Back to Basics – 30 Day Challenge: Days 12 – 14 (Day 13, Spa Day!)

Woot woot, two weeks in!!!!!! Love it. Cheated a bit yesterday though and had a spa day instead of a workout, but I feel like that works seeing as it is good for the body, mind and soul!! 😉

My stats today are kinda disappointing – squats and push-ups down to day 3 & 5. Hey ho, I guess that’s what happens sometimes and what a day at the spa does for you! I am having real trouble with my half push-ups because of the weakness and spasticity (which shows itself in drop foot) in my left leg.

I would love to find out ways to modify that. If you have any suggestions please fire away. (Currently I am doing half push-ups so knees are bent, but my left leg doesn’t want to bend nor have weight put on it…).

(assisted)          (half)                     (assisted)
Squats             Push-Ups            Sit-Ups

Day 14:     54                  29                         43

Day 13:                             SPA DAY…

Day 12:      60                  21 (pull ups)         32 (unassisted)

Day 11:      61                  34 (ring dips)        34 (unassisted)

Day 10:      60                  30 (ring dips)        33 (unassisted)

Day 9:                               DAY OFF….

Day 8:        60                  40                         35

Day 7:        62                  33                         41

Day 6:        60                  31                         41

Day 5:        58                  27                         35

Day 4:        60                  25                         33

Day 3:        51                  21                         28

Day 2:        40                  18                         22

Day 1:        42                  23                         23

Back to Basics – 30 Day Challenge: Day 4

JANE – And just like magic, I woke up today and hardly ached at all. What’s up with that?! I’m also still walking without a cane which is super exciting. My balance is a little bit wobbly and I have a limp, but at least I’m walking!

Here are my numbers so far:

(assisted)   (half)             (assisted)
 Squats.  Push-Ups.   Sit-Ups.
                        Pull-Ups.
Day 1:  42        23                23

Day 2:  40        18                22

Day 3:  51         21               28

Day 4:  60         25               36

HOW ARE YOU DOING???!!!

Today I am going to share one of the warm-up exercises I do. It’s a shoulder and arm stretch done using a length of PVC pipe. Stand straight with your legs wide and toes slightly pointed to the side. Then hold the pipe with arms straight and stretched out in front of you, wide enough so you can keep them long whilst moving them in front of you, then above your head and finally reaching them behind you. Keeping them straight, lift them up behind you, over your head and down in front of you.

 

Back to Basics – 30 Day Challenge: Day 3

JANE – Day 3, still trucking’. Woke up even more sore than yesterday, but raring to go, and more determined than ever to beat my last two days of numbers.

I did half push-ups today instead of pull-ups. Half push-ups are with knees on the ground.

Here’s how I did:

Air Squats: 51 (Day 2: 40, Day 1: 42)

Push-ups: 21 (Day 2: 18, Day 1: 23)

Sit-ups: 28 (Day 2: 22, Day 1: 23)
Before each workout, I do a few minutes of warming-up. This is usually a few stretches, and finishing with a couple of minutes on the mini-trampoline. Here is a video of me on the trampoline, showing the lack of movement and spasticity in my left leg. This is vastly better at the moment than it has been. I have chosen to show it on here so people without the disease can get a better understanding of what it’s about.

Back to Basics – 30 Day Challenge: Day 2

JANE – Oh my gosh, after yesterday’s sweet little work-out, I woke up this morning and was aching everywhere! My quads, my arms, all over, but it was that nice, healthy ache rather than a painful one. The place I felt it most was when I tried bending down at my knees. Anyway, I went into this morning’s challenge happy and excited – for myself and also for everyone who has committed to do it with me!! Let’s do this friends.

I wanted to make sure to write that the movements I am doing at the moment are modified. Although I can walk without a cane, I am still limping and a little unbalanced. I am hopeful that will improve. Here is what my current workout looks like with modifications:

1. Air squats: I squat over a large wooden box which has an ab-mat on it. My goal is to touch the ab-mat as that means my thighs are at 90 degrees.
2. Pull-ups: I stand on the large wooden box and jump and pull-up from there.
3. Sit-ups: Tavis holds my feet and today he helped me with the last few inches by holding onto my hands.

2 min max effort and 1 min break between each exercise

Air squats (40)

Pull-ups (18)

Sit-ups (22)

I actually did a few less reps than yesterday (42, 23, 23) but felt good, so shall watch and see if it improves 🙂

If you would care to share how you are getting on, that would be AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

Jane stretching out before her workout. She’s using a pvc pole to help her balance.

 

Back to Basics – 30 Day Challenge: Day 1

DAY 1

TAVIS: MS has to be one of the strangest diseases ever. One minute the symptoms can be strong and debilatating and the next they can be hardly noticeable to the untrained eye. Last night Jane said to me “Look babe, I don’t need a cane to walk around right now” I could hardly believe especially since she hasn’t had much time to exercise or anything. It just kind of came back to her where she is having more mobility in her left hip. Of course it’s not completely back to normal and she still fatigues after a bit, but it is a huge improvement from even a week ago.

Just having a little more ability to walk without a cane inspired her to start working out again, and so this morning we started back with basics: some stretching, a short walk to the corner followed by a mini workout. When we started our CrossFit journey I found it worked best if we got a gauge of what she could do in a few minutes and then use those numbers as a bench mark to try and beat. So that’s what we did again today.

With her first day back she had a hard time getting back into the mindset but it is only a matter of time before she is back into it full swing.

Airsquats 2min max effort  (42)

Jumping Pullups 2 min max effort  (23)

Situps 2 min max effort  (23)

JANE: The last few months have been difficult health wise. My balance has been off and my left hip has been weak. Also my left knee doesn’t bend very much, so I’ve been walking very slowly with a cane/walking stick. I’ve got used to the looks and questions, and have recently learned to be grateful for the help my cane provides. Then, yesterday, out of no-where, I realized I didn’t need it anymore. This wasn’t a complete surprise as during my last neurology appointment, my neurologist said she fully expected me to be walking again unaided soon. That was a couple of months ago, so I had brushed it off as something she had thought but wasn’t going to happen and then, it happened. Yesterday. Boom. Just like that. No warning, no reason, no nothing.

So, this morning, Tavis and I decided it was time to get working and get busy again. Hence our short workout. It was a little bit lame, but believe me, for someone who hasn’t been doing anything except some gentle swimming and low key yoga stretching, it was quite remarkable.

I invite you to join me over the next 30 days and see how I improve, and maybe even do the challenge yourself. (It would be great to hear how you get on!). It’s not hard: 2 mins air squats – 1 min rest – 2 mins pull-ups/push-ups – 1 min rest – 2 mins sit-ups. Done.

A wise man, (Jesse Modica), once said: “MOTION IS LOTION”, let’s see if this is true. xo

Week 19- Crushed it…and…got crushed…

WOD (original time 7:50, this time 3:52)

4 rounds for time

9 Air Squats

7 sit ups

5 pullups (Jumping)

TAVIS– Since Jane has been going to CrossFit 38 Degrees North for about three months now, I haven’t looked at her workout file recently. So I went through it and came across the Day 12 workout and noticed that it took almost 8 mins for Jane. I bet she would power through that work out with ease if she tried it today. So I sent her a message to see if she would want to do it during lunch and she replied that she was totally up for it.

As I expected, Jane nailed this one with no problem and took 4 MINUTES off her original time! I knew she was going to crush it, but I didn’t think she would do it like this. Her air squats and situps were unassisted unlike before, and in all of her jumping pullups she got her chin easily above the bar. She completely killed this workout. Her confidence with movements and workouts she has done before is incredible. It was so fun to watch her do this workout and see all the hard work that she has put in pay off. Great work Janey G!!!

JANE- Tavis suggested I did one of my first work outs again, to see if I could beat my time. I wasn’t worried about doing it because I have learned that as long as I do my best, that’s all I can do. I also, had in the back of my mind that I could probably do a little bit better than before. And, indeed, I did a lot better!! Almost 4 minutes better – I was super excited and thrilled to see my progress. I blasted through and had fun. I’m excited to keep on coming back to it and seeing my progression.

HOWEVER, on Friday, I went to the gym and did a ‘body weight’ workout which really beat me up. It seemed like a simple and basic workout, and I know that 20+ years ago I would have powered through it. It consisted of:

Tabata Row for calories

1 Min rest

Tabata Sit Ups

1 Min rest

Tabata Air Squats

1 Min rest

Tabata Push Ups

‘Tabata’ is 20 seconds of movement, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for four minutes, eight rounds total exercise.

The class was from 9:30-10:30am and the WOD began roughly around 10am. On this day in Northern California, it was around 80 degrees already, so my core was already hot. I got through pretty well, putting a soft ice pack on my neck in the breaks. However, I was really hot and tired by push ups and was really lagging by the end. I had a hard time walking and cooling down and was tired all day. Saturday I was beat and only begun to feel ‘normal’ on Sunday.

I am looking into purchasing a cooling vest to wear for workouts during the summer. A cooling vest is like a waistcoat which has little pockets for small ice packs. They are recommended for people with MS to help keep you cool during the hot months. Up until this point, I’ve never really exercised strenuously in the summer before so it has not been necessary. However, it seems now is the time, so am on it!

 

Day 43- “Who’s got the funk” (Take 2)

Day 43

Routine Stretch

Warm-up- 2 rounds 10 Flutterkicks and 5 jumping pullups

Strength- KB Thrusters 5-5-5

WOD

2 min Max effort Kettlebell Swings      (Today 69 reps, previously 50)

1 min rest

2 min Max effort Airsquats  (Today 47, previously 30)

1 min rest

2 min Max effort Push Ups (34 reps)

TAVIS- Today’s WOD is one that Jane did in Week 2 with some small variations to it. I shortened the rest period between exercises from 2 mins to 1 min and the first time she did it she did not do max pushups.

Jane attempted to do this workout on Thursday and let’s just say it was not a good morning. When we started to do some practice with the PVC pipe she accidentally smacked herself in the nose and from that point on the morning went rapidly downhill. It was obvious she didn’t have a clear mind and was letting everything get to her. By the time she started the work-out she already seemed frustrated. Once we got to the Pushups she did 5 reps and stopped. I didn’t want to push her, but I was surprised she stopped at 5 and when I asked her if she was done, she said yes. So I let it be and gave her time to herself and left the room. For what ever reason, things didn’t line-up  and it was one of those lows.

So when it came to today’s work-out I gave her the option of trying this one again or doing something different. She opted for giving this one another shot. It’s amazing how much your mind plays into things especially when it comes to physical exercise. Jane increased her rep count by almost 20 on the KB Swings and was close to doing the same on the air squats.

Jane’s hips are still tight and need more work on flexibility, so I had her do some weighted squats, something we will continue to do almost everyday. I also had her start doing some pullups with the smaller wooden box I made along with some weights to get her a lower height to do them from. This will force her to use more of her arm strength and less of her legs. Overall a great morning and awesome improvement.

 

JANE- Ha! Yes, my funk has been revealed!! Thursday was indeed a rough one. Let’s just say everything went wrong, started by my comedic whacking-myself-in-the-nose-hiccup…It seemed I knocked the confidence out of myself for the morning.

However, determined not to be beaten, I tried the same workout on Saturday and can happily report it went well. It served as a fantastic reminder of just what a mental game this (and life, is) – when we’re feeling good and strong, things go so much better than when we’re not in a funk and feeling horrible. I got into that happy zone and enjoyed myself. No bruised noses to report…

 

 

38 Days closer to 38 Degrees North!

Day 38

Routine Stretch

Warmup- 2 rounds 10 ring rows and 5 Airsquats

Strength- Push Press Revisited

WOD               (6 rounds + 15 = 49 pullups, 62 KB’s, 72 situps)

12 min AMRAP

7 Pullups

9 KB Swings

12 Situps

TAVIS-  This morning I had Jane do her second 12 min AMRAP which is a big deal because most of her workouts have been between 5 to 8 minutes in length. She did this work out a few weeks ago, but I increased the rep count. This was the Daisy WOD she had done, but I changed the rep count from 5-7-9 to 7-9-12.  Jane increased her reps by 15 this time and really grinded through this work out, she did a great job.

In a few weeks I will have her do the original workout at the 5-7-9 rep count so we can get a strong comparison of how she is improving.

Strength– This morning Jane was insistent on tackling the Push Press again so we gave it another shot. She came into it with much more confidence this time and was able to work her way up to 2 reps at 35lbs.

JANE- I was completely determined to work on the push press again today, so we tackled a few again. I lifted with a little more confidence and am dying to learn how to do them!!

I’ve been watching YouTube videos to get a better understanding, and also got some great tips from friends on FB, including this, which I loved: “From a lifters point of view, use the fear to get angry, control the anger and power that weight. I just got back on to using 50kg dumbells, the feeling after you own a weight and get those reps…Awesome!” It’s so interesting to me how much lifting heavy weights brings stuff up, another friend wrote this: “As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been at CrossFit for three years and I love it. Better than crack. Anyhow, I lift weight over my head, and it scares the shit out of me every time. Honestly I think it would be weird to NOT find it a bit scary to put oneself below the barbell.”

The WOD was awesome, and I am really enjoying feeling stronger and seeing myself be able to do more sit-ups unassisted or more pull-ups. An annoying thing that happens during jumping pull-ups is that my legs get wobbly in-between, now I’m wondering if that’s normal or if it’s an MS thing?

After today’s WOD, I needed a nap – one of those, have-to-nap-or-I’ll-pass-out naps, but I felt good after and happy that I’d achieved a good workout at the beginning of the day.

 

Day 23- “Upped the Ante”

 

Day 23- Got my days off a bit:)

Stretch Routine

Warm up- 2 rounds of 10 situps, 5 pushups, 15 flutter kicks

Strength- Kettlebell High Pulls 5 x 3 rounds

WOD  “It just got real”

5 rounds for time   (8:15 for a total of 100 KB’s and 70 squats:)

20 Kettlebell Swings

12 Airsquats

 

Airsquats unassisted:)

TAVIS- Last night I built a wooden box for Jane to help her with several WOD exercises, especially box jumps, but also to assist her when she is squatting so she has something to use as a stopping point in the bottom of her squat. I set the height just low enough to be below parallel. The box can also be used as a platform when she is doing jumping pull ups. We were using a small step-stool up to this point and it definitely made things a bit challenging.

Last night I had her come and check it out and asked her to do a few air squats to check the height, next thing I know she knocks out 10 unassisted air squats!!! No PVC Pole, no ski poles, nada. I could hardly believe my eyes and she didn’t really even use the box.

WOD- Today was once again another break through WOD on so many levels. With Jane now being able to do unassisted air squats it played into this workout perfectly. Once she got through the first 2 rounds of the WOD she sat for a second and I wasn’t sure if she was going to give up or not. I asked her if she was okay and she said she was trying to catch her breath. What I am learning is that Jane has incredible composure during a WOD and you can never tell if she is winded or not. Me on the other hand, it is very obvious, it looks like I am having a heart attack.:)

I suggested that she breaks the 10 reps up, either into 2 groups of 5, or however she wants, so she jumped back into it. I encouraged her to take a mini-break, take 2 or 3 big breaths and get back to it. She broke up the sets a couple of times, but did almost all of them unbroken!!! She crushed today’s WOD and it was probably the biggest milestone in this whole process. She pushed herself more mentally and physically than any other to date and she got her first big dose of a WOD that hadn’t been scaled back in reps. Happy Monday! I think we need to increase KB weight soon…:)

JANE- Blimey! Today I got into “the zone”, thought my heart was going to explode, and thought I was going to puke…Good stuff this CrossFit 😉

Strength- The kettle bell high pulls were fun. As I’m finding in almost all of the exercises in CrossFit, the first two or three goes are relatively easy, but then it gets harder and harder. By the end of the Strength rounds my heart was well and truly racing.

WOD (Workout Of the Day)- Today’s workout involved me doing 5 rounds for time. It took me 8mins 15secs to complete, and boy, what an 8mins it was…It sounds so simple, 20 kettle bell swings and 12 air squats, but imagine that just a few weeks ago I wobbled when I did a kettle bell swing, and needed ski poles to help me do an air squat. It blows my mind to see how quickly my body is adapting to these exercises. I feel as though the exercises are taking over and my body is forming to the shape – like when you pour water into an ice-cube maker or form a shape out of clay.

I succeeded in getting into the zone and somewhere finding the energy and strength to complete the WOD. I sat down a couple of times, but Tavis encouraged me to break the reps up rather than just take a big old break. I did that a couple of times and got through. Apparently I don’t look as though I’m sweating or out-of-breath, but believe me, I feel it on the inside!

After my delicious chocolate protein shake, scrambled eggs and gluten free toast, I had a 15min nap. I have dealt with severe fatigue, referred to as ‘lassitude’on and off during the last 12-years. This fatigue is debilitating. You literally feel like you’re going to break unless you sleep. It is an absolute urge and something you cannot control. I heard from Lisa, my CrossFit inspiration, who also has MS, that when she first began CrossFit she got really tired, so I’m not freaking out about it. I’m more excited about all the huge benefits!! 🙂 Also this weekend, I was able to move around the house all day without getting fatigued and needing to sit down every few minutes or walk hanging onto the wall, it was amazing!!!

Four weeks ago and today!

Airsquats unassisted:) 4/7/14

 

 

 

Day 16- First Ten Minute-er

Day 16

Routine Stretching

Warm up- 12 Flutter kicks x 4

Strength

5 pullups x 5

WOD

5 Rounds- Count Squats            (70 Squats completed)

Bounce for 1 minute

Squat for 1 minute

JANE- It was hard getting up and at it this morning. I woke-up tired and stressed with an overwhelming to-do list and all I wanted to do was stay in bed the extra hour. However, again, after seeing everyone work so hard on Saturday, I knew I had to get up and move my body as well. (Thank you everyone for inspiring me!)

I began with my normal stretching routine, then did some pull-ups for upper body strength before beginning the WOD. Today’s WOD was my first 10-minute-er. It consisted of bouncing for a minute followed by a minute of squats, for 5 rounds.

At first I had a stool to squat down onto, but that was too low and I was really struggling to manage the movement. So, Tavis changed it to a higher bench which made squatting more accessible. I am still having a hard time squatting very deeply, firstly because my legs are weak from not using them much this last couple of years, and secondly because of my left hip being ‘stuck’. My doctor believes my hip is stuck as a result of lesions in my brain preventing signals from my Central Nervous System getting into that area.

I managed the work out, although it wasn’t super pretty and I didn’t love it. I’m glad I got it done though and am pleased I got myself out of bed. As a friend recently said: “Motion is Lotion” – I am really beginning to see how true this is.

TAVIS- Jane was quite tired this morning and you could see she was really stressed with her work load for the day ahead. I gave her a few chances to take the morning off and push the workout to tomorrow but she decided to tough it out. I told her to try and get work off her mind, to not think about it and focus on the work out, easier said then done I know.

I have been keeping a close eye on her amount of reps with each exercise and the time she spends during each work out so I thought today would be a good time to see how she handled a 10 min workout. As she said above, the first two rounds of squats were pretty tough for her but I adjusted the height and she was able to start getting a rhythm going. She kept a good pace through out the work and the last few rounds were pretty tough for her but she made it through.

After the workout, Jane and I talked about my work out at the gym earlier this morning. I told her about another 38 North Athlete that was working her way through the last part of the workout and a few of us that had finished stayed to cheer her on. I wanted Jane to know that everyone has those workouts that for some reason can be hard to get through and would be very easy to just quit. That we all have our good days and bad days, all of us. But the great thing about being part of 38 North is that the community of athletes do care about one another and sometimes just hearing a few words from someone when you are down in the black hole of a work out, gets you through it. I am very much looking forward to her seeing what the 38 Degrees North community is all about!

 

Day 12 – A Coldplay morning

                                                

Stretching routine

Samsom stretch (pictured above)

Shoulder stretch (pictured below)

Warm up- 3 rounds

15 flutter kicks

7 push ups

Strength

Handstand push ups- 3×3 reps

MS WOD 12

4 rounds for time (Time 7:50)

9 Airsquats

7 situps

5 pull ups

JANE- Today the new thing I did was handstand push-ups. We have a file cabinet in our garage that’s about waist height and very heavy. So we used the file cabinet for handstand pushups. With my knees place on the top of the cabinet, it put me in an inverted position while holding myself up off the ground with my hands. I was able to knock out some handstand pushups.

TAVIS– Music always makes the workout a little easier, well maybe not easier, but it can certainly help you keep your mind off the pain. So I threw on Jane’s favorites, Coldplay. She immediately told me I just made her morning and went on to tell me her blog post was going to be on the famous “uncoupling” of Chris and Gweneth. I’ve edited it though… 😉

The progression rate of how well Jane is doing has caught me off guard. I honestly didn’t expect to see results so quickly and am completely blown away! Today after she finished the WOD I watched her walk back into the house and from the way she walked you would never know she has ever had issues walking. It’s pretty incredible:)

 

Day 10

I’m starting to get the CrossFit bug…

JANE: Last night, during my favorite tv show, Tavis insisted I get up and “stretch”. He thrust a pole in my arm and told me to do 15 leg swings on each side. At first I protested, being taken away from my reclined tv pose, but he wouldn’t give up, so I gave in. First I stood on my left leg with the pole in my right hand and did 15 leg swings with my right leg, stopping once to get my balance. Then came my first mini-break through. I did the same exercise with my left leg and managed to do it ok, stopping just once again to regain my balance. The break through came because previously when attempting this, my upper leg got stuck in my pelvis and popped and creaked each time I swung it. It did it so much that I changed the exercise and moved my leg from side-to-side instead of front-to-back because it was as uncomfortable to do, as the crunching sound it made. However, last night, it swung fine. From doing this exercise as a warm-up for this last week and a half, I’ve managed to replace my leg in its socket!!

Next, he had me do 15 air squats. Previously I’ve only gone down about half way using a bench to plop onto or ski poles, however, last night I had the idea to just use the pole for balance to see if that would help me get down lower. I was picturing someone on a high-wire using a pole to keep them stable. And, guess what, it worked! I was able to move down into a full squat and use the pole to keep myself stable and prevent me from falling down with out having to use a support.

I went to bed looking forward to getting up this morning and doing the WOD (Workout Of the Day) Tavis had in store, and apparently I was really excited as I woke up at 5am thinking about it!

The workout went well today. (See Tavis’s post below.) The big focus for me is that I’m getting stronger; and am amazed that I am starting to see actual results so quickly. These include going from zero sit-ups to doing five today on my own with Tavis holding my feet. I also experienced a huge endorphin rush today and felt my heart race like I haven’t for years from kettle-bell swings. I am starting to see why people fall in love with CrossFit. It’s much like a drug, but with fantastic side-effects…And now, I’m off for a nap before I have to go to work.

TAVIS: As Jane explained above regarding last night it was really cool to see. I saw her doing her leg kicks/swings and her left leg was swinging back and forth perfectly. She had a huge smile on her face. Then I asked her to do some squats to work on her flexibility with her hips. She held the pvc pipe out in front of her with both hands and did a few unassisted for the first time ever. Again her face lit up and she was thrilled!

This morning we did our stretching routine and then I had her do the following as a warm up so she becomes more and more familiar with each exercise. I want to make sure she is doing some form of ab work most days.

Warm up- 10 situps, 5 jumping pullups, 10 situps

I had her do another 10 OHSquats so she is getting used to holding something over her head, engaging her shoulders and locking her arms.

The reason I had her practice kettle-bell swings on Sunday was to prepare her for today’s WOD.

MS WOD DAY 10

Max Rep Kettlebell Swings for 2 min    (50 reps 10lbs KB)

2 min Rest

Max Air Squats for 2 min                  (30 Air Squats)

The WOD itself was really fun to watch. Jane did around 30 unbroken Kettlebell swings in the first minute. When I told her she had another minute she didn’t think she could do anymore so I advised her to break it up into groups of 5 or 10 and take a break. She knocked out two more sets of 10. When she finished the KB’s she was amazed and remarked that she hasn’t felt her heart race like this in years with a big smile on her face.  It was so great to see.

I gave her 2 minutes to rest and then she went on to tackle the airsquats. She held out the PVC bar in front of her for her counter balance and it was the first time she had done them in a WOD without using something to push off the ground. She did 15 unbroken and the last 15 in sets of 5.

In just over a week she has gone from using two PVC’s as support to push of the ground to being able to do them without, really amazing. It was a good day:)

Last week                                       This morning

 

Day 5

Warm-ups- Stretching

Tabata (5 rounds)

15 sec for max Pushups

10 sec rest

15 sec for max Leg raises

MS WOD 3

6min AMRAP   (3 round + 10 sec handstand+ 7 box jumps)

10 Second handstand hold

8 Box Jumps to 10-12 inches

8 OHS with PVC

Jane: Let’s get straight into the WOD. Blimey.

Handstand: The handstand is a classical yoga pose. It has numerous physical, medicinal, emotional and spiritual benefits. Physically being inverted decompresses the spine, improves circulation, boosts the metabolism and endocrine systmes. Medicinally it calms the central nervous system by reversing blood flow to the heart and bringing fresh, oxgenated blood to the brain. Emotionally it is a challenging pose that empowers the practitioner demonstrating they are strong enough to overcome challenges. Spiritually it brings a fresh and new perspective on life – from seeing things upside down.

I have never been able to do traditional handstand, and am excited to work my way up to it now. When I was first diagnosed with MS I had lost the feeling in my right arm and use of my right hand/fingers completely. The intravenous steroid treatment I did resulted in me regaining about 90% sensation in that area, unless I overheat and then I have about 70% feeling. As a result, even though my arms are strong, I have a lot of fear around them being able to hold me up, hence handstands not being something I have ever been able to practice.

In the past when I was practicing yoga regularly I practiced half-handstands – arms and torso in handstand, legs at a 90 degree angle against the wall. I tried that today, but it wasn’t available to me, so I modified further and used the bench for my legs. My form isn’t great here, but it’s a start.

Box Jumps: We used a little foot stool as my ‘box’ and Tavis held one of my hands to help me get up and down. There was not much ‘jumping’ going on. For now I’m going to rename this exercise: Stool Steps…I managed fine, but as I got increasingly tired I felt my left hip get weaker and weaker to the extent I needed to lead with my right foot. However, I want to strengthen that leg and hip, so I made sure to balance the movement between each leg equally.

Overhead Squats: We modified these by giving me a bench to sit onto. I have very little core or leg strength at the moment, so having the bench there for me to plop onto and push up from is a great aid. It helped a lot.

I managed to complete three rounds in six minutes.

TAVIS: The start of the morning was pretty challenging and also a break through morning, I am trying to figure out exactly which exercises Jane is capable of doing. I had her try a few Hollow Rocks this morning and she really struggled and got frustrated. My approach is that I don’t quite know all that she is capable of so we need to try things out and but she wasn’t looking at it like that. She was looking at it like I was trying to get her to do things that she is not capable of doing, basically setting her up to fail. We both got so frustrated with one another that we both almost gave up on the whole thing.

I completely understand Jane’s concerns and I had to reassure her that I would not ever put her in a position or situation where she could get hurt or injured. More importantly we decided that we will discuss each WOD or movement the night before. I will ask her what she thinks and if she thinks she is capable of doing it. She will give it a few test runs to see if she is capable or we need to scale/adjust the movement. This is what I was thinking in my head I just wasn’t communicating it the right way and this morning forced me to communicate clearer with her.

Tabata – I had Jane do max pushups for 15 secs and then instead of “Hollow Rocks” I had her lay on her back with her legs straight up in the air, I had her lower her legs half way to where I held my arm out, once she touched my arm with her legs she would raise them again.she did max reps for 15 secs with a 10 sec rest before going back to pushups, all in all she did 5 rounds.

MS WOD 3– So the break through was not only us figuring out the best way to communicate but more importantly that Jane only thought she would get through 1 round of the actual WOD and she got through 3+ rounds 🙂

Handstand Holds– She tried to do them first by walking her feet up the wall, that was her idea, but she found it a bit too difficult and then we used the bench which worked much better.

Box Jumps– We used a 10 to 12 inch step stool and the big thing here I tried to get Jane to focus on was once she stepped up on the box that she opened her hips up for the full movement.

OHSquat– As she improves her leg strength, mobility and balance we will start to get her into an even lower position. This was the first time she has tried an Overhead Squat with the use of a bench and with no assistance from me.

All in all a successful morning after a rocky start!

Day 3

MS WOD 2

4 rounds  (12:50 min)

10 Walking Lunges

15 sec planks

5 burpees (last round only completed 3 burpees)

Jane: Yesterday was a rest/yoga day. I didn’t do any yoga, but did go on a short bike ride. The funny thing was though, that I could hardly walk. A combination of the previous day’s workout + MS = me hobbling around, hanging onto whatever I could. However, it did feel great to have my thigh muscles screaming at me from being worked!

Today’s workout was another mixture of feeling good and feeling miserable.

The walking lunges were fine, I did them hanging onto poles for balance and support.

The planks were good and I felt strong – because of yoga.

The burpees however, were a cruel joke. Instead of making me sad, they pissed me off as I felt humiliated at wobbling to the floor and then struggling to get back up over and over again.

I do like how for the last two WODs there has been at least one exercise I can manage though. And, I love getting up and doing something really active.

Tavis: I wanted to send out a big thank you to anyone that has taken the time to read the blog or post comments of support, it means more than you could imagine. Since Jane has yet to go to a CrossFit gym and we are just doing this from home for the first month she is not aware of how difficult the movements are for most newcomers, let alone someone with MS. So thank you.

Today was another tough day. I decided that since Jane is having trouble walking and it’s not yet possible for her to run, we would work on other exercises and when she has more leg strength and mobility we would incorporate a walk/run.

After the morning stretch we worked on her bottom squat position using a kettle bell to help keep her balance and bring her into a deeper position. Her left hip is very stiff so I am hoping by doing this exercise regularly it give her more mobility. We also used a pvc to introduce her to the movements of a Push Press. It took her a few times to understand what I meant by a dip drive but eventually she did get it.

The WOD: For the lunges I gave her some ski poles to use and they worked great to help her keep her balance. She did great with the planks as well.

The Burpees are what gave her the most trouble and when I asked her to do a few practice Burpees she really struggled because once she got into a squat position with her hands on the floor she was unable to spring off the ground and throw her feet back. She can only step them back one at a time. At first when she tried she was not putting her chest to the ground, and when I corrected her she got upset because she couldn’t do it. The problem wasn’t her getting her chest to the ground, she has the upperbody strength, it was getting the legs back. This almost ended the WOD because she was over it and started to walk out of the garage. I thought this was way too early for her to walk out, but Lisa’s words were ringing in my head, don’t push her too hard, be gentle. I managed to talk her out of leaving. She is somewhat of a perfectionist and likes to be great at everything she does, so I understand how challenging this is for her.

I reassured her that stepping each leg back was perfectly acceptable.  With much reluctance and frustration she almost got through the WOD, in her last round she was just 2 burpees short. I know she thought since she couldn’t do burpees the way they are meant to be done that it was a waste of time, but I think most people think Burpees are a waste and that they suck:)

I also know that the movement of having to get herself from standing to laying on her stomach and back up repetitively will have a benefit and will make her stronger because it’s not something she normally does.

I am proud of her for just getting up in the morning to give this a shot, everything after that is an accomplishment.

 

Hating Burpees, she’s not alone:)

Day 1

MS WOD 1 (Work Out of the Day)

Warm-up: 2 Runs 100m

3 Rounds:

5 Push-Ups

7 Sit-Ups

10 Air Squats

Jane: CrossFit Day 1

Right. First day of CrossFit. I have to say, I’m entering this adventure with hopeful trepidation. As a kid I was really athletic, and on school teams for most things. In my mid-20s I was a hardcore kick boxer in SFs China Town and on the path to becoming an instructor until I was diagnosed with MS. Then, I became a yoga teacher focusing on more gentle movement until a couple of years ago when that lost me. I hope this works, although I am worried that I am going to be disappointed in my absolute lack of ability and strength seeing as I can barely walk 200m anymore…We shall see.

After a nice stretching session, I was asked to do three runs. Alas, the runs were not runs, but awkward walks. The first 100m took me 2mins 20secs, walking as hard as I can. At this stage it is impossible for me to run as my left hip will not allow me to move that leg fast or pick my foot far off the ground. I am off balance, stiff and have a limp. When I finished the first round, I cried with frustration at how hard it was and how long it had taken. When I was a kid I ran 100m in under 13 seconds. Obviously, at 40-years-old I can’t expect myself to run it that fast, but I couldn’t even run at all. My legs wouldn’t allow it.

However, compared with the run/walk, the 5 push-ups went well. I did half push-ups, so left my knees on the ground which was kind of cheating, but fine. I do have fairly strong arms from yoga.

The 7 sit-ups were a wash. I needed Tavis to help me as I could not manage one.

The 10 air squats were challenging also. I did not have the balance or flexibility to get deep into a squat so used poles to hang on to and my form was bad. Instead of keeping my back straight, I was tilted far forward.

I completed 3 rounds in 5min 6secs.

All in all, not great. But hey, I am doing this to try and get stronger. I think I’ve got a tough road ahead of me.

Tavis: First off I am so proud of Jane for giving this a shot. The first workout didn’t go exactly as planned. Jane was not able to actually run, she could only walk. And when she returned from the first one she broke down in tears. It completely broke my heart to see how upset she was, it was hard for me not to cry as well but I just try to be strong for her. I know how frustrated she was and defeated she felt. I gave her a few minutes and just tried to reminder her that giving this a try is such a big step, we are at the beginning of the process and things can only improve from here.

The second walk went much better and she came in a little sooner than before which is great.

When we got to the WOD Jane did really well, she did need assistance from me though. Her mobility in a squat position needs a lot of work as her left hip is very stiff. Also she hasn’t done any ab workouts in a long time, so I had her use one of my hands to pull herself up. I reassured her that everyone doing CrossFit for the first time struggles with different movements, we all look pretty dorky in the beginning so it will come with time.

The great thing about CrossFit is you can scale/adjust/alter any movement or exercise for anyone. I am excited to see Jane start to experience some of these movements unassisted for the first time.