WEEK OF 11/29/2021 - POWER NATION

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 29. 2021 - POWER OF 4 - Cardio 24

I haven't worked out in six or seven weeks. I had cataract surgery on my eyes in mid October. They didn't want me doing anything strenuous or lifting anything over 20 lbs for a while. I probably could have started back up a few weeks ago, but was enjoying not having to come home to a workout, and quite frankly I was a bit nervous about starting up again. On some neurological testing I had done for my diabetes it was found I have a disorder called Charcot Marie Tooth disease, which affects the nerves in your extremities, a form of neuropathy. I already have it in my feet, where I have total numbness. My sister has this disease, and it's debilitating to her. Hopefully I can hold it off as long as possible.

I started off today with Cardio 24, which is a sneak peek workout from Tony Horton's new Power of 4 workout program, which the Power Nation workouts were beta tests of. It didn't look too hard or too long, so I figured it was a good way to get going again. None of the moves were too complicated, but my lack of balance made some of them tougher than usual. My gathering is that Charcot affects your balance, which explains a lot. I didn't wear a heart rate monitor because it was of an informal thing to test the waters of where I was physically.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 30, 2021 - POWER NATION - Push 

I decided to try this one out to see where I was on a resistance/strength basis. I did better than I thought. I wasn't going too deep on most of the push ups, but am not sure I ever did. I used the same weights I did in October on most of the moves. They did seem a little heavier, but for the most part I matched my rep counts, but must admit my form wasn't great at times. There were a few moves where the rep count was lower. I did find myself losing my balance quite a bit when using the weights. They seemed to be throwing me off balance. I don't know if it's from rustiness, or a new obstacle I have to overcome. The Squat, Curl, Corkscrew Presses were really bad, but I was also using 20 lb weights, where the guys on the video might have been using less. Maybe not. I'll have to re-watch to check it out. Overall, I'm happy I was able to do what I did.

Start Time: 7:05 pm; Workout Time: 54 minutes; Calories Burned: 504; Avg Heart Rate: 119.


WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 1, 2021 - POWER NATION - Flash Card Cardio

I'm just picking which workouts I want to do each day. There is no set schedule to follow. I did Ok on this one. My balance is really bad, but I' trying to make it better somehow, hoping the more I do, the better it will get. 

Start Time: 8:10 pm; Workout Time: 54 minutes; Calories Burned: 355; Avg Heart Rate: 105.


THURSDAY - DECEMBER 2, 2021 - POWER NATION - Arms and Abs

I wanted to work my arms today and chose this one because it was a bit shorter, and it wasn't all arms. I knew my strength wasn't going to be there for a full 24 sets of arms. I lightened my weight or did less reps than last tine on most of the moves. I didn't want to hurt myself, but the weights still felt heavy. My strength is really off. I'm hoping to get some of it back by eating a bit better. Overall, things went OK. I am where I am.

Start Time: 7:50 pm; Workout Time: 49 minutes; Calories Burned: 275; Avg Heart Rate: 103.


FRIDAY - DECEMBER 3, 2021 - POWER NATION - Attack and Defend

I wanted to work the legs a bit. I was going to do Drop, Pulse, Hold, but settled on this one. I didn't work up a massive sweat because I don't really go full out on cardio because of my balance, but my balance was better than I anticipated.

Start Time: 8:50 pm; Workout Time: 48 minutes; Calories Burned: 268; Avg Heart Rate: 111.


SATURDAY - DECEMBER 4, 2021 - POWER NATION - Primal Yoga

I had good intentions and did my best, but the issues with my feet and balance hindered me, especially when trying to get into any of the Warrior poses. I don't know if this is something I can work through, but I'll try.  

Start Time: 7:30 pm; Workout Time: 40 minutes; Calories Burned: 192; Avg Heart Rate: 99.


SUNDAY - DECEMBER 5, 2021 - Rest

I usually do an ab workout on Sundays, but for now I'm going to use it as a rest day. I need it mentally.


SUNDAY WEIGH IN

Weight: 142.2 (+3.0 lbs)
Body Fat: 9.1% (+0.4%)

Right now, I'm trying to put weight back on. It's tough, because I have very little appetite.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

After six weeks off, I thought I'd ease back into things. I picked out workouts that I liked, were shorter, and know weren't going to tax me that hard. It seemed to wok. I didn't really dog anything, but there is a noticeable loss of strength and mobility. I'll work at getting both back.