Jim's Place

Come Hell or high water!!!

I just started week two of a trial run of my modified Body-for-Life program. As per my doctor's orders - no intense exercise - I skipped the level 10 parts of the program. So far, so good... I haven't experienced any of the crashes that I did so many times last year after doing regular Body-for-Life workouts. Although I don't expect to have as good of progress as the normal Body-for-Life approach, I still managed to drop a half-inch on my stomach! So I'm pretty jazzed about being back on the BFL wagon!

I was going to wait until next weekend before deciding if I was ready to start a new challenge... BUT I've already made a firm decision. Next Monday, I will officially start my next Body-for-Life challenge! As many of you know it's been a heck of a long time since I've done that. All last year, I had constant problems with illness and couldn't seem to put in more than a few workouts without my body crashing. I plan on continuing with this slightly toned-down version but before long I'll have to try getting back to the standard BFL program...and hitting my 10s with everything I've got!

Knowing what I know now about what was happening medically in my body last year, I don't think there was any way I could have completed a successful challenge. But now, I understand it better than ever and feel confident that I'm getting it under control. Although my doctor has warned me that it's going to take quite a few months to taper off of the hormone medications that I've been taking for the last five years for my misdiagnosed illness, and that any physical or emotional stress is likely to cause my body to crash there is only one choice going forward...

COME HELL OR HIGH WATER I will complete my Body-for-Life challenge!!! Regardless of illness, adversity or any unforeseen bumps along the road!!! Of course, it's easy to say that when you're not feeling sick! But seriously, NO MATTER WHAT, I MUST find a way! So please, as you always have, cheer me on...and share my journey...

BTW -- Can you tell that I'm feeling better?!!! Altogether now..."YOU BETCHA!!!"   

As always, keep on truckin'!!! And so will I...   

Hitchin' up the wagon..

Hi gang!   

I hope you're off to a great start for the new year... I'm sure many of you have been wondering "Where the heck is Jim?!"..."What happened to the guy who made so much progress in 2005?"..."Did he simply lose interest in Body-for-Life?"..."It seemed like he was finally getting a handle on his medical issues and would be back on the BFL wagon my now..."

Well, the simple truth is that I NEVER lost my interest or passion for Body-for-Life. But in the last year or so since my last successful challenge, I've taken one heck of a beating from illness. Despite the relentless exhaustion, severe sleep problems, chronic sinus infections and the deep emotional hurt from broken friendships, I kept thinking if I just pushed harder, I could find a way to have a successful challenge. But ironically, it seemed the harder I pushed the worse things got. Numerous times I would start over and within a matter of days or weeks my body would inexplicably crash. I would rest for a few days and then try again, only to have the cycle repeat itself. How frustrating and disappointing it was to watch my hard-earned conditioning and weight-loss slipping away and feeling powerless to do much of anything about it.... But then in September I finally got an explanation for my recent medical difficulties...

I had seen a pituitary specialist at UCLA back in March who suggested that I had been misdiagnosed back in 2001 - that there was probably nothing wrong with my pituitary gland - and that I had been suffering from a pituitary failure-like syndrome induced by the steroids I had been taking for my asthma. I was stunned when my doctor called and told me in September that the tests indeed indicated that my pituitary gland was functioning just fine after all. Suddenly, it all made sense...

In times of physical and emotional stress, the body will secrete high-levels of cortisol. Cortisol is the most prevalent hormone in your body and helps to fight inflammation and infection. However, since it is a steroid, too much will cause weight gain, sleep problems, anxiety, food cravings and elevated blood pressure and heart-rate. The physical and emotional stresses caused my supposedly-dead pituitary gland to increase cortisol levels dramatically. That combined with my doctors instructions to take 2-3 times my normal dosage of cortisol medication meant I was often walking around with 5-6 times the normal level of cortisol in my blood stream! No wonder I was a mess! Frankly, I'm lucky it didn't kill me or at least trigger a heart attack...

Since September, I've been trying to taper off of my cortisol medication...but it has been a rough road. I've crashed several times because apparently I was tapering too fast. During the holidays, I had sinus infections and had to raise the dosage back up. After talking to my UCLA doctor, I realized that this withdrawal process is going to be a rockier road than I expected. He told me that it was imperative that for the next few months that I avoid any physical or emotional stress - and that means no intense exercise as well... Easier said than done, doctor! But today, I started back on my BFL program exercising on the Lifecycle...with a minor change - skipping the level 10 intensity. I'm going to try that for the next couple of weeks and if it goes well, I'll finally start my next official challenge!

I know this is a long post but I'm feeling a lot of emotion today... Last year was very painful and exhausting for me...I have had to do a lot of 'emotional homework' to comes to terms with it all... But finally, I'm starting to feel like my old giddy self, excited and hopeful that I'm finally on my way back. And knowing what I know now about my medical situation, I feel I'm better positioned now than ever to finally rebuild my body...and rebuild my life... I'm not oblivious to the storms I'll likely encounter along the way...this won't be an easy road. But nonetheless it is still time to move forward...to never give up on my dreams no matter how many times I've been disappointed. I suppose I could try settling for less and just slip back into the faceless crowd...and find comfort with all those people who tried to convince me that I should be more 'realistic'...that I should just 'kick back and take it easy'...that at 52, I should forget about ever racing a bike again... Certainly, I would have a lot more company than I will on the somewhat solo journey I'm embarking on mostly alone...

But I know the direction I have to go to be the kind of person I want to be. And as lonely as I have been this last year,I know that eventually this road will lead me to the kind of people I want to be with. So the only thing to do now is hitch up the wagon and head out... I'm so grateful for all your support and understanding during my 'adventures' with life over the last couple of years... When so many so-called friends let me down, my family and my Body-for-Life buddies have always been there for me. And that means the world to me...

Good luck  and I'll see you along the road...