ReturnOfTheDad Battle Log: Level 1 - Welcome to the Jungle...

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Thanks for the feedback @solski, definitely considering adding some more rest days in after all this.

[TheDitz]

9 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

Out of the junk food ‘danger zone’ and on to Day 11! 

 

 

Keep it up, sir! I agree it's much easier to stop eating junk food once you find your way out of the Danger Zone!

 

4 hours ago, solski said:

One thing that struck me is that you don't plan any rest days between your workouts. Personally, I don't think I would be able to sustain this type of schedule

 

This has been key for me as well. I usually plan at least 1 or 2 days between workouts and it definitely helps. Not only does it help with motivation but it helps your body get the recovery time it needs. Keep it up, @ReturnOfTheDad. You've got this!

[Kishi]

Aaah, here you are! Hope you don't mind if I tag along to cheer you on from the sidelines.

 

One thing I will chime in and say as someone who has had to get disciplined with his rest is that it's worth doing. Training isn't just the exercise. If it was just the exercise, you'd be working out, trying to chase an endorphin high or moving for the sake of moving. Training is different, because it means that you have a goal. Your movements are purposeful, because you are attempting to induce an adaptation.

 

Training provides the stimulus for that adaptation. Rest is when the adaptation is made.

 

Of course, what that looks like for you is different than what that looks like for anyone else. If you want any thoughts on that, just lemme know. I got you.

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Day 11:

Weight: 216.2 lbs 

Sleep: 7 Hours

Water: 1 Gallon

Workout: 

  Rest Day

Meditation: 10 min morning meditation 

Meals:

  10:00am - Cereal, Strawberries, Almonds

  12:00pm - Protein Bar

     1:30pm - Turkey Club, Side Salad

                      Cup of chili, iced tea

     5:00pm - Turkey Dogs, Mac & Cheese,

                       Spinach

  10:30pm - Scoop of Peanut Butter & Milk

 

Mood: A little better today, but another rest day may be in order. Still pretty sore and diet is way off track. Also noticed that I was unintentionally doing intermittent fasting last week with good results. Going to shift to that for the remainder of this week to see if that helps get things back on track.

 

Notes: Body is still very much in recovery mode. Taking today to try and rest after all. Starting magnesium supplements today as well so that will hopefully help with more restorative sleep as well as helping mood a little. Also FINALLY had the time to play through Injustice 2 for XboxOne. Outstanding game for anyone with an appreciation for DC, side scroll fighting games, or general amazing story telling. Plus, you know, punching people as Batman. 

 

Steady as she goes and onward to Day 12!

 

Motivation Music for the Day:

 

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Thanks @TheDitz and @Kishi! Appreciate the encouragement and will be putting some regimented rest days into the weekly routine. Since my focus is mainly full body movements and muscular endurance I’m going to shift to 3 workout days a week focusing on Kettlebell and will either be adding Quarter Mile sprints into the intervals or if I’m up for it do some light jogging in the evening. Main thing will be to put just as much of a priority into rest and rebuilding as the workouts and see how that goes this week.

 

Great advice and recommendations!

[TheDitz]

8 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

Main thing will be to put just as much of a priority into rest and rebuilding as the workouts and see how that goes this week.

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Day 12:

Weight: 212.8 lbs 

Sleep: 8 Hours

Water: 1.5 Gallon

Workout: Rest Day

Meditation: 10 Min morning meditation 

Meals:

    9:30am - Egg white omelette, pancakes

                      Strawberries, Coffee

  11:30am - Protein Bar

    2:00pm - Chicken Panini & Fruit, Coffee

    5:30pm - Cheese Stick & Crackers

                      Ginger Ale

    7:00pm - Ginger Ale & some chips

  11:30pm - Ginger Ale and Crackers

 

Mood: Doing better today. Not sure if it was the magnesium or exhaustion but slept solid. Water weight is a heck of a thing, back down to normal weight today after the holiday junk food bonanza.

 

Notes: Got caught in the rain and was in cold wet clothes for longer than I should have, and now looks like I might have caught a cold....Trying to take this in stride, get some rest, and hope it passes

 

Taking it easy might be my single biggest challenge, Eagles don’t fail me now...

 

On to Day 13!

 

Motivation Music for the Day:

 

[Orias Malus]

I like the addition of motivation music, very thematic, heh.

 

What kind of meditation are you doing?

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Thanks, it keeps me going and entertained. 

 

For meditation I usually start off reading a short daily reflection, lots of good apps and books out there depending on your beliefs, followed by grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting on the patio doing passive meditation. Mainly just try and listen to what God/The Universe wants me to hear about how I’m doing things. It sounded kooky to me at first but was recommended by a mentor of mine and has made a huge difference in how I go about my day and how I see things.

 

After that I have a little more in depth daily spiritual reading that I do and reflect on how that might apply to how I’m living my life. By then I’m usually rejuvenated, caffeinated and ready for the day.

 

The passive meditation took a while to get used to. Started off only able to do a couple of minutes, but now it ranges 5-10 depending on what is going on in life, plus the additional reading and reflection puts it at a total of 10-15 minutes. Not a bad time investment for the impact it’s had on the anxiety and depression that I have to watch out for.

 

Lots of great resources out there and ways of doing things, this is just what I’ve found works for me. Of course like everything else, I continue to asses and see what’s out there, look at what works for other people and am open to recommendations.

 

Hope this helps!

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Day 13:

Weight: 211.0 lbs 

Sleep: 9 Hours

Water: 1 Gallon

Workout: Rest Day

  Stretches & 30 Minutes of Walking

Meditation: 10 Min morning meditation 

Meals:

  11:00am - Cereal, half banana, almonds

                     Coffee

    1:30pm - Beef Tacos, Spinach, chips

    5:00pm - Mediterranean Salad w/ 

                     Chicken, hummus & pita

 

Mood: Cold and aches are slowly subsiding. Guess it was 24 hour thing. Taking another rest day and trying to focus on the week ahead. A little down about getting sick, but it happens. Did have some additional weight loss, but not sure if that is from not eating much yesterday or body finally catching up from that crazy couple of days of exercise earlier this week. All of this definitely has me convinced of the importance of prioritizing the right kind of rest...

 

Notes: Adding insult to injury, I threw out my back (wait for it) scooping kitty litter...

 

 

It’s an old injury from days of improperly lifting way too much weight and herniating 2 disks in my lower back. Consequently I can’t go more than a couple of days without keeping my core active. Unfortunately, too much rest results in me throwing my back out...apparently from scooping cat poop...

 

Fortunately I’ve had some great physical therapists and know the drill to get back on track: snake stretch, plank, walk, wash-rinse-repeat. Though it is counterintuitive, moderate activity helps a lot. So to stay out of a funk, I’ve channeled the Monk fortitude of @Kishi and @Valette from our recent conversations to break out some of my old training equipment to start slowly incorporating low impact martial art drills on my rest/recovery days to make sure I still get rest, but not so much rest that my disks start slipping again. With the help of ReturnOfTheDad Jr., I decided to pull out the old training dummy, brush off my trapping/dirty boxing skills and begin that slow march toward Monkdom:

 

 

*To answer in advance as to why my child has a panda bear face, ReturnOfTheDad Jr’s identity is kept secret at the request of Mrs. ReturnOfTheDad for any of my posts. Not saying that he’s actually a crime fighter/international toddler of mystery, although....

 

Anyway, though I would love to jump right back into my old Monk ways, I know it is going to be a long journey, so my goal of Ranger to weight goal, Warrior to strength goal, and finally Monk to performance goal remains in place. Of course that’s no reason to not have a little fun staying active with something I enjoy in the process. More minor Monk activities to follow in the days to come.

 

For all you Monks and 80’s aficionados, I leave you with my motivational mantra getting me through these setbacks today (as well as the unofficial underdog anthem of 1984). On to day 14!

 

Motivation Music for the Day:

 

 

[Kishi]

Awesome! Welcome back!  Take your time, though, and feel better. Martial arts are weird in that they can either be power work, conditioning work, or recovery work, depending on what you're practicing when. Of course, they're worth practicing just in general anyway, but given all the other stuff you got going on right now I'd just hate to see you get hurt for it.

 

That being said... holy crap, that's homemade trapping dummy! Is there some of the Chun in your background?

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Thanks! Will do, mainly anticipate working on doing technique, timing, and dexterity work for the time being. Going to hold off on conditioning and power until I hit some good baselines on my endurance and strength goals.

 

The trapping dummy was made by one of my old instructors and a friend. Was fortunate enough to get my hands on it after they changed locations and didn’t have space for it anymore.

 

While not a Wing Chun purist, it was a big part of my JKD/NHB training for 3 years. Got to apply it against most styles (Boxing, Muay Thai, Karate , Kung fu, etc.)  in sparring and was pretty happy with certain aspects of it for entry’s and counters. Worked the door at bars for a while and almost exclusively used Wing Chun and Catch Wrestling tie ups to deal with situations. I’ve tried to keep up with it over the years and found it to fit surprisingly well into other arts I continued to study (namely Kali and Boxing).

[Valette]

Oh wow.  I've never personally used that, but on you for getting back onboard with the monks!   No fouling, you did JKD?  That's pretty dang neat.  

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Thanks! Yeah, was really fortunate to have studied JKD under 2 different instructors, one from the Dan Inosanto lineage and one from the Richard Bustillo lineage. If you are ever looking to get into it or adopt pieces into your own style, Ron Balicki has some GREAT DVDs that cover the majority of the curriculum, as well as how to use the trapping dummy. Of course there are plenty of legit JKD places around, but since MMA has gotten bigger I tend to see them less and less.

 

Feels great to get back to some light Monk work!

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Day 14:

Weight: 211.4 lbs 

Sleep: 7 Hours

Water: 3/4 Gallon

Workout: PT Recovery Week - Day 1

  10:00am - Stretching

                     1 Mile Walk

                     30 Second Plank x 1 Rep

                     20 Hip Arches x 1 Rep

  12:00pm - 1 Mile Walk

                      30 Second Plank x 1 Rep

                      20 Hip Arches x 1 Rep

                      10 Cobra Stretches

    6:00pm - 1 Mile Walk

                      30 Second Plank x 1 Rep

                      20 Hip Arches x 1 Rep

                      10 Cobra Stretches

 

Meditation: 10 Min Morning Meditation 

Meals:

  11:00am - Cereal, Strawberries, almonds

                     Coffee

   1:00pm - Turkey Sandwich & Chips

   3:00pm - Sugar free energy drink

   5:00pm - Chicken, Veggies, Chips

   9:30pm - Scoop of Peanut Butter & Milk

 

Mood: Well, the back injury is worse than I thought. Normally I get a warning ‘twinge’ but it looks like the disks just went right out on me with no warning. Not in surgery/procedure territory yet, thankfully just means it may take a little longer to recover.

 

I’ve learned that honesty is very important, especially for me in the mental health issues I’ve come to terms with over the last couple of years. I’ve heard that alcoholism and depression do ‘pushups in the parking lot’ waiting for when rough times come to convince us of all kinds of crazy ideas.

 

In keeping with that honesty, I’ll share that I wasn’t doing well this morning. I was angry and worried and confused as to why this has to happen now, especially with a baby coming in a few weeks. My diseases tell me that everything is crashing down, nothing will work out, and that I should just quit.

 

Thankfully, I now know that those feelings I have rarely reflect the reality of the situation. I know that I started a new workout regimen, I’m finding what my threshold is, and that I wasn’t careful with my back after overdoing it. I also know exactly what I need to do to get to a better place: 

    -Switch to Physical Therapy exercises 

      until my back gets back to normal. 

    -Get back to taking daily walks and 

      daily maintenance PT.

    -Be open and honest about how I’m 

      feeling and share those feelings to get 

      them out of my head and into the 

      light of objectivity and support.

    -And probably most importantly, realize 

      that these things happen. For guys of 

      my age and previous injuries this 

      happens quite a bit and the world 

      doesn’t end because of it.

 

I share these things partly because it is critical that I maintain an attitude of open, honest, and willing communication for my own well being, but also because I’ve found that I’m not alone in struggling with these conditions. I share these feelings so that any of you reading this that struggle with these thoughts at times like I do, know that there is a way to live without being ruled by these thoughts, and there are a lot of people here on NF doing it. Hopefully this will come as encouragement to anyone who needs it and also communicate my great appreciation for a community like this that supports sharing our personal journeys to overall wellness.

 

Notes: After a grueling day of physical therapy, and a lot of encouragement from Mrs. ReturnOfTheDad to do my 3 PT workouts today, my back is doing better. It is still going to be a few days before it is 100%, and even then this is a good warning for me to be mindful about not overdoing things.

 

There’s a couple of songs I listen to on particularly tough days. This is one of my go-to’s that reminds me wherever I am, I’m in good company, have great support, and get to live my life differently one day at a time, no matter how tough things may seem. Enjoy and on to day 15 and the official start of the Lvl 1 Challenge!

 

Motivation Music for the Day:

 

[fitnessgurl]

14 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

Day 14:

Weight: 211.4 lbs 

Sleep: 7 Hours

Water: 3/4 Gallon

Workout: PT Recovery Week - Day 1

  10:00am - Stretching

                     1 Mile Walk

                     30 Second Plank x 1 Rep

                     20 Hip Arches x 1 Rep

  12:00pm - 1 Mile Walk

                      30 Second Plank x 1 Rep

                      20 Hip Arches x 1 Rep

                      10 Cobra Stretches

    6:00pm - 1 Mile Walk

                      30 Second Plank x 1 Rep

                      20 Hip Arches x 1 Rep

                      10 Cobra Stretches

 

Meditation: 10 Min Morning Meditation 

Meals:

  11:00am - Cereal, Strawberries, almonds

                     Coffee

   1:00pm - Turkey Sandwich & Chips

   3:00pm - Sugar free energy drink

   5:00pm - Chicken, Veggies, Chips

   9:30pm - Scoop of Peanut Butter & Milk

 

Mood: Well, the back injury is worse than I thought. Normally I get a warning ‘twinge’ but it looks like the disks just went right out on me with no warning. Not in surgery/procedure territory yet, thankfully just means it may take a little longer to recover.

 

I’ve learned that honesty is very important, especially for me in the mental health issues I’ve come to terms with over the last couple of years. I’ve heard that alcoholism and depression do ‘pushups in the parking lot’ waiting for when rough times come to convince us of all kinds of crazy ideas.

 

In keeping with that honesty, I’ll share that I wasn’t doing well this morning. I was angry and worried and confused as to why this has to happen now, especially with a baby coming in a few weeks. My diseases tell me that everything is crashing down, nothing will work out, and that I should just quit.

 

Thankfully, I now know that those feelings I have rarely reflect the reality of the situation. I know that I started a new workout regimen, I’m finding what my threshold is, and that I wasn’t careful with my back after overdoing it. I also know exactly what I need to do to get to a better place: 

    -Switch to Physical Therapy exercises 

      until my back gets back to normal. 

    -Get back to taking daily walks and 

      daily maintenance PT.

    -Be open and honest about how I’m 

      feeling and share those feelings to get 

      them out of my head and into the 

      light of objectivity and support.

    -And probably most importantly, realize 

      that these things happen. For guys of 

      my age and previous injuries this 

      happens quite a bit and the world 

      doesn’t end because of it.

 

I share these things partly because it is critical that I maintain an attitude of open, honest, and willing communication for my own well being, but also because I’ve found that I’m not alone in struggling with these conditions. I share these feelings so that any of you reading this that struggle with these thoughts at times like I do, know that there is a way to live without being ruled by these thoughts, and there are a lot of people here on NF doing it. Hopefully this will come as encouragement to anyone who needs it and also communicate my great appreciation for a community like this that supports sharing our personal journeys to overall wellness.

 

Notes: After a grueling day of physical therapy, and a lot of encouragement from Mrs. ReturnOfTheDad to do my 3 PT workouts today, my back is doing better. It is still going to be a few days before it is 100%, and even then this is a good warning for me to be mindful about not overdoing things.

 

There’s a couple of songs I listen to on particularly tough days. This is one of my go-to’s that reminds me wherever I am, I’m in good company, have great support, and get to live my life differently one day at a time, no matter how tough things may seem. Enjoy and on to day 15 and the official start of the Lvl 1 Challenge!

 

Motivation Music for the Day:

 

Glad to hear that you're doing better! Following along.  

[RubiksCat]

The push-ups in the parking lot is a new quote. I've never heard of that one before. And wow, slipped discs are no fun! Your fan club is not happy to hear of this. But the good news is there will always be pain in our lives, but suffering is always optional! Let your feelings out, express them where there is support for you and don't let your anxieties and worries build up inside you until you implode.

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Day 15:

Weight: 211.4 lbs 

Sleep: 7 Hours

Water: 1 Gallon

Workout: PT Recovery Week - Day 2

    9:00am - 1 Mile Walk

                      30 Second Plank x 2 Reps

                      20 Hip Arches x 2 Reps

                      10 Cobra Stretches x 2 Reps

    7:30pm - 20 Minutes light drills on the  

                     trapping dummy

 

Meditation: 5 Min mornings meditation 

Meals:

  12:00pm - Egg white, Turkey, veggie 

                     omelette, oatmeal, fruit, 

                     almonds, coffee

    4:00pm - Turkey Sandwich, chips, soda

    5:30pm - Turkey meatloaf, peas, pasta

 

Mood: Doing a little better today, but the back is still a pretty rough. Going to be a few days, but making decent progress and trying to stay optimistic. Also first day back at work from vacation...boo...

 

Notes: Still got my morning PT in and got a decent workout hauling the kiddo around through bath time and bedtime. Was pretty zonked, but the trapping dummy just kept staring at me...with it’s non-existent eyes...Figured what the heck, and did 20 Minutes of light trapping for a little evening activity. Definitely helped work the kinks out after a long day and begin to brush off those long dormant kung fu skills. Did go waaay to long without eating this afternoon, need to get back to normal eating schedule.

 

I appreciate all the encouragement through this back thing.  Very thankful for this community. You all are AWESOME!  

 

Time to get some sleep and do it all again tomorrow. Wrapping it up with my optimism anthem for the day. Turning the injury corner and on to day 16!

 

Motivation Music for the Day:

 

 

[Kishi]

Hey, man. We're here for you. This is not a judgmental space; you are quite safe to express what's going on with you, and we're happy to express support. It's what we do.

 

Good on you for going back to PT and sticking to it. Doesn't matter how heavy you lift or how far you can run - if you're too banged up to move, what does any of that matter? So way to get to it and stick to it.

[Orias Malus]

Be very, very careful with your back. I probably don't need to tell you that, so that's all I'll say on the subject.

 

As for alcoholism.... even as recently as six months ago, I was drinking every day, usually at least three drinks, sometimes as many as twelve+ (+ because usually I'd cease to remember after that). I am very familiar with that particular demon.

 

I consider myself extremely lucky in that I can actually drink in moderation now. Not just ban alcohol, but rewire my brain to be able to drink normally.

 

My "don't drink calories" goal as part of my Level 1 Challenge is my easiest goal, since it just refers to eliminating energy drinks from my day-to-day.

 

I'm really shocked at how much water you drink every day. How do you maintain that?

 

 

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Thanks for all the support everyone!

 

Thats great that you have been able to moderate @Orias Malus! It can be a slippery slope, but glad you have found a way of doing things that works for you.

 

For drinking water the gallon a day it’s just slow and steady. I fill up a half gallon pitcher when I wake up and have a tumbler that I carry around and sip on through the day. I just keep on refilling it when it gets empty and by the end of the day somehow I’ve gone through 2 pitchers. It took a few days to get used to but now it’s a habit.

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Day 16:

Weight: 212.4 lbs 

Sleep: 8 Hours

Water: 1 Gallon

Meditation: 10 min morning meditation 

Workout: PT Recovery Week - Day 3

    9:00pm - 1 Mile Walk

                     30 sec plank x 3 Reps

                     20 hip arches x 3 Reps

                     10 Cobra stretch x 3 Reps

Meals:

  10:00am - Cereal, fruit, coffee

  12:30pm - Turkey meatloaf sandwich, 

                      Chips, veggies

    3:00pm - Protein Bar & Coffee

    5:00pm - Hotdogs, chips, fruit

   10:00pm - Chicken tacos & fruit

 

Mood: On the grumpy side today, PT is significantly less fun than regular exercise, but my back is steadily getting better and I’m working towards getting back on track by end of this week. Taking a lot of effort to be patient...

 

Notes: Day 3 of PT down and back is doing much better. Going to ease into some light exercise tomorrow to keep the PT train rolling. 

 

Holding on this week, halfway there...and cue Bon Jovi.

 

On to day 17!

 

Motivation Music for the Day:

 

 

[TheDitz]

14 hours ago, Orias Malus said:

I'm really shocked at how much water you drink every day. How do you maintain that?

 

10 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

For drinking water the gallon a day it’s just slow and steady. I fill up a half gallon pitcher when I wake up and have a tumbler that I carry around and sip on through the day. I just keep on refilling it when it gets empty and by the end of the day somehow I’ve gone through 2 pitchers. It took a few days to get used to but now it’s a habit.

@Orias Malus, I try to drink about a gallon a day too and as @ReturnOfTheDad put it, it can take some getting use to. I find it easier to drink water when it is on the cool/colder side then room temperature but that's not always possible. I still have good days and bad but I just keep chugging along. I find the bigger the water bottle the more you tend to drink.

10 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

Mood: On the grumpy side today, PT is significantly less fun than regular exercise, but my back is steadily getting better and I’m working towards getting back on track by end of this week. Taking a lot of effort to be patient...

 

Notes: Day 3 of PT down and back is doing much better. Going to ease into some light exercise tomorrow to keep the PT train rolling.

Back issues are no joke, sir! I completely understand. I messed up my back in 7 grade, and again in junior year of high school, and only now started trying to treat my back the way it should. I tweaked my back 2 months ago stretching before a workout... I DIDN'T EVEN HURT IT DOING SOMETHING COOL LIKE DEADLIFTS... AHHHH. Sorry! Anyway, I think you have the right idea of easing back into things. You'll get there and be "back" before you know it. Dad joke intended!

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Thanks @TheDitz! Yeah, I wish I had a cool story, but no such luck. Dad joke approved and appreciated.

[ladyofthebog]

unrelated, i once had a professor who kind of looked like bon jovi. major crush on him though no crush on the jovinator.

anyways, super impressed with your commitment to logging your quest. you're putting in the work and staying on track even when it sucks which means a lot.