Fitness Safari

It's the journey that counts; not the destination. Promises, promises. I know, I said I'd be writing more often. I don't know how it happens, but time just soars by sometimes. The last time I wrote, I was telling you about my RT3 problem and how I'm not sure, but I think IF may have been related to the T4-RT3 conversion issue. I still have not found proof of this, so take what I write with a grain of salt as it's all circumstantial. (If anyone reading this has had a similar experience, please let me know!) Despite HOW it happened, my body has undergone a complete metabolic meltdown over the past 6 months to a year - maybe longer. As of my last post, all I knew was that my body was converting too much of my Synthroid (T4) into reverse T3, resulting in a hypoactive state despite 'normal' T3 levels in my blood. Well, about six weeks ago, my latest labs showed my DHEA was falling, my testosterone level of 17 was on the very low, low, LOW end of where a wo...

A handful of you who have been following me since the beginning may recall the article I wrote called " Surprising but welcome news from my doctor " about how, after only a few short months of IF, my thyroid medication needed to be reduced. Well, that's what we thought anyway. In the article I mentioned my severely depressed TSH and rising T4 and antibodies. According to my former endocrinologist, I was becoming clinically hyperactive and my meds needed to be reduced. Thinking that less medicine is always better, I saw this as good news. Boy was I wrong! After this visit, my doses were reduced two more times over the next 18 months after finding my TSH still hovering near zero and my T4 and antibodies were increasing. There was never a discussion on what could be causing this. My doctor knew I was practicing daily intermittent fasting (no food for 14-16 hours a day) as I asked him on multiple occasions whether that could be causing this - for better or for worse. He ...

Goals. Why do we need them? Well, for one thing, without goals we'd likely never accomplish ANYTHING. Goals can be short- or long-term; both are important. Pass a test. Score a date with that hottie you've had your eye on; land your dream job; c ompete in 5k, mud run, CrossFit challenge, or figure competition;  finally get the body you've been dreaming of... It's great to have big goals and even bigger dreams - but without an action plan, they will remain eternally out of reach. Whether you're trying to get a job or a date or trying to increase your bench press, the one step that is absolutely critical to your success is...well,  to take many smaller steps. For example, trying to get a date with that woman you've been watching?  What do you know about her?  Does she even know your name?  If you want to catch a woman's eye, you need to know what she likes; where she spends some of her time; even who she hangs with. Just be careful when you do your r...

The 950' vertical climb at Jamaica's Dunns River Falls was  a piece of cake for this 40-something. I have always considered myself an athlete. I was a three-sport child excelling in basketball, softball and soccer. I dabbled in track & field and spent many afternoons scrambling up trees or playing football with my big brother or my bff. As an adult, distracted by marriage and motherhood, I floundered sport-less for nearly a decade until I discovered surfing at age 30. Still, despite traveling often in pursuit of perfect waves, I wasn't particularly strong or healthy. I was skinny fat, unable to complete a single unassisted pull-up or chin-up and had no idea what a deadlift even was. Almost exactly two years ago, I made a discovery that would change my life forever and start me on a new path of self-discovery that continues to teach me new lessons almost daily. It was Martin Berkhan's  Leangains  website. I couldn't tell if it was a diet or a tr...

I know I just posted yesterday, and don't get used to daily postings from me either, but "<<<<<" This is how  this is how I felt today in the gym. I think my 9-10 days off for vacation were just what I needed to recharge because I just couldn't get tired during my workout. I started with 10 1-minute sprint intervals /  2 min rest and followed with flat bench. I had recently been struggling with my bench because I stopped doing it regularly, but it still felt pretty light after 5 sets of 6-8 reps as I continued increasing the weight. After bench, I did 12 bodyweight neutral-grip chin ups for the hell of it and they were easy - and I'm about 5 lbs heavier than I was pre-vacay. Go figure! Must have been all of that good food in New Orleans and on my cruise coupled with tons of R&R because I've been low carb since I got back five days ago and I feel amazing. So I wanted to post to remind you all that rest and a bit of a refeed can be a...

One of my FB friends posted this photo the other day and it got me thinking about daily habits.  We all have dozens of habits that have been ingrained in us over the years; some good - rising early each day and making the bed, brushing our teeth, showering (optional but highly recommended), getting dressed (not optional), eating our veggies, etc. And there are the not so good habits: not getting enough sleep - which ultimately leads to bad habit #2, hitting snooze six times before getting out of bed, not returning phone calls or emails, arriving late to work, etc. In addition to the daily habits related to our personal hygiene and grooming, what we put in our bodies every day and how much we move are also habits. Do you grab a muffin or donut on your way out the door in the morning or do you chug down a protein shake? Do you pack a healthy lunch or hit the drive thru at lunch? Do you opt for a cheap sugar rush from the vending machine when your energy wanes at 3 pm, or do...

It's been too long since my last post and, while I have a myriad of excuses, I'm not going to list them here. For all intensive purposes, I'm back. What's going on in my life? Hmmmm. Lots actually. I'm still training, but have mixed things up to include some Kettelbell / bodyweight circuit type stuff as well as some heavy days with my old friends, The Big 3. As for diet, I still IF anywhere from 14-16 hours a day. It's just a habit now. I'm also taking a dip in the Carb Nite pool. For those of you not familiar with Carb Nite, it's a power diet protocol developed by a really smart dude - John Kiefer, known simply as "Kiefer." Seriously, the guy's a physicist and he's got a smokin' bod to boot. But his chiseled abs weren't handed to him. They've been sculpted by the years of trial-and-error that led to Carb Nite and his other gaining protocol, Carb Backloading. For Carb Nite, you start with a 9.5 day ultra-low carb period ...