Biggest Loser (Well Gainer, for me that is)

At work starting about 3 weeks ago a bunch of the ladies decided to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge. I gave it some thought and decided to join in this challenge. The catch is, I'm working hard on being the "Biggest Gainer." That's right, thank you CF, I am working my butt off trying to pack on the pounds. Are my co-workers thrilled? Nah, haha, just kidding they are VERY supportive. However I can't help but feel those evil looks being shot my way when I load up a plate of whatever with a stick of butter ;)

So far so good, I've gained 5 lbs!!! Very exciting stuff. I weigh in tomorrow so hopefully I've gained even more!

As for exercise, I was pretty bad last week about blogging about it, but I did post in my accoutability group. I ran a little over 6 miles last week. Last week was one of those busy weeks (especially at work) where you feel like you're head is spinning.

It's been only 10 days since my last post, but a buys busy busy 10 days. We celebrated a birthday party at a brewery, did an Annapolis ghost tour, boated on the Chesapeake, celebrated 4th of July, also suffered a tragedy as someone had a boating accident at our beach and died. We had dinner dates, birthdays, and even went away for the weekend to Ocean City. Shew, I'm tired just rehashing it all, and I know I left things out.

That's about it for now...I'm back to work tomorrow after having a lovely day off. Which also means, back to the gym after a 3 day break! :)

Was it something I said!? Geez.

Yesterday was one of those mornings that rarely happens around here luckily. I totally started my day off on the wrong note and not by my doing at all. I rolled over Thursday morning to snooze my alarm clock only to get clocked in the nose by my husband. OUCH! Of course it was an accident and he was totally asleep (so he says, haha just kidding Scott) but man did it not only throw me off guard, but hurt. I then get my morning routine all finished about a half hour later. I go over to him (still sleeping as I leave earlier for work) to give him a kiss and get knocked in the head. Man! I know he was unconcious but damn (haha) did I do something to him that he's getting me back for in his sleep? Luckily the day got better as it progressed, well It got better once my husband aka Mike Tyson fell back to sleep and I left for work.

I got a good amount of mileage this week which feels great! I totalled 6.5 miles, not counting my 5K on Sunday. I hit the gym on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I mostly ran, but mixed things up a bit with the Elliptical and bike today. My knees needed a break from running.

I'm hoping to get some swimming in at our beach this weekend as well! That has always been a great form of exercise for me and definitey challenging.

Brain Surgery and stress

What a stressful weekend. It was nice in that it was Father's Day and my Dad is certainly someone to celebrate. I had a nice time with him on his day. Otherwise it was such a busy non stop weekend that by Sunday night my body was physically exhausted at every level. I even started to get chills, that's my sign of enough is enough.

I helped my parents this weekend by cleaning and preparing their house for a cookout. As happy as I was to help, it was a lot of work and it consumed most of the weekend. Top that with lack of sleep (big time) and worrying about my nephew's upcoming brain surgery and that about sums up the weekend. Tiring.

On a happy and more positive note my nephew had brain surgery today for repair of Chiari Malformation. He did wonderfully and is making great progress just hours post-op. That's a huge weight off for everyone. Hopefully he keeps up his resiliance and will be home in a few days.

Today I went back to the gym for a good run. They were closed a few days last week for renovations but the doors were open today! The place looks great, and they have a ton of brand new cardio equipment. I broke in a brand new treamill with a 2.2 mile run! I have to say it felt pretty good to run off some stress ;)

What I am no longer...The Boss!

This week marks the 1 year anniversary of me saying yes to a job that I didn't truly want. It also will now mark when the new boss started and I was purely a Registered Nurse again! I am thrilled at the decision I have made and have zero regrets. I began training our new boss yesterday and we immediately had big issues on our hands. The beauty of it is, I no longer have to take it home with me, have huge worry, and feel like garbage because of my stress level. It was such a relief to drive home yesterday and think to myself that I just get to go home and be normal again :)

I'm so happy to think about the stress level decrease! I think I actually feel a tad bit lighter not carrying around such stress and burdons. (Insert sigh of relief here)

In other news I did a lot of good running this week despite some obsticles. I started on Levaquin on Thursday due to my sinuses being nothing short of insane. I feel like I have a faucet running down the back of my throat and have been waking up congested. No bueno.

Exercise wise I went to the gym this week and ran a total of 7.2 miles. My legs needed a mini break at the beginning of the week due to last weekends running. I'm hoping to get to the gym tomorrow and Monday (Memorial Day) to get some morning running in.

I should start wearing a helmet

I don't know what my deal is this week but I have been a major clutz. That being said, I've got tons of battle wounds to prove it.

As I mentioned earlier this week I ended up at the doctor due to my rub/muscle pains. I'm still taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen around the clock. Sure I feel better with the meds, but during the night not so much.

So as if that weren't enough I added more injury yesterday. It's so ridiculous that I have to laugh. Problem is, the laughing turns to coughing, and the coughing kills the ribs. Alas, I'm a laugher and always will be so I'll just splint and continue to crack up.

Yesterday I stopped at Target to purchase a "fitness ball." I thought It would be something good to do perhaps in the evening, especially to work on the abs. Yes they have these at the gym, but I figured I'd just pick one up in addition. Well brain-iac that I am sat on it without shoes, mistake #1. Then decided to lie back on it and see how my injured back did on it, enter mistake #2. Well soon after leaning back on the ball, my socks were slipping on the hard wood floor. I lost control of my feet, and fell over. Doesn't sound too bad right? lol. Well I fell on my right side (because you know, I wouldn't want to hurt the left side that's already messed up). Sheesh. The right sided fall flipped me over, hit my head on my desk chair, scraped my elbow along a rug (hello rug burn) then landed on a huge vein in my arm which immediately turned black and lumpy. All I can say is what a dummy, oh and ouch.

I run to the freezer, wait I trotted limp-like to the freezer, yeah that's more like it. I grab a bag of brussel sprouts and iced the elbow area. It was pretty gross, swollen, and turning black. For a second I thought I'd broken my arm the way it had twisted.

So I took my regulary scheduled Ibuprofen/Tylenol combo. Only this time It had double work to do. Fix the rib/mucles, oh and the added swollen black elbow and arm. This morning I woke up after not sleeping too well because every move I made was followed by @#$%*#&! ouch!!! haha.

When I got out of bed today I hadn't realized how this fall had hurt my knee. I'm suddenly realizing how much I sound/feel like a 90 year old lady. But It's true, my body is aching today. Perhaps I'll put myself in a protective bubble, and strap a helmet on with a chin strap. Sounds like a plan to me ;)

On a happy note, I still made it to the gym 4 days this week despite this stuff. And I got in a little over 6 miles.

Here's to a non-injured weekend...GO RAVENS!!

SO not feeling the gym today, SO unlike me.

I left work and headed up to the gym as usual. Something just didn't feel right as I walked in there today. I just didn't have my regular "let's do this" attitude. I kind of felt out of sorts and just blah maybe? I've had a ton on my mind so maybe it was weighing me down somewhat?

Anyway I pushed myself to do the Elliptical and ride the bike for a total of 20 minutes. I started to run on the treadmill and just couldn't. This is so NOT me. I decided to stop beating myself up, because I DID go, I DID exercise, and it's ok to have an off feeling day.

I got home, took care of the dogs and went to bed immediately. Just tired perhaps? Well, yes. I ended up taking a 2 hour nap. Thankfully I set my alarm clock or else maybe I would've slept all night long.

Oh, and I woke up with a sore throat :/ Perhaps this explains the weird vibes today...I think so. Oh well, at least I have an explanation of feeling so strange right?

Thanks Day 29 (The GYM!)

I LOVE going to my gym. It's literally steps away from where I work, so It is super convenient. I actually prefer my gym be near work, that way I can go there right after working and be done! It's a pretty small gym aka no "meat heads" walking around (haha). Everyone there is very friendly, and I feel the people are very down to earth which is nice.

Everyone is different in what they choose to do for exercise. However, for me, cardio is the only way to go. I've tried yoga and just didn't feel the thing I was looking for. So I tend to rotate running, biking, and the Elliptical with different routines. As long as I have my IPOD there to pump me up, we're golden!

I always feel physically and mentally on top of the world when I've accomplished a good workout. The cardio has made a big difference in my lung function too. Just when I think I feel good, I go to the gym and really work the stuff out of my lungs, whoa then I feel great.

For the way it makes me feel, the convenience, and providing me with being able to get the job done...I am very thankful for my GYM!! :)

For todays workout I did 2 miles jogging for 30 minutes on the Treadmill (Or as I heard it referred to today.."The Dread-mill") That cracked me up ;)

30 Minutes of Hell = :)

The sinus drainage reared it's ugly head again this morning. I could not only feel it in my head, but in my chest too, and it wasn't pretty. I checked my #'s with my FEV1 meter and wasn't thrilled to say the least. I was able to sleep without interruption and needing cough medicine last night which was so nice. Today, first thing, I loaded up on my Atrovent spray. That stuff is like a miracle for my sinuses. It stopped the drainage and let me get my workout in at lunch time...

Today at the gym it was a tough work out for sure because I felt so tight in my chest already. I decided to do the Elliptical for a full 30 minutes on a higher resistance than normal. It was killer! I was sweating SO much, and then began coughing my head off. Don't get me wrong, this is totally a good thing! :) By the time I was finished I was completely soaked and looked like I had just gotten out of the shower. Yowza!

After that workout my #'s improved drastically, and my sinuses seem much happier as am I ;)

30? More like 80.

According my birth certificate I am 30 years old. According to the clicks, grinds, and aches of my joints I'm apparently 80 years old. I was so wore out at work today that all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and nap. Instead I came home and got on our Elliptical for 20 minutes. Whoa momma, what a difference than the one at the gym. It was T-O-U-G-H! I'm happy that I survived the "at home" workout today, and am even happier to give my 80 year-old-feeling body a break....until tomorrow ;)

The Never Ending Sinus Rinse!

Along with the beauty of the Fall here in Maryland comes a vast aray of snot related issues ;) Today I'd like to focus on the Sinus Rinses. I've been trying to do mine definitely once, if not twice a day during this time of year. Last night before bed I decided to do one more before bed in hopes that it would stop the drainage and I'd be able to sleep all night, wrong.

Anywho....little did I know what was capable of coming out of these good old sinuses of mine ;) OH.MY.GOODNESS! Where the heck does it all come from!? Does it ever end!? It's SO gross, but man does it feel good to get it all out of there. Ok, enough booger talk, sorry. I just can't believe that doing these rinses twice a day and still I'm shocked at what's taking up residence near my brain. Ok, done, I promise.

Today's gym routine was a sweaty one. I bought a few shirts like the Under Armour ones, only these are from Target ( a lot cheaper, and boy's size) woo hoo. I must say these things are amazing! I did the Elliptical for 25 minutes, and the bike for 5 minutes, and lifted weights. Time sure does fly working out when you are being entertained by watching "Ellen."

Happy Monday All!

For Me, Exercise is proof.

For those of you who follow this blog, it's no surprise that I have a hard time on Colistin months. Though every other month I do my best and just, well, deal with it. I weigh the pro's and cons and it boils down to this....Fighting of PA vs. chest tightness, hence the "dealing" part.

On top of Colistin this time of year, be it my favorite, is awful for me health wise. Fall allergies are my enemy though I don't like to admit it. Every night for the past week, I've been woken up by horendous sinus drainage, coughing, etc. I should take stock in nasal spray, zicam, and lozenges this time of year. But it's the whole mind set of doing whatever it takes to get through something.

This morning I woke up all kinds of junky in my chest, sinus drainage, you name it, it was happening. I blew into my FEV1 monitor and was NOT happy at all. Although, it would have been more of a shock if I'd have felt "normal." Luckily, I did not. On Colistin my #'s go down because of the bronchospasms, but this was worse.

We had planned a big hike today, and I knew that exercise would be the BEST thing for me and to make my lungs feel better. After about 3 or 4 hours out on the trails and a total of a mostly uphill hike of 5 miles, my lungs got the workout that they NEEDED so badly.

I worked those lungs hard today, and am happy to say that when I got home and blew into the FEV1 monitor, my #'s were up by about 1/4. For me, exercise was my proof today on how important and imperative it is for my precious little wind bags :)

For the Love of Circuit Training

Yesterday at the gym I decided to switch things up. The reason being that I had a board meeting after work which I knew would go late into the evening. I had to figure out a quick way to get in my gym time, so I thought why not do some circuit training?

So on my lunch break I did a 30 minute workout which consisted of 3, 10 minute circuits. I challenged myself to really kick it up and boy did I! The first was 10 minutes on the Elliptical as fast as I could go. Then the treadmill for a 10 minute run. Lastly was the bike for 10 minutes. Overall I did about 4 miles which was awesome.

I can't remember the last time a workout was so intense! I LOVED it! I'll definitely be doing circuits more frequently.

Workout. Interuppted.

Today at the gym, I was rocking out to with my iPOD on the Elliptical. Little did I realize that my cell phone was ringing and it was the Alarm company from work. Apparently our alarm at our surgery center was going off. Rats! I jumped off the Ellpitical after 15 minutes to run down the street to make sure everything was ok. Luckily it was...

It was my fault, I forgot to lock the door. Ah well, at least the alarm was set right!? ;)

That's what I get for chit-chatting outside of work. Hello brain where are you?

Anyway back to the gym I went. I wasn't going to let an alarm going off interfere with my workout. So I jumped back on and did the Ellpitical for about 10-15 more minutes. I got my half hour in, some extra adrenaline from the alarm call, and over all happy lungs. Yay :)

My First Boss's Day!

I walked into work with to the biggest surprise yesterday. I had a GORGEOUS bouquet of Fall flowers on my desk, a pumpkin spice latte (my favorite), the most touching card, and a box of yummy snacks!

At first I was super confused, but then I looked at my calendar with a red face of embarrassment and realized it was Boss's Day! WOW! I never expected all of this, but it literally set the tone for an amazing day.

I've been adjusting to being the Nurse Manager for about 3 months now. I've been pretty nervous and unsure of myself, but yesterday made me feel like I was going to be ok. It's hard to have worked with this amazing group of people and then to be in charge of them. In a sense It's wonderful because they are simply the BEST. There is no way I would have accepted this job any other way. They are the ones that make it worth while.

Yesterday this boss had a busy day after work so I had to use my lunch break to hit up the gym. It was nice, no one was there! I did the Elliptical for 15 minutes, and rode the bike for 15 minutes. Kick butt workout for sure!

This weekend is a busy one as our friends are getting married. My legs are happy to have a much needed break I'm sure ;)

"Oh She's an ATHLETE!" you talkin' to me!?

I've had a crazy busy few days, so this is a catch-up exercise blog :) Recently we went to our FAVORITE Fall Festival in Western MD and walked all day long. I really wish I'd had a pedometer, because I'm sure it would have been up there! By the end of the day these legs wanted nothing to do but be lazy.

We also recently went on an amazing hike. We ran into a huge family of deer, saw huge waterfalls, and all the lovely trees changing. It was perfect! That day our total hiking was just under 3 miles. I should add that some of those hills were so steep, I think they were more like mountains ;)

As for the gym the past 2 days I've worked out a little longer than I normally do. No reason really, maybe it's the good tunes on the iPOD (hehe). Anyway I've been doing 25 minutes on the Elliptical, and about 35 on the treadmill. By the end I'm a salty sweaty mess, but that's ok....I had 2 people walk past me the other day and say "Oh She's an Athlete!" Umm, don't mind me as a turn my head and look at you like you are nuts. Are you talkin' to me!? YES they were! (Insert huge cheesey grin here)

Change of Pace

Today at the gym I was really on a time crunch, but knew I had to get my workout in. I decided to take a break from the treadmill since I feel like an 87 year old lady today ;) I did the Eliptical instead and liked it....a lot actually. The ones that the gym are so nice and glide so well, no so much like the one we have at home. Before I knew it 25 minutes had gone by, and I was a sweaty salty mess. Guess that means a good workout eh? Tomorrow is break day, and I think this body will be happy to let these muscles chill for 24 hours. Until then....

SMOKING!! The RN vs. CF...

I found myself in a tough place yesterday at work. I had a patient call and ask about if she was able to smoke before she came in for her procedure because of her "nerves." Of course I told her no way, but I actually had to convince her as to why. This slightly boggled my mind, and my brain had a hard time comprehending it. Well the CF side of my brain anyway...

I sat there on the phone with her telling her the risks of anesthesia causing respiratory depression and that cigarettes on top of that do not work (in a nut shell). I found myself quietly frustrated. I had to remind myself that this woman has no clue that I have a lung disease and how pissed off I am right now. She's just calling her nurse for advice, and that was who I had to be and was for her, her Nurse. This woman never knew how much I wanted to blurt out and somewhat go off the handle about lungs period. How she is a typically healthy woman who is choosing to kill her lungs, when those of us born with CF have no choice but to try and stop that from happening.

I hung up the phone with her after I gave her the Nurse's side of my advice. The CF side of me was frustrated, but proud of how I kept my composure and did my job. I then went off to the gym for my "other job" of keeping my lungs as best as they can be.

My body despises Cross Training

I've been a rule breaker. Not really hard core, just funny really. My running plan calls for 4 days of running, 1 day of rest with a day of walking, and a day of cross training. I have yet to do the cross training honestly so I gave it a shot today. Now it's not like it's anything major it's just my stubborness in my brain. I have such a rush from running, and such an amazing feeling afterwards that I have no desire to do anything else.

Today I decided to follow the rules if you will and do the cross training. I did it, but my brain can't comprehend it, as if it rejects it. I did the bike, walked on the treadmill eventhough I was itching to crank it up and run, and did the eliptical.

Boo. Hiss. I watched the clock the whole time, tick, tock, slowly. I thought it was never going to end. I guess I am just so used to what I do and I actually feel the results by running. I reluctantly followed the rules and I'm glad I listened, but boy it wasn't easy.

Leaving on A Jet Plane...

I'm headed to Nashville, Tennessee here in a few hours for work. I'm excited to be going to a new place, but not excited to be doing it alone. Anyway, it's a short visit and I fly home Thursday evening. I'm just hoping for smooth traveling, and of course getting through security with my boat load of CF meds ;)

I'm also happy to say that I am 100% in love with Cayston!! Stopping the Tobi and going to Cayston has been wonderful and I feel so much better. My FEV1 is back up to where it was before this whole fiasco. And did I mention how convenient and small this little guy is to travel with? Perfect.

The hotel where I am staying has a gym which is really nice! Needless to say the running shoes are packed. Operation kick butt while traveling will now commence...

New Running Plan

I'm happy to say I've completed the Couch to 5K program which has you running 30 minutes straight. It was rough getting there at first, but now I'm totally comfortable running that far without problem.

However now, I want to go further and today my co-worker found this new plan for me! So instead of just running by time, you have to run by distance. I like this because I know it will be a challenge and will push me hard!

After a weekend of hiking several miles, and swimming/tubing several miles I'm one hurting pup. I still drug myself to the gym today and did day 1 of the new plan. 1.5 miles down, and looking forward to the rest of the week!

On a side note...I definitely think it's the Tobi causing my wheezing. After a few days of Prednisone, my chest feels so much more open...ahhh. Not sure where this will lead us, maybe I'll just have to take Prednisone when I start my Tobi courses? No worries, I'm feeling good :)