What is functional strength?

I have heard the term before:  "functional strength."  I've always kind of "gotten" the idea...look, what's the point of doing traditional bicep curls when you will never in your life lift anything that way?  We talk about it all the time in Twirly Tuff, especially since pole dancing requires the use of different muscles than most traditional workouts.  So I thought it would be a good topic for today.

What is FUNCTIONAL strength (or functional strength training)?

Since there are a million websites out there on this very topic, I thought it would be easier for me to just post a few good definitions.

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-Functional-Strength

Common Motions - Utilize motions that are more common in your every day life. For example, how often do you find yourself lying on your back and lifting something heavy over your chest? Probably the only time is in the gym doing bench presses. Instead, work on more common movements or change the exercise to perform it from a more common position. With bench press some examples include push-ups, standing cable press, or even punching motions with a stretch band or cable machine resistance.

http://www.acefitness.org/fitnessqanda/fitnessqanda_display.aspx?itemid=285

In many respects, functional strength training should be thought of in terms of a movement continuum. As humans, we perform a wide range of movement activities, such as walking, jogging, running, sprinting, jumping, lifting, pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, turning, standing, starting, stopping, climbing and lunging. All of these activities involve smooth, rhythmic motions in the three cardinal planes of movement-sagital, frontal and transverse.

Exercises that isolate joints and muscles are training muscles, not movements, which results in less functional improvement. For example, squats will have a greater "transfer effect" on improving an individual's ability to rise from a sofa than knee extensions.

Exercises performed on most traditional machines tend to be on the low-end of the functional-training continuum because they isolate muscles in a stabilized, controlled environment. While it may be true that traditional, machine-based exercises are not the best way to transfer performance from the weight room to the real world, it does not mean that such exercises should not be a part of a training program.

For example, "non-functional," single-joint exercise can play a critical role in helping to strengthen a "weak link" that a person may have to restore proper muscle balance. Furthermore, doing such an exercise can allow an individual to more safely and effectively participate in functional-training activities while also reducing the risk of injury.

So if you've heard the "buzz words" functional strength and didn't know what they meant, hopefully this sheds a little more light on the subject.

Do I have a responsibility?

Sometimes I forget.  I forget when I'm ranting and raving and spewing unhappiness that people are actually watching my public tantrums.  It is easy for me to be "real" about my struggles because writing into a white box where I can't see anyone staring back isn't "real" to me.  I use this blog as an outlet, to help myself figure out why I do the stupid things I do.  But, do I have a responsibility?  Now that I realize how many people are reading my blog, should I rein myself in?  Should I shit sunshine and rainbows, and pretend I don't have any problems?  Should I preach good body image and healthy self love, when I don't practice it myself?  Or should I be real? 

I recently posted about the "challenges" of being a curvy girl, where I talked about not wanting to be a curvy girl.  A reader called me out:

You know, all the same things that any girl would love hearing. I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback to hear you say:

"I don't look down on curvy girls. At the same time, I don't want to be one," shortly after saying that you don't consider it a handicap. However, I am all in favor of personal choice and if it is more ideal for you to wish to be a size 4 as opposed to a size 14, in my eyes, that is perfectly acceptable. We want women to be happy in the skin they are in and if you are unhappy and being tinier would make you feel better about yourself, than that is what we would want for you. 

I corrected myself in a comment by saying that I don't fight against being CURVY.  I just don't want to be fat.  Being overweight hurts.  It hurts my back, hips, feet, ankles, knees...  Her comment (in its entirety) really resonated with me.  She continued on to say:  

That's a gift that I wish for all women, to wake up every morning, look in the mirror and realize that she is a goddess. Fat, thin or any size in between. Just be happy.

That's all I want for you. I've seen your photos. You're lovely. I wish you knew that about you and can see yourself as I see you in your pictures. Strong, fit, smart, savvy and yes, even curvy. And I promise you, it's not a bad thing. :)

I wish that for all women as well.  I wish it for all people.  I wish it for myself.  I really have to come to terms with the fact that there's a small possibility that I won't lose all of this recent weight gain.  I don't plan to stop trying, but I do need to work on loving myself regardless of what the scale (or my clothes) say.  I battle depression, so I realize I'm already fighting an uphill battle.  

I feel like I have a responsibility to be as healthy as I can possibly be.  I help run a gastric bypass support group for God's sake!  I am also now teaching at Twirly Girls, so I have a class of students I need to stay ahead of.  I really am focusing, though, on being healthy and strong, not skinny(ier).  I recently posted that I was putting my scale away.  I had gotten up to 257 pounds, and was down to 252 after I started the Paleo Diet.  I put my scale away two weeks ago and weighed 255 pounds at that time.  I was supposed to wait two months to pull my scale out.  I cheated...only two weeks in (I know....I couldn't take it!!)!  But I was down to 250 pounds!  I am SO excited!!!!  I recognize that food is my nemesis.  I am an addict and compulsive over-eater.  I am dealing with this one day at a time.  Stopping binges is my one and only daily goal.  But I definitely feel more in control since I put away the scale and all of the food lists (here's a history of my weight loss adventures). 

I know I'm usually the queen of TMI.  I guess part of me hoped I was helping other people battling the same issues, even if just to let them know there are other people out there with the same issues.  At the same time, I don't mean to insult anyone by talking about how happy *I* am when I'm overweight.  

So what do you think?  Should I publicly talk about all of my bullshit?  Or should I keep it to myself? 

Pilates Chair Series at Absolute Center

I have been taking Pilates Reformer classes at Absolute Center in Lafayette since last year.  I LOVE Reformer.  I think half the reason I love it so much is because I get to lay down for most of the workout and be barefoot (yet I still get worked).  We decided for our latest series that we should try the Pilates Chair.  It requires a little more balance since we are standing up.  I am still training with Nicole -- she's my favorite.  She is so tiny and cute.  I keep pretending that if I stick with Pilates, I will look like her one day!

I liked Chair.  I can't say I liked it as much as Reformer, but I liked it.  I think part of my problem is that I had to drop down from two days per week to one day, so maybe I just feel like I'm not as strong with Chair.  Now that I teach at Twirly Girls until late on Monday nights, getting home after 10:00 p.m. and then having to get up at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesdays for pilates was rough.

We are starting the second Chair series this week.  I am still trying to figure out how I can get a second day in there on my current schedule.  But for now, I am enjoying the Chair series and looking forward to the advanced lessons.

Looking for sponsors and raffle donations for the Third Annual Lovely Rita Fundraiser!

I blinked...and then it was already almost here.  The third annual Lovely Rita Fundraiser to benefit the National Kidney Foundation, hosted by Twirly Girls Pole Fitness, is only a month away.  The showcase and raffle will be held on Sunday, April 22, 2012.  (I haven't heard the final plan from Bel, but workshops may be held the week before.)  Don't forget, ALL OF THE MONEY RAISED GOES TO THE NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION.

Here is a post about our first event in 2010:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2010/04/lovely-rita-fundraiser-was-huge-success.html

Here is a post about our second event in 2011:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/04/thank-you.html

Here is what I need from all of you!

If you have a business and would like to donate a gift certificate or item(s), please contact me ASAP.  We need to start pulling a list together and actually collecting things.  As I learned the hard way last year, I can't count on anything until I have it in hand!

If you would like to perform, please contact Bel ASAP.  She is making a list with names and songs (so we don't have repeats).  We need to figure out how long this show will be.

If you are not in the area but would still like to donate, please visit this LINK.

Tickets for the showcase and raffle will be going on sale SOON.  Please help us make this our best year ever!

My 8th Surgiversary

Today is the eighth anniversary of the first day of the rest of my life.  I had gastric bypass surgery this day eight years ago at UCSF in San Francisco.  

I know I have been fighting a very public battle with my weight lately.  Maybe I've made it too public.  I guess I felt like if I make my issues public, it will help me take control but I've really just been more out of control than I ever have been post-surgery.  I'm just now starting to come to terms with my addiction and compulsive behaviors.  

Even though I have been battling weight gain, I am still down 100 pounds.  I am still considered a successful gastric bypass patient.  At five to fifteen years post-surgery, most gastric bypass patients are expected to have kept off half of the weight.  I've kept almost 2/3 off (maybe a little less...I'd really rather not do math but I've definitely done better than 50%).  I still don't want the 1/3 I have on.  And I still beat the odds.  Sadly.

Read the post about my 6th new-birthday HERE.

Read the post about turning seven HERE.

You can read about the Twirly Tuff workout I've been following HERE.

Read about self-esteem posts HERE.

Read about addiction HERE.

HERE are my top five gastric bypass posts from 2011.

Otherwise, enjoy some photos from my gastric bypass adventures.  Here's to my 9th new-birthday being way happier than this one.  :-)

25 Things You Didn't Know About Me

A la Myspace or US Magazine, here are 25 things you didn't know about me!  (Or you actually probably did since I don't know how to keep anything to myself.)

1.  I LOVE live music.  In 2000, I met the band Sunburn, which had just moved to the Bay Area from Hawaii.  So began my love affair with the live music scene.  The electricity created by a crowd waiting for a  band to come on stage is indescribable. 

2.  I also love horseback riding.  I miss my horse, Tank (I had to give him up due to money and time constraints -- thanks, Sam!!!!!).  Riding on the ocean beach is like heaven to me.

3.  The big toenail on my left foot is acrylic, thanks to the aforementioned 2,000 pound Percheron horse.

4.  In 2008, with the help of my friend, John, I climbed to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite.  It was one of the most amazing (and painful) experiences of my life.  I attempted it again in 2009, and didn't make it to the top that time.

5.  I was on a reality show with my sister once.  It was called Born Country - Karaoke Moms on CMT.  It was an interesting experience and soured me on "reality" TV for good. 

6.  I used to weigh 350 pounds.  I had gastric bypass in 2004 and initially lost over 165 pounds (from 347 pounds to 179 pounds).  I am currently, uh, somewhere in between those weights. 

7.  I am six feet tall -- pretty tall for a girl.  :-)

8.  I have worked in the legal field since I was 18 years old -- so I'm almost 18 years in.  I have worked this field for half of my life.  I have worked with my current boss for 9 years. 

9.  My nose runs when I eat (byproduct of the gastric bypass surgery). 

10.  Pole dancing has changed my life on so many levels -- both physically and mentally.  I owe many things, including this blog, to my love affair with Twirly Girls and pole dancing.  

11.  I had three rounds of plastic surgery, consisting of seven or eight procedures, in 2006. Painful as shit. 

12.  I still have my tonsils.  I don't know why that's important.  Coming up with 25 things is harder than I thought. 

13.  I broke my collarbone when I was around 12 years old.  I was snow skiing in Lake Tahoe with family, crossed my skis, flipped over and landed on my shoulder.

14.  When I was three years old, I was collecting ladybugs in my neighbor's backyard.  They had family visiting with their dog -- an Airedale.  When I tried to leave, the dog grabbed me by the head and took off with me.  Although he was trying to shake me to death, I only ended up with ten stitches in my head.  But that probably scrambled my brains for life. 

15.  I rode in a helicopter one time.  I got to ride around the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was really awesome.

16.  My amazing nephew, Dillon, has leukodystrophy.  Essentially, it means that, even at almost 7 years old, he's still practically an infant.  My sister, Kati, works her ass off to take care of him.  He is the sweetest boy you will ever meet.

17.  I hold many jobs other than my legal job.  I now teach at Twirly Girls, and also attempt to handle their social media and some events.  I write for Vertical Art and Fitness Magazine.  I write blogs for places like Social Sonar and The Pole Dancing Shop (among others).  I seed Twitter and Facebook accounts for Social Sonar, and do other social media related tasks for them.  I also house/pet-sit.

18.  My brother has his pilot's license and flies around in a little plane.  I've only gone up with him a few times because I get a little air sick.

19.  I grew up in the Mormon Church.  I haven't been to church since I was 14 or 15 years old.  Although I feel like I gained certain values that I appreciate, I do not otherwise wish to associate with religion in general.

20.  My youngest brother is almost 18 years younger than me (he, in fact, turns 18 this year, which makes me feel old).  My parents split when I was 12.  They each then had another child.  My mom had my sister when I was 16 (I drove them home from the hospital), and my dad (well, I guess my stepmom) had my brother when I was 17 -- two months shy of my 18th birthday.  My little brother, Eric, was barely two weeks old when I graduated high school.

21.  When one of my grandfather's passed away in 2003, there was a ladybug in my car when I left the funeral.  I now always think of my grandpa when I see ladybugs.  I often think of tattooing a ladybug on my neck behind my ear, so my grandpa can whisper good advice to me.

22.  I was named after my mom's best friend in high school.  I had one of the funniest trips to LA around the time of the OJ Simpson murder trial.  My Auntie Lori was obsessed with OJ and we drove by his house to throw fake blood on his driveway.  I had two friends with me and we were in the back seat of an old school Jaguar, laughing like crazy people and driving around a super posh neighborhood planning our attack.

23.  I'm right-handed.  I know, lame, but I'm running out of ideas.

24.  WHEN I win the lottery, I have a whole plan of what I'm doing with the money.

25.  I have a huge crush on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.  In fact, my friend, Robert, and I are having a dance-off at the Lovely Rita Fundraiser next month to "win" The Rock's heart.  You better watch out, Robert, because I plan to win!!!!

The Psoriasis-Stelara Modification

So catching everyone up on this whole mess...I started Enbrel in July 2011 to help with my psoriasis.  Pretty much nothing happened.  I switched to Humira in October and pretty much nothing happened (except I started getting a bunch of upper respiratory infections).  You can see my last Big Bang Theory themed update here:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/01/psoriasis-humira-conundrum.html

So, now...drum roll please...I'm going to try Stelara.

I don't want to take Stelara.  

Why am I doing this to myself?  All of these shots are immune-suppressants that cause me to get sick.  All for clear skin?  It sucks because my normal therapy for psoriasis is super thick and greasy lotions or ointments.  Well that just doesn't work for pole dancers!!  [Insert foot stomp and minor tantrum here.] 

Some of the serious side effects of Humira are:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); black, tarry, or bloody stools; blood in the urine; burning, numbness, or tingling; butterfly-shaped rash on the nose and cheeks; change in the appearance of a mole; chest pain; confusion; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; mental or mood changes; muscle pain or weakness; new or worsening joint pain; open sore that does not heal; persistent pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; severe or persistent headache or dizziness; severe or persistent stomach pain; shortness of breath; signs of infection (eg, fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; persistent cough; flu-like symptoms; warm, red, or painful skin; increased or painful urination); swelling of the ankles, hands, or feet; tremor; unexplained weight loss or weight gain; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual lumps; unusual skin growth or other skin changes; unusual tiredness or weakness; unusually pale skin; vision changes; vomit that looks like coffee grounds.

Sounds pleasant!  

Some of the side effects of Stelara are:

Stelara may increase the risk of infections and reactivation of latent infections. Serious bacterial, fungal, and viral infections were observed in subjects receiving Stelara.  Serious infections requiring hospitalization occurred in the psoriasis development program. These serious infections included cellulitis, diverticulitis, osteomyelitis, viral infections, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections.

Individuals genetically deficient in IL-12/IL-23 are particularly vulnerable to disseminated infections from mycobacteria (including nontuberculous, environmental mycobacteria), salmonella (including nontyphi strains), and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccinations. Serious infections and fatal outcomes have been reported in such patients.

Stelara is an immunosuppressant and may increase the risk of malignancy. Malignancies were reported among subjects who received Stelara in clinical studies.

One case of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) was observed during the clinical development program which included 3523 Stelara-treated subjects. The subject, who had received 12 doses of Stelara over approximately two years, presented with headache, seizures and confusion. No additional Stelara injections were administered and the subject fully recovered with appropriate treatment.

Serious infections and possibly cancer?  Sign me up!  I'm also nervous because it specifically says they don't have a lot of information on people who get allergy shots and I'm over three or four years into my allergy shot commitment.  

I feel like I'm on a train that I can't quite get off yet.  I was hoping I'd lose a bunch of weight and not need anymore medications.  That has not been the case.  In fact, now that I'm reading more about Humira, that may have been one of the things working against me.  I am a little more nervous about Stelara because, even though it has been approved by the FDA, there are no long term studies on how it affects people.  In ten years, my arm could fall off and I may have to say, "oh I'm guessing that was because I took Stelara back in the day!"  At least I am sticking with somewhat known medications.  My doctor did offer to put me in a study, which would have given me free treatment.  But then I'm a human lab rat.  No thanks!!  

Anyway, here are some photos to show how this stupid disease can look even from day to day.  One day I'm horribly red and disgusting.  The next day, not so bad.  But I still have not had clear skin in almost two years -- and this is the worst outbreak I've had in longer than I can remember. 

March 3 (before my Humira shot):

March 4 (day after final Humira shot):

March 5 (two days after Humira):