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| Maria's Update - 13th February 2011 04:43pm
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2011
Preparation Patience Practice3 Powerful words to live by.
The key is to work out what exactly you need/want to work on , prepare for it with all the tools you need, stay patient as good things take time, and practice, practice, practice.
When you have a goal and decide to follow it, your going to hit obstacles along the way.
2011 has been full of Obstacles.
At the end of last year I managed to increase and stay on my prescribed 20mg of Methatrexate for the Rheumatiod Arthritis.
The drug made me feel so ill but I was determined to give it a go as I am running out of options. On December 29th I ended up in Hospital for a week, (The worst New Years Ever).
I am now off most of the medications and feel better but the arthritis pain is returning.
While in hospital I had a laproscopy. 3 holes made in my stomach. They fill your tummy with air and look around with a scope. After this surgery I had to try and not use my Abs to sit up , move etc. Very hard to do especially when you have trained your body to utilize your Abs as much as possible. To sit up, walk ,cough or laugh, hurt like hell!!!
I was told no heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks. I spent a week in bed then headed off camping for what was meant to be 2 weeks.
After 1 week we had to evacuate due to rough weather and demolished camp equipment.
I headed home to dry out and found sewage all over the lawn (AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!) so had to evacuate to a Motel till fixed.
Once home my car broke down and then the washing machine shit itself.
Yes - Obstacles.......
One might just flag the year and the goals that were set........or one could chose to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and prepare, be patient and practice.
I am going to aim to compete halfway through the year with a friend of mine. We have tryed to avoid the Rugby World Cup Time Table to save on expenses like accomodation etc.
Since starting to write this update, I have been called up to the hospital for my first dose of a new drug called Humira. This is a very expence medication so I had to apply for funding. To apply you have to have pretty active arthritis in more than 25 joints. It is given in an injection much like diabetics use. I had refused it for the last year, opting to give the methatrexate a good go, which I have done. Now in my mind I have become happier about having to start the injection. The major side effect is that the humira will grow any infection in the body, rather rapidly!!
Any signs of fever or infected cuts etc and I have to report straight to my doc. This is pretty scarey with winter coming up and the bad flu's that are around now days. But I am out of options.
So last Thursay I took my first dose of humira, Friday morning I woke up to pretty much "NO" pain.
Im not kidding, this to me was pretty amazing as my feet have been so very sore for so very long and to wake up and be able to walk, tippy toe, jump without pain was little short of a miracle. So far the only side effect has been a headache. My wrists are normal size again, my fingers arent swollen. Amazing stuff!!!!
I hope I am finally going to get it under control.
TRAINING
I am training real hard again. Two days a week a train with a girlfriend and we have a good workout/chat/giggle/moan etc. Usually real sore afterwards and spend the rest of the week txting each other and complaining about not being able to move our arms etc without crying.....lol
I then train another 3 days on my own with music blaring for motivation.
At the mo I am training shoulders and biceps twice a week, as these are my weak areas.
My program looks like this:
Chest/Triceps/calfs and abs
Legs/biceps/abs
Shoulders/calfs and abs
Back/biceps/butt and abs
Shoulders and abs
2 rest days a week.
Cardio at least once a day.
My body feels real strong. My posture is great. My muscles are recovering o.k and the arthritis pain is not interferring..... yay!!
ASSESSMENT
Well I have been eating like a horse but thought it really is time to hop on the scales and see what was happening. This also gives me a number to work out muscle mass etc.
So here it is:
51.5 kg (boy it didnt take long to get back up there :) )
13.6% bodyfat
7.01 kg fat
44.59 muscle
52kg is definitely my cut off mark where I start to watch how much crap I am eating. But the fat % is great for off season for me and the muscle size is up 2 kgs.
My aim now is to keep on eating alot of good food and make the most of the next 6 weeks of my off season training.
EATING PLAN
Well I am eating heaps, supplementing with protein powder, fish oil, joint food and multi-vits. My new favourite is low-fat cottage cheese with protein powder mixed in, chopped up banana and drizzled with low carb maple syrup. Yummy and a great protein meal.
I have also been making my own protein bars with lots of walnuts, almonds, seeds etc in them, really great to grab when on the run.
My home made bran muffins will be missed also when I start dieting, they are filled with bran and have NO sugar and NO Fat in them, great with a cup of tea or long black in the arvo.
So yes I am eating ALOT on top of my 3 main protein meals a day.
POSING PRACTICE
Hope to start posing practice at the begining of the competition diet which will be in about 6-7 weeks. No doubt there will be a nice group of us that will meet and motivate on a Sunday afternoon. I am excited about posing this year as I have no foot pain so will be able to pose properly for a change and enjoy every moment.
NOW
My car is still broken and now has a flat tyre but my washing machine is fixed.
The sewage is fixed but the tree causing all the trouble is now threatening the front wall.
The tummy is pretty much back to normal and I can now do 260 crunches so will soon be back up to my 500 a day.
The arthritis is so much better and I can now train biceps and calves with no joint pain.
The Preparation is still happening.
The Patience is a daily task.
The Practice has to be alocated into my day, every day so I will do it.
Lets see how I do this year :)
Thanks for reading.
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| Maria\'s update - 23rd October 2010 06:39pm
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STILL RECOVERING
Well its Tuesday and I am still recovering from my weekend. Im absolutely shattered.
It was a bit of a challenge this year due to the new meds Im on for the arthritis.
One day I was up 2 kg then down 1kg ,then on track then up again. It played havoc on the mind.
When putting on a coat on tan on Thursday night I didnt like how I was looking and once we got to Wellington I stripped off and asked my hubby to be honest and tell me if it was just my diet brain or did I really look like shit...............He said "you dont look good babe, you look like your 3 weeks out".
My first reaction was phew, it isnt just me imagining it, then panic, what am I going to do, Im not competing looking like this.
I hopped in the shower and took off my tan, on the ferge of quitting....................................
I hate to give up.....................so I got out of the shower and headed down stairs to the gym ( lucky there was a gym right next door to the motel), My plan was to try and deplete the muscles all over again, not drink water and not take in any food (carbs). If that didnt work, I was going to sit in the sauna and go for a walk.If that didnt work I was going to order a pizza.
I trained chest, triceps, back , biceps, quads, hammies , shoulders, abs.........I was so thirsty. Think I was there for over an hour. Once upstairs again I stripped off and immediately looked 50% better. So the next step was a power walk. After that I stripped again and looked at least alittle bit more like I should, good enough to step on stage anyway, but still far from my best.
So that night every hour I was checking to make sure I wasnt blowing up again. The plan was to get up and have another workout in the morning if needed.
So off I went to register with the other Taranaki girls.
I was talked into doing 2 classes, my regular class senior body fitness and then open body fitness short. (God these new names really confused everyone backstage on the day, we had no idea who was meant to be on stage).
I woke early the next morning incase I needed to train, everything looked o.k, still not how I would of liked but good enough.I decided to do some lunges and squats to try and help the fluid on the legs disappear.
My prep work when well apart from the motel lighting being real dim and it was like putting makeup on in a tent. Looked abit over the top when I ventured outside..lol.
At de-briefing I found out there was 5 in my senior class and 6 in open class. Great I thought, just when I needed a break, I'd really have to pose hard if I wanted a place.
The morning show was real fast. Actually I was glad I got to do 2 classes because the poses where called so fast that you hardly had to time to do anything. To get up again a second time made you feel like you got your moneys worth.
There was such nice ladies back stage. Faces I had seen before of course. Its usually always nice chatter , complimenting girls on their suits etc.
We were back at the motel by 1.30pm, night show starting at 5pm. I knew if I relaxed too much I would blow up like a balloon again so I had no choice but to keep moving.At least stay on my feet more than on my bum. I put some music on and re-did my makeup etc so I felt fresher while my hubby ventured off to get a feed.
Back at the Comp everyone was more relaxed and the conversation was very entertaining. Keith from Muscleimaging had set up a TV for us to watch backstage so we didnt miss seeing people on stage. The show was sold out so there wasnt much room at the front of the house for competitors to go. This was great watching all the routines and cheering everyone on. It was bloody cold though!!!!!
On stage for my first class and winning Gold was a bit of a shock really as I wasnt as happy as I could of been with my final appearance. All though in saying that , I now have the photos and DVD of the Show and think I look pretty good......lol.
For the second class, I thought I would be in the top 3 especially as I had just beaten most of the girls in the first class. Of course there is lots of chatter backstage about how that doesnt seem to play a part in the end decision, and the more ladies that place, the more that go through to the nationals etc.....this is abit unfair but what can you do. So I didnt place in the second class.
Doing 2 classes actually backfires abit on the show and competitors. One competitor in my second class had competed in the physique section and then in our figure section(body fitness) which doesnt seem right to me as one you are judged on size of muscle (bodybuilder) and the other more shape and presentation (bodyshaper).
Anyway there are also rules you follow like no Moon poses, no chewing gum, No G-Strings etc, Well 5 of us out of 6 were all on stage, we had just gone through all the quarter turns etc when a competitor from bodybuilding runs on stage with shoes in hand and starts ranting and raving about us starting with out her, very unprofessional and uncalled for, she was sent off stage to wait then called back on after a few moments. We all felt she maybe should of been penalized for her behaviour and maybe competitors should be able to do 2 or more classes but they should be the same catagories.
Anyway all in all I had a fabulous time. I have a lot to think about when it comes to preparation and how I am going to stop blowing up like a balloon .
Mike Ryan is now running a Taranaki Comp in Stratford again so I might actually give it a go and see if I can work out a new recipe so I am not flying blind next year when I compete. (if I compete...lol) .
At the moment my Arthritis has flared up quite nasty again, prob due to the junk food I have been eating ...lol
Its taken me so long to write this update that I now only have 4 weeks till the naki's and havent started dieting yet.....ooops. Might be pushing it.
I have a Specialist appointment about my R.A on tuesday so will have to see what he says and then make my mind up.
If you have never been to a bodybuilding show you should come along, it is very entertaining.
Stratford Taranaki Bodybuilding Champs
Saturday 13th November
One show format
Check out mikeryan.co.nz for more details
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| Maria's Update - 18th September 2010 01:06pm
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?
Bugger!
I thought I was doing just fine and then last night I couldnt sleep and as the night went on the arthritis flared up in my hips, feet and hands. With only 2 days to go I am feeling rather beaten. The question mark has moved right infront of me.
The travel down to Wellington and all the rain definitely are going to challenge me even more. The inflammation and pain increases in wet weather...dam it.
Sitting in a car is always hard on my body. We usually have lots of regular stops but with the weather packing up we prob wont want to stop so often.
So at this stage I might be going all the way to Wellington for a hamburger!!!
So whats the plan?
Going to do my best to stay relaxed and positive. My mind could be my worst enermy here and make me give up.
I will be trying my best to stay strong.
Focusing on stepping on stage on Saturday feeling fabulous, or faking it at least.....lol
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| Maria's Update - 18th September 2010 01:04pm
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3 WEEKS OUT
Cant say the last week or so has been easy. Last Weekend I was all out of motivation/energy and effort.
My new medication is making my body blow up for 3 kgs for 2-3 days, that means 1/2 the week I look like shit and the other half I think I am right on track.
Thank goodness I have been recording all the side effects as I looked back on my info and worked it out.
I am now going to try taking the Methatrexate on a Saturday night before bed. That way my body wont blow up on stage. Ha Ha thats the plan anyway.
So after trying my god dam hardest and not seeing results I dug my toes in even more and worked my guts out....Im so stubborn......really hate quitting.
Looks like it has paid off so just got to hope the rest of my prep goes smoothly with the drugs etc.
EATING
My diet has been great. Eating 20-30 eggwhites a day, lots of chicken and tuna. Salad and brocoli. Still having kiwifruit, strawberries, banana too.
Of course the next few weeks will get harder and harder but hopefully the motivation and excitement will carry me through, it usually does.
TRAINING
Training hasnt been as good as I would of wanted. Monday and Thursday I train with a Friend/Client which really motivates me. The rest of the week I train by myself. I have felt quite weak this week, mainly due to motivation being non-exsistant. Need to change that over the next week because not many workouts left now.
Cardio is going real well, My legs actually feel real strong while biking and managing to stay on there for 45 mins a session. Doing 2-3 sessions a day.
Last year I was hitting the floor and doing 500 sit ups a night, due to lack of motivation that has dropped back to 300.......still better than 1 :)
Well it is now 2 Days out from the Comp.
I got abit busy and forgot to finish last update so am now jumping forward in time....lol
Its been a busy time alright with a few challenges along the way. The Drugs for the Arthritis being the biggest one.
I really dont know how I am going to look this time and that question mark is right behind me.
Can only but give it a go!
So it is now Wednesday night, Im looking forward to carbing up and heading to Wellington. Just good times to have from now on , all the hard work is done.
I must say that I am very Proud of myself, even more so than usual. It has been a dreadful year with pain and I would of never thought that I could of made it this far.
Hopefully putting everything in a journal will help me to work out the recipe properly for next time if I am on the same meds etc. Its been very tricky and I still am not sure if I am going to blow up like a balloon or look as I should on the day.
I havent practiced as much as I should have so will probably find the posing hard on stage this year. You cant help but pose your hardest once your up there.
The diet has been the usual tough diet. Hardest part being kids birthday parties etc. So sick of eggwhites and chicken. Never did feel hungry just craved stuff like bread, cake, well almost everything but eggs and chicken!!!
Oh well better go as I have lots of bags to pack and some kumera to cook.....yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Maria's Update - 21st August 2010 06:10pm
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5 Weeks and Counting
2 Great weeks followed by 1 bad week.
The highs and lows of competing and pushing your body and mind to the limit. When you are up and feeling great, you cant imagine anything stopping you.....until you wake up one morning and think "Why the F*** am I doing this", then it is a battle to stick to the plan each day until that feeling disappears and you rise to the top again.
What I usually find is that on the low week my body is fighting against dropping the bodyfat and if you just hang in there and push through it you will reap the rewards later........well its been 5 days of struggle and 5 days of wanting to Kick these New Scales to kingdom come.
For some reason these "loving" scales are telling me I am putting on weight, my fat % is increasing and I am holding a hell of alot of water.
Bla Bla Bla not listening, not listening, stick to the plan....lol
One of these mornings I will step on them and be pleasantly surprised. (positive)
Until that time I will just stick to the plan.
TRAINING
Training has been going real well, due to the lack of joint pain.
Training consistantly and doing cardio and extras at night.
Loving training and for the first time in years I was able to do proper bicep curls. This was awesome and the wrist handled it until the 8th set , then started clicking real loud and not feeling stable so I stopped. Have had no pain afterwards though so looking forward to trying it again this week. Usually one wrist wont allow me to curl the dumbells or barbell effectively and I have had to perform hammer style curls on one side.
Have moved my stepper machine inside to give me a variety with my cardio. This is a mean machine, you really have to concentrate while on it or it bucks ya off...he he he.... great way to start the day. I do have to have motivating music playing or I just cant stay on it long enough. Great for the butt!!!!!!
I usually do 35-40 mins in the morning and at night I sit on my bike for 45-50 mins to unwind and de-stress the body.
R.A
After my last update I was struck down again with intense pain in my hands for 3 days, then it has just disappeared again.......yay.
Dont know why but glad its gone. My goal now is to decrease the Arava med and increase the Methotrexate. So I have managed to decrease one and are due to increase the other one today.........bit hesistant on doing that. I am feeling o.k pain wise and dont really want to go for a trip to hell over the weekend.
Oh what to do ...what to do......
Last week I took the methotrexate at night and didnt notice side effects as much because I was asleep so I will be trying that again this week, not sure about the dose though.
One worry I have is that I have not competed while on this drug so dont know how it will effect my prep work. I am recording everything so I can learn as I go.
DIET
Diet is going well, eating alot of eggwhite meringues, tuna , plain eggwhites, chicken and the occasional steak. Lots of salad and veg and really pleased to finally see the strawberries in the supermarket. No time to cheat now. The next 5 weeks will go so fast.
MISSION
HANG IN THERE.
ONE DAY AT A TIME.
"To promote the highest development of mind and soul, a sunny disposition is indispensable; the brighter, the happier and the sweeter the disposition, the more easily and the more rapidly will any talent develop; and it is a literal truth that a sunny disposition is to the talents of the mind what a sunny day is to the flowers of the field."
Christian D. Larson
(1874-1954)
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| Maria's Update - 31st July 2010 08:26am
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Oh How Things Change
Knowing when to give in and just accept that some things you just can't change,sometimes takes awhile.
In my case it took about 6-7 months of intense pain, Strong Will and Stubborness to make my plan work.....which it did not!
My Last visit to my Specialist saw me entering the room waving my white flag of surrender. I was over the pain, over the fatigue, over the whole disease and realized that I could not go on the way I was.
I was ready and willing for some more Drugs!!!!!!!
My Doc said that if I wasn't going to surrender he was going to lock me in his office until I agreed to take some more meds. He knew I was going down hill fast and that If I wasnt careful he wouldnt be able to get me back.
I was left with the choice of 2 drugs , 1 that I have resisted for 10 years and the latest injectable one which I have resisted for 7 months now.
For some reason I still cant get my head around the injectable one so I opted for the Methatrexate. This is a Chemo drug with its own list of side effects.
The plan was to start on 5mg taken once every Friday and increase it every 4 weeks until I was eventually on 20mg a week.
All seemed simple enough.
Well its been about 10 weeks and I am still on 5 mg. Talk about side effects..... headaches from hell, spewing and pooing like theres no tomorrow.
It was like the biggest hangover "ever" without the benefit of the party the night before. I made it up to 7.5mg and then was so ill I had to drop right back to 2.5mg. I am now on 5mg again and hoping my body will cope with this dose. Over the 8 weeks of taking Methatrexate I lost 6 kgs, this of course did not impress me as a feel alot of that was precious muscle that takes me sooooo long to grow.
Blood tests have to be done every 14 days to check on the liver as it is very hard on this organ.
So that all sounds miserable and extremely sad right??????? Well actually there is a bright side.........
I am Pain free........
Painfree :)
YES Painfree, absolutely unbelievable. I have just about no pain at all.
And that is the sole reason why I am still taking this Nasty Nasty drug.
I have been in intense pain with huge doses of fatigue etc since December last year and to now live without it is alittle bit of a miracle to me.
My silver lining in my black cloud.
About 5 months ago I stuck a piece of paper to my mirror for me to read in the mornings. It was meant to keep me positive and help me hang in there and trust in the drugs and the doctors etc. I gave up on reading it but never took it down. This morning I glanced up at it and this is what it says:
"According to the Law of Attraction, the path to eradicating disease is not to fight it. If you decide you are going to fight a disease, your focus is on fighting the disease, and we attract what we are focusing on. Allow the doctors you have chosen to do their work, and keep your mind focused on well-being. "
TRAINING
Through it all the training never stopped. I mangaged to keep up with the program. It took alot of discipline and self talk but I mangaged.
It kept me sane.
If I took the new drug on a Friday I would make sure I had a good workout before taking it. Then I was out of action for 3 days , I would then train again Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. As my body started to get used to the dose I was managing a workout on a Sunday. So now it is only Friday afternoons and Saturdays that are impossible for me to train.
During the time I was dropping alot of bodyweight I stayed off my bike, if I did do some it was very mild just to get the joints moving.
I am now 8 Weeks out from my next comp.
Through all of the shit I always imagined competing again, organised what comp I would like to do and tried to keep a positive train of thought going.
I did have days and prob still will where I think I am absolutely mad, but those days are out numbered.
Will I make it to the day?
Not sure.
Will I give up?
Not till the very end.
I have a couple of other Taranaki Bodybuilders who are doing the same comp which is motivating. Posing Practice has started again at Rampage on a Sunday. This is great as I get away from my gym and have an awesome workout and then join the others for Posing at 2pm. Its great to see the other competitors all looking fab and aiming for lots of different comps around NZ .
I am so pleased that the sport is alive and kicking in Taranaki still.
DIET
I am 4 weeks into my diet phase.
This is all good as the cleaner I eat the less pain I usually get with the Rhuematoid.
I invested in an expensive set of scales that reads the bodyfat, bodywater, bone mass and total bodyweight. They are taking abit to get used to as there is only a particular time that they read true. It warns you about before, during and after your menstrual cycle ( well that eliminates most of the month) it will not be accurate, after drinking, first thing in the morning etc etc.
Its painfull really and I think that maybe the good old calipers are more reliable.
I do need to keep track of my bone mass as the meds I am on eat into the bone. This is the reason my Specialist tells me to keep training, to try and reverse that from happening.
So there we have it, another crazy plan to make it to the stadium in a shape that I am proud of.
I do feel like a big question mark is following me everywhere and I hope to kick its butt in 8 weeks time.
"Most Folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Abraham Lincoln
(1809-1865) |
| Maria's Update - 17th April 2010 03:51pm
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It's been a while ......
The last 3 months have been real hard.
I dont think my R.A has ever been this bad, maybe around 10 years ago when I first got it, I dont know. I seem to forget the nasty times or painful times in life. Learn what you got to learn and then move on.
Ten years ago I learned that you shouldnt put up with the pain, you should just take the drugs they give you, to give you quality of life.
10 years on and I find myself disagreeing with that statement.
Sure you need quality of life but at what price.
My concern started when I was told that my R.A was real aggressive at the moment and needed to be stopped. I had tried all the drugs that the qoverment funds and had bad reactions to most of them or they didnt work on me.
I had one last drug left to try, if this didnt work then my Doc suggested I moved to Australia where they have more medications available that are funded for you.
My questions started to mount.
Why isnt the drug Im on now still working?
Well, it is but just not enough.
Can I stop taking it then?
No because it will be doing something.
I truely believed that my R.A had flared up due to the fact that 4 months ago I had been given a Magna sleep for my bed. Once on the bed I could not sleep and noticed the pain increasing. I left it on right up to when I went camping. Once on the air bed in the tent I slept like a baby. By then it was too late the arthritis was bad. Could all this be due to the magna sleep as other sufferers have said never to put them on as they went through the same ordeal?
I can not comment, it is more than likely just a coincedence.
I have taken the magna sleep off now, cant we wait and see if the R.A dies down abit?
No it wont by itself, we need to stop it before it is too late.
So My choices were to take this new drug which I have to inject myself with every fortnight.
O.K this puts me off straight away as I hate needles , especially doing it myself and mostly I felt like I was moving into the next catogory up for sick people.
I have to inject myself to survive.........I really struggled with this and still are today.
Then there were the side effects of the medication. This drug is a man made medicine that apparently loves infection. So any infection you have in your body this drug will cling too and mutiply those infectious cells. So I am warned to contact my doctor if I feel the slightest bit unwell because of a cough, flu, or even a cut, tooth ache.
God I always feel like shit, how am I going to know, I'll always be at the bloody doctors office.
There was also a chance of developing cancer. A very minor chance apparently.
When you have an auto-immune disease your chance of developing cancer increase and so this would just increase that risk again.
And then there is the minor effects, headaches, vomiting, rashes, weightloss, hairloss, etc etc etc.
So I spent my summer holiday with my family camping trying to decide whether or not to take this drug.
Alot of people told me it was no worse than being a diabetic. This pissed me off.
Imagine I hand you a syringe and told you to inject yourself with it , and it might give you cancer, or kill you with an infection, Oh yeah and you might vomit and get headaches or even a chance of your throat closing over.
WOULD YOU DO IT?
Well I couldnt.
I tried.........lots of times I took it out of the fridge (as it has to be kept cold) but when it came time to inject it, I just couldnt. Everything inside me cried out that I just simply should no do it.
I was called back into the specialist office to discuss my fears. I think it was meant to help me decide to take it, I sat there crying , petrified that They might make me do it.
I came home again sick to my stomach, stressed to the maximum.
Oh Universe please throw something at me that makes sense.
AND THEN CAME MY ANSWER
Just before I went camping I met a person on facebook that actually works with Doctors around the World that work on natural medicines.
He had just sent me an article to read by one of these doctors.
It made alot of sence to me.
I took my piece of paper and headed into town on a mission to find the supplements he recommended. I knew I wouldnt find the brand he recommended in New Plymouth but needed the next best thing to get me started and make me feel like there was some hope and that I had a plan.
A Plan , A Goal, I am good with goals.
So a few hundred dollars later I was home with my plan and a very light wallet.
I started on it straight away.
I have been documenting everything from day one. How I feel, how the pain is, how the inflamation is, energy, sleep, appetite, mood, motivation.
Logged down all activity.
So is it working?
Well it has been 51 days on my New Supplement Program.
For the last 2 years my left wrist has been double in size, with hardly any range of motion to it. Making normal things very hard and it has been awfully painful for those 2 years .
Well after 51 days I now have 2 wrists the same size. Full range of motion in both, hardly any swelling/ inflamation in them at all.
This to me is absolutely amazing. I know for a fact that it is due to the supplements because nothing else has changed, Im still on the same meds etc etc
BUT..........
Unfortunately my feet arent so good. I have never had pain in my feet before. It is painful to walk, stand, they hurt and ache when I am sitting still.
Now this isnt new, it all started way back with the Magna Sleep episode too.
So even though the supplements have helped my wrists and fingers they havent, as yet, helped with my feet.
So , what to do??????
I believe that when you venture out to try any new program, of any sort, you really need to give it 3 months, at least 90 days to give it a good shot.
When the Doctors start you on a new drug they also say that it might take a few months before you will see any results.
My last appointment with my Doctor and I argued this fact, actually pleding for another 30 days to see improvement.
My inflamation in my bloods were down (proven with blood tests) which was great and really did prove to me that the supplements are working.
Poor Doctor....lol ....... he really thinks I am pushing my luck, playing with fire.....leaving it tooooooo late.
But Hey, We all Know I am Stubborn !!!!!!!!!
So here I am Day 51,
If there was ever a time to put the Power of Positivity to the Test, It is right Here right Now.
Everything I learnt last year, seems so important this year. All the techniques, all the exercises, visualization, it was all setting me up to deal with 2010.
So Here I Go !!!!
My next doctors appointment is the End of May.
My Goal is to bounce into his office with victory written all over my face.
Is It truely possible that I could heal my body the natural way?
Alot of people seem to think so, and alot of people think I am nuts.
TRAINING????????????????
Training is going real well.
This surprises some people.
Just because I am in intense pain every day doesnt give me an excuse not to train. Especially when the pain subsides after a good workout.
I had about 2-3 weeks off training when we went camping in January but apart from that I have stuck to the program.
Went from a 4 day split down to a 3 day split, working legs each workout as well as I find it helps release the pressure in my joints.
If I go a few days without training I can actually feel the pressure building up.
Since starting these new supplements I actually feel alive, awake, not so fatigued in the mornings, actually come to think of it I feel real good in the mornings.
My strength is still great. I do find that I have to superset my workouts.
I will do a Chest Press then do an exercise for Quads then rest etc.
This allows me to stay focused and get through my workouts within 40 mins and leave the gym still feeling great, not exhausted.
Have put on a lot of size ( fat and muscle) and sitting at a healthy 51-52 kgs. Love having all the curves back.
Doing Cardio morning and Night for about 40-50 minutes.
Hammering on with all those situps every night. Actually down to 400 a day. Cant seem to squeeze those last 100 out. Might have to work on that.
The only muscle group that I have trouble with is still the biceps. Because the swelling has gone in my wrist now when I do a curl the bones actually bang and clank over one another and it is not a nice feeling, The wrist is pretty munted from the arthritis inflamation over the last 2 years.There is no way to fix this so onwards and upwards, just need to work around it.
DIET
My diet has been improved/modified to add in lots of essential nutrients to my day.
My breakfast is still and prob will always be my eggwhites with 1 whole poached egg on 2 vogels toast. Really dont mind downing eggwhites in the morning.
Lunch time is a different story.
Midmorning I snack on blueberries and almonds and a banana
For lunch I am having chicken or tuna Pitas, filled with salad.
Some days I have a healthy muesli with eggwhites chopped up in it with blueberries, almonds , walnuts, sutana's , covered with Soy Milk (yummie)
Afternoon snack I have a tin of chop chop chicken with some rice crackers
Dinner is meat and veg. Usually Chicken with some red meat thrown in 2 times a week.
I am only having.........ONE Coffee a day......yes that is right. My love affair with my coffee machine is over.
Oh there are days when I just dream of another coffee, and some days I do admit to falling off the wagon and having TWO.
I now drink Soy Milk instead of the normal one that the family has.
The biggest change of course is the increase in supplementation to my day.
GOALS
Do I dare to set some goals.
Well the good thing about training all the time, through all kinds of shite , is that you are always ready to compete really, you just need to work out which comp you will do and organise your timeline for your diet etc.
Taking a team to Taupo has fallen over, due to the fact that Taupo is on the same day that most of The Taranaki competitors will be at the NZFBB Nationals.
There has been alot of ups and downs for some of these competitors also, some are leaving competing until 2011. Some arent competing again. Some are wanting to compete earlier. I am still keen to go to Taupo and might venture off by myself.
The sport is still very much alive in our region with a few newbies stepping up this year and some seasoned pro's from previous years getting ready to strut their stuff again.
So I have obviously been on the quiet side and will need to access my goals down the track a wee bit.
I am hoping to join a friend or two and compete later in the year with them.
I myself am not interested in doing the Nationals, my health would not allow me to cope with such a big day and enjoy it.
And lets face it, you gotta enjoy it or its a waste of time.
Pull Your Own Strings
We are connected in invisible ways to our fears
We are the puppet and the puppeteer,
The victims of our expectation.
Silken threads pull, arms and legs flop and jangle.
We dance to the music of our fears,
bodies crouched inside children hiding, pretending, under that rock behind that tree someplace,everywhere
not what we control.
Pull your own strings, move into your body and to the beat of life
cut your strings hold out your hand to the unknown,
walk in the dark
open your arms to the embrace of air,
make them wings that soar.
(Gayle Spanier Rawlings)
Gayle's words convey the beauty of being free. Choose your own health and happiness, and practice some of that delicious soaring behaviour
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| Maria's update - 16th January 2010 06:16pm
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STOP THE NEW YEAR TRAIN!!!!!!!
I really feel like 2010 has started too early and I am running to catch up with it.
My goals arent quite set in concrete and my body is disobeying me big time, bugger it.
My family and me had a lovely Christmas, spent mostly camping and enjoying the warmer days.
We still have 2 more weeks of camping coming up so looking forward to that.
Its the just about the only time I get to play board games and cards.
Below: Me with my son Ben, my mum and my daughter Eva
Usually New Years Eve rolls around and Im all sorted and know what I want to achieve in the New Year.
This time round I was a bit thrown off after receiving an email from Ali Gascoine inviting me to join the NZ Team and compete at the ANB Champs on the Gold Coast in May 2010. Bit of a hard decision really. Its less than 20 weeks away and really cuts into my Off Season Training.
I love the Off Season as I have said many times before. Training hard and feeling really strong is awesome.
If I chose to go to Aussie with the Team I really only have time for 2 short Power based Programs before the 12 weeks diet rolls round.
I believe the sport to be about Improvement, and doing the diet is a waste of time if you are going to just look like you did last year.
So do I stay or do I go??????
My decision will impact my other NZ Goals which were to take a Team to Taupo. I would still take a Team but whether I would compete also is another story.
TRAINING
Training has been going well even though I am battling a hell of a lot of pain and fatigue lately.
Haven't felt this bad in quite awhile.
Been lifting quite heavy, workouts last about 45mins, maintaining the strength and stamina that I built in the previous program.
Training 4 days a week.
Cardio has slipped alot. Been sleeping in, having trouble getting up as not sleeping due to pain. My morning cardio is prob done every 3rd day and the night cardio is zilch. At about 3 oclock my body hits the wall and fatigue is taking over.
If you have never experienced true fatigue it is horrible. You more or less lose your legs, have trouble lifting your arms, just have to lay down, you start to feel better and go to do something and just crash to the floor.
This is hard for me to cope with especially when my kids see it. They start to worry and its real hard to stay strong and act like everythings o.k.
Once my hubby gets home from work I crumble totally. The fatigue has been real bad for 2 weeks now.
I am trying to work out why???? Knowledge is Power and I like to know why and what I am fighting.
A lot of other ladies with R.A are also suffering big time, so it might be the wheather or the moon?????
Takes alot to hold me down , but it is.
Today I did manage a chest/tricep and quad workout, and my mind feels so much better , the pain has subsided. How long that will last I do not know.
The workout doesnt make the fatigue worse, as a lot of people would think. It helps reverse it.
The advice people give me is "go to bed Women, dont train". This is the worse thing I could do.
The old saying "move it or lose it" is soooooo true.
I dont advise this for everyone suffering with arthritis, I know my body real well and I train with my brain, I am very careful.
DIET
Eating has been pretty clean. I am so desperate to ease the pain that I am trying to eat as well as I can. My only down fall being that when you are in alot of pain you just dont feel like eating. I am getting 3 meals in a day and snacking on nuts and seeds and fruit inbetween.
I have been trying the supplement Tribulus before workouts and really feel like it is a great supplement. It really has boosted my strength and Stamina.
I hope to try out some other supplements this year and really give a honest opinion to whether I find them useful or a waste of money.
The next month is Tribulus and then I will have to go see the guys at Supplement King again for their advice.
POSITIVITY
My goal this week to help me feel happy and more positive through all the pain is to write down 100 things I am grateful for every day until I feel a change.
I am used to writing down 10 things every morning but 100 is quite challenging. Yesterday I managed 90. Today I have 30 so far...lol.
It works well though as my mind is trying to think of things I am grateful for, so therefore, there is no time for negitive thoughts.
So simple yet so effective.
Today is my Wedding Anniversary. 3 years ago today I got married. That was the last time I was this sick with the R.A and I did end up in Hospital, getting discharged 3 days before the ceremony and ending up back in hospital the week after .
Our Wedding day was the best day ever though, surrounded by all our friends and family.
So my goals:
1. I will be Focusing on surviving the R.A.
2. This is the only thing holding me down. Im awaiting advice from my Specialist and trying all I can do to get better.
3. My workouts will always happen (unless I end up in Hospital).
4. I will try to catch up with that 2010 Train and head to the front of the carriage so I can start steering it in the right direction.
5. I will be Grateful for all that I have right this very minute.
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| Stratford Team - 8th November 2009 05:47pm
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Maria's Update on The Stratford INBA Comp
WHAT A NIGHT!!!!!
Im going to be really honest here and say that there was so much negative talk around town about doing this comp. Alot of people didnt think it was worth the effort.
Below: Heading out the door to go to Stratford
I myself struggled big time to stay on track but really really wanted to see this competition take off and be an annual event.
In my opinion it was a Blast.
What a fantastic night. The competitors back stage were having a lovely time, very friendly, and the audience was amazing, what a lot of noise they made it was so energizing and made everyone buzz.
Im not sure how many competitors there were. The ladies out numbered the men but the standard of physique on stage was brilliant.
International figure competitors to National Title Holders.
It would of been nice to have more of Team Taranaki on Stage but we were Represented by The Gorgeous Farah Deobhakta (who won senior figure and overall), Paul Adams who won Masters Men, Trisha Legg who placed 2nd to Farah in Senior Figure and myself who placed 2nd next to the amazing International Figure competitor Janine Haywood.
Another Amazing Team Taranaki Member Karl Cook was the Guest Poser. The Audience really appreciated his "All Natural Body", and yet again he did us Proud.
Alot of the classes had at least 3 competitors in them.
It was a One Show Format which meant you went on for Compulsories and then did your Routines straight after that and then right back on Stage for prize giving.
The Show kicked off on time around 5.30pm and finished around 9-9.30pm.
The Venue was Terrific, The Old Kings Theatre on Broadway. The sound was great and just filled the Theatre which added to the energy.
So a big Congratulations to Mike and Nina Ryan for running this Show. Well Done.
And Welcome to your very handsome little son Sean.
TO MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE OF COMPETING 3 TIMES IN A ROW
Oh my God, I dont think I will do that again.
My body hit the wall about 2 weeks out from this show. I had about 3 kg to lose to look how I wanted to look on stage. I stuck to the plan perfectly and yet the fluid etc would not drop. My RA started playing up so I had to increase my meds to get me through, my motivaton was zilch, I really didnt want to do it.
Even after registering on the day, I had no motivation or desire at all. I had to force myself to make the effort and tan properly and do my hair and makeup.
By the time I got back to Stratford for the show I had a killer headache and was dreaming of my pj's.
( I did have some black slippers that I wore all day and will remain an important part of my prep gear).
Once everyone turned up and the atomosphere was obsorbed I came right and tried to hold my own next to Janine and the other lovely ladies in my class.
So I am pleased I was part of the competition and know now my limitatons. I dont like competing when there is no motivation on a personal level.
I had about 5 weeks between my INBA Taupo Comp and NZFBB Wanganui Classic. I did manage to peak again at Wanganui.
I then had 5 weeks until the INBA Stratford Comp. I allowed a week of more relaxed eating and then started the countdown again.
But with no motivation or desire and the Power of the Mind was lacking big time, so negitive, I hated it, I just spiraled down. I had been dieting for close to 6 months. 6 months of really strict eating and I was over it. I love eating and your social life just stops when you cant eat out etc.
(ha ha , not that I have a Social Life...lol)
I tried lots of ways to turn my motivation around. I made 2 more posing suits (which I didnt end up wearing) they look fantastic, but still did not encourage me at all, I did up a new routine so I didnt have to do the same one 3 times in row, this didnt work either.
I tried to stay in contact with Trisha Legg as we were both battling on towards the same goal. This did help and actually if it wasnt for Trisha I dont think I would of done it.
Thanks heaps Trisha, I have enjoyed getting to know you this year and look forward to next year with you.
Writing Updates has probably played an important role of achieving all that I have this year. Because I train at home, I dont see other competitors much, I train myself so dont have a Trainer to answer to, these updates have kept me honest
and on track.
Big thanks to Doctor Anne for allowing me to post them.
When I say dieting, its not that competitors dont eat. We eat alot, alot of protein, veggies, and keep our carbs low. We dont stave our bodies but we do push them hard to keep our bodyfat levels low. (if done right).Its just that most of the food has no flavour, bland, dry almost. And it is this that drives you nuts. I also miss the crunching of food. Carbs give you that crunch, eggwhites are soft, warm toast is crunchy :)
It is really important to not let your prep interfere with family life, This takes extra work but is worth it. Your family will be more supportive. We choose to do this sport so you have to take the responsibility of keeping our emotions etc in check.
My hubby laughs as I feed him all the things that I want to eat and he has put on a fair bit of weight over the last 6 months.
I am now looking forward to eating what my family is eating but on a healthier level as I will still watch my carb intake doesnt get out of control.
However , I am a Christmas Fan, I love the festive season and intend to make the most of it.
I am also a fan of "Off Season" Training and will be giving it my all to put on some more muscle over the next 6-8 months.
My major focus this year was to Experiment and work on the Power of Positive Thinking. This has been a huge learning curve, very valuable and I will be sending in an update just on this topic. It is truely amazing what the power of a positive mind can do. We hear this said all the time, but not many of us truely work on it.
So that wraps up this update.
I have come to the end of my competitive year. The highlight has been all the wonderful competitors I have met.
Standing on stage next to Ali and now Janine was a true honour.
Being part of Team Taranaki was great and I hope we can continue and grow our team in 2010.
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