Whole Body Challenge report 3/19/20

Challenges are like mountain climbing.  There are peaks and valleys.  This week had both ups and downs. An exciting peak was to walk with the walker for 300 ft – it was a surprise!  I’ve been staying consistent at 180 ft, and for no good reason, it jumped to 100 yards, which is actually my final goal.

Remember my main goal is to gain muscle strength and mobility, and to be able to drive to the Convention in Orlando in August. We had to go out to the mobility equipment store because the lift in the car that loads my mobility scooter was slowing down. We learned that the motor in the lift is dying; no more lifts or motors are being made because our model of vehicle is no longer made, and our best option is to keep going until the motor quits. 

Please pray with us that the motor does not quit in Orlando!

The drive to Orlando is about 100 miles, and is supposed to take about 2 hours. The drive to the store and back was 25 miles, and my legs were very tired. That’s motivation to keep building strength!

Working to increase leg strength on my stepper!

If you are curious what the “Whole Body Challenge” is – or would like to join me in the Challenge – check it out.

https://www.wholebodychallenge.com

Second Month Challenge Report.

I am delighted to report that the scale showed I gained a pound, now up to 134 lbs! 

My major goal with the Challenge is to gain strength and mobility to drive and attend the NUL National Convention in August – a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Leg and abdominal strength are a key factor for driving the distance. 

Leg Lifts target abdominal  and thighs. 

Today’s leg lifts were 4 sets — 1 set of 10 reps, and 3 sets of 5, a new high in sets. 

I made 50 reps on the stepper, which is my other major leg strengthening exercise. I’ve increased the number of days doing the stepper.

Walking with the walker is improving! Five days of the last week I walked 180 Ft — thats 60 yards of my goal of 100 yards.  Hurrah! 

God is good and my support!

Check in next week for my next report.

If you are curious what the “Whole Body Challenge” is – or would like to join me in the Challenge – check it out. Big prizes

  https://www.wholebodychallenge.com

First Month Challenge Report:

As I start the second month of the Whole Body Challenge, I am pleased to see signs of progress toward my goals to gain strength and mobility, and to   walk further with the walker.

I weighed in at 133 lbs, which is where I was before. That is perfect, because I do not want to lose weight, I want to gain weight.

Everyday, I do an upper body warmup and firm-up to prepare for walking and the stress on arms and shoulders of getting on the leg lift tower. I press the ball in for isometric conditioning, and 10 reps with the 5lb dumbbell.

I am feeling a little more strength as I transfer to and from my power chair.

I am getting more days walking 180 ft with the walker. Also evidence of a little more strength was doing 10 squats and 50 reps on the stepper.

Today I was able to do 3 sets of leg lifts, one at 10 reps, and 2 at 5 reps – so gaining some strength there also.

If you are curious what the “Whole Body Challenge” is –  or would like to join me in the Challenge – check it out.   Big Prizes!

https://www.wholebodychallenge.com

#wholebodychallenge

The Weigh-in

I am 84 years old and starting the Whole Body Challenge.  I am dealing with residuals from encephalitis, a virus in the spine and brain wall fluids, that I had when I was 15.  The virus left me almost completely paralyzed and with muscle weakness and atrophy, muscle spasticity, loss of balance, and unequal muscle tension that gradually caused severe scoliosis.

The first challenge was the weigh-in.  Not having a scale, Betty went to Walmart and bought a digital scale.

Because I have a poor sense of balance,  I cannot stand or walk without holding on to something.  Holding on to the kitchen sink I stepped on the scale, and lifted my hands a little, but quickly.  The scale read: E  — for Error.

Multiple attempts all read: E    Betty got on the scale, and it worked fine.  Apparently I could not stand still enough to get a weight recorded.

We traded the scale with a friend who had a mechanical scale with a slightly bigger platform.  Hurrah, we got a reading, almost — I think.

The scale was too close to the sink for me to balance more than a couple of seconds, but did read 132 pounds.  Last week, we did a little better and got a reading of 133 pounds.  This week, February 20, we got the scale positioned where I could balance better, and we got another reading of 133 pounds.  Hurrah!

One of my Challenge goals is to GAIN weight, not lose weight,  so I’m off to a good start! 😃

If you are curious what the “Whole Body Challenge” is –  or would like to join me in the Challenge – check it out.   Big Prizes!

https://www.wholebodychallenge.com

#wholebodychalleng

My Whole Body Challenge

I decided to take The Whole Body Challenge because I need to increase my mobility and strength in order to drive to our company Convention in Orlando in August.

I am starting with residuals from encephalitis, a virus in the spine and brain wall fluids, when I was 15.  The virus left me almost completely paralyzed and with muscle weakness and atrophy, muscle spasticity, loss of balance, and unequal muscle tension that gradually caused severe scoliosis.

Twenty years later, climbing the mountain of recovery, I could walk without crutches or cane, and was completely functional again.  Regrettably, apparently the brain remembers and starts recreating the symptoms of the virus, now called post-encephalitic syndrome.  Loss of balance started in 1980, followed by a slow downhill slide when I needed a cane, then crutches, then a walker, and finally a power chair for mobility.

After another near death experience with heart attack, congestive heart failure, and blocked coronary arteries in 2016, I was again left nearly paralyzed and was sent home under Hospice care with the expectation that I would die!   I could not sit up in bed without help.  The first time I got off the bed, with 2 men holding me up, I could not lift my foot off the floor!  

God answers prayers, and I “graduated” from Hospice.  After a gradual comeback in the last three years, and adding the Gel to our nutritional regime, I can walk with a four wheel walker up to 120 feet, with someone acting as a safety catcher holding me with a gait belt.

By adding the KG4, KetoDay and KetoNight, that have nutrition for the brain, I hope to offset the post encephalitic syndrome, and gain 2 lbs. of muscle weight.

My first goal in the Challenge is to walk with the walker 300 feet, or 100 yards.

For leg strength, do 25 squats while holding on to the kitchen sink.  I can now do 7. AND, do 100 steps on a stepper. I started at 20.

For upper body strength, do 3 sets of 10 lifts on the leg lift tower.  I can now do 1 set of 10. 

I am grateful for our company for providing an amazing incentive to motivate me to make a huge leap forward in regaining and maintaining strength and mobility.  I am excited to be in the company of real “mountain climbers”!

If I can inspire someone or challenge someone to make changes for better health, I would consider that a blessing.  

For more information about the “ Whole Body Challenge” and the training and incentives — check out https://www.wholebodychallenge.com