Fitness – Page 7 – Journeys With Dave

Fitness Quest: The Road Less Traveled

March 21, 2015December 19, 2019davidpwahr

It should not come as a shock to anyone who’s ever known or paid attention to me (or has read this blog) that I’ve had a long time interest in health, fitness, bodybuilding, etc. This interest goes back quite a ways to my first flirtations with the gym and working out in high school, through a more serious attempt during college, up to the current day. Yet, during all this time, even when I was at my strongest and curling more than 100 pounds and benching almost 1.5 times my body weight (when I weighed close to 240) I don’t think there was ever a time you would have called me muscular. Sure, I had big arms and a big chest but I also had (have?) a big butt and big gut to go along with them. In my quest for size and strength I only gave lip service to fat loss. So even though I could bench more than 300 pounds (which is why I’m glad I write down my workouts – it’s hard to believe that I was once capable of this) I couldn’t run around the block without the risk of heart attack. Though my arms taped at just over 17.5 inches in circumference when flexed (4.5 inches more than the “average” man’s) my biceps lacked peak – though my tris were pretty well defined – in short, I was big but not built. I wanted to look like a bodybuilder but I looked more like a Bluto (from the Popeye comic strip).

Over the years I’ve tried a variety of workouts with varying consistency. I always blamed my lack of consistency, genetics and even my Crohn’s for my lack of progress. Well, people with Crohn’s much worse than mine have made better progress (see my earlier blogs on Peter K. Vaughn and Peter Nielsen for examples) and I know men who have made dramatic changes in their physiques in the course of a few months.

Well, today in the grocery store I finally had a revelation. My problem has been in front of my for all these years. Why do I not look the way I want? Because I eat the way I want!

I’ve been told this over the decades by at least two personal trainers (maybe three), a nutritionist, friends, family and God only knows how many books on exercise, weightlifting, diet, and nutrition.

So, what am I going to do about this? Well, I’ve already started.

Now that I have my caloric intake under control I need to improve the quality of what goes into my mouth. I loaded up on fresh (or as fresh as we get now days) veggies and fruits. I avoided the sugary treats, and I have enough to last the week. I chose Greek yogurt over regular because it has fewer calories and more protein (need some dairy after all). Tomorrow I plan my meals out so that I’m not caught in a situation where I “have” to go through the drive-thru and I’m taking another look at my supplement plan. Currently, I’m not taking anything except iron and calcium that my doctor prescribed. I’m thinking of adding back in a multi-vitamin and fish oil. Possibly some glucosamine as well for joint health.

I currently feel better than I have in years so I’m determined not to squander this feeling. I may never lift 350 pounds again (or maybe I will, who knows) but I bet I still have time to see my abs. At least two of them…

Onward!

Update: One Week on Humira

March 18, 2015davidpwahr

Well, I’ve been on Humira as a treatment for my Crohn’s now for one week and so far, so good. I haven’t had any of the short term side effects except for a little muscle soreness the first day. I’ve already noticed improvement in how I feel each day, though I have to admit that every time I eat something I expect that I’ll have pain – but so far I haven’t had any. I’ve even noticed that there are times where I don’t feel my “gut” on the inside. However, I am still a middle aged man so I don’t want to push my eating to the limit – indigestion can happen to anyone after all. I have also noticed that my bowel movements are changing (stop reading if you don’t want to hear about normal bodily functions) and instead of going two or three times a day I’m down to about one without the bloating that constipation would bring! My usually sore “bottom” isn’t and that in and of itself it actually a remarkable thing.

So, in brief, I’m very hopeful that this new treatment continues to work for me.

In exercise news I’ve developed a pain in my elbow. At first I thought it was “tennis” elbow but after further web searching and self-diagnosis I think it is actually “golfer’s” elbow (on the inside of the arm instead of the outside). My guess is that I strained it while weight lifting. The bad news is that it’s difficult to curl when you can’t lift the weight without a sharp pain. Looks like I’ll have to put off “loading the guns” and focus on legs and cardio for a little bit. If the pain doesn’t ease up it’s off to the doctors again.

It’s always something…

Onward!

Crohn’s Update: Humira

March 12, 2015December 17, 2019davidpwahr

Well, after what seems like years (it’s only been weeks) I’m finally on Humira (adalimumab). You may remember that after finally having my Crohn’s re-diagnosed my doctor thought it would be best to put me on some new medication in an effort to avoid surgery in my future. I was, of course, all for this.

However, I didn’t realize what it took to get the medicine that I was prescribed and now have a better appreciation of what some friends and family have been complaining about. Because of the expense of Humira my insurance company had to pre-approve me getting it (despite the prescription). Then once it was approved the prescription had to go through a specialty pharmacy because it needs to be kept refrigerated. So, I can’t get this picked up at the local Walgreen’s I have to call in each month to have it shipped to me (not a huge problem, but not what I’m used to). Then there is this entire “support” team to monitor me while I take it. An “ambassador” to check up on me every couple weeks, a nurse to train me on how to take the injections, and others. I think I understand why it costs so much.

The good news is that I took my first dose yesterday. I start with 4 doses the first day, then two weeks later I take 2 doses, and then 1 dose every other week from then on. Not a bad schedule as far as life-long medicines go (if not life-long than at least until something better comes along). And the injector “pen” that I use really does make the injection fairly painlessly.

I did have a slight headache yesterday and some muscle soreness (among the least of the side effects) but those seem to have passed. But I noticed something else odd today…I couldn’t feel my insides. There were no odd rumblings, no twinges of pain every couple of hours, no after lunch ‘bloat.’ I don’t know how quickly this stuff is supposed to work and it’s possible that some of the effects may only be of the placebo variety but still – I think that this may be the start of something good.

Unless I get lymphoma (another rare side effect). That would be bad…

Onward!

The ‘Extrovert’ and The Arnold

March 12, 2015March 12, 2015davidpwahr

Back in 2011 I first went to the Arnold Sports Festival, affectionately know simply as “The Arnold,” and was in many ways awestruck. The event is huge and more over very crowded! I got it into my head that I wanted to go again this year. So, last Saturday off I went – along with a young man on my staff who has recently decided to give bodybuilding a try (and who, in my humble opinion, probably has better genetics and will power to succeed in bodybuilding than anyone else I’ve ever known – except for one other person who also, coincidentally, worked for me a few years ago. But, I digress…).

We got to Columbus without incident quickly found parking near the convention center and followed the crowd to the doors. There we found the convention center literally packed with people! I’ve seen smaller crowds at Big Ten football games. However, the event did not disappoint.

The Expo was the centerpiece of the day and there were plenty of supplement companies there. The ones you’ve heard of and ones you haven’t heard of. Compared to last time I noticed that there were fewer exercise equipment companies which was a shame since I’m not much into supplements anymore. The amateur bodybuilding finals were going on most of the day at one side of the Expo hall and the WWE “experience” crowded them in at the other. There were lines everywhere! So much so that we didn’t get much in the way of supplement samples – and I gave most of what I had away to my young protege (ha) since chocolate was the flavor of the day and I don’t do chocolate. The longest line of the day appeared to belong to Bodybuilding.com and a lot of people seemed willing to wait probably two or more hours to get a t-shirt and a picture with a celebrity or two. But, not us!

However, we met some famous people in the bodybuilding world include Ed Corney who competed until he was about 70 years old. An inspiration for us older lifters.

We broke away from the Expo a couple times to see some gymnastics, martial arts, boxing, almost saw fencing, artwork, and I caught a glimpse of the jump rope finals (yes, really). All for the $15.00 entry fee – and there was more going on in other venues around Columbus. This event seems to take over Columbus. I’m impressed with how many people it draws.

Oh, and the extrovert part of this? Despite my usually reserved nature around strangers my brother-in-law insists that I am an extrovert. Not because I am gregarious and outgoing (unless I know you) but because he has noticed over the years that I seem to be drawn to crowds and am energized by them. It was late afternoon at The Arnold while surrounded by a crush of humanity that I realized something. I felt good. I wasn’t tired and actually seemed more energetic than I was in the morning. This led me to think about the places I like to frequent in general, amusement parks, NYC, etc. and it dawned on me…son of a gun, my brother-in-law is right. I am an extrovert.

I hate when he’s right…

Oh, and I finally got my picture taken with Jay Cutler. I seemed to be the last gym goer on earth to not have a picture of him! Nice guy but by the time I got to meet him at the end of the day it was clear to me that he’s an introvert!

Onward!

Fitness Quest: Update February 23, 2015

February 23, 2015December 20, 2019davidpwahr

Not much to report but I felt that I should post something since I have made a commitment to myself to post regularly. The past week has been pretty good health and fitness-wise. Even with a trip to Las Vegas (sorry, can’t talk about it because as we all know, what happens in Vegas…) I stayed fairly well focused on my goals and only over indulged one night and even made use of the hotel’s sparse but adequate gym. Adequate if all you need to do is cardio that is. And it was good to get away from the record breaking cold which has its grip on the upper midwest and northeast U.S. even if only for a couple days.

To start this week I felt good enough to move from the weight lifting machines over to the free weight room for most of my workout. I don’t really belong with the “big boys” anymore (if I ever did) but I like free weights better in general as I feel that more of the “stabilizing” muscles are brought into play. I even did good old fashioned squats for the first time in a long time and my knees held up well! Of course, I only had about 100 pounds on my shoulders – but it’s a start.

Medicine-wise things seem to be on hold. I have pretty much everything I need to start Humira – my sharps disposal kit, my talking training “pen,” and my nurse lined up to come give me my lessons on how to inject myself. Now all I need is the Humira. I’m going to have to call the pharmacy to see what’s taking so long – no doubt some sort of insurance issue. We’ll see. Good thing I’m still feeling well for the most part with only a little “grumbling” from my stomach here and there.

Now if I could just get warm…

Onward and upward!

Crohn’s: Pills, Pills, Pills – Which Ones To Take?

February 14, 2015December 17, 2019davidpwahr

Well, my health journey continues with mixed results. I had my appointment with my gastro doctor to talk about my latest tests, discuss treatment, and to take some more blood for additional testing. We agreed that the best way to avoid future surgery was to start some new drugs one of which is Humira, which seems to be the latest “wonder” drug, and the other being Imuran (aka Azathioprine). I can’t start the Humira until my test for Tuberculosis comes back but he thought I could start the Imuran right away.

For those who don’t know, Imuran is an immunosuppressive medicine used to treat a variety of immune diseases to reduce the activity of the specific disease which in my case is Crohn’s. There are side effects, of course, but the biggest concern is that by it’s very nature it reduces the white blood cells in your system. Well, I leave the doctor’s, go to the pharmacy and pick up my prescription and take my first pill. Then it was off for an afternoon of filming “Necroland” (I’ll eventually be listed as a cast member on ImDB!).

As I was heading home from filming the doctor calls (don’t worry, I wasn’t driving) and he tells me that I should stop taking the Imuran. He had some of the lab tests back already and apparently that on top of my vitamin D and calcium deficiency my white blood count is already very low – as if I was already taking the drug. He’s not sure what to make of this and it may be a testing error but for the time being, and to keep me from getting sick with something else, we need to be safe and keep me off the drug. We may also have to hold off on the Humira but won’t know more until the rest of the tests come back in.

The good news is that I’m feeling pretty healthy for the time being (occasional queasiness and bowel issues but nothing major since last December) and I don’t have any other symptoms for some of the horrible diseases which a low white cell count might indicate (Google, a friend and a foe at the same time). So, we’ll keep on taking test and see what develops.

Oh, and I’m anemic – due to the Crohn’s – and really need to take my iron every day which I hate. If anyone has found a brand that doesn’t upset their gastric inner workings please let me know!

On the fitness front, things could be going better but I’m staying within my calorie goals and this morning my weight is back down (last week I was up four pounds). Strength could be better but I was able to increase weights in several lifts and am feeling confident enough to move back into the free weight room with the “big boys.”

This is the last week of my fitness challenge with a couple of friends. I’m not sure how they are doing but I have high hopes that I’ll win based on my weight loss alone. I haven’t seen much improvement in my various measurements though my pants are clearly looser my sleeves aren’t getting tighter. I’ll of course let you all know how that turns out.

Onward and forward!

Fitness and Crohn’s or No Crohn’s Update

February 7, 2015March 19, 2020davidpwahr

Well, after another week of staying within my calorie goals, increased cardio, exceeding my daily steps, and the weight room what’s my reward? I’ve gained 4 pounds…

However, my waist is slightly smaller (half inch), I’ve lost some size on my chest, which I presume is fat loss, and my arms are a tad bigger plus my bodyfat is down 3% and though not at an all time low I’m almost there. Hurrah!

In the gym my lifts are increasing and I’m feeling stronger each week – not quite back to my old form but making progress. Feeling pretty good the day after my workouts as well and actually felt pumped after my last workout this week (how I’ve missed that feeling).

By the way, since I started to not trust my usual scale I’ve moved to what I’m calling “Dave’s Three Scale Method” (trademarked!). This consists of weighing myself on my usual Tanita electronic scale, and older model Tanita scale and a “regular” bathroom scale ($7.99 at major discount retailers).

On both the electronic scales my bodyfat is down (good). On the older electronic scale and the “regular” scale my weight is down as well – though the “regular” scale still shows me as 10 pounds lighter than my usual scale. I used the scale at my gym this week once as well – a supposedly more accurate “balance” scale. That one is broken as according to that I’m wasting away at an alarming rate and am well below 200 pounds close to my “skinny” high school weight (no way true).

In continued Crohn’s news, after 30 years of believing I had Crohn’s my belief has been confirmed. I have Crohn’s. My doctor has recommended that I now start taking Humira because though, according to him, my symptoms don’t really suggest it the colonoscopies show that my Crohn’s is not mild as I’ve thought. It’s actual more moderate to severe based on the damage already done. So, in an effort to continue and avoid surgery he thinks we need to get me into a full remission (or as close as possible). I’ll know more on this next week after I meet with him.

The adventure continues – onward!

Crohn’s or No Crohn’s: The Quest Continues

January 31, 2015December 20, 2019davidpwahr

Well, two days ago I underwent yet another colonoscopy to determine if I really have Crohn’s or not. This time it was a “double balloon” procedure. I’m not entirely sure how the device worked but the upshot is that the doctor and his team were able to go further up into the small intestine than before. The prep for this procedure was more difficult than before as it required two full days of the “clear liquid” diet. It’s been a long time since I’ve been as hungry as I was after the procedure!

The good news is that the procedure was successful and I got through it without any difficulty, at least so far as I can tell. I was completely unconscious for this one as the “twilight” drugs used previously aren’t sufficient as this procedure is more painful than a standard colonoscopy. The bad news, the fistula which my CT Scan indicated still was not found. So it is likely that I’ll now need an upper endoscopy to see if they can find the fistula.

Biopsies were taken again. It will take a couple weeks for the results to come in and before we know if Crohn’s is proven definitively or not. Once again, there is internal evidence of the damage that the Crohn’s (or whatever) has done but until the biopsy it is all “theory” I suppose.

Of greater concern is the fistula which cannot be found. From what I was told earlier I believe it is likely that I will need surgery to remove it, but if they can’t find it…well, no operation on something that can’t be confirmed.

Other good news is that for the past month I haven’t had any flare-ups (knock wood). Since the procedure I’ve felt a little “tender” but nothing debilitating.

So, for now I play the waiting game…

Onward!

PS – workouts have been going well and the extra weight is coming off slowly but surely!

Fitness Quest: January 25, 2015 Update

January 25, 2015December 20, 2019davidpwahr

It’s been awhile since I last posted, mostly because January is one of my busy times at work and between work, working out, and other activities for the past couple of weeks I just haven’t felt like blogging! Things are slowing down now and I can once again start to gather my thoughts and update on my progress or lack thereof.

The good news is that I’m making good use of my UP 24 (by Jawbone) band and changing several habits – mostly taking the long way around when walking and trying to add more steps instead of saving them. I need to be purposeful in keeping up with walking and moving on weekends, but during the week I’ve had very little trouble getting in at least 10,000 steps per day. I’m also back to the gym. The first couple workouts left me a bit sore, as expected, and I actually welcomed the tightness which followed – as well as the pump during the workouts. As I’m sure some of you are aware, it’s good to occasionally flex and feel like something is being flexed!

I’m doing very well with my diet, too. I use MyFitnessPal and have logged everything I’ve put in my mouth each day for about a month now. It has become habit and has helped me to make better choices. I have to say that I miss my Little Debbie though…and Krispy Kreme…and…well, you get the drift. However, there are better ways to use all those calories than one or two (or three) fatty treats each day. Oh, and this morning I was told by my Pastor that I looked thinner! I’ll choose to believe that he was talking about my waist and not my chest and shoulders.

Downside, I seem to have reached a fat loss plateau of some sort. My weight is edging down much slower than my exercise level and calorie intake should be creating. I’d like to think it’s because I’m putting muscle on as fast as the fat comes off, but that would be wrong (probably). Nothing to do but to stay consistent and keep upping the cardio.

Emotionally, I’m doing good except for the sadness and depression which followed the death of my cousin John this past week. He was three days older than me and born with Down Syndrome. Despite this he led a good life. He had a strong sense of humor and loved his family deeply. We had much in common including that we both enjoyed Star Trek and Scooby Doo. I will miss him greatly.

Upcoming for me this week a “double balloon colonoscopy” to further investigate my Crohn’s. This treatment will involve a two day prep and I’m on a clear liquid diet starting Tuesday and a full day of bowel “cleansing” on Wednesday. I’ll post more on this afterwards on Thursday (after I wake up that is).

Onward!

No Short Cuts

January 3, 2015December 20, 2019davidpwahr

In one of the Facebook groups I participate in we’ve been discussing some different body weight exercises and different types of exercise equipment over the years and it occurs to me that we, as humans, are always looking for that “quick fix” to get healthy. We are always searching for the magic exercise or that one piece of equipment that will do the trick and finally let us reach our goals.

Don’t believe me? Just turn on the television early any given morning and you’ll find ads for “Total Gym” this, “Body Blast” that, “PX-99” or whatever number they are up to now. In the past i remember ab rollers, rockers, and slides. Thigh masters and belly busters, and more gimmicks and gadgets than I can remember!

And even for the more serious lifters there have been “gimmicks” and fads too. Remember the first Universal machine? Nautilus equipment (state of the art in the eighties)? What about Soloflex, Bowflex, and I don’t know what other flex? Bullworker? These were (and are) all variations of the same principle. Lift heavier weights (aka increase resistance) and you will get stronger. Whether it’s from lifting iron and lead or carbon rods and rubber bands resistance is the key.

Even with plain old body weight exercises we have fads: crossfit (which does include weights I believe), planking, aerobics, Zumba, dance aerobics, “yoba” (yoga and Zumba combined), etc.

Now, to be fair, I think that all these things probably did work to one degree or another. If the person who bought or tried them actually used them more than a few days. That’s the trick. It doesn’t matter so much what you do as long as you do it. The truth is that there is only one way to build a bigger (or smaller), better, and healthier you – you have to exercise more and eat less (or eat more if you’re bulking – but most of us don’t have a problem getting enough calories. Nutrients are another matter).

I’m actually a fan of a few of the items and workouts I’ve listed above (I enjoyed working out with Nautilus equipment and still use a variety of machines – especially when I don’t have a spotter). There’s nothing wrong in using something as long as you use it. But you need one other thing along with the device/gadget/gimmick/fad…patience.

And don’t get me started on supplements…

Onward!

PS – I’ve posted a few pictures of my favorite workout fads below. I haven’t used them all, but know people who have!