[h3r0]

 

At the first hint of a thaw I made the perolous trek through the frozen pass. The way was still covered by snow and sharp spears of ice but the blessed post yule sun had melted just enough for me to squeeze through, although not with out injuries but I will have time to heal in the village below. 

 

The path was clear and I made sure progress to the village down in the valley. Once I had arrived I made straight for the blacksmith I had given a commission to a year earlier. 

 

 

The burly blacksmith and I exchanged greetings and he went and fetched the commissioned weapon. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, jet black with green emeralds on the cross bar, truely a mighty warrior's weapon.

 

He handed it to me and I felt the weight and could barely lift it, much less use it in battle. The blacksmith noticed my struggle and said that it I might own it but it wouldn't be mine until I could swing it properly. I looked him in the eye and said that I would be ready. 

 

 

Goal #1 The Way of the 24

 

I have a brand new beautiful 24 kg kettlebell that I have used intermittently but it is still a little on the heavy side for me. Several years ago I bought a 16 kg and never used it because it was too heavy. I finally decided to just use it anyway and surprise surprise it became light after a few weeks. I will do the same this time with the 24 kg using a simple plan of Presses, Squats, and Swings three times a week. Rep range will be low and sets will be medium. 

 

Goal #2 Jump Rope Cardio

 

So I was dismayed to find out that the average life expectancy of a type 1 diabetic man is 66 years old. A full 11 years sooner than someone who isn't. Of course that is the average so there are outliers on either side but still upsetting since that is not a very long time from my current age. Looking at the data it seems that it is cardiac failure that causes the majority of the deaths. 

 

My blood pressure is low and my cholesterol is in the normal range but my cardiovascular fitness is terrible. I will add a jump rope session twice a week to my routine and endeavor to make that a consistent minimum for the future. 

 

Goal #3 Constitution Roll

 

A few random lifestyle changes that I want to make to build upon for this year.

 

A. Having a water goal is a nemesis of mine. It just never works, so as a different approach I will now make it a goal to just always carry a water bottle around with me. Maybe I will actually drink out of it if it is just there. 

 

B. Intermittent fast until 10am every morning and then begin with a high protein meal. 

 

C. No coffee past 10am.
 

[KB Girl]

I think the 24 will suit you  did you know it’s the official weight for male veteran kettlebell athletes?

 

4 minutes ago, h3r0 said:

 

A. Having a water goal is a nemesis of mine. It just never works, so as a different approach I will now make it a goal to just always carry a water bottle around with me. Maybe I will actually drink out of it if it is just there. 

This is genius!

[h3r0]

37 minutes ago, KB Girl said:

I think the 24 will suit you  did you know it’s the official weight for male veteran kettlebell athletes?

 

I did not. I assumed most people went heavier than that with the 32 kg. I thought that I was way behind on the Strength curve. 

 

I can double KB Press the 16 for sets of 10 and honestly I could probably milk some more strength gains out of them but I really want to get comfortable with the 24.

 

The 8 kg jump is no joke. I can strict press it once with my right hand but not my left. Push presses are going to be bread and butter for a while. 

 

Off topic 

 

The 24 is a kettlebell king so wasn't cheap. The last 16 I purchased was a Cap fitness. Both are coated with the cap one a little rougher and takes chalk better than the king. Honestly looking at both being so similar I was a little underwhelmed by the king. 

 

But after some use my hands are black with the coating coming off the cap one every time I use it. I purchased it before the pandemic so it was way cheaper then. The current price is almost as much as the king but the quality is now showing that it it is not going to hold up. 

 

[h3r0]

 

Training 

• Halos 

• Shin box 

• 2x12 Incline Pushups 

• 10x4 Swings 24 kg 

• Hip Flexer Stretch 

• Sphinx pose 

• Child pose 

• Piegion Pose 

 

First set felt heavy, got better after that. I really need the stretches, hips are so tight. 

 

Constitution 

 

High protein at 10am. I want more coffee but turned it off and filled my water bottle instead. 

 

[KB Girl]

1 hour ago, h3r0 said:

 

I did not. I assumed most people went heavier than that with the 32 kg. 

 

I can double KB Press the 16 for sets of 10 and honestly I could probably milk some more strength gains out of them but I really want to get comfortable with the 24.

 

The 8 kg jump is no joke. I can strict press it once with my right hand but not my left. Push presses are going to be bread and butter for a while. 

 

32 is reserved for the youngsters.. but not many can reach that level in KB sport, it is after all 10 minutes of continuous work. 
 

10 reps really does sound like it’s time to move up! 8kg might not be the ideal step, but I’m sure it’s motivating and that you can handle it  

[Harriet]

On 12/28/2021 at 5:57 PM, h3r0 said:

I have a brand new beautiful 24 kg kettlebell that I have used intermittently but it is still a little on the heavy side for me. Several years ago I bought a 16 kg and never used it because it was too heavy. I finally decided to just use it anyway and surprise surprise it became light after a few weeks. I will do the same this time with the 24 kg using a simple plan of Presses, Squats, and Swings three times a week. Rep range will be low and sets will be medium. 

 

Yay for the shiny new kettlebell! May all your heavies become light!

 

On 12/28/2021 at 5:57 PM, h3r0 said:

So I was dismayed to find out that the average life expectancy of a type 1 diabetic man is 66 years old. A full 11 years sooner than someone who isn't. Of course that is the average so there are outliers on either side but still upsetting since that is not a very long time from my current age. Looking at the data it seems that it is cardiac failure that causes the majority of the deaths. 

 

My blood pressure is low and my cholesterol is in the normal range but my cardiovascular fitness is terrible. I will add a jump rope session twice a week to my routine and endeavor to make that a consistent minimum for the future.

 

I'm sorry. It's scary ☹️ My brother has it, too, and he also said -12 years. But the life expectancy is just an average. it includes those who die young, and those who have a lot of health problems and poverty. Your life expectancy without diabetes could be much higher than 77, hopefully.

So, my brother and I were doing some research because he wasn't sure if he wanted to take statins, if he needed to cut down on saturated fat in the diet, and other stuff (he decided to continue taking the statins, and not worry about the dietary fat). He's pretty fit (but with high LDL), but by far the biggest factor for the heart attacks is blood sugar control. This may or may not be interesting to you, but since he started his lower carb diet (probably around 50-75g per day) his blood sugar has been in the desired range something like 97% of the time (I think? I can check), which is much much better than before. He has fewer, smaller hypos and fewer, smaller hypers. His diabetes doctors were thrilled.  Sorry if you don't want to hear about diet and crap, I just felt I should mention it once, since we both felt pretty angry that no one mentioned this as an option to him in fifteen years. He could have had fifteen years of good blood sugar control and a correspondingly better chance of avoiding heart attack, but no. I could strangle his doctors, actually.

 

Anyway, getting more cardio fitness is never wrong. Enjoy your skipping!

[h3r0]

4 hours ago, Harriet said:

He's pretty fit (but with high LDL), but by far the biggest factor for the heart attacks is blood sugar control. This may or may not be interesting to you, but since he started his lower carb diet (probably around 50-75g per day) his blood sugar has been in the desired range something like 97% of the time (I think? I can check), which is much much better than before. He has fewer, smaller hypos and fewer, smaller hypers. His diabetes doctors were thrilled.  Sorry if you don't want to hear about diet and crap, I just felt I should mention it once, since we both felt pretty angry that no one mentioned this as an option to him in fifteen years. He could have had fifteen years of good blood sugar control and a correspondingly better chance of avoiding heart attack, but no. I could strangle his doctors, actually.

 

Anyway, getting more cardio fitness is never wrong. Enjoy your skipping!

 

Yes control in a stable range is everything. Being consistent with exercise is hugely helpful. A lower carb diet is also helpful. I can indulge occasionally but if it becomes day after day control starts slipping. 

 

I have debated with myself forever on if I should get a continuous blood sugar monitor. I have always held off because of the cost and the icky thought of always having something attached to my body. I think I have finally decided to go ahead and see about getting one after the holidays. 

 

[h3r0]

 

Training 

 

Halos 

Shin box 

 

Alternating singles and doubles 24 kg

• 4x1 KB Push Press (per side) 

• 3x2 KB Push Press (per side) 

• 4x1 Goblet Squat 

• 3x2 Goblet Squat 

 

Hip Flexer Stretch 

Sphinx pose 

Child pose 

Pigeon Pose 

Figure 4 with rotation 

 

Good workout. Not a lot of volume but definitely got some work in. 

 

[KB Girl]

1 hour ago, h3r0 said:

I have debated with myself forever on if I should get a continuous blood sugar monitor. I have always held off because of the cost and the icky thought of always having something attached to my body. I think I have finally decided to go ahead and see about getting one after the holidays. 

Two of my gym people have one. They’re brilliant! 

[Harriet]

1 hour ago, h3r0 said:

 

Yes control in a stable range is everything. Being consistent with exercise is hugely helpful. A lower carb diet is also helpful. I can indulge occasionally but if it becomes day after day control starts slipping. 

 

I have debated with myself forever on if I should get a continuous blood sugar monitor. I have always held off because of the cost and the icky thought of always having something attached to my body. I think I have finally decided to go ahead and see about getting one after the holidays. 

 

 

Well shit. It should be free 😕 But yes, yes, absolutely yes if you can afford it at all, get it. It's inconvenient for sure but there's just no comparison with periodic testing, surely? My brother has one (we're in Germany, and it's free). It beeps him on his phone when it detects an upward or downward trajectory he needs to correct. This is important because 1. the earlier he catches a hyper the less aggressively he has to medicate it and 2. the less chance there is of greatly under- or over-correcting and 3. he spends less time in the too-high/too-low range because he catches it sooner and 4. he can note patterns  (from exercise, different foods, the dawn effect) that wouldn't be nearly as obvious with intermittent testing and 5. it can beep him in his sleep if he's in trouble. I think you can achieve much tighter sugar control with CGM, and that's the single most important thing you can do for your health as a type one, right? Oh, I guess that turned into a mini lecture, but I'm sure you know best so I'll stop now, sorry 😅

[h3r0]

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

 

Well shit. It should be free 😕 But yes, yes, absolutely yes if you can afford it at all, get it. It's inconvenient for sure but there's just no comparison with periodic testing, surely? My brother has one (we're in Germany, and it's free).  😅

 

HahahahHaha I live in America, ain't nothing cheap or free, especially diabetes. There is a bill in congress right now that would cap insulin at $35 per month instead of the average $1,000 per month and rising cost currently but of course there isn't enough votes to pass it. If I didn't have a job or insurance I guess I just die. I don't know what you are supposed to do. 

 

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

 

he can note patterns  (from exercise, different foods, the dawn effect) that wouldn't be nearly as obvious  😅

 

This. This is the biggest reason I want one to find patterns and insights that can help me plan my life. 

 

You're fine, I didn't take it as lecturing.

 

I only just get irritated with people when someone asks me if I have the good kind or the bad kind. And then my personal favorite, Did you eat a lot of sugar as a kid? Is that what gave you diabetes? 

 

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

I know those questions and comments come from a place of ignorance but it is still insulting. 

[KB Girl]

3 hours ago, h3r0 said:

HahahahHaha I live in America, ain't nothing cheap or free, especially diabetes. There is a bill in congress right now that would cap insulin at $35 per month instead of the average $1,000 per month and rising cost currently but of course there isn't enough votes to pass it. If I didn't have a job or insurance I guess I just die. I don't know what you are supposed to do. 

 

This. UGGH. 

 

3 hours ago, h3r0 said:

I only just get irritated with people when someone asks me if I have the good kind or the bad kind. And then my personal favorite, Did you eat a lot of sugar as a kid? Is that what gave you diabetes? 

 

do these people really exist? geez. 

[Scaly Freak]

4 hours ago, h3r0 said:

 

I only just get irritated with people when someone asks me if I have the good kind or the bad kind.

 

There's a good kind of diabetes? Is that like the healthy high blood pressure I've heard rumors about, or a harmless seizure?

 

Good grief. People are stupid.

 

As for drinking water... what really helps me on days when I work, is to have my big water cup at my desk at all times (I'm full-time WFH, and only leave my desk/office for lunch breaks during work days). It has personalized stickers, it is easy to drink from and easy to refill. i fill it while my work PC boots and connects to the work VPN. Initially I set a goal for myself that the cup must be empty when I take my lunch break. The next goal was that I must have refilled it and started drinking from the refill before lunch break, and so on.

 

Don't underestimate how much it helps to have a bottle or cup you really like having around and drink from.  

[h3r0]

1 hour ago, Scaly Freak said:

It has personalized stickers,  

 

I'm suddenly insanely curious about which stickers scaly would choose. 

 

😛

 

[Scaly Freak]

7 minutes ago, h3r0 said:

 

I'm suddenly insanely curious about which stickers scaly would choose. 

 

😛

 

Ironically, three of them are various versions of the company logo (including the rainbow logo they promote at Pride Month every year). However, the biggest and most noticeable one, is a sticker version of this print:

 

 

 

[h3r0]

@Scaly Freak

 

THAT. IS. AWESOME! 

 

[Scaly Freak]

46 minutes ago, h3r0 said:

@Scaly Freak

 

THAT. IS. AWESOME! 

 

 

That whole scene, from

 

Spoiler

...when Thor talks to his mother even though he knows he shouldn't, but he's so miserable he just can't stop himself from seeking comfort from the one person he trusts to always give it, to the desperate gamble on whether Mjolnir will answer or not, was one of the most touching moments I've seen not just in the MCU, but in any movie in general. And encouraging, because of everything it says about what it means to be worthy. 

 

So obviously I had to get it, and put it on the water cup I use every day at work.  

[Harriet]

On 12/30/2021 at 5:28 PM, h3r0 said:

HahahahHaha I live in America, ain't nothing cheap or free, especially diabetes. There is a bill in congress right now that would cap insulin at $35 per month instead of the average $1,000 per month and rising cost currently but of course there isn't enough votes to pass it. If I didn't have a job or insurance I guess I just die. I don't know what you are supposed to do. 

 

1000 dollars? That's batshit! I'm so sorry ☹️ I hate this so much.

 

On 12/30/2021 at 5:28 PM, h3r0 said:

This. This is the biggest reason I want one to find patterns and insights that can help me plan my life. 

 

You're fine, I didn't take it as lecturing.

 

I only just get irritated with people when someone asks me if I have the good kind or the bad kind. And then my personal favorite, Did you eat a lot of sugar as a kid? Is that what gave you diabetes?

 

Oh dear. You don't want to be the naughty type. I remember how the doctors used to get up my brother for not controlling his sugar better. But they couldn't tell him how to achieve it... so...

 

19 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

There's a good kind of diabetes? Is that like the healthy high blood pressure I've heard rumors about, or a harmless seizure?

 

I think it's about fat/food shaming and moral dessert. Some people think those with type 2 are "bad" because there's a lifestyle/diet/bodyweight component. I assume the deadly autoimmune disease is the "good" type because you weren't disgraceful enough to eat cake and get fat? "How dare you ate cake. Unlike me. I never ate cake. Bad diabetic."

[h3r0]

Training 

 

10 Getups 16 kg 

 

I hadn't planned to do anything this morning but I was bored waiting for everyone to get up. 

 

[Alanna]

Following! I look forward to learning more about kettlebells. Your story about jumping to the 16 kg and now 24 kg kettlebell reminds me of the commonly used progressive overload example of someone carrying a calf everyday and getting stronger as the calf grew up and got heavier. I'm not sure a calf can gain 8 kg overnight, though, unless it swallows a kettlebell...

 

The cost of medical care in the US is disgraceful. I hope you find an approach to managing your diabetes that works well for you, and I'd also vote for the continuous monitor because I like data! More importantly, data is power, for all the reasons Harriet said. 

 

7 hours ago, h3r0 said:

10 Getups 16 kg 

 

I hadn't planned to do anything this morning but I was bored waiting for everyone to get up. 

 

Was your exercise selection due to your desire for everyone else to get up? 

[h3r0]

 

Training 

 

• Halos 

• Shin box with hip extensions 

• 10/15 Incline Pushups 

• 10x5 KB Swings 24 kg 

• Sphinx pose 

• Child pose 

 

Wasn't feeling it this morning but got in a decent workout anyway. 

 

Water intake is off this weekend but refocus on it today. 

 

[Manarelle]

On 12/28/2021 at 12:14 PM, h3r0 said:

The 24 is a kettlebell king so wasn't cheap. The last 16 I purchased was a Cap fitness. Both are coated with the cap one a little rougher and takes chalk better than the king. Honestly looking at both being so similar I was a little underwhelmed by the king. 

 

But after some use my hands are black with the coating coming off the cap one every time I use it. I purchased it before the pandemic so it was way cheaper then. The current price is almost as much as the king but the quality is now showing that it it is not going to hold up. 

 

Possibly a dumb question, but would it work to intentionally take the coating off the cap one and then hit it with Plasti-dip or something like that? 

 

Following for all the awesomeness. 

[h3r0]

1 minute ago, Manarelle said:

 

Possibly a dumb question, but would it work to intentionally take the coating off the cap one and then hit it with Plasti-dip or something like that? 

 

Following for all the awesomeness. 

 

It's a powder coat like on a truck bed. I wouldn't know where to begin to take that off. So far no thin spots or anything but a long workout leaves black stuff on my callous spots. 

 

[h3r0]

 

Training 

 

Halos 

Shin box 

5x2 Push Press 24 kg (per side) 

5x2 Goblet Squat 24 kg 

Sphinx pose 

Child pose 

 

Not much sleep last night 

 

[Scaly Freak]

How's the water intake going?