CALCIUM, WHO NEEDS THAT?

Salutations Reader.
This post is mainly meant for my nutritionist, but if you are curious about current events, it might be informative. As I have been saying these past years, Covid turned me into a Senior Citizen overnight; Here is the proof. In early 2023, my blood work showed severe vitamin B and D deficiencies, and I now understand why you need these. These two help extract Calcium from your food, a must-have for your body, if it cannot get what it needs. The body will then draw calcium from its own storage, and you end up with brittle bones like a geriatric-individual.

Your humble narrator had himself a March-Fracture, and many say it was due to the Weight-Vests he wears during training. Luckily he be dumb-enough to wear such heavy-ballast during dog-patrol, or he might never have know about his Osteopenia condition… Or at least not in time to correct or do something about the lack of bone-density before it gets critical!?

Even though recent broad-spectrum blood-work resulted in no particulars, I do need to replenish my Calcium-Deposits as best I can. And the last thing I need is depleting resources that make matters worse while pursuing my Training-Goals in the near future. For I simply cannot afford to lose any more essential minerals while shaking off the lead in my fat ass.

Which brings us to the reason for this post: Nutrition and/or Sports-Diet, where can we shave-off or improve on it? Remember: FOOD = FUEL to me! If it takes longer to prepare the grub than to wolf it down, I consider it a waste of time!!

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WK 06: 88 kg. Starting Weight

General-Announcement:
A recent life choice, besides the substances that have not entered my bloodstream in the past ten to fifteen years… Like Alcohol, Caffeine, Nicotine, and Sugar, I have now decided to stop the intake of a Calcium-Killer known as Salt.

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NUTRITION.

Always find it odd to call it a sports-diet, for it implies that I restrict myself to eating small amounts. While in actual fact, I consume and burn way more fuel while going all out during these physical training sessions. All in all, it does not differ much from before; Mainly, the Elephant~Nuts and Bird~Seeds are new to the routine.

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WOZ FOR DINNER?

So, during the day, I eat well measured quantities of fuel, yet in the evening, adventurous varieties are fondly preferred. No special treatment or consideration goes into supper, and we take Potluck as a family like we always have. Albeit, much like old-dogs need less food in their bowl, the portions for the handler have also been scaled down. I’m obviously not twenty anymore and don’t burn crazy calories as a carpenter on a daily basis as much lately. Besides that, the biggest change is I have finally seemed to have grown up; Nowadays I prefer half my plate to be full of veggies! (My Mom would be so proud!)

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WK 10: 86 kg. PREPARATORY TRAINING…

Last week, the bone scan revealed—although a little slow—solid improvement, and Green-Light has been given to moderately build up again. Meaning I have started getting into the full-routine and go out on dog-patrol a minimum of three times a day. Previously, I was not able to make much mileage because my foot remained sore, and walking was not very pleasant.

To compensate for the lack of forward movement and physical activity or progression, your grumble gamesmith focused on Weight Training. Sounds all very masculine, …yet the fact is I am still training with Lady-Weights of 1, 2, and 3 kilograms. And these little dumbbells take me to the cleaners due to atrophy from four years of being unable to use my arms in full function.

The aim is to Bulk-Up, seriously Make-Some-Miles, Lose-Weight, and prevent another future version of Tech-Neck and get back to work!! And those are all the words I will further spend on PT regarding the accompanying sport diet in the making.

For your pleasure and my registration of Physical-Therapy and/or Personal-Training, the decision has been made to maintain and finish the PT Journal. Read and Follow Below…

‘STAY-TOONED’

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In-Addendum:

WK 19: 79 kg. Entering Injury Time…

Regretfully, I blew out my knees a few weeks ago, and tomorrow, two weeks later, I have a consult with my general practitioner. Which is too bad, really, because I was a mere 1.5 kg away from my first target and fell short. Losing weight is basically burning more fuel than you consume, and for me, that means upping the resistance while walking. On the day my knees gave out, I had done a 5-kilometer hike, 20 stair climbs with a 20 kg weight vest, and 200 squats before the morning weigh-in. If you think that is much, consider this…

In the Summer of 2022, my high score in one day was 96 Stair-Climbs on the local Fat-Burner you see above in the picture, with a 15 kg vest. So, doing twenty up-and-downs on this 44-step consistent staircase, which equals a 50 to 60-story building, is not my best.

Yet, as indicated in the paragraph title, I have to give it a rest, for I suspect having Patellar Tendinitis. A common sports injury known as ‘Jumpers Knee’ that will need some time to heal, No~Biggie. Hope to have better news for you in the next article…

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WK 23: 75 kg. FIRST MILESTONE REACHED

Got there in 13 weeks; the knee-injury above slowed me down and made me plateau between 77 and 76 kg. Which goes to show that losing weight is achieved with the help of a diet and not due to one. Only after I found a way to incorporate light cardio back into my sessions did I break through the barrier. I train 4 (to 6) hours a day, sleep (recuperate) for 12 of them, and for the rest… well; Rest!

Lately, your favorite cherub-child is uninspired to work on StarArena® while working hard to get Fighting-Fit again. I started wondering if I was getting lazy, and then I realized I’m just enjoying a life without pain. Please allow me this period of abstinence from being a workaholic and keep the faith; I’ll be back soon enough.

From here on out, I enter the Fourth-Quarter.
See you in the next article when I reach the Final-Milestone.
When Weight-Loss Holiday Camp is over…

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WK 32: 70 kg. SECOND MILESTONE REACHED

This year, I put my health before ambition and focused on my condition and getting fighting-fit again before all else! For now I’m excited to announce my Rehabilitation-Holiday is over, since I just hit my target of _a little under_ 70 kg. The animation below doesn’t capture the entire journey of my weight loss this year, as I got the smart-scale later.

As you look at the graphics/ statistics, notice I Plateaued for a while due to a Knee-Injury. During this time I needed to avoid load bearing exercises with 90° knee bends, so no: Jumps, Squats or Stair-Climbs. Meanwhile I continued my regular training, but without the aforementioned extreme Fat-Burner, Calorie-Killers or whatever term has your fancy?
No Weight-Loss was achieved!

Which goes to show, dropping weight is not done by eating an apple…
Lately I have reached Extra-Active status, meaning; Very intense exercise daily, or physical job.
(4+ hours of elevated heart rate activity.)

Therewith, the time has come to end my Rehabilitation-Holiday
and start making plans to get back to Work again.

* Minus 18 Kilograms in 26 weeks.

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WK 33: * CLOSING THE COVID_DAIRY *

Seems I have a medical condition called ‘Old-Age?’

What follows, is a thing: The Domino Effect! I see it happen in Dog-Training, once a K9 is injured to the point where it affects their mobility; Something or Another always follows fast! Once a machine stops moving or operating correctly and causes a part to come to a standstill, then soon: The whole factory is fucked!

My personal Dominoes of Doom:
Covid/ LongCovid/ Opening the door for a dormant Neck-Hernia to run wild and wreak havoc/ ​Manifesting itself in excruciating Radiculopathy caused by Discopathy/ While dealing with periodic and regular Covid-Crashes/ Meanwhile my blood-work, digestive-system and metabolism are shot to hell/ At the end of the tunnel, finally the Neck-Surgery / But not before getting served with this desert; A March-Fracture initiating a DXA (bone-density) scan and revealing I now have Osteopenia…​ (The beginning stage of Osteoperosis​.) All this after the first Domino fell on December 16th in 2020 when I tested positive for SARS-CoV-2​.

…and that is the last I will mention about it!
Because after 4 years; I’m pretty Sick of this Shit!!

As you can see above, this aforementioned period of immobility and illness had left me overweight, to put it mildly… Normally I’d comment; Turned me into a Fat-Fucking-Bastard and started to take on the shape of a Barrel of Beer!

Which produced a disconcerting feeling, because Pre-Covid the scales had never~ever climbed above 75 kg. As my new year’s resolution for 2025, I am determined to become Fighting~Fit again and embark on a weight-loss boot-camp. Your humble Game-Smith has managed to drop 20 kilograms in 32 weeks.

In the previous years I have learned how to deal with the Covid-Crashes by recognizing the oncoming symptoms, breaking in time before the curve, to have softer landings and faster reboots. So that takes care of most of the Battle-Fatigue. The Neck-Surgery has taken away the continuous daily Nerve-Pain and allows me to do full-body workouts again!
Looks like the Shit-Storm has passed?

I truly hope to close the Covid_Dairy permanently!

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Training-Routine (Battle Osteoporosis)

Besides the fact it’s ridiculous to carry around a tub-of-lard all day, being overweight does-not do your health any favors! Time to set up a program, so let us start at the beginning… After 3 solid years of Nerve-Pain thundering through my arms at Various-Voltages from Faint to Ultra-Violent, I suffered from Atrophy. (Muscle-Loss.) This had reached the point where I needed to think twice before lifting milk from the fridge without dropping it.

The first partition of Physical-Therapy or Personal-Training was to start Resistance-Training with light weight dumbbells and progress forward from there. Nowadays, this is my first session of fitness, which I now share with the missus to start the day.

These 6 cycles of TUT (Time Under Tension) are sessions of 1 minute Work & Rest and repeat for 4 rounds. (± 50 minutes + Cool-Down) We alternate Arms, Core, Legs (Resistance) with Flexibility & Mobility (Stretching) every other day to grease the wheels and grow old strong.

Personally I now use these sessions as warm-up to my follow up training and actually interest: Push, Pull, Squat. (Calisthenics) Which is another ± 40 minutes. Once that is done, I cap it off with Punch, Kick, Jump (Cardio) to keep Shoulders, Hips and Feet flex. For this last session I aim for 5 x 3 minute boxing-rounds with 1 minute rests, adding another ± 20 minutes.

So after a Solid 2 Hour War-Room Work-Out; I go out with the Dog for Field-Training another Hour! The Dog-Vest I wear contains Training-Gear for the K9 and carries Weight-Plates used for load bearing exercises by the handler.

So it is actually a 241: both Dog and Handler get in their exercise on their daily Search & Rescue boot-camp. In the morning session, I carry the equivalent of a Sack of Cement (25 kg) for about 3 miles (± 5 km). __Twice a week, I take out the ‘Target-Vest’ (30 kg) to check out my Suspension (knees) and test Strength & Stamina. __ When I get back home, the sweat is dripping down my ass-crack into my socks, and it’s time to shower.

Note: When it is time to Reset the Core-Data (Sunday) I wear my ‘Rest-Vest’ (10 kg) and concentrate on making the most of K9-Training.

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StarArena® Production-Procedure

From there on out its time to draw Comics & Cards, which is mainly a sitting profession… Yet, before the surgery, the Game-Smith prepared a Vertical-Workstation he desperately wants to take into commission and avoid future Tech-Neck problems.

For the overview, after morning-training, my workday is split into 2 Blocks of 4 Hours, respectively; Vertical & Horizontal drawing surfaces. My aim is to spend the First Work-Block sketching standing up at the Vertical Drawing-Board while energy is still sharp. When this Work-Block ends; It’s time for the afternoon Dog-Patrol a/o Training-Session where I wear the ‘Regular-Vest’ (20 Kg.)

The Second Work-Block is most likely spent in the trenches of my Horizontal Work-Spaces as I have to conserve energy. Besides running tired towards the end-of-the-day, one needs to keep in mind that I have Drawn-Seated-Down most of my life. As such, the studio has been automated and optimized around the epicenter __ The Pilots Cockpit or Chair __ of this One-Man-Factory.

Your humble Game-Smith wishes to avoid new Wear & Tear and therefore Physical-Fitness is paramount, being Fighting~Fit is essential to production.

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Which brings us to this New Daily Divide…

Note: Ever since suffering from Covid and it’s derogatory side effect PEM (Post-Exertional Malaise…) I release the Dog from Guard-Duty at 05:00, let her inside and we snooze on the couch for a few-hours. Normally I would go out on Sunrise Dog-Patrol, but I was Too-Exhausted to do so most of the time… Regretfully I must mention; It has become a bad-habit and it would do me good to break the lazy-cycle.

For there is simply No Better Way, to Start the Day!

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Last Words: Closing The Dairy…

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For many, the Pandemic ended years ago; For me, it lasted until this Summer of 2025 to return to health. Having Covid together with a Neck-Hernia turned out to be a most unfortunate combination that generated a distressful vicious cycle.

The Nerve-Pain was manageable with Regular-Exercise.

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Training was made unworkable by periodic Covid-Crashes.

In the end Surgery was the only Solution, but before we got there; Words describing the period were ANGUISH & DESPAIR! Now I have had my fair share of adversity. Nevertheless, Physical-Breakdown and one’s body betraying oneself were New and the Worst yet!

With that in the rear view mirror, it’s time to Punch the Gas and get Back to Work!
Starting here in the War-Room and restore my status as Game-Smith…

But not before expression my gratitude to the Mom of our Son, my Wife.
Thank you for standing by me during the Ordeal; I Love You Darling.

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Herewith ‘I Close‘ the Covid_Dairy.

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PS: Placed myself On-Call again for Wood-Work as Carpenter.
Another reason I need to stay Fighting-Fit and not let my progress go to waste!