, packing, Europe trip, training, facebook, pool repairs, car repairs, dojo, upgrades to daughter's room and life in general.

have a handful of updates, ready to test for 100 reverse crunches (going to try tonight) - I hope.

Body Modification 8#

after (finally) loosing the baby tooth, which had been my excuse for over 2 decades for not doing this, it's time to get wired. it will take a year or two to deal with this mess (my teeth look more like a crystal formation than a nice row of teeth), and in the meantime, I will learn pain, I will learn suffering, and then I'll get them taken off. 8# (that's a smiley with braces)

braces - ouch. so far the wost part is the rubbing of the gear against my cheeks. wax is my friend. the teeth don't hurt, but I'm on "training wires", so there's not much push. the good news is I'm loosing weight (they needed to put bands on two teeth, so I've had spacers in for two weeks - ouch - they hurt worse than the wires - so far) - about 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks. that's OK, so long as it's just the fat that goes away...

expect infrequent updates, usually to gauge pain levels with new wires, or the triumphant (or at least relieved) announcement of their removal - failure is always an option... 8#

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Pushup Practice

the chiropractor got my collar bone back into position, and things are doing better. tried some 'girl' pushups (to limit load) and was able to do 10 without significant discomfort. hope to be back doing some pushups in early June... we'll see.

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Walking - week 7

totals for the the seventh week of walking: 14.3 k steps... that's the good news. the bad news, I'm not going to blog about it anymore, as I'm keeping a good baseline and am doing it consistently.

total: 14.3 k steps

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Reverse Crunch Week 6 Day 2

more crazy busy - only entry this week, hope to finish in 1st week of June...

crunches: 22/22/30/30/24/24/18/18/60 on a spec of (same /57 - total of 248)

getting close... can almost feel it... need to render video of the jumping jacks and crunches to put up here, and get this taped an on the board too... where does all the time go?

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Reverse Crunch Week 6 Day 1

slowing down some, end of school year for the kids, busy busy busy...

crunches: 45/55/35/30/57 on a spec of (same /55 - total of 222)
if I did the math right...

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Pushup Practice

it's been a while, and the shoulder is still a bit messed up. it doesn't help that working and playing on computers for about a dozen hours each day (yes, roughly half of each day is at a computer - what can I say, I'm a geek!). Stretching is helping, as is regular motion. I hope to start light (few reps) work on the pushup front, just so I don't forget how to do them, perhaps as early as this weekend - it's been way to long...

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Walking - week 6

totals for the the sixth week of walking: 11.3 k steps...

that's the good news - still maintaining a minimum number of steps, despite spending some time off my feet, not doing a lot of deliberate walking and forgetting to wear the silly thing from time to time... all in all, not too bad.

total: 11.3 k steps

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Reverse Crunch Week 5 Day 3

crunches: 20/20/24/24/20/20/22/55 on a spec of (same /50 - total of 205) (edit - it appears that I can't add)

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Walking - Week 5

totals for the the fifth week of walking: 10.6 k steps...

that's the good news.

the bad news, my total is lower than I would like - but I spent a lot of time on my butt, and didn't wear it over the weekend...

I am now running my own race and I do what I can to up my numbers, within reason.

total: 10.6 k steps

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Reverse Crunch Week 5 Day 2

did some crunches, data forthcoming...

crunches: 19/19/22/22/18/18/22/47 on a spec of (same /45 - total of 187)

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Reverse Crunch Week 5 Day 1

did some crunches, data forthcoming...

crunches: 36/40/30/24/44 on a spec of (same /40 - total of 174)

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Reverse Crunch Week 4 Day 3

did some crunches, data forthcoming...

crunches: 29/33/29/29/46 on a spec of (same /40 - total of 166)

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Pushup Practice

drat! it always seems to get worse before it gets better... hammered my shoulder last night while doing a cartwheel (forgot to project up and over, and went sideways and down instead) and the stupid thing popped... (my shoulder informs me that it objects to being called stupid, and says it was only following orders) eventually I will get back to pushups, but I'm not sure when that will be.

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Reverse Crunch Week 4 Day 2

.. and getting stronger ...

crunches: 25/29/25/25/47 on a spec of (same /36 - total of 151)

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Walking - Week 4

totals for the the fourth week of walking: _0_ k steps...

my feet still haven't recovered from the earlier 5ks (two weeks ago and last weekend), and the folks at work are getting hyper-competitive (one guy is putting in 100k steps per week). that's not a healthy way for me to go, so I am dropping out. I will probably put my counter back on, and monitor my steps from time to time, but it probably won't be a regular thing to see reports on.

total: _o_ k steps

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Reverse Crunch Week 4 Day 1

let's take the weekend off, shall we? still going strong...

crunches: 21/25/21/21/40 on a spec of (same /32 - total of 128)

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Reverse Crunch Week 3 Day 3

more of the same... tiring in the same places, but starting to feel it a little in the lower abs...

crunches: 22/30/20/20/33 on a spec of (same /28 - total of 125)

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Reverse Crunch Week 3 Day 2

still getting a bit fatigued at the end, mostly in the tops of the thighs (quads) and forward (when standing) portion of the hip...

crunches: 20/25/15/15/32 on a spec of (same /25 - total of 107)

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Walking - Week 3

totals for the the third week of walking: 14.1 k steps... that's the good news. the better news, well, there is none. the bad news, my feet still hurt from the cancer walk last week (and there's a heart walk this weekend - my wife works at a heart hospital, so we're going). still plan to walk at my own pace, but it does seem to sting a bit when I come in at the bottom on a regular basis. oh well, I will do what I can, and see where it goes. it is only healthy if you aren't hurting yourself (to do otherwise would seem counterproductive... ).

also note that the difference between last week and this week is that my mom was in town, so we didn't do much walking on the weekend.

total: 14.1 k steps

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Reverse Crunch Week 3 Day 1

things are getting better, but the top of the quads (the section that is both forward and body-ward) is still starting to engage and fatigue as the reps climb, and the lower back is still a little tender, but no problems ...

crunches: 14/18/14/14/25 on a spec of (same /20 - total of 85)

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it's hell getting old

been a bad week - did something to my lower back, so no crunches. my shoulder, while better, is still being pulled out of place by irritated muscles, so no pushups either. hope to get back to it sometime in the upcoming week.

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Pushup Practice

still waiting on shoulder to get better. it's a chicken-and-egg problem. shoulder is inflamed because it is in the wrong position, this pain causes muscle tightness in all surrounding muscles, which pulls the shoulder into the wrong position, which ...

it's getting better, but slowly. hope to be back to it in another week or two - lots of stretching and manipulation...

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Walking - Week 2

totals for the the second week of walking: 34.9 k steps... that's the good news. the better news, almost 10k of those were at the Susan G Komen breast cancer walk on Sunday. the bad news, my feet are still sore (knees and everything else were sore for a day, but the feet are still a bit swollen and the soles are still a bit tender) - some of that may have to do with having my 7 year old 'riding' for the first half mile and last quarter mile... unfortunately, there is no 'extra credit' steps awarded for carrying her... also note that the difference between last week and this week is almost exactly the number of steps in the cancer walk...

the down side, I'm still the bottom walker of our team. on the good side, we added about 1/3 to our total. on the down side, the other team at our site almost doubled it's total, so we're still way behind.

we'll have to see how the rest of the teams did - details forthcoming... um, we got toasted. even the 4 person team beat us. but this is about health, and if the others can walk that far in health, good for them. it is doubtful that any of the 100k steppers weigh 235 pounds, so their totals would probably drop if they had to carry that much weight (that's not counting an extra 50 some pounds of little girl for about 3/4 of a mile in the cancer walk).

total: 34.9 k steps

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Now and Zen

actually got a decent meditation in last week (but only one). need to figure out how to make it a higher priority - you always find time for your "MUST" items, but rarely find it for your "SHOULD" items...

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Reverse Crunch Week 2 Day 3

starting to get a bit fatigued, mostly in the tops of the thighs (quads)...

crunches: 16/17/14/14/23 on a spec of (same /20 - total of 84)

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Reverse Crunch Week 2 Day 2

things are still going well - still no problems ...

crunches: 14/16/12/12/22 on a spec of (same /17 - total of 76)

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