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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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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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(#)

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Reverse Crunch Week 2 Day 1

well, things went so well with the first set of reverse crunches, I had to decide between doing the last day of each week until I failed, then backing up a bit, or to do every one from here on out, but more frequently. I decided to do the latter, and so will be doing them daily (or nearly so) until it gets to be too hard or I complete the series

crunches: 14/14/10/10/18 on a spec of (same /15 - total of 66)

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