Haikoo Eats an Elephant

[Haikoo]

 

*Disclaimer: No elephants will be eaten or hurt in any way during this challenge.

 

So how DOES one eat an elephant? LogiKoo knows it's one bite at a time. However, IllogiKoo has really been struggling lately with the whole "one thing at a time" mentality. I have good intentions, but I look at everything on my plate and I become paralyzed. Consequently, nothing is "eaten" and more things are added each day.  This challenge will be focused on teaching myself to just get started on that one thing (while continuing the good habits I stumbled toward in the last challenge).

 

Goals:

 

1. The Elephant in the Room-

• The elephant in the room is actually THE room, or really the house. It's still a wreck. I need to do something about it because it's clear no one else is going to. My methods last challenge were not a success--mostly because I just didn't do it. This time I will pick something from my list, set a timer for 15 minutes, work on that thing for 15 minutes. I must do this a minimum of 4 times per day.  I will get a pass from this if we go out of town during Spring Break (plans are not final yet) or on my son's soccer tournament weekend when I know we will not be home much on that Saturday and Sunday. 

 

 

2. Learning Russian -

Last challenge I really started my effort toward learning Russian. This time I will:

• Continue doing my Duolingo practice every day.
• Kick it up a notch by seeking Russian Lessons twice per week that will help me understand some part of the language that Duolingo isn't necessarily teaching me. I plan to use the interwebs for this. A short search has shown me many options for said lessons. 

 

 

3. Seeking the Stronks

Elephants are strong and so am I, but I've got lots of work to do.  This time I will:

• Continue Strong Lifts 3x per week - building consistency and hoping to smash past my previous working weights by the end of challenge.
• Require a 4th day of exercise each week. Anything counts, really, as long as it's at least 20 minutes.

 

4. One Meal at a Time

•  I have been falling into the meal skipping habit again. This does me no good when it comes to fueling my lifting. I will be aiming to get back to my 3 healthy meals per day pattern for this challenge.

 

Okay, time to take the first bite.

 

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I love this theme.

Trumpets will resound with songs of your victory.

[Morag]

Are you in the nf russian rebels duolingo club already? May be something for you, or not, you decide. Accountability for the win.

 

 

 

---

"Travel lightly, for what you bring with you becomes part of your landscape." -Anne Bishop

 

 

[Haikoo]

10 hours ago, Katrin the Morag said:

Are you in the nf russian rebels duolingo club already? May be something for you, or not, you decide. Accountability for the win.

 

 

I totally am, I have just been slacking off this past week. I will pick it back up by the time challenge starts, for sure!!!

[Haikoo]

13 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I love this theme.

Trumpets will resound with songs of your victory.

 

and they will sound like this: 

 

 

[Haikoo]

The Cat Saga - AKA What's Stressing Koo

 

Almost two weeks ago, I took one of my cats (Binki) to the vet. She had been coughing a lot lately. Outside of the coughing, she had been fine. Still fat and eating normally. They did some tests and thought maybe there is something going on with her heart or possibly some asthma . They scheduled an ECG and sent us home with some meds --basically a diuretic and antibiotic.

 

Wherein I find my cat is damned near impossible to pill. By day 2 of the meds she was absolutely refusing to eat anything. I decided to stop the meds until I talked to vet. I don't know what caused it. Neither does the vet. It could have been one of the meds, it could have been the stress of getting the meds. The problem is that once it happened, it threw her into a loop. She didn't feel good, so she stopped eating, but then she didn't feel good because she stopped eating, but she wouldn't eat to fix it.

 

So I took her back to the vet this past Tuesday and they kept her overnight. Gave her fluids, did a few more test and basically just tried to get her to eat.

They sent her home the next day with MORE meds. I was able to get a little bit of food into her that night. Thursday afternoon/evening I felt she had perked up and I was able to get her to eat a bit more--still not enough, but an improvement.

 

Then yesterday. She barely touched a thing   Last night she physically gagged when she smelled the food. She obviously is feeling nauseated, but it's most likely because she hasn't eaten.  This afternoon she's shown a little interest in some tuna. She's had maybe a teaspoon total. Not much  

 

This all has me extra stressed. My cats are my first babies. I've 2 of them left, of my original 3. My first pets as an adult that were MINE. Binki is almost 16 years old. The other, Annie, is 18 1/2--I'd have been less surprised if she began to have issues. 

 

I'm in a constant state of worried anxiety trying to get her to eat. She's going back to the vet on Monday, but I know if she's not snapped out of it, they are going to want to do more tests and we are already way too much money in the hole with this. We can't keep paying out on a 16 year old cat  This entire situation sucks and I wish it were over. I'm sleeping terribly, my eyes hurt from crying too much. I am exhausted. And there are no answers.

 

I love animals too much. I don't think I want to have any more of my own, though. This is too heartbreaking.

[Xena]

so sorry you are dealing with this.

[Haikoo]

1 hour ago, Xena said:

so sorry you are dealing with this.

 

Thanks. It sucks I hope she snaps out of it.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

It's hard being a pet-owner at End of Life. You love them as family and then they are taken too soon. I'm so sorry you're facing this now.

[obax]

It's always tough when pets go through health issues like that. It sounds like you're doing everything you can for her, I hope she gets her appetite back soon.

[Haikoo]

She seems to be eating a tiny bit better, but the only thing she will eat is tuna and she will only eat about 1/2 tsp at a time. I know she is not getting the calories that she needs  Back to the vet tomorrow for a quick check in and an ECG (but I feel like whatever is going on right now with the not wanting to eat, it's not heart related).

 

In the meantime, I sort of got started with my challenge goals today. 

Restarted my Duolingo streak and got to the gym:

 

-Warm Ups-

Treadmill- 3 min walk/2 min run

Arm Circles

Hip Openers

Burpees 1 x 15

Band Dislocates 2 x 10

 

-Squats-

2 x 5 @ 45

1 x 5 @ 75

5 x 5 @ 105

 

This dude who has criticized my squat form in the past was there and I saw him watching me. It made me really nervous which is annoying because I should not give a frack what he thinks. I wish I was better at not letting stuff like that get to me.

 

-Bench Press-

2 x 5 @ 45

5 x 5 @ 80  (These felt surprisingly easy. I expected  a tougher time.)

 

-Barbell Rows-

1 x 5 @ 45

5 x 5 @ 80 (Technically a PR as I haven't rowed this weight before. Granted, I've never tested my ORM on most lifts)

 

-Roman Chair Extensions- 3 x 10 @ 15

 

-Suspended Knee Lifts- 3 x 10

 

-Push Ups- 3 x 6

 

 

 

Oh, I also ate all 3 meals for the day, but dinner was questionable as to healthiness (in other words it was not.) I will get that back on track tomorrow.

 

Also, the Forever Cough is trying to come back again  SO frustrating. Between the cold wind yesterday and the exercise today, I'm coughing a ton and the lungs don't feel great. This is beyond frustrating at this point. I got rid of the thing for 1 whole week in December. I never used to have issues like this. What gives, lungs?? 

 

Anyway, this guy pretty much sums up how I feel. I  think it's time for bed.

 

[Mizbrek]

I'm so sorry to hear about the cat stresses.  Our dog has had some issues lately, and it always gets me worried. Following along for elephanty goodness though!

[Haikoo]

Kitty Update

 

Took her in this morning for her ECG. There is nothing wrong with her heart. This makes me feel better  but also frustrates me because we just spent that money for nothing

She's still not eating well, so they're going to keep her for a few hours today to re-run her blood panel and check on electrolytes, give her more fluids if needed and maybe an appetite stimulant. I feel like the worst person in the world every time I leave her. What if the added stress is just making her continue to not eat? All of this stuff is ridiculously expensive. How are we expected to own pets if it costs this much just to try to figure out what is even wrong with them?? No wonder there are so many cats and dogs with no homes  If we run down this road and can never get her resituated, we've now thrown away thousands of dollars on a 16 year old cat. 

 

 

[darkfoxx]

I feel your pain - went through a metric ton of cash a few years ago on two dogs needing surgery at once. #goodtimes #jk

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RhiaWolfe]

3 hours ago, Haikoo said:

Kitty Update

 

Took her in this morning for her ECG. There is nothing wrong with her heart. This makes me feel better  but also frustrates me because we just spent that money for nothing

She's still not eating well, so they're going to keep her for a few hours today to re-run her blood panel and check on electrolytes, give her more fluids if needed and maybe an appetite stimulant. I feel like the worst person in the world every time I leave her. What if the added stress is just making her continue to not eat? All of this stuff is ridiculously expensive. How are we expected to own pets if it costs this much just to try to figure out what is even wrong with them?? No wonder there are so many cats and dogs with no homes  If we run down this road and can never get her resituated, we've now thrown away thousands of dollars on a 16 year old cat. 

 

 

 

It's one of the most heartbreaking things... having a pet you love so much that you can't do anything for when they are ill or hurt. My heart aches for you. The worst day of my life was the day that I had to put my dog to sleep. I got him when I was 10 years old and he'd been my best buddy for so long. In the end it was best for him and we made his time as happy as we could. 

 

It is frustrating that vets are crazy expensive... but they're only really crazy expensive because we don't have the same insurance for our pets as we do for ourselves. Oddly enough, vet medicine is a whole lot cheaper than human medicine. It surprised me when I found out... I have a couple of friends that are vets. 

 

It's hard to sink in so much money... especially when you don't know if they're going to make it or not... but we care...we love them. They are our family. 

 

My thoughts are with you. I hope your sweet Binki makes it through. 

 

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

On 3/19/2017 at 9:32 PM, Haikoo said:

This dude who has criticized my squat form in the past was there and I saw him watching me. It made me really nervous which is annoying because I should not give a frack what he thinks. I wish I was better at not letting stuff like that get to me.

That's a skill that needs development like everything else, you'll get better at it over time.

 

So sorry about the kitty.

[Haikoo]

Kitty Update:

 

The vet ended up keeping her overnight last night. They just wanted to continue the treatments. They were nice and didn't charge extra for the overnight. 

They called this morning with good news. She's eaten several times now. Yay! They want to give her one more treatment of the fluids and appetite stimulant today, then I can pick her up. I'll bring her back in for a short visit tomorrow in order for them to give her more meds to keep the trend going (since she is pretty much impossible to pill at home and it was stressing her out--as well as us). They have fancy pill guns and stuff at the vet so it's much easier for them. So hopefully she continues to eat well at home and we can put most of this behind us for now!!

 

 

[Haikoo]

I never updated on yesterday for myself. 

 

I practiced Russian, but I only did one lesson (the lessons are getting longer) and it broke my streak. (I have Duoling set to "regular" which requires 2 lessons per day. Usually that's ok but once in a while I forget the 2nd one). I'm still counting it for challenge purposes. 

 

I did not work out due to cat issues (I usually do a Turbokick class on Monday AM). 

 

I am still feeling kind of sick. Nothing huge, but something is trying to grab hold of my chest/windpipe. I sound pretty froggy. 

 

Also, I drew out a tracker in my Bujo to track the challenge and I hate it because I made the weeks Sunday to Saturday and I cannot get my brain to flip that way. If I go by that, I might not get all 3 lifting sessions in a week and it just messes up my entire thinking. But I don't want to re-write the entire thing out. Very annoying. I should have known better! Koo challenges need to start on Monday.

[RhiaWolfe]

5 minutes ago, Haikoo said:

Kitty Update:

 

The vet ended up keeping her overnight last night. They just wanted to continue the treatments. They were nice and didn't charge extra for the overnight. 

They called this morning with good news. She's eaten several times now. Yay! They want to give her one more treatment of the fluids and appetite stimulant today, then I can pick her up. I'll bring her back in for a short visit tomorrow in order for them to give her more meds to keep the trend going (since she is pretty much impossible to pill at home and it was stressing her out--as well as us). They have fancy pill guns and stuff at the vet so it's much easier for them. So hopefully she continues to eat well at home and we can put most of this behind us for now!!

 

 

 

YAY!!! I'm so happy to hear that, Koo!!!! I hope she continues to get better and get back to being your strong, healthy girl!

[Haikoo]

Kitty Update:

 

Binki is currently purring next to me on her favorite blanket on the couch She's voluntarily eaten a couple bites of food twice since she's been home. Still not a lot in her, but the fact she's seeking out the food is good. She is also acting like she feels a lot better. Hooray! Hopefully she keeps getting more calories and goes back to her regular eating schedule. She was grooming herself after she had some of her nibbles today. That's the first time I've seen her groom since she got sick. Good deal!

 

 

[obax]

Glad to hear your cat's doing better, I hope the upward trend continues! And good job getting in some challenge stuff even with the pet-stress, it's not always easy to do that. Hopefully whatever's grabbing at your lungs gives up and goes home soon!

[raptron]

The koooo challenge! 

[Haikoo]

I think what's going to happen is I'm just going to spend the week talking about things I did or whatever and not necessarily do the goals checklist each day. I'm just going to post a pic of my tracker at the end of the week and do a snapshot of how it went. It feels to much like a chore for me to do it daily. Also, I used white out and changed my tracker and challenge  to start on Monday lol. COULD NOT DEAL.

 

So here was yesterday's workout:

 

Warm Ups

-Treadmill 4 min walk/1 min run (I decided to take it slow because of whatever is happening in my chest)

-Arm circles

-Hip openers

-Burpees 1 x 15

-Dislocates 2 x 10 (banded)

 

Squats

2 x 5 @ 45

1 x 3 @ 75

5 x 5 @ 105

This is the 2nd week I've done 105. My form is still feeling off and inconsistent at this weight. I think I'm just going to stick with it until I can get it corrected. Sometimes it's making me want to lean forward a little bit and I'm quadding it up. Other times it feels good. I don't feel like I'm getting good glute engagement on these most of the time. I feel like need to correct this before I add weight.

 

OHP

2 x 5 @ 45

1 x 5 @ 65

1 x 4 @ 65

1 x 5 @ 65

2 x 4 @ 65

Oh OHP. My frenemy. I love you hate you so. Definitely hit the wall here again. 65 was exactly where I struggled last time I was being consistent. Damn you upper body and your lack of strength retention.  

 

Deadlift

1 x 5 @ 135

1 x 5 @ 165

1 x 5 @ 175

My grip is suffering BIG time here. I need to figure out how to address this. I'm strong enough to lift the 175. It was definitely hard by the last rep. But between sweat and general weakness, my grip was about to give. I had to pause before the last 2 reps. 

 

Roman Chair Extension

3 x 10 @ 15

 

 

I'm also having major issues with my left SI joint lately. It feels like it is falling out of place. It's the worst when I first get up from sleep but it's been bugging me some days at the gym, too. I have had this problem on and off my entire adult life but it's just gotten worse lately. It's a pain in my ass ! (Almost literally)

 

 

 

 

Kitty Update:

Binki seems like her normal self again. She is much more interested in food. She is still sleeping ON TOP of me every night (this is something she would do SOMEtimes before she got sick. Now she's doing it almost all night every night.) Annie (old 18.5 year old cat) is sneaking around stealing all the canned food I leave out for Binki, so I have to watch her like a hawk  What a piggy. 

 

 

 

 

 

[DJtrippyT]

glad kitty is better! You have a ton on your plate, I know how hard that is.

[RhiaWolfe]

3 hours ago, Haikoo said:

 

Kitty Update:

Binki seems like her normal self again. She is much more interested in food. She is still sleeping ON TOP of me every night (this is something she would do SOMEtimes before she got sick. Now she's doing it almost all night every night.) Annie (old 18.5 year old cat) is sneaking around stealing all the canned food I leave out for Binki, so I have to watch her like a hawk  What a piggy. 

 

 

I'm SOOOOOOOO glad to hear Binki is doing better! I was really worried for you and her! *HUGS*