Both brothers got in a morning Wakeup session today. We had a video blog planned last night, but Mikey fell asleep right after our StrengthBuilder workout.
More to follow tonight!!!
BANG
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Pushing past the urge to thrown in the towel
It's hot! No really, day 5 of 90+ degree heat and humidity in good old Lancaster, Pa. Fans just aren't cutting it during workouts...
I'm sore! I've been kicking it hard the past 2 weeks, and I've got aches and pains in spots I didn't know could hurt. I'm doing this voluntarily?
I was unaware one person could generate so much sweat! Did I mention how hot it is? And I didn't even start working out! Time to do laundry again?!
My back isn't really hurting anymore. Not being a slave to my back pain was my main goal. Accomplished?
Patience? Patience? I'm not a doctor, I don't have no stinking patients....where are my results?
Ever have one of these days? Perhaps its my red headedness testing my resolve. I'm just not as far along as I want to be. Not just in my DDPYoga journey, but in my life journey as a whole. I've come a long way and dealt with a lot of stuff in the past 7 years. 2 back surgeries leading to pain pill side effect issues leading to strained marriage leading to lengthy separation leading to expensive divorce leading to reduced time with kids (I don't take for granted my 50% custody, but I hate the 50% I lost!) on top of being smashed up against a glass ceiling at my job of 13 years not to mention life, life, life...
Don't get me wrong, I know there are millions of people out there with a similar or worse situation that I am in. I'm just getting tired of the uphill climb. I'm fortunate to have a great support system to help me through all of this, but after a while it just wears me down. The times I find myself weariest are those moments in life where I feel like I'm one ladder rung away from that next level of improvement. That moment where you have one hand on that ledge, but you've got next to nothing left in the tank to swing the rest of your body up. You can feel your grip slipping and you know you're either about to fall down, or you gotta dig deep and find a gallon of effort in that thimble sized well......
Luckily I've got my brother who understands where I am and more importantly gets all of my silly metaphors. I've got him hanging on the cliff ledge with me saying, it's only a little further, and look how far we've come! Mikey reminded me Rome wasn't built in a day. He encouraged me to go back and reread my own blog entries. Remind myself where I've come from and how I HAVE noticed little differences along the way. We're making lifestyle changes baby, and you can't always expect the impossible from yourself. Am I improving a little bit each day? I think so. Am I replacing bad habits with better habits? Yes, and I know which areas I can still work on. We're making this journey our own! Don't allow yourself to get caught on what you haven't done (yet).
So.....
I kicked it! Second day that Mikey's schedule prevented us from working out side by side. Second day I could have easily let that annoying quitter voice get the best of me. Second day I did my best to find a little extra effort. I'm happy to say that during today's workout I didn't go to my knee when twisting open during the runners lunge portion of the workout. That's a first for me! I'm really trying to not have to drop to my knees in order to come up out of the pushups, but I know that will come with time. This week I'm insanely excited to say that I've been able to crank out a few pushups without dropping to my knees, just not during the workouts. That lower and hold thing is a hurdle I WILL overcome! Outside of my senior year in highschool I'm not sure I've ever been able to do proper pushups! This rules!
Now, after my workout I had to give the timed plank a go. If Mikey can do it after a diamond cutter workout I can certainly give it a shot after a fat burner....
I think trying to get my phone in just the right spot was almost as challenging as the plank itself! After I watched the video I noticed a few things. I'm shaking like crazy, I've got some work to do, and I really need to clean up my bedroom! Oh yeah, I took you all into my bedroom for these videos, so don't tell my girl, lol! Sorry to bust on you a bit there DDP, but that line kills me every morning when I do the wake up!
I hope I didn't ramble too much in my post. I realize that we aren't reaching too many people with our blog just yet, but if I can help out just 1 person along that way then it's worth every moment!
Stay motivated and don't forget to do your DDPYoga tomorrow!
Bang!
Max
I'm sore! I've been kicking it hard the past 2 weeks, and I've got aches and pains in spots I didn't know could hurt. I'm doing this voluntarily?
I was unaware one person could generate so much sweat! Did I mention how hot it is? And I didn't even start working out! Time to do laundry again?!
My back isn't really hurting anymore. Not being a slave to my back pain was my main goal. Accomplished?
Patience? Patience? I'm not a doctor, I don't have no stinking patients....where are my results?
Ever have one of these days? Perhaps its my red headedness testing my resolve. I'm just not as far along as I want to be. Not just in my DDPYoga journey, but in my life journey as a whole. I've come a long way and dealt with a lot of stuff in the past 7 years. 2 back surgeries leading to pain pill side effect issues leading to strained marriage leading to lengthy separation leading to expensive divorce leading to reduced time with kids (I don't take for granted my 50% custody, but I hate the 50% I lost!) on top of being smashed up against a glass ceiling at my job of 13 years not to mention life, life, life...
Don't get me wrong, I know there are millions of people out there with a similar or worse situation that I am in. I'm just getting tired of the uphill climb. I'm fortunate to have a great support system to help me through all of this, but after a while it just wears me down. The times I find myself weariest are those moments in life where I feel like I'm one ladder rung away from that next level of improvement. That moment where you have one hand on that ledge, but you've got next to nothing left in the tank to swing the rest of your body up. You can feel your grip slipping and you know you're either about to fall down, or you gotta dig deep and find a gallon of effort in that thimble sized well......
Luckily I've got my brother who understands where I am and more importantly gets all of my silly metaphors. I've got him hanging on the cliff ledge with me saying, it's only a little further, and look how far we've come! Mikey reminded me Rome wasn't built in a day. He encouraged me to go back and reread my own blog entries. Remind myself where I've come from and how I HAVE noticed little differences along the way. We're making lifestyle changes baby, and you can't always expect the impossible from yourself. Am I improving a little bit each day? I think so. Am I replacing bad habits with better habits? Yes, and I know which areas I can still work on. We're making this journey our own! Don't allow yourself to get caught on what you haven't done (yet).
So.....
I kicked it! Second day that Mikey's schedule prevented us from working out side by side. Second day I could have easily let that annoying quitter voice get the best of me. Second day I did my best to find a little extra effort. I'm happy to say that during today's workout I didn't go to my knee when twisting open during the runners lunge portion of the workout. That's a first for me! I'm really trying to not have to drop to my knees in order to come up out of the pushups, but I know that will come with time. This week I'm insanely excited to say that I've been able to crank out a few pushups without dropping to my knees, just not during the workouts. That lower and hold thing is a hurdle I WILL overcome! Outside of my senior year in highschool I'm not sure I've ever been able to do proper pushups! This rules!
Now, after my workout I had to give the timed plank a go. If Mikey can do it after a diamond cutter workout I can certainly give it a shot after a fat burner....
I think trying to get my phone in just the right spot was almost as challenging as the plank itself! After I watched the video I noticed a few things. I'm shaking like crazy, I've got some work to do, and I really need to clean up my bedroom! Oh yeah, I took you all into my bedroom for these videos, so don't tell my girl, lol! Sorry to bust on you a bit there DDP, but that line kills me every morning when I do the wake up!
I hope I didn't ramble too much in my post. I realize that we aren't reaching too many people with our blog just yet, but if I can help out just 1 person along that way then it's worth every moment!
Stay motivated and don't forget to do your DDPYoga tomorrow!
Bang!
Max
Heat Wave Continues...So Does Our Journey
Due to conflicting crazy schedules, Max and I haven't been able to do our workouts together these last 2 days. I got in an Energy session yesterday and a brutal 100degree Diamond Cutter session this morning. Found myself pacing a bit so decided to try to Plank Challenge and see where I was at. Not where I want to be, but I learned an important lesson today. When watching my plank I noticed some bad form that should be easy to correct now that I'm conscience of it. I guess taking video of yourself has more value than I initially thought. All our video blogs have been via smartphone, which I think has a time limit that will keep us from taping full workouts. Gonna have to get a webcam setup or something to address that.
To keep with accountability theme, here is my first (very weak) plank attempt
It'll get better I promise.
Til tomorrow, have a great day and don't forget your DDPYoga. BANG!!!
To keep with accountability theme, here is my first (very weak) plank attempt
Til tomorrow, have a great day and don't forget your DDPYoga. BANG!!!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Week 2 - Day 2 - Gut check
Ugh! A steamy humid mid 80s night in good old Lancaster, Pa. Pushed our way through Energy and threw Red Hot Core on the end. I really wanted to stop after Energy. Surely I had sweat enough? Nope! That little DDP voice popped in my ear and said, don't give up! Push a little harder! Reach a little higher!
Red Hot Core is no joke! I'm still shaking, but glad to have today's workouts in the books. Looking forward to tomorrow's even hotter and steamier weather! If I heard the radio guy correctly, today was the hottest day of the year in these parts and will be the coolest day of the week. Maybe we bring an extra fan into the living room tomorrow?
Don't forget to do your DDP tomorrow! BANG!!!
Max
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is hot. Almost too hot to think. Not quite to hot to do DDPYoga though.
No excuses!
BANG!!!
Mike
Red Hot Core is no joke! I'm still shaking, but glad to have today's workouts in the books. Looking forward to tomorrow's even hotter and steamier weather! If I heard the radio guy correctly, today was the hottest day of the year in these parts and will be the coolest day of the week. Maybe we bring an extra fan into the living room tomorrow?
Don't forget to do your DDP tomorrow! BANG!!!
Max
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is hot. Almost too hot to think. Not quite to hot to do DDPYoga though.
No excuses!
BANG!!!
Mike
Monday, July 15, 2013
Family Fitness
There you have it...the most adorable Diamond Cutter you've ever seen! We crushed a Fatburner workout today with a special guest. We had planned on a longer workout today, but a crazy evening schedule made us trade today's long workout with tomorrow's shorter one. That's just one way that it is easy to modify this program.
Stay tuned for much more!
BANG!!!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
First video blog is up!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Friday/Saturday in the books!
Whoooo! What a weekend! Sorry to miss my regular post yesterday. I thought I'd be able to post after Smackdown, but I fell asleep. Throwing Red Hot Core on the end of Energy totally wore me out! That and a few hours of pulling weeds after getting woken up at 7am by a weedwacker running outside my window (thanks neighbors). Normally 7am is sleeping in, but it was my day off and I went out Thursday to hear Mikey's band host an open mic night. Great time!
Today I felt ROUGH when I woke up. This tin man definitely needed a little oil! Morning wake up helped remove some of that achy soreness! In the afternoon I busted out some more yard work, this time for my parents. The belt on their self propelled mower snapped and the property is a bit much for my dad to do without that extra assist. I actually enjoy mowing, but somehow it seemed their yard got 3 times larger since I had mowed it for them a few years ago.
Got home and ended up having an impromptu dance party with the kids. Somehow my 7 year old son was unaware of who James Brown is. Thank you YouTube! After a couple songs it was time to bust out our DDP! The kids decided they would join us (which lasted all of 2 minutes). The StandUp was a rough one, but I must say I did much less stumbling this go round. Whooo! I love all this newfound energy and motivation!
Sadly I was too busy trying not to fall over onto one of the kids to knock Mike over today. Luckily there is always tomorrow.... Well, in our case I guess Monday as Mikey tells me Sunday is a rest day. Double awesome! I know I'll still do the morning wake up, but after that I think I may just enjoy the rest.
Anxious to check out Money in the Bank tomorrow! Keep rocking everyone!
BANG!
Max
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, we have totally kicked it the last 2 days! I got an unscheduled Saturday off which has been absolutely wonderful. Was scheduled to play a club outside of Baltimore, but due to receiving rubber checks 2 of the last 3 times we played there-though we did eventually get paid- we decided to pull the rest of our dates(living the dream baby). A meeting for a wedding gig next week got me out of helping Max mow our parent's yard (again, living the dream baby) though I did get to join the impromptu dance party when we all got home.
Yesterday's Energy+Red Hot Core had me sore and more all the way through my gig last night. Most keyboard players sit down on the job, but I've always preferred standing up. Yesterday, however, I was real close to grabbing a bar stool and sitting through that third set. Found myself wobbling more than usual through the Standup workout tonight as well. My body is screaming for a rest day and I will be more than happy to oblige tomorrow.
Checked out some of the pictures coming from the DDPYoga retreat going on right now. Looks like a blast, and I do confess a spot of jealousy. Actually tried to imagine myself on that beach doing Yoga with other TeamDDP members during tonight's workout. One of the things that has made this program actually become a daily habit is my fellow members of TeamDDP. I find that messages of encouragement always find their way into my teamddp.com page right when they are needed. A big thanks to some people that I've never met face to face like Troy Cook, Rob of DDPYogaVsRob@YouTube , Roger Lowery, Lisa, Sparky, Michael Leslie, Paula Pweebles and I'm sure there are more that I'll remember and mention later. The positive attitude that this program cultivates is as vital to me as the physical benefits have been.
Now I'm off to take my 7 month pics and then probably fall asleep to an episode of Doctor Who. Yeah, there is probably a better way to spend my Saturday night off but I'll stick with DDPYoga and a bit of telley.
Hope you have had as rewarding a week as the Mink brothers have had here! If not, just join us next week as we plan on doing it all over again.
BANG!!!
Mike
Today I felt ROUGH when I woke up. This tin man definitely needed a little oil! Morning wake up helped remove some of that achy soreness! In the afternoon I busted out some more yard work, this time for my parents. The belt on their self propelled mower snapped and the property is a bit much for my dad to do without that extra assist. I actually enjoy mowing, but somehow it seemed their yard got 3 times larger since I had mowed it for them a few years ago.
Got home and ended up having an impromptu dance party with the kids. Somehow my 7 year old son was unaware of who James Brown is. Thank you YouTube! After a couple songs it was time to bust out our DDP! The kids decided they would join us (which lasted all of 2 minutes). The StandUp was a rough one, but I must say I did much less stumbling this go round. Whooo! I love all this newfound energy and motivation!
Sadly I was too busy trying not to fall over onto one of the kids to knock Mike over today. Luckily there is always tomorrow.... Well, in our case I guess Monday as Mikey tells me Sunday is a rest day. Double awesome! I know I'll still do the morning wake up, but after that I think I may just enjoy the rest.
Anxious to check out Money in the Bank tomorrow! Keep rocking everyone!
BANG!
Max
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, we have totally kicked it the last 2 days! I got an unscheduled Saturday off which has been absolutely wonderful. Was scheduled to play a club outside of Baltimore, but due to receiving rubber checks 2 of the last 3 times we played there-though we did eventually get paid- we decided to pull the rest of our dates(living the dream baby). A meeting for a wedding gig next week got me out of helping Max mow our parent's yard (again, living the dream baby) though I did get to join the impromptu dance party when we all got home.
Yesterday's Energy+Red Hot Core had me sore and more all the way through my gig last night. Most keyboard players sit down on the job, but I've always preferred standing up. Yesterday, however, I was real close to grabbing a bar stool and sitting through that third set. Found myself wobbling more than usual through the Standup workout tonight as well. My body is screaming for a rest day and I will be more than happy to oblige tomorrow.
Checked out some of the pictures coming from the DDPYoga retreat going on right now. Looks like a blast, and I do confess a spot of jealousy. Actually tried to imagine myself on that beach doing Yoga with other TeamDDP members during tonight's workout. One of the things that has made this program actually become a daily habit is my fellow members of TeamDDP. I find that messages of encouragement always find their way into my teamddp.com page right when they are needed. A big thanks to some people that I've never met face to face like Troy Cook, Rob of DDPYogaVsRob@YouTube , Roger Lowery, Lisa, Sparky, Michael Leslie, Paula Pweebles and I'm sure there are more that I'll remember and mention later. The positive attitude that this program cultivates is as vital to me as the physical benefits have been.
Now I'm off to take my 7 month pics and then probably fall asleep to an episode of Doctor Who. Yeah, there is probably a better way to spend my Saturday night off but I'll stick with DDPYoga and a bit of telley.
Hope you have had as rewarding a week as the Mink brothers have had here! If not, just join us next week as we plan on doing it all over again.
BANG!!!
Mike
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Seeing, but more important FEELING results!
Oh how awesome it feels to have a day without negative craziness! Busted out my morning wake up as usual. It amazes me how much more challenging that has gotten through these first few days of regular workout sessions. Luckily, I am more than up to the challenge!
At work I hopped on the scale that I have been using to keep an eye on my weight. Weight loss isn't my #1 goal, but it helps the back and increases the ole self esteem. After just 3 days of regular workouts and dramatically reducing my soda intake I'm already down 7 pounds! I know I should cut the soda completely, but if I'm not allowed to have it I want it more! So I've gone from drinking truthfully over 100 ounces of soda a day to maybe 1 or 2 20 ounce bottles and a whole lot of Propel flavored water! I've been hovering in the 270s-280s for years, and today the scale rewarded me with 261! Two pounds away from cracking the 250s! I don't think I've seen those numbers since I graduated high school over 10 years ago! I realize 7 pounds isn't much, but the 7 pounds just feels like the ice in the water! An added benefit! The best part about this journey (and truthfully I've done sessions off and on since the beginning of the year, but this is my get serious everyday push) is the results I can FEEL!
Back in '05 I had a severely herniated disk that after nearly a year of PT, 7 cortizone injections, and countless types of prescription pain pills I finally threw in the towel and allowed the doc to cut me open. I believe the official name was a laminectomy/discectomy at my L5/S1 (that might not be right, it was my low back). Doc said he had to scoop out a whole lot of the disc and I would most likely be facing a full blown fusion in my later years due to the amount he had to remove and an additional herniation above the one he fixed. Oh and while he was in there he noticed a small pin hole in my spinal cord, presumably from one of the injections. So he used "bioglue" to fix it up. Surgery was around 7pm, discharge around 11am the next day. Fast forward to three weeks later and I have a large ball of fluid at the top of my incision. Fluid starts leaking, I go to ER....hey, you're leaking spinal fluid. I'll never forget, that was the Saturday that Penn State lost to Michigan in the final seconds of the 4th quarter and blew their undefeated season (die hard PSU fans at Mink Manor. WE ARE!). Anyway, I had to stay in hospital until they could operate again on Monday. Monday morning they went in, stitched up my spinal cord, and "double" stitched my back up "like a baseball" I'll never forget that odd explanation, or the questions of "can you feel your legs?" when I finally came too. This time I was in the hospital for 3 days after the surgery.
After "recovering" from the two surgeries it wasn't long before I was back at the doctor with uncontrollable pain shooting down my leg and that pins and needle numbness again. Doc says, looks like you are part of the 20% of failed back surgeries... WHAT?! Back to the pain pills....well that lasted for a few months before my tolerance to the various prescription meds continued to build and the pain continued to be unbearable. I couldn't take it anymore. The meds were making me, a red head, even more short tempered than I already was. I was snapping at the dumbest stuff and felt like a prisoner in my own body. I reengaged with the docs and said I needed off the pills. It wasn't fun. It wasn't easy. The pain and numbness came back, I was back in the surgeon's office and told I will need a fusion, rod, and screws. NNNNOOOOOOOOO! I'm still in my 20's (at that point). Can we try one of those injections again? Please? Luckily we tried and it relieved the pain enough that I could tolerate it, and never went back to the doctor. Now I was determined to find my own path to being pain free, or at least not being slave to my pain.
It took awhile of willing myself through the discomfort, half-hearted attempts at weight loss, and way more bottles of ibuprofen than I wish to remember. I finally came across Arthur's video as I was researching what I could do to improve my back. The more I looked into the YRG program the more I knew this was the answer. Now it was figuring out a way to do the exercises while navigating the day to day mine field of my back/leg pain. I spun my wheels for a few months, but when I was able to do the workouts I could feel small improvements.
Gone is the cane I sometimes needed to lean on/walk with in my mid 20's! Gone is the hunch and heavy limp that was setting in! Gone is the cramp that never seemed to leave my left calf and would wake me in the middle of so many nights! Gone is the constant state of discomfort! Gone is my despair of never experiencing a day without chronic pain! I'm starting to feel like my old happy go lucky (but still red headed so watch out) self! Back then I was probably floating in the upper 280s lower 290s so about 30 pounds, 7 years, and a whole lot of sweat equity later....I'm managing my pain and more, I'm owning my life!!!
Anyone I hear talking about aches and pains I recommend this program. Anyone looking to make a positive change in their life, I recommend this program! If anyone is on the fence, I urge you to give it a shot! Swallow the stigma you may have surrounding yoga. Own and take enjoyment out of falling all over your living room. Swear, grunt, scream, laugh while DDP challenges you and pushes your limits everyday! Make the workouts your own! Mike and I always joke when we finally are able to meet DDP, we don't know if we will want to hug him or hit him (reach a little higher, stretch a little further) lol!
Sorry for the long rambling post this eve. I've been known to get a bit chatty when I am in a great mood! Sadly Mikey had to jet out to a gig before he was able to add his two cents. Wait a minute....he's not here to post a response to my post.....Did I mention how he just sat there eating chips, candy bars, and drinking a gigantic soda that I swear I saw him put extra sugar in while I was sweating my way through fat burner today?
I tease, I joke, I kid! My big brother is an awesome workout partner! Even though he does a workout with his girlfriend he pushes it and will still sweat it out beside me in the evenings. Who better to hold you accountable than someone that has journeyed to hell and back and hell and back and hell and back and hell and back again with you?! Besides, if I didn't tell the truth about Mikey working out beside me I couldn't take my daily enjoyment out of proudly proclaiming I pushed him over during the broken table and almost pulled him off balance while hulking it out of a diamond cutter as he tried to throw me off! Little brother power!!!
Don't forget to do your DDP tomorrow! I know I won't.....BANG!!!!
Max Mink
At work I hopped on the scale that I have been using to keep an eye on my weight. Weight loss isn't my #1 goal, but it helps the back and increases the ole self esteem. After just 3 days of regular workouts and dramatically reducing my soda intake I'm already down 7 pounds! I know I should cut the soda completely, but if I'm not allowed to have it I want it more! So I've gone from drinking truthfully over 100 ounces of soda a day to maybe 1 or 2 20 ounce bottles and a whole lot of Propel flavored water! I've been hovering in the 270s-280s for years, and today the scale rewarded me with 261! Two pounds away from cracking the 250s! I don't think I've seen those numbers since I graduated high school over 10 years ago! I realize 7 pounds isn't much, but the 7 pounds just feels like the ice in the water! An added benefit! The best part about this journey (and truthfully I've done sessions off and on since the beginning of the year, but this is my get serious everyday push) is the results I can FEEL!
Back in '05 I had a severely herniated disk that after nearly a year of PT, 7 cortizone injections, and countless types of prescription pain pills I finally threw in the towel and allowed the doc to cut me open. I believe the official name was a laminectomy/discectomy at my L5/S1 (that might not be right, it was my low back). Doc said he had to scoop out a whole lot of the disc and I would most likely be facing a full blown fusion in my later years due to the amount he had to remove and an additional herniation above the one he fixed. Oh and while he was in there he noticed a small pin hole in my spinal cord, presumably from one of the injections. So he used "bioglue" to fix it up. Surgery was around 7pm, discharge around 11am the next day. Fast forward to three weeks later and I have a large ball of fluid at the top of my incision. Fluid starts leaking, I go to ER....hey, you're leaking spinal fluid. I'll never forget, that was the Saturday that Penn State lost to Michigan in the final seconds of the 4th quarter and blew their undefeated season (die hard PSU fans at Mink Manor. WE ARE!). Anyway, I had to stay in hospital until they could operate again on Monday. Monday morning they went in, stitched up my spinal cord, and "double" stitched my back up "like a baseball" I'll never forget that odd explanation, or the questions of "can you feel your legs?" when I finally came too. This time I was in the hospital for 3 days after the surgery.
After "recovering" from the two surgeries it wasn't long before I was back at the doctor with uncontrollable pain shooting down my leg and that pins and needle numbness again. Doc says, looks like you are part of the 20% of failed back surgeries... WHAT?! Back to the pain pills....well that lasted for a few months before my tolerance to the various prescription meds continued to build and the pain continued to be unbearable. I couldn't take it anymore. The meds were making me, a red head, even more short tempered than I already was. I was snapping at the dumbest stuff and felt like a prisoner in my own body. I reengaged with the docs and said I needed off the pills. It wasn't fun. It wasn't easy. The pain and numbness came back, I was back in the surgeon's office and told I will need a fusion, rod, and screws. NNNNOOOOOOOOO! I'm still in my 20's (at that point). Can we try one of those injections again? Please? Luckily we tried and it relieved the pain enough that I could tolerate it, and never went back to the doctor. Now I was determined to find my own path to being pain free, or at least not being slave to my pain.
It took awhile of willing myself through the discomfort, half-hearted attempts at weight loss, and way more bottles of ibuprofen than I wish to remember. I finally came across Arthur's video as I was researching what I could do to improve my back. The more I looked into the YRG program the more I knew this was the answer. Now it was figuring out a way to do the exercises while navigating the day to day mine field of my back/leg pain. I spun my wheels for a few months, but when I was able to do the workouts I could feel small improvements.
Gone is the cane I sometimes needed to lean on/walk with in my mid 20's! Gone is the hunch and heavy limp that was setting in! Gone is the cramp that never seemed to leave my left calf and would wake me in the middle of so many nights! Gone is the constant state of discomfort! Gone is my despair of never experiencing a day without chronic pain! I'm starting to feel like my old happy go lucky (but still red headed so watch out) self! Back then I was probably floating in the upper 280s lower 290s so about 30 pounds, 7 years, and a whole lot of sweat equity later....I'm managing my pain and more, I'm owning my life!!!
Anyone I hear talking about aches and pains I recommend this program. Anyone looking to make a positive change in their life, I recommend this program! If anyone is on the fence, I urge you to give it a shot! Swallow the stigma you may have surrounding yoga. Own and take enjoyment out of falling all over your living room. Swear, grunt, scream, laugh while DDP challenges you and pushes your limits everyday! Make the workouts your own! Mike and I always joke when we finally are able to meet DDP, we don't know if we will want to hug him or hit him (reach a little higher, stretch a little further) lol!
Sorry for the long rambling post this eve. I've been known to get a bit chatty when I am in a great mood! Sadly Mikey had to jet out to a gig before he was able to add his two cents. Wait a minute....he's not here to post a response to my post.....Did I mention how he just sat there eating chips, candy bars, and drinking a gigantic soda that I swear I saw him put extra sugar in while I was sweating my way through fat burner today?
I tease, I joke, I kid! My big brother is an awesome workout partner! Even though he does a workout with his girlfriend he pushes it and will still sweat it out beside me in the evenings. Who better to hold you accountable than someone that has journeyed to hell and back and hell and back and hell and back and hell and back again with you?! Besides, if I didn't tell the truth about Mikey working out beside me I couldn't take my daily enjoyment out of proudly proclaiming I pushed him over during the broken table and almost pulled him off balance while hulking it out of a diamond cutter as he tried to throw me off! Little brother power!!!
Don't forget to do your DDP tomorrow! I know I won't.....BANG!!!!
Max Mink
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Owning hump day
Fitting that today is hump day as I feel I'm slowing getting back on top of things after a few drama filled days. Its amazing how much easier it is to put things in perspective once you relocate your "center". For me it was finally getting to see my kids and make sure things are all good from their end after they felt some unintentional backlash to my heated words with my Ex. If there is a bright side to this it is the stark reminder that I can't let my guard down when it comes to the kiddos. The high road is a slippery one, and while I know the Ex would say otherwise I do my best to stay on it. Admittedly I slip, but I'm human....AND a Ginger which makes those things just a little more challenging ;-)
After ending last night MUCH later than I would have liked due to being stressed out, I rewarded myself by starting the day off an extra hour early to make up for having to leave work in a rush yesterday. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to skip my morning wake up, but I looked myself in the mirror and said the simple sentence that always bring's DDP's raspy "Good Morning!". I said, it's only 10 minutes, and think of how much better you will feel! (Saying motivational things to myself in the mirror is something I've done ever since reading Pat Croce's: I Feel Great And You Can Too!)
Morning wake up, BANG! Off to work for an extra long day...
Fast forward to this evening...Which workout should we do? Let's go with StandUp, or as I am considering renaming it, StumbleBumble! Somebody needs to work on their balance, and amazingly it isn't the Mink brother that was dubbed "Jar Jar Minks"
Stumbled so much I didn't get to push Mikey over...which is my new motivation to own StandUp, lol!
3 days without wussing out of a workout. Not the most impressive number.....yet. BANG!
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We kicked it today! Got our own little Accountability Crib going on here in PA at Mink Manor, and it works as we really keep each other on task and on top of things. Just been blowing through obstacles as they present themselves in our day to day. A little support goes a long way, add a little foresight and preparation and you get even further. What's next? I don't know, but you know what...Bring it!
Tonight's Standup workout felt real nice as I can get through this one now with out falling over much(to be fair to Max, I'll add that I've made this workout a major focus over the last couple of months as I felt like it was the one that would get me to my first goal quickest...toe touching) Felt like I got that last move a little higher than I ever have before.
Looking forward to finishing the week strong and taking my 7 month pictures this weekend. That monthly reminder to myself that I don't have an Arnold Schwarzenegger physique just yet. Still more Sherminator than Terminator but I'll get there.
Til next time, get up and DDPYoga, you'll thank yourself tomorrow!
BANG!
After ending last night MUCH later than I would have liked due to being stressed out, I rewarded myself by starting the day off an extra hour early to make up for having to leave work in a rush yesterday. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to skip my morning wake up, but I looked myself in the mirror and said the simple sentence that always bring's DDP's raspy "Good Morning!". I said, it's only 10 minutes, and think of how much better you will feel! (Saying motivational things to myself in the mirror is something I've done ever since reading Pat Croce's: I Feel Great And You Can Too!)
Morning wake up, BANG! Off to work for an extra long day...
Fast forward to this evening...Which workout should we do? Let's go with StandUp, or as I am considering renaming it, StumbleBumble! Somebody needs to work on their balance, and amazingly it isn't the Mink brother that was dubbed "Jar Jar Minks"
Stumbled so much I didn't get to push Mikey over...which is my new motivation to own StandUp, lol!
3 days without wussing out of a workout. Not the most impressive number.....yet. BANG!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We kicked it today! Got our own little Accountability Crib going on here in PA at Mink Manor, and it works as we really keep each other on task and on top of things. Just been blowing through obstacles as they present themselves in our day to day. A little support goes a long way, add a little foresight and preparation and you get even further. What's next? I don't know, but you know what...Bring it!
Tonight's Standup workout felt real nice as I can get through this one now with out falling over much(to be fair to Max, I'll add that I've made this workout a major focus over the last couple of months as I felt like it was the one that would get me to my first goal quickest...toe touching) Felt like I got that last move a little higher than I ever have before.
Looking forward to finishing the week strong and taking my 7 month pictures this weekend. That monthly reminder to myself that I don't have an Arnold Schwarzenegger physique just yet. Still more Sherminator than Terminator but I'll get there.
Til next time, get up and DDPYoga, you'll thank yourself tomorrow!
BANG!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Presto chango: Drama channeled into motivation for tonight's workout
Ugh, I am no fan of drama! In the entertainment realm, sure! In my personal life, no thanks. Don't want to go into too much detail, I'll just say an over the top post divorce communication breakdown....luckily the local police understand 100% when a father with 50% custody of his kids tries to call out some, shall I say sub-par parenting habits/behaviors by mother, and mother calls cops in retaliation.
So.......
I totally kicked the fat burner workout's ass in retaliation. BANG!!!!
Add that to my morning wake up, which was a little tougher after last night's strength builder to be honest....
I'll end today's entry with a moment of expressive thanks. Thank you DDP for putting this program together! Thank you Arthur, I'm one of the millions that have been inspired by you! This program has helped me on so many levels, but ultimately just putting the tool in my hand own my life....well I can't find the words to truly express how grateful I feel!
Max
Oh, and before I forget my daily brag :-) got a little chop in on Mikey as I took it to the bridge!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What a day here at Mink Manor. It was one of those days where you just chin up and do the right thing, even though it isn't easy. I probably shouldn't mention it here because he'll see it, but I am so proud of him for being the high road guy, and glad to see when it works in his benefit.
I got a good morning Energy workout in with my lady. The cool thing about doing DDPYoga with your girlfriend is that you really don't want to drop into modifications and look like a wimp. Thus, every workout is a tough one when there are female eyes on you.
After our unexpected afternoon drama and teaching some piano lessons, I came home and destroyed a FatBurner workout with Max. Doing these workouts with my little brother has the same "I don't want to modify if I don't absolutely have to" effect.
Loving this blog, loving this journey.
If you haven't got yours in yet, let us suggest that you minimize this screen and go bust out a DDP session of your own!
Mike
So.......
I totally kicked the fat burner workout's ass in retaliation. BANG!!!!
Add that to my morning wake up, which was a little tougher after last night's strength builder to be honest....
I'll end today's entry with a moment of expressive thanks. Thank you DDP for putting this program together! Thank you Arthur, I'm one of the millions that have been inspired by you! This program has helped me on so many levels, but ultimately just putting the tool in my hand own my life....well I can't find the words to truly express how grateful I feel!
Max
Oh, and before I forget my daily brag :-) got a little chop in on Mikey as I took it to the bridge!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What a day here at Mink Manor. It was one of those days where you just chin up and do the right thing, even though it isn't easy. I probably shouldn't mention it here because he'll see it, but I am so proud of him for being the high road guy, and glad to see when it works in his benefit.
I got a good morning Energy workout in with my lady. The cool thing about doing DDPYoga with your girlfriend is that you really don't want to drop into modifications and look like a wimp. Thus, every workout is a tough one when there are female eyes on you.
After our unexpected afternoon drama and teaching some piano lessons, I came home and destroyed a FatBurner workout with Max. Doing these workouts with my little brother has the same "I don't want to modify if I don't absolutely have to" effect.
Loving this blog, loving this journey.
If you haven't got yours in yet, let us suggest that you minimize this screen and go bust out a DDP session of your own!
Mike
Monday, July 8, 2013
Starting the week strong
Monday, Monday, Monday! 4 day weekend is over and it was back to work. Started the day off right with some "oil for the tin man"! I swear that morning wake up routine is the reason I was able to leave that recommended 3rd back surgery in the rear view mirror!
After reflecting on a sweltering hot and humid 4th of July weekend I was a little disappointed that I took an extra day off of the DDPYoga so soon after trying to really focus on making more than just the wake up a part of my daily routine. Enter the beauty of having your brother as your workout partner. In an effort to keep us (well, me) on target I put forth this "motivator": If he or I wusses out of a workout we must willingly submit ourselves to a reverse knife edge chop. Not to bad you might think...well, we are a pair of ginger siblings separated by a mere 3 years, with decades of pro wrestling training (and by training I mean "I'll let you put me in a figure 4 for 15 seconds if I can put you in a boston crab for 20 seconds"). Originally I said 10 chops, but then I got home from work, and we quickly agreed starting tomorrow that number drops to 1!
After some unexpected BS drama with the X (don't mess with the kids!) I decided I don't care what workout we do tonight, surprise me! Enter, Strength Builder....37 minutes later, those chops might not have been a bad idea....
Here's to a day of channeling negative stressful energy into something positive (and pushing your older brother during broken airplane)! BANG!!!
Max
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd have fallen over anyway, I am no good at that stretch.
Never a dull moment, here at Mink Manor as we continue to live life at 90%. Hope your session today was as rewarding as ours was, and I'll tip Max over in some random pose tomorrow, rest assured.
Mike
After reflecting on a sweltering hot and humid 4th of July weekend I was a little disappointed that I took an extra day off of the DDPYoga so soon after trying to really focus on making more than just the wake up a part of my daily routine. Enter the beauty of having your brother as your workout partner. In an effort to keep us (well, me) on target I put forth this "motivator": If he or I wusses out of a workout we must willingly submit ourselves to a reverse knife edge chop. Not to bad you might think...well, we are a pair of ginger siblings separated by a mere 3 years, with decades of pro wrestling training (and by training I mean "I'll let you put me in a figure 4 for 15 seconds if I can put you in a boston crab for 20 seconds"). Originally I said 10 chops, but then I got home from work, and we quickly agreed starting tomorrow that number drops to 1!
After some unexpected BS drama with the X (don't mess with the kids!) I decided I don't care what workout we do tonight, surprise me! Enter, Strength Builder....37 minutes later, those chops might not have been a bad idea....
Here's to a day of channeling negative stressful energy into something positive (and pushing your older brother during broken airplane)! BANG!!!
Max
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd have fallen over anyway, I am no good at that stretch.
Never a dull moment, here at Mink Manor as we continue to live life at 90%. Hope your session today was as rewarding as ours was, and I'll tip Max over in some random pose tomorrow, rest assured.
Mike
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Where We Are Coming From - Where We Are Going
Thanks for taking the time to check out our blog. Figure we will throw out some background and give you an idea of what is going on here.
While doing the live DDPYoga Youtube workout a week or so ago, my brother and I decided to take the DDPYoga challenge and start a blog of our own. If you don't know what the DDPYoga Challenge is, please head on over to ddpyogachallenge.com , create a blog, and be a part of it. Top prize is $15,000 but the participation prize is worth even more then that. What's the participation prize, you ask? Reaping benefits of healthy living. Trust me it's a prize you want and a prize you are guaranteed by making DDPYoga a part of your daily life. Please follow us on our journey, and let us know about your own so we can follow you. It's a challenge not a competition and we are all winners on Team DDP.
Now for some Mink brothers history. We grew up in a small town called Farmersville in Lancaster PA. We were both wrestling fans as kids, trading Elbow Drops for DDT's and Boston Crabs for Figure Fours whenever the parents were out of earshot. We really did beat the hell out of each other and not get along great as kids. In our adult lives, however, we have a relationship that all parents hope their children have with each other. Lots of respect, honesty, and (sometimes tough) love here. About 2 years ago life had backed both of us into very different corners, and we decided to combine our efforts and get each other through our respective situations. Without boring you with the "nitty gritty", I'll say that our sob stories are similar to ones everyone has heard before. Divorce, Loss of job, Lack of work, Threatened Foreclosure, Staying Strong For/Around Kids, etc... Life is hard for everyone and we are no exception. So I moved in with Max and his 2 kids in July of 2011 and we got to work getting ourselves on track. And I have to say that it is working. DDP calls it "Living Life At 90%", and it is a mentality endorsed by the Mink brothers. If we stick to our gameplan as we have been, it's still going to be 2 or 3 years of hard work before we will feel like we are "out of the rough". However, we have found the joy in the journey and hope that we can share this very enjoyable and effective mentality with anyone following our blog.
Now for our DDP Yoga history. One night I saw the Arthur video shared on Facebook, by my former 3rd grade teacher, and that is pretty much how it started. Ended up google searching for next hour, it was right when Jake The Snake was joining the Accountability Crib. I remember that specifically because I was one of Jake The Snake's first twenty Twitter followers. Max has 2 back surgeries in his rearview mirror, I'll let him blog the details on that, and has always struggled in the winters with some severe stiffness and pain. I was developing a terrible piano players hunch and have always been stiff as a board. There is a list of the motivations that started us-Arthur, Jake The Snake Roberts, Max's back pain, and my awful posture. Since we discovered DDP, Max has benefitted greatly from the Wakeup sessions and has been sporadically adding in an afternoon or evening session, often with one or both of his kids! His back pain has reached a level of manageability he never attained with meds or any other stretching programs. I have been doing 5-6 sessions a week since mid December, and have been bugging Max(and really-anyone else who will listen) to join me in that routine. I joined up on TeamDDP and have been keeping a workout journal over there. If you are a part of TeamDDP, send me a friend request at http://www.teamddpyoga.com/profile/MichaelPaulMink
Our goals are still a bit general at the moment:
-to inspire each other to be the best we can be
-to see continued flexibilty improvement
-I guess we should get a tailor's tape and a scale so we can take measurements and make some more specific goals
-stay positive throughout
-we are going to be the best we can be
Think Inspiration
Think DDPYoga
Think Mink
While doing the live DDPYoga Youtube workout a week or so ago, my brother and I decided to take the DDPYoga challenge and start a blog of our own. If you don't know what the DDPYoga Challenge is, please head on over to ddpyogachallenge.com , create a blog, and be a part of it. Top prize is $15,000 but the participation prize is worth even more then that. What's the participation prize, you ask? Reaping benefits of healthy living. Trust me it's a prize you want and a prize you are guaranteed by making DDPYoga a part of your daily life. Please follow us on our journey, and let us know about your own so we can follow you. It's a challenge not a competition and we are all winners on Team DDP.
Now for some Mink brothers history. We grew up in a small town called Farmersville in Lancaster PA. We were both wrestling fans as kids, trading Elbow Drops for DDT's and Boston Crabs for Figure Fours whenever the parents were out of earshot. We really did beat the hell out of each other and not get along great as kids. In our adult lives, however, we have a relationship that all parents hope their children have with each other. Lots of respect, honesty, and (sometimes tough) love here. About 2 years ago life had backed both of us into very different corners, and we decided to combine our efforts and get each other through our respective situations. Without boring you with the "nitty gritty", I'll say that our sob stories are similar to ones everyone has heard before. Divorce, Loss of job, Lack of work, Threatened Foreclosure, Staying Strong For/Around Kids, etc... Life is hard for everyone and we are no exception. So I moved in with Max and his 2 kids in July of 2011 and we got to work getting ourselves on track. And I have to say that it is working. DDP calls it "Living Life At 90%", and it is a mentality endorsed by the Mink brothers. If we stick to our gameplan as we have been, it's still going to be 2 or 3 years of hard work before we will feel like we are "out of the rough". However, we have found the joy in the journey and hope that we can share this very enjoyable and effective mentality with anyone following our blog.
Now for our DDP Yoga history. One night I saw the Arthur video shared on Facebook, by my former 3rd grade teacher, and that is pretty much how it started. Ended up google searching for next hour, it was right when Jake The Snake was joining the Accountability Crib. I remember that specifically because I was one of Jake The Snake's first twenty Twitter followers. Max has 2 back surgeries in his rearview mirror, I'll let him blog the details on that, and has always struggled in the winters with some severe stiffness and pain. I was developing a terrible piano players hunch and have always been stiff as a board. There is a list of the motivations that started us-Arthur, Jake The Snake Roberts, Max's back pain, and my awful posture. Since we discovered DDP, Max has benefitted greatly from the Wakeup sessions and has been sporadically adding in an afternoon or evening session, often with one or both of his kids! His back pain has reached a level of manageability he never attained with meds or any other stretching programs. I have been doing 5-6 sessions a week since mid December, and have been bugging Max(and really-anyone else who will listen) to join me in that routine. I joined up on TeamDDP and have been keeping a workout journal over there. If you are a part of TeamDDP, send me a friend request at http://www.teamddpyoga.com/profile/MichaelPaulMink
Our goals are still a bit general at the moment:
-to inspire each other to be the best we can be
-to see continued flexibilty improvement
-I guess we should get a tailor's tape and a scale so we can take measurements and make some more specific goals
-stay positive throughout
-we are going to be the best we can be
Think Inspiration
Think DDPYoga
Think Mink
Friday, July 5, 2013
Ignition
This blog chronicles the epic awesomeness that is younger brother power. Here you will witness a younger brother, overcoming the difficult hand life has dealt him. Throwing his older brother on his twice surgically "repaired" back he will redefine what you know as inspiration.
Ginger.
Younger Brother.
Awesome.
Max Mink.
BANG!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This blog will be reread to someone by his older brother when he feels like skipping DDP workouts. Here you will witness an older brother, overcoming the ridiculousness his parents dealt him. Dragging his younger brother by his own witty retorts, he will redefine the comedy of inspiration(I have no idea what that means).
Ginger First
Older Brother
Awesomer
Mike Mink
DOUBLE BANG!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think Inspiration
Think DDPYoga
Think Mink
https://twitter.com/ComicsToTheMax
Ginger.
Younger Brother.
Awesome.
Max Mink.
BANG!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This blog will be reread to someone by his older brother when he feels like skipping DDP workouts. Here you will witness an older brother, overcoming the ridiculousness his parents dealt him. Dragging his younger brother by his own witty retorts, he will redefine the comedy of inspiration(I have no idea what that means).
Ginger First
Older Brother
Awesomer
Mike Mink
DOUBLE BANG!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think Inspiration
Think DDPYoga
Think Mink
https://twitter.com/ComicsToTheMax
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