Random Sunday - July 7, 2024

This is very difficult for me to write or share but it has given me a lot of perspective along with pain and hardship.

My German Shepherd Kaiser months ago started walking funny one day.

I thought it was that maybe he twisted his leg in one of our hikes as we used to hike a lot.

But what started as a limp progressed very fast and within 6 months my beautiful big Kaiser bear can no longer walk :(. He has a neurological condition that made him go paralyzed in his back legs/hind quarters.

He can no longer walk, I have to pick up off the floor, I have to carry him, lift him outside so he can do his business and more.

It has been so hard I can hardly find the words.

But on a positive note last week a friend of mine (who sadly lost her Shepherd to the same thing) gave me a Wheelchair for Kaiser and the timing couldn’t have been better.

If you want to see Kaiser run and smile check out THESE VIDEOS on my Instagram. I have a bunch of vids of him running and walking but they were the first videos of him in his wheelchair.

If you have a dog(s) or a pet(s) in your life give them a big squeeze when you read this e-mail.

However, after going through all this I realize how important it is to be strong. If I was not strong enough to help him, carry him, put him in his wheelchair and more life would be much more difficult for him and me now.

Strength is important for life.

This was a reminder of how important it is to be strong.

Physically and mentally.

“Veronica and I trying this new fad called uh, jogging. I believe it's jogging or yogging. it might be a soft j. I'm not sure but apparently you just run for an extended period of time.” - Ron Burgundy (Anchorman movie).

Recently I have started running!

Well it’s more like jogging than running lol.

Now to be clear I am not a runner AT ALL, but I have started running 2-3X a week. Just 7-12 minutes, but slowly trying to build a tolerance to build up to 15-20 minutes.

I do hill sprints 3X a week and I love it. There are so many benefits to sprints and hill sprints that I recommend them highly.

But I also think it’s important to be able to just run/jog.

Just for overall health and well being I think it’s a primary human movement that is important.

I don’t plan to become a runner, but I do value the importance of mixing lifting with other things to feel good. When I focus on PowerLifting training and competition I do nothing else, that is my sole focus.

Right now I do 3 days of primary barbell lifts, 2-3 Kettlebelll full body workouts, along with hill sprint and “jogging” 2-3 times a week.
Along with walking my Shepherds I am enjoying this mix and I feel amazing!
It may seem like a lot but time wise almost all my workouts are under 20-30 min and my 3 barbell sessions are 1 hour each a week.

If you aren’t currently doing any running you should consider adding it once or twice a week and go from there!

If you run a lot…well I have a lot of respect for you and keep it going!