A berserker's ability score improvement

[Lallafa]

Hello darebees! I had a log on the old forums, but it was pretty neglected throughout the pandemic as a whole. Although I wasn't posting, I was keeping track of fitness. Over the pandemic I became a pretty avid runner. Not speedy at all, but putting in miles! I've missed the routine of daily fitness and am hoping to return to it. I'd also like to add something else in to keep running fun, because lately I've struggled to have as much fun with it as it was the first year or so. The act of keeping a daily log is something I've missed. I'm excited to be back, and so grateful for Darebee.

So, up front, here's some goals I'll keep track of throughout this log. I'll likely update this section frequently.

General

• Daily movement
• Increased flexibility
• Quit smoking (again)
  • One attempt since starting the log, lasted one week. Need a different technique than nicotine gum.

Running

• 5k <27:00
• 10k <1:00:00
• Half marathon <10:30/mi
• Marathon
• Marathon <11:00/mi

Strength

• Plank >2:00
• Crow pose
• Handstand
• Maintain safe lifting technique
• Strong core and back

A frequent on the running playlist

I've gotten a start with a Darebee program again today. Hard Reset is what I'd like, and that's what I'm starting with.
Likely to switch up which is in the morning, and which is in the evening based on work. This morning I completed Strength Day 1.
Weights noted are per dumb-bell.

Bicep curls - 7kg
Upright rows - 7kg
Lateral raises - 4kg
Shoulder press - 7kg
Bent over rows - 7kg

Also completed the Daily Dare (60 seconds balance hold), once for each leg. Love balance challenges. Managed to stay balanced on both sides. Reached out to the couch twice on the right leg to re-balance. On the left leg, did not have to reach out, but the left foot was much more activated and harder to settle into.

I'll complete the 20 minute run this evening.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading.

 

[Lallafa]

In an attempt to reduce the amount of posts, I'll keep it to Mon-Sun/post for now.

Fri, Sept 23
I finished Hard Reset Cardio Day 1 in the afternoon.
1.91 mi in 21:09 for a run time of 11:03/mi. 186 ft elevation gain. Avg HR of 170.
Smoking has really killed my run times. I am so mad at myself that I started again. I know at least that distance is still possible, but I've slowed down pretty significantly. Very frustrating, and frustrated with myself.
I also did a lot of (bad) dancing in the evening, probably for at least a couple hours.

Sat, Sept 24
Started out the day with Hard Reset Cardio Day 2. Didn't look at it before, so did a jog instead of a walk, but I wasn't pushing too hard so I think it'll still count lol. It's cooling down, so running is enjoyable!
1.80 mi in 20:06 for a run time of 11:08/mi. 174 ft elevation gain. Avg HR of 168.
In the afternoon, completed Hard Reset Strength Day 2. All exercises done with 8kg of weight.
Completed the DD (60 second elbow plank) with EC (one go).

Best song in the running playlist today

Sunday, Sept 25
Did Hard Reset Strength day 3 with my roommate in the morning. It's nice to have someone who will jump in with me on occasion. A very yoga-esque workout. Enjoyed.
In the evening completed Hard Reset Cardio day 3. The strength holds this morning really got my shoulders. Was feeling it. Also finished up the DD (20 one-legged squats).

 

[Lallafa]

Tomorrow brings a new week! It's going to be my on week at work, which means too many hours... I've looked ahead through Hard Reset and estimated what's going to be easier in the dark wee hours, and what's going to be easier after 12+ hours... I'm hoping that scheduling things out in advance makes it easier.

Monday, Sept 26
Hard Reset Strength Day 4 in the morning. Probably could have managed this in the afternoon during work, but that's ok!
Update: would not have had time during the work day. What a great day though. Paced a lady and gave a breathing tx and danced a non-violent behavioral guy to the ambulance. There were some other calls but those were the highlights. Had a great partner. Got some encouragement at the end of the day from another coworker to quit smoking, so maybe my current pack will be the last one. Four cigarettes left, and one pack of nicotine gum. No promises. My usual partner for the rest of the month smokes so I may wait until after we're not scheduled together. Hopefully tomorrow goes as well.
Finished Hard Reset Cardio Day 4 after work.

Tuesday, Sept 27
Couldn't sleep last night. Tossed and turned for a while, then got up to do some yoga. Mind too active. Better Sleep Yoga helped.
Had a tough time waking up but still finished Hard Reset Cardio Day 5 before work. Lots of good songs on the playlist but I don't have time before work to look them up. Maybe after work I'll link something.
1.80 mi in 20:47 for a run time of 11:31/mi. 178 ft elevation gain. Avg HR 155.
Slow but HR didn't get that high so I'm not mad.
Some work days are easier than others. Today didn't feel like one of those. So tired.
Finished Hard Reset Strength Day 5 at level I after work.
All exercises at 4 kg/dumbbell, except for the deadlifts which were at 9kg/dumbbell.

Wednesday, Sept 28
Completed Hard Reset Strength Day 6 at level I in the AM during a shift zoom meeting. Listening to new uniform policy statements issued by people that sit in a heated and cooled office all day really sparked some concerns from us lowly field staff. At least I was getting paid for the lecture I guess. Also guessing I better get squared away, spend more $$$ and encourage my coworkers to do the same, or risk field staff being sent home while we're almost daily at level 0, or (at best) have only one or two ambulances free for the entire county.

New uniform policies going into effect soon, so we'll see how that goes. Sorry to gripe. Feeling frustrated. 9kg weights on all exercises.
Had a lovely afternoon walk with the dog to complete Hard Reset Cardio Day 6.
Started a writing project that is due October 31, so I may start tracking progress for that. I don't have an exact number I need to hit, I just need a complete story. I guess I'll aim for around 40,000 words. Seems possible.

Thursday, Sept 29
Completed the DD (30 scorpion twists) right after waking up. A nice spinal exercise to kick off with.
Completed Hard Reset Strength Day 7 before work. It looked deceptively easy, but was rather difficult! I guess I need more tendon work.
Had a great partner again at work. And a very good medic student. He works at another service and seemed unsatisfied, so maybe he'll switch over to ours. Despite my gripes, it's a pretty good service. As long as you like running calls.
Finished Hard Reset Cardio Day 7 after work.
Definitely going to take a melatonin tonight to make sure I can actually sleep before doing it again tomorrow.
One cigarette left.

Friday, Sept 30
There are just some days that are more difficult than others! Felt a lot of mental resistance to doing anything today, but did it anyway. Hard Reset Cardio Day 8 in the AM. Hard Rest Strength Day 8 after work.
Had my last cigarette during work. I am now a non-smoker.
Had a pretty funny moment during a patient interaction. He had a history of retinopathy, but couldn't remember the word. Said he had "erectile-opathy... No, no, wait... Rectal-opathy."

Saturday, Oct 1
Hard Reset Strength Day 9 in the AM.
4kg/dumbbell lateral raises. 7kg per for all other exercises.
Feeling some nicotine craving despite the gum. Hopefully can wean off the gum soon. I quit cold turkey last time and there's no way that I can do that again. Thinking about reformating the workout log for next week. Maybe break it up in work days and non-work days. Should usually end up being 2-3 days per post.
Did Day 1 of Daily Kicks Challenge. (22 side kicks 3x)
Completed the DD (2 mins punches) with EC (one go).
Beautiful weather for the 5k race in the afternoon/evening. 5k counts for Hard Reset Cardio Day 9.
3.12 mi in 31:56 for a pace of 10:13/mi. 197 ft elevation gain. Much slower than my last race but only 24ish hours as a non-smoker so I'll take it. The winner ended up with a pace <6 min/mi. I was pretty middle of the pack, and middle of the pack for my age group. Hopefully will be quicker on the next one. All elevation gain felt like it was at the very end.

Favorite song of this race

Sunday, Oct 2
Hard Reset Strength Day 10 in the AM. 7 kg/dumbbells all exercises.
Had a pretty busy day at work. Got to push adenosine, which didn't work. BP not high enough to tolerate cardizem. Gave some ketamine (first time administering it on a call where I'm primary). The mile-long stare is unpleasant, but it kept her cool during the synchronized cardioversion which worked to bring her HR down from 240 to about 130. Was neat, and by the time we got her transferred to the ED she was able to answer questions again. Pretty cool call. All ALS calls today with a BLS partner. I love her but hopefully she gets to run some calls next time haha.
Hard Reset Cardio Day 10 in the PM. A pleasant walk with the dog.
After the walk I completed Daily Kicks Challenge day 2 (22 turning kicks x3) and the DD (40 scissors) with EC (one go).

 

[Lallafa]

Monday, October 3
Hard Reset Strength Day 11 in the AM. Those one-legged bridge holds were hard! I think I may have imbalanced glutes haha. The left side was much easier than the right side. Threw on the DD (elbow plank one arm raise) at the end there.
Going to try breaking up the log into work and non-work blocks. So this will be the only day logged in this entry. Going to try to get some writing done today! Hope you bees have a beautiful day.
Hard Reset Cardio Day 11 in the PM. Finished off with Daily Kicks day 3 (22 front kicks x3).

The next three days are work days, although tomorrow only half-counts as a work day since it's just four hours of training. Gonna go ahead and lay out a schedule for myself to refer to. It was helpful last week so I will try to stick to it next week as well, although I may make a new post once I start knocking things off the schedule. Still trying to figure out the best way to use this log haha.

Tuesday Plans
Hard Reset Strength Day 12 AM and daily kicks
Training/Work
Hard Reset Cardio Day 12 (combat), possible DD.

Wednesday Plans
Daily Kicks (whenever)
AM Reset Cardio (20 min run!)
Work, Scheduled with an awesome EMT and one of my favorite work friends
PM Hard Reset Strength Day 13 (weights, mostly upper body). May see if my friend wants to go to the gym for this one. We'll see how the night goes. Sometimes there's not much left in the tank afterwards and she's in school so she may not be feeling it.

Thursday Plans
Daily Kicks
Hard Reset Strength Day 14 in the AM (weights, legs)
Work, Mystery Partner and a likely third-rider paramedic student. Two students coming to ride at the service that day... My third rider is either going to a student that I really enjoyed having aboard or a student that...is ok but needed a lot of help. Both firefighters, which is kinda interesting... Hopefully I have a good partner.
Hard Reset Cardio Day 14 in PM (20+ min walk with the dog)

 

[Lallafa]

Tuesday, October 4
Hard Reset Strength Day 12 in the morning. Also tacked on the DD (40 bridges) with EC (one go) and the Daily kicks day 4 (24 side kicks x3).
Had a nice time during training. We went over some new department policies. We'll be getting levophed on the trucks later this month which is exciting.
Also got some writing done today.
Completed Hard Reset Cardio Day 12 level I in the PM.

Wednesday, October 5
Did not sleep well last night. I wonder if the decrease in nicotine has made me more sensitive to caffeine. I'm going to have to try no afternoon caffeine, although that may be tricky today.
Ran 1.84 mi in 20:53 this morning for a time of 11:18/mi. 181 ft elevation gain. 154 avg HR.
Counted as Hard Reset Cardio Day 13. Had to walk a couple times to try to warm up my ears. The weather is getting chilly. Lot of good songs on the playlist. Did Daily Kicks day 5 as a stretch/cool down (24 turning kicks x3).

One of the winners from the run, and the culprit of my sleeplessness haha.

Work was busy as usual. My scheduled partner didn't show up so I changed partners three times throughout the shift. It made for a bit of a weird day. Feeling extremely tired.
Hard Reset Strength Day 13 level I after work. Added on a few planks. 30 sec plank, 30 sec elbow plank, 30 sec incline plank.
4 kg per for lateral raises. 7 kg per for all others.

Thursday, October 6
Hard Reset Strength Day 14 level I w 7 kg weights in the morning. Sprinkled in daily kicks at the end of each set (24 front kicks x3). Rounded off with the daily dare (80 back leg raises) with EC (one go 40/40).
Hoping for a singular partner today at work.
Planning for Cardio after work, and maybe some more prep for handstands/core.
Work was so busy. We got run ragged and we caught a late call, so I ended up pulling 14 hrs instead of the scheduled 12. When I got home I was beat. Gonna be honest, I skipped Hard Reset Cardio Day 14 plans (a 20+ minute walk with the dog after work). I'm still going to count it because I definitely had several bouts of 20 minutes of sustained relatively "comfortable pace light work" throughout the day.
Most legit call today was a Sepsis patient. She had an axillary temp of 104, which is so so so so hot. I think that may be the hottest axillary temp I've seen. Touching her was like touching the surface of the sun. HR 130, irregular with a hx of afib. BP 110 systolic. Also a hx of COPD and four weeks ago she finished a 6-week chemo program for stomach cancer. She was super altered and agitated, sating in the mid-80s on room air, breathing maybe 40-50 times a minute, super shallow, not moving much air at all, and had wheezing and rhonchi on top of that. Smelled like a UTI with a hx of UTI. FD put her on a nonrebreather which only got her up to 87%. When we got there we threw her on CPAP and nebbed in some albuterol and started fluids and anti-biotics in the truck. Ended up having to restrain her because she was so altered that she was trying to pull off the breathing txs. I love CPAP so much. She still wasn't doing GREAT obviously, but she improved and it saved her from a tube. Who knows if she would have come off a vent.
There were a lot of other calls. My partner today was great and we had that good student with us today. Student wasn't up to date on sepsis and needed a lot of prompting for an abdominal pain/possible kidney stones call, but hopefully after today he's got it. My partner only ran one call, all the rest were ALS. There was one lady that we probably could have BLSed, but she had a pretty obvious shoulder deformity and pain. They're not my narcotics, I'll give them to ya if you need them.
I had a lot of reports and did a lot of stuff.
So, I skipped the walk. I did do a few handstand/core prep things before bed. 45 sec plank, 30 sec elbow plank, 30 sec incline plank.

 

[Knyte]

Wow, Hard Reset Strength looks great - good find!

 

[Lallafa]

@Knyte you definitely should give it a try! I've really enjoyed the Hard Reset so far.

Friday, Oct 7
Hard Reset Strength Day 15 while waiting for the coffee to brew. Felt a little better this time around on the tendon exercises. Still had to pause every few seconds on the second round of 40 leg lifts, so it's something I'll need to keep working on! Closed out the morning routine with the DD (40 plank rolls) with EC (one go).
Daily Kicks day 7 around noon. 26 side kicks x3. I like the push kicks, so for this monthly challenge the side kicks have been my favorite so far.
It'll be Cardio for the evening, and more handstand/core prep.
So happy to have the next few days off work!
Edited because I picked up a 6 hr partial tomorrow. But it almost won't count as work because I picked up with someone that I really enjoy talking to lol! I think we're friends... Sometimes it's hard to tell.



I think we're friends. Either way, tomorrow will be fun.
Did Hard Reset Cardio Day 15 in the PM. Rounded that off with a 60 sec plank, a 30 sec elbow plank, and a 30 sec incline plank.

 

[Lallafa]

Saturday, October 8
Woke up and got them Daily Kicks 26 turning kicks x3 done. Hard Reset Strength Day 16 before work.
Didn't stay too busy at work. Partner and I sat for a while and talked about which super smash bro would be the best step dad. He's very into lifting so I tried to get some push up form help. Only three calls.
I skipped Cardio Day 16 in the evening. Ran out of time. Went to a social thing and got caught up until the wee hours. Smoked cigarettes. Whoops.

Sunday, October 9
In the morning completed Hard Reset Strength Day 17 level I. 7kg for all exercises except lat raises which were 4 kg. Those hammer curl into shoulder presses were kinda tough. Feeling it. Did Daily Kicks during the rest periods (26 front kicks x3). From there rolled right on into Hard Reset Cardio Day 16 level I.
Planning for a run in the evening.
My car wouldn't start even off of a jump on Saturday, so I'm going to have someone come look at it today. Fingers crossed it's nothing too major. I changed the battery a couple weeks ago and it was doing ok until it wasn't. I really hope I don't have to go car shopping. Everything's so expensive right now.
Edited to update:
It was the alternator. Car seems to be doing ok. The real test will be tomorrow when I have to go to work.
Hard Reset Cardio Day 17 in the PM.
1.86 mi in 20:10 for a run time of 10:50/mi. 178 ft elevation gain. Avg HR 166.

A really spectacular jammy funky song on the playlist tonight.

After the run completed the DD (60 sec O pose hold) with EC (one go).
Also did some pike holds (3 sets, each 30 seconds). Three sets of 8 sec planks with feet elevated and pushed against a wall. 12 Lunge to Kick Ups. A 30 sec plank, rest (30 sec), 20 sec elbow plank, rest, 20 sec elbow plank.
My arms are feeling tired. Not sure if that's due to Hard Reset Strength from this morning or from the handstand prep.

 

[Lallafa]

Monday, October 10
Was tough to talk myself into doing anything this morning. Squeaked out Hard Reset Strength Day 18 with barely enough time to get ready for work. Rushed through it, which is not ideal but at least I did it.
Work wasn't too wild. I did find a special place in my heart for one particular ED doc who did a cardiac ultrasound on an altered lady we brought it. The lady knew what city we were in, but nothing else, and she's usually fully oriented per dialysis staff on scene. Vitals were ok. Coming from a dialysis clinic. Dialysis had gone totally normal, except for her altered mental status and somnolence. She had apparently gone into dialysis acting pretty odd. RACE 0, so if it is a stroke I don't have the tools to call it. 12 lead unremarkable. No signs of trauma. BGL 72 which is within a normal fasting range. Pupils were kinda small so I tried narcan which did nothing. Thought maybe hypoxia, although she was satting relatively ok at 93-94% on a nasal canula. She's normally on a nasal canula with a hx of COPD. Lil bit diminished to the bases, and somewhat crackly lung sounds. No edema to the extremities, but she does have a hx of CHF. She was still able to follow commands so I put her on CPAP which brought her o2 up to 99%. End tidal was a touch high at 52. I called in and asked for orders for D10 just to get her sugar to a slightly higher range because maybe her normal is higher? Got the orders, brought the sugar up, but no change to the mental status. The ultrasound revealed that her right (!) ventricle was relatively very large, and the ED doc used the phrase "floppy mitral valve" which is not a great thing to have, but a wonderful way to describe what was on the ultrasound. She was also super acidotic, probably because of the heart failure and fluid in her lungs. Anyway, I'm just really appreciative for that particular ED doc because we don't get to play with ultrasound in the field and he took us very seriously, and was able to pinpoint a possible cause of her altered mental status, and took the time to explain what was on the ultrasound screen and what in particular he was looking for he was looking over it. It was neat.
Did some handstand prep after work. Pike holds x3. Lunge into kick ups x12. Elevated feet on wall plank 15sec. Plank 30sec. Elbow plank (2x) 20 sec.
Walked the dog around the neighborhood for Hard Reset Cardio Day 18. Finished off the day with Daily Kicks 28 side kicks x3.

Tuesday, October 11
Hard Reset Strength Day 19 in the AM. Daily Kicks (28 turning kicks x3) in the AM.
Had kinda a rough day at work. Got a late call to top it off. Didn't do anything after work except pass out.

 

[Lallafa]

Wednesday, October 12
A day off work. Caught up with Hard Reset Cardio Day 19 and rolled right on into Cardio Day 20.
Didn't do a whole lot of anything on the off day. Caught up with survivor, made some lunch (tuna stuffed bell peppers) and dinner (spicy chickpea stew with rice).
Completed Hard Reset Strength Day 20 in the PM and kept with the Daily Kicks (28 front kicks x3) and went to bed early.

Thursday, October 13
Picked up a partial at work Thursday. Woke up and almost immediately went for a run for Hard Reset Cardio Day 21.
1.94 mi in 21:22 for a run time of 11:01/mi. 189 ft elevation gain. 168 avg HR.
Cooled down with Daily Kicks (30 side kicks x3).
Work was unremarkable except for having fun song-for-a-song moments with my partner.
After work Hard Reset Strength Day 21. I started out with 7kg per dumbbell but was feeling spent. After the first set reduced it to 4kg per.

Friday, October 14
Tweaked something in my left shoulder. It's complaining and I can't completely turn my head to the left side. Getting older, am I right? Hopefully it'll sort itself out.
Hard Reset Strength Day 22 in the AM. 4kg per dumbbell.
No fun calls during work. An anxiety, a lady that fell on sunday who had a massive hematoma to her forehead, and a handful of others that didn't really need much EMS intervention. Jaundiced guy was the most interesting. He was trying to lose weight, so he decided to double his dosage of lasix (a fluid pill) and also meth just occasionally and he wasn't feeling very good. He was nothing but polite with us. Hopefully he can get himself sorted out.
Walked the dog around the block after work for Hard Reset Cardio Day 22. She was feeling her oats tonight. Rounded out with Daily Kicks (30 turning kicks x3). Doing the turning kicks in steel toes is much more fun than just using my stupid foot-weight feet. I felt like I might actually be able to make an impact on someone.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Hope your shoulder is okay!

 

[Lallafa]

Thanks @Laura Rainbow Dragon, it's already better if not ideal. Another day of babying and it should be fine!

Saturday, October 15
I woke up not exactly late but too late to do the morning Hard Reset Strength Day 23 but it was OK! Worked with a friend and in the afternoon when we had some downtime at a fire department we did it in the parking lot. We also did a few sets of planks (30 sec plank, 30 sec rest x4, side plank 30 sec x1) and I managed a Lil baby crow for several seconds which is cool because I haven't been working on that at all!
If anyone has any constructive criticism for crow I'm all ears haha!



Hard Reset cardio day 23 after work, and daily kicks (30 front kicks x3).

Sunday, October 16
I saved Hard Reset cardio day 24 for my friend and I to do again and we kicked and elbow striked etc during downtime at a post. Also finished daily kicks (32 side kicks x3) with her.
We had an old truck without an auto stretcher loader so we got some lifts in as well.
Hard Reset Strength Day 24 after work.

Monday, October 17
Stoked to have a day off work. Slept in and then did Hard Reset Strength Day 25. Still light on weights, 4kg per dumbbell. Shoulder less twingey but still a bit off but I think I'll try to up the weights for tomorrow's (mostly) leg day.
Hard Reset Cardio Day 25 in the evening. Really more of a walk/jog than a run.
1.61 mi in 21:21 for a run time of 13:16/mi. 152 ft elevation gain. 153 avg HR.
Cooled down with daily kicks (32 turning kicks x3).
Also did some handstand prep: 30 sec feet on wall plank. 12 lunge kick ups. Pike holds 20 sec x3. 30 sec plank, 30 sec rest, 20 sec elbow plank, 30 sec rest, 20 sec elbow plank.

 

[CODawn]

I think your crow is awesome! ️

 

[Lallafa]

Thank you @CODawn

Tuesday, October 18
Hard Reset Strength Day 26 around noon with 7kg/dumbbell at Level I. Did Daily Kicks as an active rest inbetween sets (32 front kicks x3). 7kg per is not that much for my legs, but my left grip was not good today.
Took the dog for a walk around sunset for Hard Reset Cardio Day 26.
Afterwards, attempted the daily dare (60 sec raised leg hold). Although I did it in one go (30sec/30 sec) I held at a 45 instead of a 90 degree as illustrated. Just couldn't get it up there haha.
Also did some more handstand prep.
Attempted 45 sec feet on wall plank and failed at around 25 sec. Will make another attempt tomorrow.
12 lunge kick ups. Pike holds 20sec x3. 30 sec plank, 30 sec rest, 20 sec elbow plank, 30 sec rest, 20 sec elbow plank.
Couple more days at work tomorrow. At least for Thursday I'm going to be saving one of the Hard Resets for me and my partner to do together like we did over this weekend!

 

[Lallafa]

Wednesday, October 19
Hard Reset Cardio Day 27 in the AM. Why are exercises so much more difficult in the morning?
Nothing remarkable at work today. Had a good partner and another student with us today.
Hard Reset Strength Day 27 after work. Did Daily Kicks (34 side kicks x3) afterwards.
Completed the Daily Dare (40 knee to elbow crunches) with EC (one go).
Finished out with handstand prep. Completed a 45 sec feet on wall plank! Did some more lunge kick ups, pike holds, a 30 sec plank, and two 20 sec elbow planks (all with 30 sec rest between each exercise). Feeling myself getting closer and closer. Next up is a 60 sec feet on wall plank. May take a couple tries; my shoulders were not pleased with 45 sec.

 

[WSMC1]

A quick personal comment, thank you for your work! many many hours and all of our world communities value this support more then (sometimes) they might realize

Our son performs similar work out here so we can relate what you all go through.

A sincere thank you.

Go Bee GO! Great DareBee stuff here, keep it goin’

 

[Lallafa]

Tbh, I'm not sure that there's anything else that I could do that I would enjoy half as much. Wouldn't be doing it if I didn't love it, so it's not that great a sacrifice on my end haha.
Thank you for saying thank you. I appreciate ya @WSMC1. <3

Thursday, October 20
Hard Reset Strength Day 28 while waiting for coffee to brew before work.
I was saving Cardio for my friend and I to do at work when we had downtime, but unfortunately we had no downtime at all. We had an interesting student! He's an older guy, which is not very normal to see, in his 60s maybe. Had an engineering degree, and decided in his retirement to go for his EMT after he did compressions on his stepmom (who was able to be resuscitated due to his quick reaction time). He was great with all the patients and really excited to soak up all information, and I was impressed that he maintained such a good and positive attitude even though we didn't get a break for the entire 12 hrs. I don't think he's going to come work for us though haha.
So, I did Hard Reset Cardio Day 28 level I after work. Daily Kicks (34 side kicks x3) immediately after.

Friday, October 21
Hard Reset Strength Day 29 level I in the AM. Last day of mostly arms weights, so I tried not to give in to the temptation to just leave the plates at 4kg per. 7kg per for all except for lat raises which were 4 kg per.
Daily Kicks (34 front kicks) immediately afterwards, and the Daily Dare (100 back leg raises) with EC (one go 50/50).
I'd like to say that I wasn't able to do Hard Reset Cardio Day 29 because I was just super busy, but I ended up procrastinating and then going to a social thing and didn't get home until the wee hours. Whoops.

Saturday, October 22
Hard Reset Cardio Day 29 in the AM before coffee.
1.75 mi in 20:01 for a run time of 11:25/mi. 174 ft elevation gain. 165 avg HR.
Lazed around the house most of the day and started Red Dead Redemption 2 again. Made a really good feta spinach tomato linguine dish for lunch/dinner. Have some good leftovers for dinner tomorrow night too.
Hard Reset Cardio Day 30 in the PM. Walk around the block with the dog.
Hard Reset Strength Day 30 afterwards. 7kg per dumbbell. Active rest with Daily Kicks (36 side kicks x3).
Completed the Daily Dare (50 folded crunches) with EC (one go 25/25). Those folded crunches hit a little different, huh.
Did some more hand stand prep as well. I wasn't feeling ready for the 60 sec feet on wall plank so tried something else instead. Maybe tomorrow.
(20 sec feet on wall plank, 30 sec rest) x4. Lunge kick ups. Pike holds. 30 sec plank, 30 sec rest. (20 sec elbow plank, 30 sec rest) x2.
My first new forum/new start badges! I think I started with Totals last time, so Hard Reset (x2) felt like a big step up from where I was then. It was a really enjoyable program!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats on both Hard Reset programs

 

[BetaCorvi]

Congrats on completing Hard Reset!

 

[Lallafa]

Thank you @Fremen and @BetaCorvi!

Sunday, October 23
Daily Kicks prior to work (36 turning kicks x3).
After work did some handstand prep. Hit the 60 sec feet-on-wall plank mark. Also kept up with the lunge kick ups and pike holds. Finished out with the standard 30 sec plank, 30 sec rest, 20 sec elbow plank, 30 sec rest, 20 sec elbow plank.

Monday, October 24
So busy at work today. It was at least a good mix of ALS and BLS.
Daily Kicks (38 front kicks x3) after work and handstand prep.
Upping it to a high-wall plank. Way easier than a standard feet-on-wall plank, although I do seem to need about 45 seconds or so after the high wall plank to not feel light-headed haha. 30 sec high wall plank. Lunge kick ups. Pike holds. And rounded out with a feet-on-wall plank.

Tuesday, October 25
Busy at work again. Had a repeat student today and saw some improvement from last time which was nice. We had a pretty ok trauma from a moped accident, and I went to check in on the guy after we brought a different patient to the same hospital, and he seemed much better. Kinda nice to get even a short-term conclusion from the people we bring in.
My partner and I tried to get a workout in as soon as we made it to a post, but unfortunately we only got through 50 crunches before we caught another call. We didn't get another chance after that. Running, running, running.
Daily Kicks (38 side kicks x3) after work and handstand prep.
45 sec high wall plank. Lunge kick ups. Kick ups are noticeably more powerful and controlled. My heels hit the wall a couple times today. Pike holds. Rounded out with a 30 sec feet on wall plank.

Wednesday, October 26
A day off work, woohoo! Daily Kicks (38 turning kicks x3) around lunch, as well as the Daily Dare (40 deadlift and twist) with EC (one go).
Decided to start on a new program today. The ultra is coming up on Saturday and it looks like day 4 is going to be stretches, which should be possible even after an ultra!
So, 30 Days of Gravity Day 1 done at Level I.
For part 2, I hit 1:00, 1:03, and 0:56 for each of the three wall-holds with 2 mins between.
Immediately after, did some handstand prep. Probably should have taken a short break. Attempted the 60 sec high wall plank but tapped out at 36 sec. I'll try again tomorrow. Did more lunge kick ups and pike holds, as well as another 30 sec feet on wall plank.

 

[Lallafa]

Thursday, October 27
Warmed up with Daily Kicks (38 front kicks x3).

30 Days of Gravity Day 2
---Part I: Modded the backfists for the alternating bicep curls. 7kg per dumbbell.
---Part II: Set 1 had one regular pushup and 12 from knees. 51 sec rest. Set 2 was 12 from knees. 41 sec rest. Set 3 was 9 from knees.
I think I could have had more if I went faster? But I was really trying to focus on not flaring my elbows out which is something they just seem to want to do.

Attempted the Daily Dare without much rest, but I can't claim this one. Did a couple of the tricep extentions and then decided to take a short rest instead haha.

Finished out with Handstand Prep. Probably didn't take a long enough rest before starting this one.
Made another attempt at the high wall plank, and made it to 34 seconds before my arms couldn't anymore. I may need to find another strategy besides just trying for 60 sec.
Lunge kick ups. Trying to get less bad with the right leg leading. Just gonna keep on keeping on with this one.

I tried looking up some youtube videos for inspiration...

30 sec pike hold.
30 sec feet-on-wall plank.

 

[Mianevem]

Without Google, I don't understand half of the things you tell us about your work days, but it's still very entertaining to read about them.

 

[Lallafa]

Thanks @Mianevem Entertainment is a win for sure haha.

I honestly don't know how so much time slipped by and I certainly don't remember day by day what workouts I've done since my last log entry. I can tell y'all that I kept up with hand-stand prep and accomplished the 60-second elevated feet plank hold. I've mixed in some wall climbs and negative push ups into my hand-stand prep. Still working on lunge-kick-ups. I can get one leg onto the wall with control but lose control if/when the second one starts heading that way. Definitely not good from a pike hold position, and am not able to do a wall-assisted kickup to hand stand yet. Just more repetition. Not quite sure how to break the lunge kickups into handstand into smaller steps.

I stopped 30 Days of Gravity, but restarted it today.

Sunday, November 6
30 Days of Gravity Day 1
---Part I Circuit Focus Legs at level I
---Part II Endurance: 0:37 wall hold, 2 min rest, 1:04 wall hold, 2 min rest, 0:56 wall hold, 2 min rest.
Hand Stand Prep
---Lunge Kick Ups x20
---Wall Climbs x5
---Negative Push Ups x5 (2 sets)
---Pike Hold (30 sec)
Daily Dare (60 side leg ext) with EC (one go 30/30)

Going out with a friend tonight. Hoping we get some dancing in!

 

[motionaction]

Hope you did some dancing!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Congratulations on completing Hard Reset: Cardio and Hard Reset: Strength!

It took me a long time to be able to kick up to a handstand. (Months of practising 6 days/week.) At the time I really wasn't sure what the hold up was. I knew people with less core strength and far less leg strength than me who could do it easily. It took me a long time to grok that the action of kicking up into a handstand is actually an action of hip extension and back extension. If you have a lot of hamstring and back body flexibility, you can use your core and shoulder strength to walk yourself into a higher starting position, which makes the kick up a lot easier. If you're not super flexible in your hamstrings or back (which I am definitely not compared to other yogis), your lower back muscles need to do a lot more work to get your hips over your shoulders, and your glutes and hamstrings need to do more work to lift your legs (because they are lifting them from a longer lever position). This is also true if, proportionately, your torso is long compared to your leg length. If you think this is you, working on hamstring flexibility and hamstring and glute strength may help you out a lot with your handstand kick-ups. In the meantime, since you are able to do a wall plank, you can practise handstands by walking up the wall from your wall plank position. (You will end up in a handstand at the wall, but facing the wall instead of facing away from it. This is scarier than facing away from the wall, in my experience. But so long as you have the arm and core strength and endurance to walk yourself back down the wall afterward, you will be fine.)

 

[Lallafa]

@motionaction we got some dancing in.

@Laura Rainbow Dragon that's super helpful, thank you so much! Definitely am not flexible in the hamstrings at all; it's something I'm trying to work on with routine pike holds. Thinks it's just gonna take time. I will add in more wall walks into the handstand prep!

It's been not a good week for handstand prep. Only one day off work this week (Wednesday).

Monday, November 7
30 Days of Gravity Day 2
---Part I circuit focus upper body subbed in alternating curls with 9kg dumbbells
---Part II... Unfortunately don't remember how many push ups per set for this one.

Tuesday, November 8
30 Days of Gravity Day 3 abs Level II and Level I

Wednesday, November 9
30 Days of Gravity Day 4 (Level III)

Thursday, November 10
30 Days of Gravity Day 5 abs & core level I before work

Friday, November 11
30 Days of Gravity Day 6 before work.
---Part I circuit upper body focus. Subbed in alternating curls with 9 kg dumbbells.
---Part II: Endurance. 3 "real" pushups, 9 from knees. 45 sec rest. 11 knee push ups. 35 sec rest. 10 knee push ups.
We were crazy busy. Over half of our patients today were profoundly hypotensive. A lot of sick people today.

 

[Lallafa]

Saturday, November 12
30 Days of Gravity Day 7
---Part I Circuit Focus Legs at Level II
---Part II Endurance Squat Wall Holds. 0:56, 1:03, 0:49 w 2 min rest between each.

Sunday, November 13
Did some handstand prep while we had downtime at a post. My partner and the student did not want to join for the lunge kick ups, but the student joined for a couple of the wall walks and everyone did push ups or negative push ups. It's fun to have a group thing, even if it's just a few push ups.
---Lunge Kick Ups for a few minutes, alternating leading leg. Possible when using momentum. Very, very difficult and impossible-feeling from a pike hold.
---Wall Walks x5
---Pike Hold 30 sec
---5x Negative Pushups (2 sets)
After work completed the DD (40 knee to elbow plank) with EC (one go, alternating legs).
30 Days of Gravity Day 8 after work. Level III.

 

[Lallafa]

Since Sunday I've kept up with 30 Days of Gravity. I finished up Day 15 after work today. Have noticed longer wall hold times and longer push ups to failure times, which is nice!

I've been more slack on Hand Stand Prep, but I'm trying. Have done a couple days of handstand prep. Have added in bridges and hip thrusts and RDLs into the routine in an attempt to get that back body stronger! I have been meaning to update every couple days but its been so busy.

At work today we responded to a 15ft fall from a hay loft. The neighbor called it in. No one responded to the front door. The back door was reported to be unlocked but there was a dog on a chain and a stressed out, somewhat aggressive emu in the backyard. The firefighters gave it a go, bless them. Had two distracting the emu with inflatable man dance moves...

...while another two made it to the back door. Inside, the guy was in bed. Pretty bruised up on his right side on his ribs. Diminished lung sounds to the right base, and pain to his ribs on movement to the right arm. Probably some bruised or broken ribs. No crepitus or deformities noted. No shortness of breath, no increased work of breathing. No other injuries or deformities noted. Vitals stable. He fell on Friday and was just waiting for it to get better I guess. He was pretty reluctant to go but eventually agreed to it. There was a kitten there that was trying to climb into everyone's pockets. The patient wanted to smoke a cigarette before leaving. No biggie. Honestly, I figured "as long as we actually get him to somewhere that does X-Rays I'll call it a win" because he really didn't want to go at all. There were some noises coming from a back room that sounded like a person that he totally ignored. Turns out he had a pair of parrots back there. I had to go check it out. One of the parrots was quiet but the other one was suuuuper talkative. I did the standard "pretty bird" and this parrot mimicked it right back to me. I laughed, and it mimicked it right back to me. I said, "you mocking me, maaaan?" and it mimicked it right back to me. It was amazing. I hope that guy makes a quick recovery so he can get back to all his animals.

 

[Lallafa]

Whew, the holidays were very busy. Hope everyone's having a happy new year so far!

In the time between now and my last forum post I completed 30 Days of Gravity. I did several of the days for 30 Days of Fitmas, but to be totally honest I cannot claim a badge for it. I used several hall passes and still missed days. I briefly participated in the snow ball fight but probably got whacked by a handful of snowballs toward the end. I also did some running and planned for a 5k toward the end of January with a friend. I did some hot yoga with a few friends... We originally signed up for the class thinking it was regular yoga and the hot part was a surprise. I've run a lot of EMS calls and just generally probably worked too much, but nothing fun enough to post here. No Christmas-themed calls that I remember. Everyone's got all the viruses. I was sick for a chunk of december as well with at least one of those viruses... tested negative for COVID but it felt like COVID. I am so excited for the new programs that got released! I've been slacking on my handstand prep.

So today I have done some Power Hit Day 1 (Level I, 4kg/dumbbell). I like the timers that are set up to prompt me to move on to the next exercise, and I like that it's only 6 minutes so I can't have an excuse not to do it haha. I also did Day 1 of The Guardian [(1 min march step, 1 min rest) x3] + Optional Quest (All clear - 0 punches). And the DD (50 knee to elbows) + EC (one go). I will probably try to double up on Day 1 and 2 for the 60 Day Bootcamp program tomorrow... just couldn't squeeze it quite in there today.

I will also probably try to think up some year-long fitness goals over the weekend between calls and post them at some point soon!

 

[Lallafa]

02 Jan 2023
AM (Before Work)
[power] HIIT Day 2 @ Level I with 5 kg per dumbbell, except for the lat raises which were 2 kg per.
The Guardian Challenge Day 2 + Optional Quest (200 punches)

Work
Nothing wild today. One out of five patients was pretty legit; the rest all went to the ED Triage. Everyone's still got all the viruses. New partner this month. Worked with him before and enjoyed it so hopefully it'll go smoothly!

PM (After Work)
Bootcamp Day 1 @ Level III
Bootcamp Day 2 @ Level III with 5 kg per dumbbell, except for the lat raises which were 2 kg per.
I tried to get in the DD (40 cossack squats), sprinkling 10 inbetween the first couple rests in Bootcamp Day 2, but my adductor longus (I think) on my right leg after 20 reps was not having it. A bit painful. It's always interesting to find new areas of imbalance. No issues with the left side. Already knew I was a bit left-leg dominant, but this was a big reminder lol. I suppose cossack squats are ones I'll have to work on!
2 mins supine spinal twist yoga pose
Weigh In: 154.4 lbs

 

[JCU]

The cossack squats definitely showed me my right leg dominance! I even had to stretch after I finished due to a cramp that tried to form in my left hamstring region. Not fun!

 

[Lallafa]

Tuesday; 03 Jan 2023

AM (Before Work)
[power] HIIT Day 3 @ Level I with 9 kg dumbbell
The Guardian Challenge Day 3 + Optional Quest (All Clear)

Work
We were so busy today. Never caught a break, multiple calls holding throughout the day. Had an a-fib with RVR, an active fire standby, a sepsis, a lady with some minor stomach bug, a COVID, a couple minor traffic accidents with no obvious injuries... At least we didn't have to stand on the wall at the hospital for too long with our sepsis lady. So tired. Happy to be off tomorrow.

PM (After Work)
Bootcamp Day 3 @ Level III
DD (20 raised leg push ups). Sprinkled them between sets of Bootcamp for an active rest. Why are one-legged push ups easier than regular push ups?? I must be doing something wrong.
23 Day Yoga Challenge Day 1 (Gentle Vinyasa ~25 mins)

 

[Lallafa]

Wednesday, 04 Jan 2023
[power] HIIT Day 4 @ Level I with 5 kg dumbbells
The Guardian Challenge Day 4 + Optional Sidequest (All Clear)
Bootcamp Day 4

Thursday, 05 Jan 2023
AM (Before Work)
Weigh In: 152.8 lbs
[power] HIIT Day 5 @ Level I with 5 kg dumbbells
The Guardian Challenge Day 5 + Optional Sidequest (50 punches)
Bootcamp Day 5 Level III

Work
Just a little bit of training today. Was feeling kinda icky in the morning but was glad to have gone in. We had airway for our training and they actually had some video laryngoscopes and difficult airways to practice on, which is nice. I'll take all of the non-field difficult airway simulation that I can get.

PM (After Work)
DD (60 sec one-arm plank) + EC (one go)
23 Day Yoga Challenge Day 2: A Little Goes a Long Way (~25 mins)

 

[Lallafa]

Friday, 06 Jan 2023
AM (Before Work)
Weigh In: 152.8 lbs
[power] HIIT Day 6 Level I with 5 kg dumbbell
The Guardian Challenge Day 6 + Optional Sidequest (100 punches)
DD (2 mins raised legs swings) + EC (one go)

Work
Busy busy busy. The new normal. Hypotension and syncopal episodes (possible cardiac) were most of our calls today. All but one ALS. We came off on time today though so can't be too mad haha. We had an older truck so I even got some lifts in.

PM (After Work)
Bootcamp Day 6 Level III with 5 kg dumbbells, except for lat raises which were 2 kg per.
23 Day Yoga Challenge Day 3; Deep Steep, approx 35 mins.

 

[Lallafa]

Saturday, 07 Jan 2023

AM Routine
[power] HIIT Day 7 @ Level I with 5 kg dumbbells
The Guardian Challenge Day 7 + Optional Sidequest (All Clear)

Work
Another day coming off on time! Lotta calls. For one, we rendezvoused with a BLS crew. Patient was definitely a trauma: obvious deformity to the shoulder, obvious deformity to the nose, high likelihood of some kind of head injury... but she didn't really need any intervention that I was capable of... just transport to a trauma center. Anyway, we rendezvoused with the BLS crew in a parking lot. Didn't know any of that while we were waiting for them to show up. Just knew that they had asked for ALS to meet them and they were headed for a level I trauma center emergent traffic. While waiting for them to show up with the patient, I felt calm and focused and prepared and ready for the worst case. I think maybe I'm getting to the point where I'm not green. I might be slightly seasoned. It's a good feeling. Hopefully admitting that doesn't jinx it. I hope this isn't the pride before the fall lol.
The call immediately after that one was a grown woman throwing a temper tantrum over not getting tacos which I was much less emotionally prepared for.

PM Routine
Bootcamp Day 7 @ Level III
DD (20 hop heel clicks) + EC (one go)

 

[Mianevem]

grown woman throwing a temper tantrum over not getting tacos

What.

 

[Lallafa]

What.

Group home. She said if she didn't get tacos she was calling 911. She did sure enough. Able to make her own medical decisions and decided to go to the hospital. I guess she won. Idk. No tacos in the ED triage either. People are the worst.

Sunday; 08 Jan 2023

AM Routine
[power] HIIT Day 8 @ Level I with 5 kg dumbbells
The Guardian Challenge Day 8 + Optional Sidequest (50 punches)

Work
As I'm writing this on Jan 9, I don't remember any of our calls. It was an unremarkable day. The county as a whole was relatively quiet but my partner and I got sucked into the vortex and ran most of the day. We came off on time again though, so that's a streak I'd really like to keep going.

PM Routine
Bootcamp Day 8


Monday; 09 Jan 2023

AM Routine
[power] HIIT Day 9 @ Level I with 5 kg dumbbells
The Guardian Challenge Day 9 + Optional Sidequest (All Clear)

Work
Just more training today for one of those alphabet soup classes. Today and tomorrow. It's a pediatrics class so I thought it was going to be a lot but it seems more like it was designed for basics instead of medics? I haven't sweat over guessing weights and mentally calculating drug dosages yet but there's still tomorrow.

PM Routine
Bootcamp Day 9 @ Level III. This one was hard. The hardest day so far. The jumping squats into squat hops into burpees is... just... whew.
23 Day Yoga Challenge Day 4; Gentle Yin for Your Neck (~40 mins)

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Congratulations on completing 30 Days of Gravity!

 

[Lallafa]

Thank you @Laura Rainbow Dragon

Since my last update I've completed up to Day 19 for [power] HIIT at level I. I've also completed up to Day 19 for Bootcamp at level III. Have maintained daily workouts but failed the Guardian Challenge. Kept trying to get it in the morning before work, but 9 minutes + [power] HIIT was maybe too much. I know that 9 minutes isn't much time but I'm already averaging <8 hrs sleep between work days so whatever. Maybe next month's challenge will be easier. Hopefully I'll be working slightly less. Less training to take up the days off. Getting very tired. Inundated with calls, looooong hold times at the hospitals because there's no beds available. I think I need a break but doesn't look like one's on the horizon. I know this feeling will pass eventually, but it kinda sucks living in it for right now.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

 

[JCU]

 

[CODawn]

 

[Mianevem]

 

[Fremen]

 

[BetaCorvi]

 

[Lallafa]

Thank you @Laura Rainbow Dragon, @JCU, @CODawn, @Mianevem, @Fremen, and @BetaCorvi.

Up to Day 28 of [Power] HIIT at level I with 5kg weights where applicable. Up to Day 28 of Bootcamp at level III with 5kg weights where applicable.
Ran a 5k race with a friend this morning. Didn't do great, but it's also the first time I've really ran since starting smoking again so I'll take it! Good mix of easy trail run with some road. 11:04/mi with 211 elevation gain. Avg HR 161.

 

[Lallafa]

Sunday; 29 Jan 2023
[power] HIIT day 29 @ level I with 5kg weight. Love RDLs/single-leg RDLs and tricep extensions. They hit in the right way. This was a treat this morning. Good way to get started.
Bootcamp day 29 @ level III
DD (40 get-ups) + EC (one go, 20/20)
Walked around the neighborhood with the dog
Had a lot of random things in the kitchen. Made a burger and veggie stew/chili-like thing topped with mashed potatoes. Super tasty.
Cleaned up around the house, getting ready for the on-week. Needed that weekend.
Weigh In: 153.3 lbs (evening)

 

[Lallafa]

Monday; 30 Jan 2023
[power] HIIT day 30 @ level I with 5 kg weights
Bootcamp day 30 @ level III with 5 kg weights (except lat raises; 5 lbs for lat raises)

 

[JCU]

Congratulations on Power HIIT!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats