Freyja’d Knot- Life, Lifting and Not Enough Hours in the Goddamn Day

27 thoughts on “Freyja’d Knot- Life, Lifting and Not Enough Hours in the Goddamn Day”

1. “If there’s a will…”

   And the way doesn’t have to be following a program to the tee in spite of injury or simply suffering sub-par performance. Being aware of your body and adjusting training load and angle as necessary is a true boon especially when faced with time constraints or other limitations. Even without such restrictions, there’s no better feeling than letting the pendulum swing the other way and striking when the iron’s hot.

   There’s actually a simple protocol for teaching yourself body awareness through studying it’s response to stimuli called biofeedback. A quick search turns up results mostly about therapy with the aid of monitoring devices, but they don’t have anything to do with this protocol. In a nutshell, the protocol has you “testing” how your body reacts to various movements (or food, too), and the gauge is a simple mobility drill, easily quantifiable. Say, you want to test pull-ups: you do a mobility drill to establish a baseline (e.g. toe touch or raise your arm in a salute), you mimic the motion, and then do the test again. If the range of movement was restricted, it’s a no-go, and vice versa. The important point is to not go beyond the first signs of tightness in the test movement.

   The challenge in open training, I feel, is in outlining the general angle in training and staying in the proper direction, and imagination. There are so many ways to pick stuff off the floor, press, squat or climb that it is easy to get lost among all the possibilities, but for the very same reason it is fulfilling and rewarding.

   And how the hell do you manage to function with that little sleep? Anything less than seven, and I’m fucked as far as doing anything beyond work goes.

2. Thanks for this, I needed to read it. I live in Hawaii, on Oahu, and my BJJ gym is 45 minutes to an hour away. I still go, but whine like a bitch because I too work an intense, fluctuating schedule in the Navy. Good to know were all suffering together.

   1. You would be amazed the number of times Jamie has told me to stop being a whiny little bitch, shut up, and lift. lol. I am the biggest offender about letting life get in the way (I would MUCH rather catch up on sleep, instead of getting in a workout), so it is my way of holding myself accountable to all of Jamie’s readers.

      The added benefit is let people know that the training we do, does not occur in a vacuum. We have insane schedules too. There are days I am at work for 18-20 hours, go home, lay down on the couch, catch a hour or 2 of sleep, then go back into work for another 10+ hours. And those days training doesn’t stop. I just go easy so I don’t hurt my uncoordinated ass.

3. You fuckers are getting old. 30 40 50 60 … uphill all the way.
   I was 53 yesterday and I train 6 days a week, maybe more with rare exceptions. Many ways to do it but don’t get bogged down with planning, the older you get, the worse are the injuries niggles, takes longer to clear up and they keep coming back so you have to be prepared to adapt to what your body allows on a given day.

   I would also tentatively suggest that something like crossfit (not crossfit, something like it) is a really good idea because following sports means yo are plagued by overuse, stuck in schedules etc to get anywhere. Something like crossfit – you can wing it according to the state of your body.

   I never do double unders, walk on my hands, pay to go to a box or even do Olympic lifts…Something Like CrossFit…No trademark.

4. Do you find that the keto diet helps with the auto-immune bullshit ? Enjoying your entries by the way.

5. Long time reader here. These ‘Jamie’s Girlfriend’ posts aren’t hitting the mark. The quality isn’t up there with Jamie’s writing and their tone does not suit the website. This one is basically a Livejournal post about her lifting hobby and man.

   1. Nobody owes you a damn thing. Move along.

6. Conversely, realising that the reason I don’t exercise more is because I don’t want to is extremely liberating.

7. Does keto help with the auto immune symptoms ? Enjoying the posts by the way.

   1. I found I had a reduction in the symptoms i had when I originally did paleo/keto. Now, not as much, but I’m also fully in a flare. I have notice that there is less swelling in my joints which makes the suck much easier to deal with.

      And I appreciate hearing that.!

8. Tara, I have autoimmune As well. You learn how to work around it. Figuring out what you can’t eat anymore is very important.

   1. Shaun,

      It has been a LONG road trying to figure out what makes the flares worse. And even better, some of the things I use to be able to eat, now seem to aggravate my symptoms. So gotta love the constant amusement of your body trying to self-destruct.

      1. I did the autoimmune elimination diet a while back. Inflammation went down. Like a reset. I wish you luck.

9. I know you think you are all rugged individuals with cowboy hats hunting your way to top alpha predator status as you pretend capitalism is the last word in human development,history has ended, but let me be the one to bring you the alternative perspective…just type in ….john mcdougall autoimmune. Work it out from there.

   Its the same old story. Vegan diet is clean fuel. Animal diet messes you up.

   Now you want to keep up your ideology or you want to get cured?

   1. I know you’re a vegan because you told me.
      ..and you know I’m not a vegan because I don’t seek affirmation from the world for my diet choices.

      1. No, I am not vegan, just mostly.

         1. Not sure that is possible.
            I could be wrong, but isn’t veganism and all or nothing proposition?
            Either you are or you are not?

            Whatever you eat, if it works for you then good, more power to you.

            1. Mostly vegan means that the bulk of the diet is vegan with a small non vegan component. If I said mostly carnivore, would that not be obvious enough?

   2. Steve,

      I appreciate your passion and drive, both in veganism, and communism. However… As I have already tried veganism as a “cure” and got worse thanks to the plant estrogen in most protein baring foods, I am going to stick with what is helping cut the severity of my current flare.

      T

      1. Tara,
         Let me clarify love…it’s not just a case of a vegan diet.
         There is more to it,
         “My 36-years of seeing patients, along with many scientific papers, has lead me to the conclusion that a healthy low fat, vegan diet (the McDougall Diet, for example) dramatically improves and in most cases cures inflammatory arthritis. The diet consumed cannot simply be “vegan” (without animal foods). Meals must be based around unrefined starches with the addition of vegetables and fruits. Vegetable oils (olive, corn, canola, flaxseed, etc.) are strictly forbidden.

         When patients first start, I usually recommend that they follow the basic McDougall Diet without wheat or soy foods. (This request is made only for general health reasons because it eliminates refined flours found in breads and cereals, and processed soybeans, including fake meats and cheeses.) A gluten-free diet (no wheat, barley, or rye) is a next reasonable step for anyone not achieving rapid improvements from the basic McDougall Diet. A few people will have to follow the stricter McDougall Elimination Diet (see below). A temporary water-only fast maintained for a few days is the ultimate dietary restriction and is a final step I have resorted to for a few difficult patients.

         Benefits for arthritis usually begin to appear within four to seven days of strict adherence to the new diet regime. This is the amount of time required for the bowels to eliminate all of the foods previously consumed. After the remnants of unhealthy foods are emptied from the intestines, the animal-food-derived protein antigens slowly clear out of the bloodstream over the next few days. Products of inflammation, such as the antibodies attacking the body’s own tissues, may persist for weeks. Complete resolution of active disease may take as long as four months; only then can the full benefits be appreciated from following the new diet therapy.

         Unfortunately, small indiscretions often result in big penalties. That error could be a tiny bite of cheese or a bowlful of oily vegetables. One of my patients had been free of all of her arthritis pain and swelling for four months when she ventured out to a Chinese restaurant. The food served may have been vegan, but the peapods and sprouts were drowning in peanut oil and swimming with questionable ingredients. The next day she was in my office with both knees red, hot, and swollen.”

         1. Steve,

            I am going to be a bit brusk here, because I am sick to fucking death of people telling me how I need to manage my symptoms when I have flares of not one BUT THREE separate autoimmune disorders.

            When your ENTIRE abdominal cavity is scar tissue from your endometrial cells growing outside your uterus, and fusing themselves themselves to EVERY POSSIBLE SURFACE and start producing their own hormones because it is NOT enough of a motherfucker to be constantly sick from your digestive system being strangled with scar tissue, you can suggest what will help my symptoms. Until such time as you spend 25 years in excruciating pain, oh and nearly BLEEDING TO DEATH too just for funsies; being ignored by doctors because OBVIOUSLY the constant pain on top of hemorrhaging blood, while not being able to keep any food in your system, is female hysterics, do not tell me what will and won’t help for my auto-immune disorders.

            Every single one of the Autoimmune disorders I have are genetic. I can trace the women in my family who have had them, in addition to tracing the progression of their symptoms. They will NOT be cured by veganism (tried it), prayer (tried praying for both a cure and death), crystals, dancing naked under the light of a wolf moon or any other bullshit. They will however be MANAGED with huge doses of birth control (which has given me a steady stream of ovarian cysts, which are EXCRUCIATING but not as bad as bleeding to death), working out, managing my stress levels and a diet that is high in protein & fat, and low in carbohydrates.

            Now, I appreciate the gesture of trying to be helpful, but stop. Quite frankly your scientific proof means fuck all when I have spent most of my life trying EVERY SINGLE “CURE” out there, including something VERY similar to the diet you posted.

            1. if you have indeed tried everything possible, without success, all I can say is I feel very sorry for your suffering. I can only offer kind words.

            2. About the only treatment option I have left is a hysterectomy, and that will cause its own list of issues. So, I manage as best I can, I suck up the pain because I could have it SO much worse, and Jamie feeds me a constant supply of Excedrin, and supplements he hand designed to help keep me from having surgery.

            3. Amen sis.

10. As I understand it, this is the last resort…..The elimination diet was originally devised for people suffering from allergic problems. The ultimate and best test for identifying a substance suspected of causing an allergy is to eliminate the substance (whether it is a food, or a pollen, or a chemical compound), and then to note if the symptoms disappear and the person’s health improves. Confirmation of the diagnosis is made by adding the offending substance back to the diet and observing if the illness returns. Don’t overlook the obvious truth that elimination of the villainous substances is also the ultimate – and only-treatment for “curing” the allergy and other food-induced problems.

    The elimination diet asks you to eat the foods that are least likely to cause you any type of adverse reaction, including allergic reactions. When you begin this diet, allow about one week in order to completely clear your body of foods that were eaten before starting the diet. By the end of this week, if the trouble was indeed due to foods, you will be relieved of your problems, in other words “cured.” You have found a place you can go for relief.

    During the elimination period, all foods should be thoroughly cooked, because cooking alters the proteins, making them less likely to provoke an adverse response.

    FOODS TO EAT ON AN ELIMINATION DIET

    Starches (all cooked), including:

    brown rice
    sweet potatoes
    winter squash
    taro (or poi)
    tapioca
    rice flour
    puffed rice

    Most Green and Yellow Vegetables (all cooked), including:

    beets
    beet greens
    chard
    summer squash
    artichokes
    celery
    string beans
    asparagus
    spinach
    lettuce

    Avoid onions, green pepper, cucumbers, and radishes; they can be very troublesome for the stomach (indigestion).

    Fruits (all cooked)

    Avoid all citrus fruits, including oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons, limes, etc. and tomatoes.

    peaches
    cranberries
    apricots
    papaya
    plums
    prunes
    cherries

    Condiments:

    Only salt is allowed (if not restricted for other health reasons). This means no salad dressings, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, pepper or other condiments.

    Beverages:

    water (sparkling water is OK)

    After one week, your food-caused problems should have ended and you should be feeling well. If this is the case, you can begin adding other foods back to your diet, but only one at a time, to determine if any of these caused your unpleasant reactions. For testing purposes, each “new” food should be eaten in large amounts three times a day for two days. If the food does not cause a reaction, you can conclude that it is not a troublemaker. Most reactions occur within a few hours, but some may not show up for several days. Each food must be tested individually; do not introduce two new foods at once. When you do have a reaction to a specific food, you must wait four to seven days before testing the next item. This interval gives you the time you need to clear your system of that allergy-causing food.

    If the elimination diet seems too severe for you right now, then follow the McDougall Program, which eliminates six of the leading causes of food allergies: dairy products, eggs, chocolate, nuts, shellfish, and fish. If your problems persist, then the next suspects to eliminate are wheat, corn, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and strawberries–the most frequent causes of adverse reactions among foods in the vegetable kingdom.

    A dietary approach is the safest, most sensible, least expensive, and most effective step you can take for testing and for treatment of health problems that once seemed to be a mystery to you and your doctor. If this is what you need, you will not be disappointed with your efforts.

    1. No one reads any of your retarded posts, you dumb motherfucker.

11. First, I just want to say I’ve really enjoyed your posts, Tara. Also that I understand what it’s like to have ailments that doctors refuse to take seriously. I’ve been plagued with both digestion issues and migraines for my entire life, but fuck me if a doctor will actually listen or do their damn job.

    I actually credit Jamie’s Apex Predator diet for kicking off most of my healing. I ran the diet for a while, which led me to trying carnivory. Eliminating plants from my diet helped immensely.

    Because of food costs I had to add back potatoes and rice (and fruit because i enjoy it) but keeping my diet meat heavy keeps me from feeling like absolute shit.

    I’m not saying this as unsolicited advice, just a testimonial.

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