Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Super Heroine Fitness Week 1


CDI (the testing facility) finally released the report and images from the CT scan back on the 13th.  I'm still confused with some notes so I've asked my PCP to take a look and put the report in lay terms.

Key notes I can understand:
  • The stone in my right kidney is 2 cm long and is the only renal one.
  • Both kidneys, the ureters, and bladder all appear normal.
  • Lungs, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, adrenals, gastroesophageal junction, stomach, bowels, and uterus are all normal.
  • There are multiple gallstones, mostly noncalcified.  There is one that is partially calcified measuring 4 mm.
  • The volume of stones has distended my gallbladder.
  • The walls of my gallbladder have started thickening.
Key notes I don't understand:
  • Assessment is limited due to a lack of intra-abdominal and intrapelvic adipose tissue.
  • Small bilateral ovarian follicles are seen.
I also wanted to share the pictures but haven't figured out how to download them let alone identify the stones in the images.

Weigh-in Wednesday!

WEDNESDAY I had picked up some slimmer squash to spiralize.

THURSDAY I did Episode 1 Adventure 2.  That one really wore me out!  My form was failing so I opted not to complete the last set.

FRIDAY I did some Yoga with Adriene.

Not much was ready for picking when I got home.



SATURDAY I did Episode 1 Adventure 3.  It seemed too easy so I'll definitely need to up the weight to 15 lbs for this next time.

Spiralized the farmer's market squash for my dinner while Benny and Austin ate noodles.



Sunday I was shocked at how many cucumbers were ready.  How is your garden going?



MONDAY I did an abs and obliques workout from FitnessBlender.com.

TUESDAY I wrapped up the first week of Super Heroine Fitness with Episode 1 Adventure 4.  Definitely easier than 2.  I'll need to up the weight on this workout too.

Today there's a chance of storms so it's 50/50 whether I'll be able to take my walk today.  I brought my walking clothes just in case.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Super Heroine Training Begins


I picked up my rings from Lewis Jewelers before Weight Watchers last night.  I didn't expect them to be so shiny!  Pictures don't do them justice.


I'm definitely stronger from ChaLEAN Extreme.  I was play fighting with Benny and surprised him with my strength.  He'll probably deny it though LOL

Weigh-in Wednesday!


THURSDAY I did Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Muscle Definition Back & Chest premix.

FRIDAY I did a yoga session geared towards the gallbladder.

SATURDAY I did Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Muscle Definition Shoulders, Biceps, & Triceps premix.

On the way to the library I told Austin about the workout program.  He seriously thought I was saying Heroin the drug not Heroine!  Kids can be so silly sometimes.

SUNDAY was an active rest day, watching and learning some of the moves for Super Heroine Fitness Episode 1.  You can see here what it's going to look like as well as my schedule.  I picked the Dubstep Strength Training station on Pandora for my playlist.

MONDAY I did a cardio & Pilates workout from FitnessBlender.com.

TUESDAY I began Super Heroine Fitness Episode 1 Adventure 1. OMG did my left glute give me fits with the Bulgarian split squat!  I used the 10 lb dumbbells throughout but feel I could've gone with the 15 lbs.  I really need heavier weight plates though.  I didn't enjoy the warm-up video that Neghar recommended so I'll have to find another one to do.  What do you do for your warm-up when weightlifting?  I'm definitely happy with my music selection; Austin thought it was weird until I showed how the beat fits with lifting.

 
Today I'll be walking to the farmer's market and hope to find some small zucchini or squash to try out the veggie spiralizer for a review.  What veggies do you like to spiralize?


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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

I'm a Super Heroine!


I've purchased and downloaded Super Heroine Fitness and am working out a schedule (as well as some alternate exercises) for me.  I think I'll stick with a Tues-Thurs-Sat schedule for this program.

THURSDAY I did Lean Circuit 3.

FRIDAY at the urologist's all that he talked about was surgery requiring a hospital stay....
  • Option 1 - going through my side and cutting the kidney to remove the stone.
  • Option 2 - going up via the tubes and removing the stone and any others along the way, leaving a stint in there in case it's needed later.
This is my first known stone and I haven't had any attacks since the 4th...are you serious? And to have it in 2-4 weeks? WTF?!  We did agree to have a CT scan to see if it's moved or if there are any other stones floating around; I'm waiting for the doctor to see the results.  Nevertheless I wasn't all here the rest of the day on Friday and was off all weekend.  I think Austin must have sensed it because he sort of stuck by me most of the weekend instead of hiding in his room watching videos or playing games on his phone.

SATURDAY I did Burn Intervals & Extreme Abs.  Attempted to paint outside but I just wasn't inspired to do anything.
 
SUNDAY I did Burn It Off & Recharge.
 
MONDAY I woke up to find another tomato gone.  I don't know which critter is stealing all the ripe ones!
 
TUESDAY I wrapped up Chalean Extreme with Lean Circuit 1.  On the way to Weight Watchers I finally dropped off my rings to be resized at Lewis Jewelers (recommended by several at the meeting).  The one Benny brought from Germany was about a 7.75 and the band we bought was a 7.5.  I thought at least one of them was a 14K gold band but they both tested 10K.

 Be sure to check out yesterday's post on the #VSL3KnowTheDifference campaign!
 
This morning I was going to do yoga but wasn't in the mood for it.  I'm heading out for my walk now.

How was your week?

 
Weigh-in Wednesday!



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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

#VSL3KnowTheDifference

 
With all my abdominal issues lately I can totally relate to those suffering from chronic gastro issues such as IBS or Ulcerative Colitis. Lack of sleep, not knowing what or when it's safe to eat, missing work or other activities... I could go on with all the anti-social "side effects" associated with these conditions. So what are the differences between IBS and UC?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS is a serious condition with no known cure. It affects the colon and common symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. (The last two I didn't have so this condition was automatically ruled out for me.). As many as 20% of adults in the US (mainly women) have these symptoms but most never seek medical help. Half of IBS sufferers start seeing symptoms before they are 35 and are diagnosed by the time they are 50.

Ulcerative Colitis

UC not only affects the colon but also the rectum. The associated inflammation and ulcers cause bleeding, pus, diarrhea, and severe abdominal discomfort. (Seeing the symptoms makes me glad to have only had the discomfort!)  UC is less common with only 1% of Americans showing symptoms as young as 15.


Probiotics as a Solution

Probiotics seem to be the solution for just about anything related to gut health. They work the microbial, chemical, and physical barriers of the gut. There are so many probiotics out there it's difficult to know which strain should be used for which specific condition. It's recommended that adults should take at least a billion cells (aka colony forming units or CFUs) daily.  How much does your regular probiotic have?


VSL#3 is one such probiotic that exceeds the recommended CFUs. Because it's a medical food not a supplement it must be used under medical supervision. (As a medical food VSL#3 may also be covered under your insurance; check with your provider for details.)



VSL#3 is a mix of 8 strains of live lactic acid bacteria; not many probiotics contain this many strains. All formulations require refrigeration to preserve the high potency. The Double Strength packets contain 900 billion live bacteria; with this high strength it's only available by prescription. The packets contain 450 billion and the capsules contain 112.5 billion bacteria. All products are gluten free as well as Kosher and Halal certified. Hopefully I will never develop IBS or UC but if it came up I'd definitely talk to my doctor about VSL#3.
 

For more information about this high potency probiotic medical food clinically proven in the dietary management of IBS and UC visit www.vsl3.com. You can also check here to see if your local pharmacy carries VSL#3 or purchase directly, using the coupon code "Doctor" to receive $5 off your purchase.

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VSL#3® is a high potency probiotic medical food that's clinically proven in the dietary management of IBS, ulcerative colitis, and ileal pouch. To learn more visit www.vsl3.com and LIKE the brand on Facebook.
This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. All opinions, text and experiences are my own. VSL#3 is a medical food and must be used under medical supervision.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Back in Range


I weighed in last night down 2.2 lbs so I'm FINALLY back in the goal window!  My Weight Watchers monthly pass expires on the 17th so I picked up my code for the free e-tools subscription from hitting Lifetime.  I just hope this sticks and it's not only from all the BMs and vomiting I've been doing because of my abdominal issues.


I started taking the Gallbladder Complete Thursday afternoon.  The instructions say you're supposed to take 1 oz 3 times a day for the first three days.  Since I wouldn't receive another bottle in time I took 1 oz twice a day.  Fingers crossed that this has worked as I haven't had an "attack" (for lack of a better term) since Saturday night.

Weigh-in Wednesday!

FRIDAY I did Lean Circuit 3 since I was awakened by an "attack" Thursday morning.

SATURDAY I did Burn Intervals & Extreme Abs.  We went to our neighbor's house for a cookout in the evening.  I'd attempted to make zucchini chips but that was a fail so I brought veggie kebabs.


SUNDAY I worked in the garden.  I hope the flooding rain we had yesterday (Benny said the garden looked like a rice paddy) and continued rain today doesn't kill off everything.  Rabbits or the groundhog ate the ripe tomatoes.

MONDAY I did Burn It Off but not Recharge because of the time.

TUESDAY I wrapped up the 3rd week with Lean Circuit 1.

This morning I began the final week of ChaLEAN Extreme with Lean Circuit 2.

My next program will be Neghar Foononi's Super Heroine Fitness.  They're having some technical issues so I haven't received it yet but am exited to try out this program.  Would anyone be interested in doing this with me?



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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Weigh in Wednesday 7.1.15


I weighed in last night down .4 lbs.

Monday the kidney stone was on the move.  I woke up sometime after 4A with back pain and stiffness (felt like it was around my spine) so I was thinking that I needed to find a new yoga stretch to take care of it LOL.  The pressure steadily increased and I couldn't get comfortable.  The 2 BM, heating pad, and hot tea didn't help any.  I think the heating pad actually made the feeling worse.  There were also two rounds of vomiting in the mix.  I took some Tylenol but had to do it twice since the first round was short before the first puke so I didn't know if anything went down.  It took about 4 hours before I could get comfortable enough to sleep again.

Friday the referral coordinator called while I was at work and then she called again while I slept Monday.  It was for the Urologist so that was perfect timing....except the Doctor she put me with didn't have an opening until the end of July!  His assistant checked with the rest of the team and found one with an opening on the 10th so I took it.

I haven't heard anything about the gallbladder surgery consultation.  Benny has been scouring the internet for alternatives and found this all natural and organic Gallbladder Complete for me to try. I ordered it Monday and it should arrive today.

Wednesday I applied for a part time Wellness Coach position at the YMCA (I'd work some evenings).  This would start me on the transition from this job that I hate to my dream career!  Wish me luck, pray for me...whatever your belief system may be...that I get this job.

Weigh-in Wednesday!

THURSDAY I did Lean Circuit 3.

SATURDAY was Burn Intervals & Extreme Abs.

SUNDAY was Burn It Off & Recharge.  I brought in my first harvest from the garden - the basil.  While I was working I had a squirrel arguing with me for being there.  I chittered right back at it and inched closer but it finally ran off.


TUESDAY wrapped up the second week of the lean phase with Lean Circuit 1. I still felt a little weaker than normal during the workout but pushed through.

This morning my triceps were again sore from yesterday's workout but I pushed through Lean Circuit 2.  No rain in the forecast today so I'll be able to get in my walk this afternoon.



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