Blog 7 A New Fitness Program,

On most early mornings on TV you can find paid programs advertising items such as; cookware, Knife sets, cleaning products, revolutionary new tools, and my personal favorite, fitness equipment; something for your abs, kettle bells, 10min workout.  It seems to me that all these people who are demonstrating these products are the ones who don’t need to be demonstrating them. The women in tight outfits and men without shirts having 6&8 pack abs and biceps bigger than most people’s legs.  All claiming the same thing; this product will get the results in 90 days, act now and we will send you this nutrition guide.  You are probably wondering what does this have to do with training.

I was at the endocrinologist (Diabetic doctor) last week.  Doc said to me that you have put on some weight since the last time you were here.  Now, I kind of took exception to this as I am not what you would want to put on a poster for a gym and I don’t have a six pack, you could say it is more like a one pack, but my fitness and diet are very good.  

I jokingly said to the doc, “It couldn’t be from all the medication you guys have me pumping into my body could it?”  The Doc’s response was: “It could!”  First, let’s look at what you are eating.  As we went over my diet, doc said, well it is pretty good but we should watch for extra calories. Doc then asked “Are you exercising?” I said I have been getting started; I said not to forget that I have been recovering from a foot injury for the last 16months, and then I said that I am not going back to working out three hours a day.  I would wake up; do 10km on my stationary bike for 30min, weight train for an hour twice a day.  This did not include all the walking and climbing stairs and up hills all the while carrying a 20lb backpack all day including to and from University. I told Doc my fitness is fine, let’s look at the medication and find a better way to distribute it.

So this leads me to want to market my new fitness program, you don’t need to send money although I might charge a licensing fee but I will give it to my friends for free. Lol

First get a light weight broom handle or a light weight stick about 36-40inches long.  Get one back pack, weight 20lbs, put on a pair of running shoes (leave your car at home).  Take the long stick  point it in front of you one end pointed to the ground, tuck your elbow to your waist move the stick in a sweeping motion side 12-16inches don’t use your wrist use your entire arm to do the sweeping motion.

Here is the big part of the work out walk for a mile; I don’t mean a stroll, walk as if you have a purpose.  Walk doing that swinging motion with the stick, first in your right hand pumping the opposite arm, find some stairs and hills and once you have finished turn around and go back but this time put your stick in the left hand.  If you think it’s easier with a guide dog, think again.  I promise you, if you think after an hour or so lifting weights or running on a treadmill is hard, you will definitely find this hard.  I challenge some of these fitness people to this workout.

Every once in a while you get to test your fitness level and yesterday was no exception. Our good friend asked us if we could follow him to the garage with our car because the car he had to get to the garage kept stalling out.  As we followed him, the car kept stalling; he would get it started and drive on.  This kept going on until we were one block from the garage and the car stopped.  He tried starting it; of course it would not start this time.  So I told him, I would push it with him, I put my cane folded-up on the trunk of the car, he took the driver’s side with door open and we started to push.  Well we were on a small down grade (hill) and the car picked up momentum, my friend had to jump into the car to turn it to avoid colliding with a parked car.  I kept pushing, as the car picked up speed, I had no choice but to start jogging and pushing the car at the same time.  Well, my wife was (in stitches) laughing so hard, and my friend in the car was laughing, he said there is nothing so funny than looking out the rearview mirror seeing a white cane folded on the truck of the car, a pair of sunglasses, and a blind guy jogging behind the car pushing, all done in the dark. It’s a scene that would be in a comedy and no one would believe it.  He was not sure what to do because we had to turn a corner and he could not stop, so he figured that I would follow since I am use to being guided anyway. So you have heard of a guide dog, and using cane to guide, and of course people guide other people, and now you have heard of a guide car.  At the successful end we all laughed out loud together. ROFL

I am thinking about adding this to my workout routine! What do you think?         

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Cane vs Guide dog

Cane vs. Guide Dog  

I start refreshing my mobility this week but before I got started I had to convince myself that it was not going to be that bad going out with a cane.  I started with a cane and how bad could it be, people have been using canes for a very long time and I can get back to doing this again for as long as I need to.  Let’s look at the good points.  1) I don’t need to get up and feed it.  2) It doesn’t need bathroom breaks.  3) When I walk on the sidewalk the cane would get caught in the cracks and I would jab myself with the end of the cane or my wrist would snap back (I remember when the cane got stuck in the crack of the sidewalk on Saint Catherine Street on a hot day at 1pm the sidewalk was packed and the cane fell out of my hand.  The shock of everyone around me not knowing what to do, and I was bent down trying to find the cane. I finally realized that the elastic on the end of cane is to go around your wrist).  4) Being at the mercy of the people in front of you who are totally oblivious of everyone else around them while they stroll along.  5) Coming to a construction site and not knowing it until you are on top of it.  6) The constant people bumping into you or tripping on the cane either they don’t see you or they ignore you or they are trying to get ahead of you.  7) Being in buildings is a real event getting turned around or taking wrong directions is a real treat and of course nobody asks if you need help.

Don’t get me wrong a guide dog is not for everyone.  It takes a lot of effort on both parts for a successful team.  1) You need to wake up for the dog to eat and remember whatever schedule  you put your dog on, it will be that for 7days a week, no holidays.  2) Obedience has to be done at least 5mins a day.  3) Discipline when you are out on the street, you need to be strict and keep your dog tight and the people around you in check.  4) You need to make sure that you have what you need for your dog for the day.  5) You need to think of your dog not as a dog but your partner, remember they need a break; bathroom, coffee, lunch, etc… just like you do.  I remember when I was working in an office, the manager would say; okay we have a working lunch.  I would work for my hour and then I would get up from my desk and tell him I need to take the dog out.  The dog does not know what working lunch means.

The benefits are 1) you have a greater mobility, I know some people take adapted transport with their dogs but for me it is a greater freedom to travel.  2) I don’t have to worry about getting stuck in any cracks or holes in the street.  3) There is no more being stuck behind anyone, once the dog finds a safe way to go, you move around people just as you would when you are sighted.  4) Nobody bumps into you, the dog makes sure to clear a path.  5) There is no getting stuck in a crowd if you tell your dog to find the way they should get you out.  6) NO need to worry about construction sites.  7) If you have traveled enough in a building your dog should know the way even if you don’t.  I never worried with Jagger, more often than not; he always knew where we were going better than I did.  8) No worries about someone trying to pass you or come behind you, the dog will tell you.  The best part of a guide for me is the companion I have during the day when I am out and the fun we have at home when they are not working, and the fact I can take them anywhere is great.

I will be training more and more over the summer with the cane in hopes of getting another guide dog and somehow I got a feeling that it is going to be a long hard training period until another guide dog comes, and then it will be even harder but at least it will be fun and exciting. The prospect of having a new dog is getting easier to grasp and knowing what is coming around the corner is getting better.  The excitement of possibly putting that cane back in the closet is thrilling.   

July 3, 2011 Blog 5

Kids, Music and, Good Friends   

It’s funny how kids, music and good friends can change your outlook from negative to a positive. On Friday July 1st it was one month since Jagger had passed away.  I was still feeling out of sorts, I was still looking in the garden when I went to the kitchen sink window to see if I could see him or when I heard something jingle I would look for him.  However these feelings were slowly starting to change from sadness to remembering a better time.  Last summer Jagger and I helped to build a ship out of cardboard and other materials at our local church for the week long summer day camp that our good friends put on.  The enjoyment we felt as Jagger guided me around the tight spaces while checking to make sure nothing was coming at me or I was not hurting myself (with tools) was always reassuring.  Of course when the kids had seen him on the last day of camp they thought that he was great.  Of course you could see the pup coming out in Jagger just to be with the kids.  Being back doing another project at the same church but a different theme; being with our good friends, and having their dog run around brought back these wonderful memories of Jag’s and I last year.

On Saturday July 2 I accompanied my best friend Steve to the music store to buy a new keyboard for him and the camp. Steve and I love to pull pranks and banter back and forth in public and we have such a great time and laugh at the different things that happen while we are out in public.  Steve and Karen have supported us with Jag’s and me while my feet were healing and Arlene with her back injury, they have been fantastic friends and for us a part of our family. As Steve went to pay for his keyboard I bought a Keyboard stand for Arlene. The sales person brought me to the cash, I asked the guy to find my friend you can’t miss him he is the tall guy (Steve is 6’5”).  I finished paying and Steve grabs his keyboard and turns to me “okay blind man you got your keyboard stand”, the sale guy was so shocked he said to Steve in a stumbling voice “don’t make fun of the guy’s disability and he turns to me and said you should hit him” I said “I can’t he will hide my shoes” the guy was more puzzled and Steve and I laughed more. During the car ride we were talking about walking a mile in someone shoes and all it gets you is shoeless! LoL

That evening we shared a wonderful BBQ and laughed and joked and it started a time of healing and sharing of funny times that we shared with Jagger and all of us out in different functions and of happier times.    

           
John & Steve and Jagger in front of the ship we built after summer camp July 10 2010

Hair cut

Wow! I can’t believe it has been a month since Jagger passed away.  I started to make more headway in getting out and practicing my mobility.  It is hard because we traveled so much, everyone knew us and I keep getting the same questions.  Yesterday was different!  My son and I went to the barber shop, it was haircut time.  The first time the new owner of the shop had seen Jagger come in, she was a little scared of Jag’s because of his size but that quickly ended when she had seen how gentle and funny he was.  He would sit beside my chair while she cut my hair, she would move around him at first and then she just started to step over him.  It was easier than to walk around him (He had won her over).  His picture hangs in her shop.  On one of our visits she asked if her and her aunt could take a picture of Jag’s together with them, he had won their hearts.  After a couple of visits Jagger became a part of the furniture.  I think Jagger enjoyed the end of the haircut the best.  The barber would take the little broom to clean the back of my shirt from hair and of course she would brush Jagger too!  For Jags it was a free scratch and he always enjoyed a free scratch.  My son and I took the opportunity to walk home and practice my mobility it was not too bad it was only a mile from my house. I also remembered why I hate using the cane. When you walk with a cane you must move it side to side to detect objects in front of you which would be good except that your cane gets caught in every crack in the sidewalk and you end up stabbing yourself.  This gave me a chance to speak with my son; he said it was like the old days where we walked together everywhere. He also told me that he is looking forward to a new dog because he missed Jagger.  He is looking forward to helping me train the new dog just like he helped train Jagger.

Jaggers birthday

So as one can imagine it is a very hard day today           ! Jagger would have been 7 years old.  I sit back and look at where did the time go. I remember the 1^st birthday we celebrated with him, he had that puzzled look  on his face and turning head left to right as to say what are you doing now, of course he did not understand the Sponge Bob Square Pants cake swimming in the pool it was to show how much Jagger loved being in the water. He also didn’t understand the birthday hats and why he had to have one on. Of course all our kids were there to celebrate with him as he was a member of the family. He did understand what the presents were. We opened his squeak toys and it was okay, but when he opened his orange treat ball for him that was the best present. It didn’t take much to please him scratch his tummy chase him up and down the hall, play hide and seek, but for him the best was his ball he knew that when we put kibble in the ball he had been good. It became a game he knew exactly where it was kept and if he pushed it under the bed or around a corner stuck under something, he would come and get us. It became such a routine that all we had to tell him was find your ball and he would show me where it was. That orange ball for Jagger was his birthday present and everyday was his birthday.   

He is missed very much.

First day of preperation.

Today was the first day in preparation for the new dog but also to get back into shape for a new semester in university. Part of my training program is to go out and practice mobility.  Now you are probably wondering why I would practice mobility with a cane if I have applied for a dog?

Well I remember when I first applied for a guide dog; I had to send a video that showed me walking on the street, crossing the road at a busy intersection traveling on the bus and metro, up escalators elevators basically showing my mobility skills. This time it was not required however getting back to the basics in mobility is the best way to have success as a handler for a guide dog. I need to keep my skills sharp and my wits about me.

The other reason is when you have a guide dog especially when you are a good team, you don’t need to focus on all the small things your dog helps you with that.

So my workout today was mowing the back yard and putting up the gazebo. Some people might not think this is a workout but imagine that you really can’t see what you are doing. Well it’s like this take a pair of glasses and put black tape on the left side in including the side of the glasses no peeking, and then take a pair of nylons and cut two pieces and cover the right eye. Take more black tape and leave a small opening in the middle of the glasses and now start to mow the lawn and put up your gazebo.

I forgot to mention that my grass has not been cut this year, today was the first time. The grass was almost up to my thigh. So if you think not a workout it’s like pumping iron in a weight room all day. Did I mention that it is 28 celcius outside which is 82.4 Fahrenheit so I think I sweated some pounds today.

My adventure today was during the mowing the lawn I was using the weed whacker and of course the line broke, this means going to the store and finding what I need and fixing the weed whacker. I won’t tell you what store I went to but it has some orange in the sign. I don’t know how you feel about asking a store person for help, but for me it’s a nightmare. My wife and I have figured out that if she stays in the car and I go in by myself I get better service but today was not that day.  

I went into the store and like most people on the floor they see me coming and run the other -way; they are scared that I might ask them a question. I had to go to the cash and get help, of course the cashier told me that this item that I was looking for was in the hose area, I stood there looking at her for a moment and then she said I will get someone to help you. Well this person came and the cashier said those dreaded words “ I think it is in the hose section” I thought she will take me to the hose section and not find it and tell me they don’t sell it.

I told her they do and she said she could not find it! She found someone that knew a little more about what I was looking for. I showed him the piece that I needed and said no problem and he was gone. Now I am standing there, I have no idea where he went or she went, did I mention I standing with a white cane? I start calling down the aisles and I find them about 5 aisles over, and around the corner. This is what I was talking about the small things a guide dog (Jag’s) would take care of. I would tell him to follow and he would. I didn’t worry if I was with my wife she would go her way and I would go mine and when I was finished shopping I would tell him to find mummy and he would. The floor person at the store tells me that they don’t have anymore! He then tells me that they have line for the weed whacker and it is really easy to fix. So I said great can you do it for me, and what do you think his answer was, no because the store does not allow us to repair things for clients. I don’t know about you it would seem to me that it would be in their best interest to help someone that needs help! It’s not because I don’t want to do it, but what would take 5 min to do for someone that can see usually takes me about 45 min for me, if I can get it done. Today was no exception to fix the weed whacker took 45mins.

These big stores just kill me, you go in there to buy and there is no customer service and when you ask for something it cost extra, and when you leave they charge you 5 cents for a bag they

give you the excuse that it’s for the environment but we know better. The thing that really aggravates me is that when you ask, the customer service on the floor of the store they tell you what aisle it is in so you end up reading the signs that are above the ailse to find what you want, so why can’t they do the same thing when they don’t know where something is. I would gladly find things for myself if I could and I would gladly assemble items on my own if I could these stores wonder why people avoid them like the plague.  

The biggest lesson I will be learning over the next few months is patient! I will need every lesson that I can get for my new dog. I will need to be patient with him or her, I will need all the understanding that it will take. It will time for the dog to learn my habits and style it will take time for the dog to know our routes and the things that I encounter through the day. The thing about guide dogs is that they always have patients for their handlers, so this means I will have to catch up to my dog.