Category: Character

Character!

Hot baths, chinups, 100 pushups and more!

Morning,

Well, I’m a happy little earlobe, let me tell you! Yesterday I visited my surgeon (’twas 9 days after I was sliced and diced), and had my big huge honking bandage removed. My gosh, the man should be a master tailor – the incision healed beautifully and I was cleared for physical therapy and stretching.

This is excellent news for several reasons – one, I can participate with my karate classes in the pre-workout stretches. While I’m no where near able to join active karate sessions, mind you, just being able to get back on the floor with the other students is ‘way neat.

And about the pushups – during class yesterday, I snuck to the woman’s room 3 times and did 30 pushups each time. I’m ‘way out of condition, compared to earlier, but hey, these things happen. The 10 pushups completed in the advanced class made for a nice 100.

Pullups, I hear you ask? Today, I decided to amuse myself by trying my chinup bar again – I’ve been doing 1.5 unassisted chinups every 15 minutes or so. The last time I did this, my arms were shot for 24 hours afterwards…we’ll see how things go tomorrow.

And by far the most important! Today I was able to take my first hot bath since prior to surgery! Oh it was heaven. The dried blood from my bandages had soaked off as well, and I can see all that’s left is a nice neat 5 inch line down my thigh.

Recovery-wise, I still have a dull ache when walking up or down stairs; I figure that’s because my muscles are still quite weak. So hopefully with time I’ll be back to my usual vibrant self.

And that’s me update for today,

Barbara

ps – Some nice bath oils!

Amazing how the muscles need to recover after chinups

Well!

Yesterday saw me having a dandy time trying out my new chinup bar (which I’ll be using for my P90x workouts that will most likely start in Jan 2008).

I probably did at the most, oh, hmmmm, 12….spaced over 3 hours. That’s all, only 12!

And this morning, I can’t even do 1/2. So I’ve taken that wakeup call to say, okay! Time to rest the arms.

But you know, you really wouldn’t think that something soooo simple like 12 chinups over 3 hours would still leave you with effects the next day.

I think my enforced inactivity due to my surgery recovery probably has something to do with this. Ah well, these things happen…I’m sure I’ll recover completely when the time is right.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want pullup bars?

Went back to karate yesterday and…

Morning!

Yes, I have proven it to myself – I am capable of returning to karate and actually NOT doing any of it but simply sitting it out, observing my kids, and enjoying it greatly. My gosh, I didn’t realize quite how much I have missed participating in it these past 8 days!

I watched 2 advanced classes and then my beloved kendo/swords class. It was truly a pleasure simply seeing the other students and senseis go thru the moves and trying to secure them in my mind for when my recovery is complete.

This showed me that even when you are incapable of doing a favored sport or activity, you can still simply witness the class and feel part of it again. It’s a great feeling.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – more karate goodies!

2008 Resolutions – Kids Academics, Karate Improvement, P90x Review

Morning,

It’s getting close to that time of year again – New Year’s Resolutions!

I’m very pleased that my New Year Resolutions of last year (get healthy) have happened most swimmingly. My goal back then was 135 pounds – I’m now bouncing between 131 and 133.

This year, I have the following New Year’s Resolutions.

  • Kids Academics. I want to still keep my kids valuing strong academic performances, and helping them continue to grow. With one child going on 18 (okay, at least it seems that way with said child’s uncanny maturity), two children paralleling my own childhood personality, and one child growing faster than a 747 speeds by, it will truly be a hero’s journey to validate all of their concerns while retaining the “I’m not your friend, I’m your mom” philosophy by which I live.
  • Karate/Kendo Improvement. I am woman, hear me roar, and if I’ve learned anything from my surgery and recovery, it’s that I can do ANYTHING I choose. It might take time, it might take practice, but I WILL prevail. In this case, I want to take my karate skills to the next level and beyond, and really improve on my balance, relaxation and coordination.
  • P90x. Yes! I admit it! I succumbed to the utter delight of imagining conquering P90x and got meself a bargain from eBay! True…I’m not yet healed enough to tackle it…but soon, soon, perhaps in January I can do so. I’ve found some great resources for P90x including:

I’ll admit it – I’m pretty psyched about trying it out (when I’m totally healed, of course!). In the meanwhile, the husband installed the chinup bar in our guest room, and I’ve been having a blast doing unassisted chinups every half hour or so.

And people think I don’t have a life. Hah! :-)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – P90x goodies include:

Your mindset is the biggest barrier (and benefit!) to achieving success

Morning,

Well! Today is Day 8 after my surgery, and yesterday I found out something sooo startling to me, it really just got me sitting and thinking and realizing some important truths about my own abilities.

Along with those lovely bone tumors on my femur, I also have a shortened fibula on my left leg. This results in my foot seemingly not being attached to the center of my leg; it appears to flop over to the side. With me so far? Okay, great!

Let me backtrack for a moment and talk about my first few weeks of karate (during the early summer of 2007). While I could balance easily on my right foot, I could never hold a position for more than 1.623 seconds while standing on my left. I attributed this towards my physical condition, of course, and just accepted it as, that’s my body, deal with it.

However, there’s this one sensei at my dojo who kinda sorta didn’t accept that a lot…I vividly remember him telling me, I could do better, and me responding, no no no, I could not. He dropped the issue after that, and life went on.

Zoom up to yesterday. After all the self-knowledge I’ve accumulated these past two weeks, I remembered that time…and thought to myself, hmmmm, I wonder….is that really the way I am, or could I choose to break through my perceived physical barriers and determine what really is the reality?

End result – I’m up to 10+ seconds now of balancing on my left leg. The sensei had been right all along; it was me who was preventing my own physical improvement.

I should write a book on everything I’ve been learning these past few weeks, let me tell you.

What an eye-opening experience!! While I’m still no where near completely stable on my (ahem) good leg wrt balancing, that will come with practice; I know that now.

Honestly, it’s truly amazing how your own perceptions of yourself can either limit your achievements or give you the wings to fly. ’tis quite humbling, that.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want some success posters? Lookie here!

Standing at a crossroads in life

I’ve been learning so much about myself during this past week of recovery that my head is spinning. Some of the knowledge includes:

  • No matter what got thrown at me, I could handle it
  • I’m in better health now than I was in my 20s – my standing heartrate is 65 or so
  • My recovery rate is extraordinary
  • Even when faced with fear, I refused to cower and tackled everything I had to to the best of my abilities

What does this mean for me?

Well, personally, Barbara Ling wise, it means that I can still master physical activities that I had never given myself the permission to succeed in before.

So I’m wondering…on what should I focus?

  • Earning a black belt in karate?
  • Getting skilled in aikido?
  • Mastering kendo?
  • Learning Brazilian Jui-jitsu?

I now know without a shadow of a doubt that I can excel and overcome any physical challenges in any of the above.

Side note here – I’m debating about getting the p90X package. Everyone raves about how difficult it is, and how you need to take their “test” first to see if it’s for you.

I found a copy of that test and while I can’t go thru it now, I asked myself how I would have done before surgery. I can do:

  • 3 pullups (minimum is 1)
  • Vertical leap is 5″ (minimum is 3)
  • Toe touch is 0″ (minimun is -6)
  • Wall squat is 1.5 minutes (minimum is 1 minute)
  • Bicep curls is at least 18 with 25 pounds (min for women is 10 curls with 8 pounds)
  • Abs Ins and outs are 35 (minimum is 25)
  • And I easily did the jumping jacks thingee in karate class awhile back.

So…methinks I could probably handle this program. And that got me thinking about the whole, what art do I want to master?

It’s kinda sorta great to have the confidence to think this way.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – p90x can be found like so:

Pizza Hut, Isometrics, and Stretching, Oh My!

Morning,

Today is Day 7 after my surgery! And my leg seems to be healing quite nicely indeed.

One of the exercises for which I had been given a go-ahead is isometrics (that of tensing and releasing your muscles). Thus, yesterday saw me, and my husband and my kids sitting at Pizza Hut for a treat. The children were having a blast playing with the menus, and I decided to start isometricizing my surgerized leg, contracting and releasing my thigh muscles ( rectus femoris and vastus lateralis and satorius ) for counts of 5 seconds. This worked out rather well.

At home, I practiced balancing and stretching my good leg. Hey, I can’t do my usual gym workouts, so anything that gets me vaguely moving I view to be a good thing!

This goes to show you, even when you’re physically in lousy condition, you can still turn on a dime and find something, anything, that will give you a bare minimum of exercise. I’m pretty pleased with my success.

Time to make the donuts,

Barbara

ps -Want some thigh workouts? Consider:

Not only I can DO this, but hey! I DID!

Life is a hero’s journey, and I am constantly grateful to my guardian angel that I can meet any and all challenges with a brave soul and clear vision.

Let’s see….I was sliced and diced on Tuesday, hobbling about on crutches on Wednesday, walking with a cane on Thursday, walking without a cane yesterday, and went with my family to the Princeton Chinese buffet today.

Now, I don’t know why I’m apparently healing so rapidly….is it because my body doesn’t have to carry around 40+ pounds of excess fat? Is it my attitude? Is it my belief that no matter what happens, I can DO this and not give up until it’s done?

I have not a clue, but wow, let me tell you – I’m feeling rather humble today. I was expecting weeks and weeks of recovery time, and to be faced with my superb health and recuperation abilities….it’s, well, humbling. What would knock down most people similar to me leaves me asking for more.

Now, I’m not completely recovered by any long shot (seeing the doctor this Thursday!), but every single challenge I’ve encountered (every single one of them!) had me saying, I can DO this and my gosh, I WILL and I WILL DO IT NOW.

Self-confidence – it’s truly a remarkable gift.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Sports Authority is offering 25% off until tomorrow! So I bought myself 2 foam blockers. Here are other kinds of blockers:

4 days after surgery, I can walk without a cane

Morning,

Well! Today is Day 4 after my exostoses surgery, and I’m quite thrilled to announce I can walk without a cane. Not that I’m doing that all the time, mind you, however…my leg feels almost normal during walking again.

Talk about a quick recovery!!

I’m certainly not going to jinx this by walking all over the place, of course…but wow, that’s really a neat thing.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – a pedometer would come in quite handy!

Graduated to a cane, healing going well

Morning!

Well, yesterday saw me graduate to using a cane for my hobbling about. I’m pleased to say it appears that I’m healing relatively well, but of course, I’m making darned sure I don’t push it!!

Yesterday was spent being actually quiet (ha ha! Yes! It did happen! I was quiet!) and resting and designing graphical banners for The Safe and Smart Internet Weight Loss Edge and …well, you know, that sorta stuff. Today I have to write a few ezine issues and then start promoting it to the waiting world. The fun never stops!

Speaking of canes, did you know you can use a cane for self-defense? It’s really quite an extraordinary weapon (especially in the hands of a master). Here are some neat sites about that:

I had the pleasure of taking a cane class from my karate dojo awhile back, and wow, it was great! I hope to attend it again.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – More canes!