Which Recovery Drink Is Best For You?

A lot of people ask which Recovery Drink is best for them to use.  Some people wonder if they need a Recovery Drink at all.  I am not a doctor, so I will not be able to explain in detail on a medical or scientific level how these drinks work.   I can share some of the information I found during my extended research on the subject. Scientific research has shown that there is a 60-minute “window of opportunity” immediately following exercise when muscle cells are maximally primed to repair, rebuild, and adapt from a workout.  Studies show that with proper nutrition during the first hour following exercise you can increase your body’s ability to recover more than 100%.  Proper post-workout nutrition is a key factor in how quickly and completely your body will recover and benefit from exercise.  Replenishing energy stores and supplying key amino acids and vitamins is crucial if you want to be good and ready for your next workout.  Read more…

Guilt!   Why Do I Feel This Way?

Guilt is not what I was expecting when I started going through the cancer treatment process.  Even at times before my diagnosis, I felt guilty because so many people had to get involved in the day to day stuff.  With my wife taking care of our little one at home, my dad had to drive me to so many appointments.  On my 40th birthday, he had to get up really early so I could be at the hospital for my Spinal Tap.  Can you believe that the doctor would schedule my Spinal Tap on my birthday?    Read more…

Should I Do This? Should I Go For A Run?

Should I Go For A Run?  That was the thought going through my mind on February 1st, 2012.  It was unseasonably warm for the Ohio Valley and I just had this strong desire to go for a run.  The problem was that I haven’t actually gone for a run in 990 days.  My last run was in May, 2009.  My running season cut short due to a running injury that i couldn’t work through.  My plan was to start fresh in 2010 and slowly work up to 10 miles.  Obviously, the cancer diagnosis wiped out those plans and my running goals were no longer a priority.  Read more…

Why Should I Exercise? – I Have An Excuse!

It is so easy to come up with excuses.  Why Should I Exercise?  I just got done working.  Why Should I Exercise?  I did enough of that when I was younger.  I am amazed that I asked this same question.  I had so many excuses to justify not working out.  I knew I was out of shape.  Looking in the mirror, on any given day, proved that some sort of physical exercise was needed in my life.  My wife would give me those gentle reminders, every now and then, and every time I would pull out the list of excuses and read one of them off to her.  She would tell me the benefits of eating healthy and the benefits of exercising.  She wasn’t really telling me anything that I didn’t already know, but I would let it go in one ear and out the other.  Why Should I Exercise?  I am so tired today! Read more…

The Radiation Mask – Don’t Panic

Please click here if you didn’t read part one of this story that leads up to the Radiation Mask.  It is funny how our mind works and how we prepare ourselves for certain things.  The Radiation Therapist asked me to close my eyes and not to panic.  She told me that it was going to feel like a warm towel is being placed over my face.  That didn’t sound so bad.    I do recall the times when I was younger, when my dad and I would be wrestling in the dining room, and he would freak me out by putting a pillow over my head and face.  I remember screaming “I CAN’T BREATHE! I CAN’T BREATHE!”  He would laugh and take the pillow off my face.  Then I would build up the courage again to try and knock him out with the pillow.  He would take the pillow off of me, cover my head, and you would here it again – “I CAN’T BREATHE! I CAN’T BREATHE!”   When the therapist put the form over my face, which would become my Radiation Mask, I thought for a minute that I wasn’t going to be able to breathe. Read more…

Fighting Cancer – How Do I Do This?

 I have to be honest. I knew that Fighting Cancer was something that I might have to do.  I had so many doctors’ visits, blood tests, scans and tests and no one was able to tell me what was wrong with me.  I was doing a lot of personal research online and some of the info I was getting pointed to cancer.  It also pointed to a lot of other possible diseases, so I was trying to prepare myself mentally for when they finally found out what was wrong with me. Even though I tried to prepare myself mentally, after the doctor had given me the news, I remember thinking on the drive home: How Do I Do This?   Before I even begin Fighting Cancer, as I shared in another post, How Do I Tell My Wife I Have Cancer?  How do I tell my parents?  Read more…

Protein Shake Anyone ?

When I started my second round of Radiation Treatments it didn’t take long for my throat to get raw.  I had the worst sore throat I had ever experienced and it lasted about 7 to 8 weeks.  After about the second week, I basically went to a liquid diet.  My wife made me lots of  high protein pudding and jello, but solid foods were no longer on my favorites list.  I had a hard time keeping food down.  The doctors and nurses wanted me to drink 3 or 4 Ensure Plus drinks daily.  That got old real fast!  Unfortunately, I found an AWESOME PROTEIN SHAKE after my treatments were over.  Read more…

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? 

This question has been asked millions of times.   The answer to this question isn’t always taken well, especially when you or a loved one is going through some kind of trial in life.  My wife and I have gone through many of life’s trials.  Some seemed so BIG at the time, but when they are  put into perspective they weren’t that big after all.  But still, regardless of life’s trials, it is very easy to understand when you hear someone ask Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?  Read more…

Breaking News - I Have Cancer

I Have Cancer.  That is not what I thought I would be saying to myself after leaving the doctors office.  My follow-up appointment with my ENT doctor was already scheduled  from the surgery I had a few weeks prior.  A “suspicious” mass was removed from my sinus cavity and the doctor’s  appointment was to get the results from the biopsy.  For the previous five months, I was going through test after test and getting no answers.  I felt like I was running in circles.  I was going from doctor to doctor desperately seeking answers which no one seemed to have.  The nurse took me back to the room and minutes later the doctor came in.  He was looking at my chart and he said, “The good news is – we finally know what is wrong with you.  The bad news is - you have cancer.”  The news was pretty shocking.  Even though that wasn’t the results I wanted to hear, I was relieved to finally have an answer to my problem.  Read more…

 As a teenager, I worked out on a consistent basis.  I was never strong, but I did try to stay in shape.  I always knew that I would never look like Lou Ferrigno, but you have to set goals. Right?  Somehow, after college graduation and working on a full time basis, my desire to exercise on a regular basis diminished.  After I got married, I really started to put on the weight and eventually walking was my only form of exercise (when I decided to exercise). 

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