2/23
When I get on the floor in the morning, I need a plan. I need structure to this routine, because I have a feeling this is something I am going to need to do daily. I think this needs a bit of both cardio and strength. Maybe some 100’s, forward and backwards crawls to get moving? Then proceed into some kneel walking work? I know the prone time I’m doing is also important, as well as the scapular movements I have been doing while on the floor. I’m really feeling the expansion of movement that my joints and body are more freely allowed as I just continue to try to complete more movements! It’s honestly really great!
You ever just, realize all the contradictory ideas about life? All the want, all the talk of wanting more? Yet, as it stands today, the US has the largest economy by GDP, and second largest by purchasing power parity. It’s the world’s 6th highest by nominal GDP per capita? Makes you wonder if anyone is really grateful for the things they have in their life. Instead of always wanting more, why is it that people aren’t content with what they have? I guess this experience has put a lot of what I had in perspective, and I can see how good a lot of people have it, because I did as well. I just now have a lot to work on and deal with. It’s just interesting to think about, and wonder why it is that way.
I don’t even think most people can even begin to relate or understand how difficult it is to sit in this chair. The more I move my body, it’s great, the more my body can do, and also wants to do. But what this also means, is that for me to participate in society as an adult male human, I have to sit in this chair. And the longer periods now that I have to sit in the chair without movement, the worse I feel. It’s freaking awful, I sometimes can’t even go what feels like the whole length of dinner, just sitting in the chair. I feel like an infant, just wanting to move around and use my body. But also, I just feel like Joe. Someone who has always wanted to be moving. And, that’s what I need to do. I can’t stop moving this body. It’s just not in me. I can’t do that to myself.
I’m down on the floor, and I can feel the anxiousness and restlessness leaving my body with each movement. I’m crawling around, back and forth, with very deliberate leg movements. I’m working on kneel walking, and these hips are tight! I don’t know why I don’t get in the standing frame more?
The more I weight-bear through at the very least my knees, especially when I’m doing this floor work on my own, the more I feel and the more activation there is at the time of the workout. I can legitimately feeling my glutes and quads filling out as they continue to help stabilize me more and more as I continue to hold myself upright longer. I was up for the past 10ish minutes, between sets and rest sets. But the whole time, on my knees. It’s also interesting how this doesn’t bug my knees at all!
I really think, that me holding the contractions voluntarily for the concentric and eccentric motions, is really helping. It’s really helping wake these fellers up. I can feel it, I literally can! So as I have been doing that more and more, I can slowly start to tease out additional contractions and types of movement!
As I was working on getting back to the chair, I decided to do something. They were these really deep squats, and obviously at first here, I’m using my arms, but this time, I did 5 reps, of squeezing as I lowered, and boy! Did I feel them really contracting and trying to be loaded during that eccentric movement! I think I better do these more! I’m back up in the chair, and my quads and glutes are really feeling it! Plus, my lower legs are stabilizing more and more!
2/24
I can feel it as I wake up. The energy stir inside of me. These legs want to go! I need to make sure I’m good about my mornings, staying focused, and getting moving so I can get on the floor! I know this is what I need to do! I can feel my obliques, hips, glutes, quads, calves, shins, ankles all just wanting to get some movement in! If I can work this into my daily routine, I think this has got to help! Let’s keep it up! I know it really helps your sleep when you get on the floor, let’s keep this progress going! Let’s just be consistent!
Okay, I made it to the floor! All showered up and dressed! let’s make this quick! I need to make sure I’m warming up all the muscles first, before I try to get into a kneel walking position. Otherwise, I seem to be pretty losey-goosey and I am not able to hold myself up as well.
Holy smokes!! My adductors are trying to add! They are pulling my legs together!!
Wow! Today! Was! A! Great! Day! Of! Therapy! This was honestly a great session holy smokes! My legs are doing SO MUCH! This has been amazing! I’m really glad with the progress that they’ve been making when I’m doing all this kneel walking, crawling, and then got to therapy and then things took off! Started out doing some fun things with Kim, who’s got a very creative mindset! She had even said, “whatever it is that helps keep you moving, do that!” Talking about doing standing frame work vs floor work. It was a good session working my entire back, low back, glutes! You name it on my posterior chain, and we were working them! I was also working on throwing balls, all different directions, overhead, and then backwards! That last one really got me working! I need to get a ball and try this at home!
This was great because it led into a great session on the yoga ball (which I think has another name, but that name I’m forgetting) and Kim helped me into a tall kneeling position, and I had my hands on the ball! This was insane because on the second attempt, she was able to ease off, and let go completely! I was holding myself up on my own under this super unstable surface that is the yoga ball! I was shocked! This had my legs going so much!
Then, for the second hour, Ashely helped me on the treadmill! This was cool, because we’ve thrown in some variation instead of the treadmill for the whole hour. It was crazy how my body reacts to this differing stimulation! So, when Ashley helped me into a tall standing position, with my knees straight and feet held, she then went, “are you ready?” And I go, “yep!” And then she lets go of my knees slowly, and then, that’s when I felt the most significant contractions in my glutes and quads to date! I held it! I was holding myself up so well! This was absolutely amazing because I could hold myself up, breathe in and out, and maintain that position while in the harness like never before! I felt like with enough breathing just right, I could hold myself up forever! It was amazing! I did 3-5 sets of over 30s to a minute, of my legs holding me in a very straight position with the harness on! I was so stinking proud of them! Goodness it was at that moment that I knew that all this work at home is paying off!
So then, we do something even more wild, and that was the side-stepping! She helped me get straight, and then turned sideways on the treadmill with my right foot forward. This was intense because I wasn’t sure how well my legs would do. So, we start off, and I can’t believe it, but my legs are actually initiating movement! She said she was only helping just barely at all to keep the soles of my shoes from catching! This was intense! This also wore me out! It was getting me tired! I definitely needed to take a break at some point because I was legitimately getting tied! (Oh and the harness was riding up).
This was a good session! My knee isn’t inflamed currently because I found out it was from transferring onto the toilet with shoes on. Took the shoes off, and my knee hasn’t been inflamed! It’s been great! I’m really happy with this session today, and I know I better keep up the work!
Right now, got done with more work, and have taken a second to just unwind and take a rest. Sitting in a long sit in the bed, and my glutes, quads, hips, inner and outer thighs, calves, feet, are all feeling tremendous amounts of sensations right now! I think it’s safe to say, they’re tired! Need to make sure I keep up with days like this. My legs seriously love to move around!
This has honestly been such an amazing day for my recovery! My legs are feeling so good! Dare I say it, just moments ago, I felt like I wanted to describe the feelings in my feet as “smooth”?!?! What is that?! They are getting so much stronger! Phew! I’m sure freaking tired!
I’m trying to best describe how my legs feel and are moving right now, and it’s hard. They are moving more than ever before, my outer hips and glutes, quads, calves, my knees, beds of my feet, are all feeling so much! My lower abdomen is contracting so well! Honestly, when I go to kick my legs out too, they are! Not fully out in extension, but better and better!
“Therefore, the transition for the possible to the actual, takes place during the act of observation. If we want to describe what happens in an atomic event, we have to realize that the words “habits” can only apply to the observation, not to the state of affairs between two observations. It applies to the physical, not the physical act of observation, and we may say that the transition from the “possible” to the “actual” takes place as soon as the interaction of the object with a measuring device, thereby with the rest of the world has come into play; it is not connected with the active registration of the result by the mind of the observer” – Werner Heisenberg
Just interesting thoughts and notes as I continue to work through the book about quantum mechanics. There is something here, and I will continue to explore this topic!
2/25
Wow!!! 2 sets of the kneel walking back and forth on the edge of the bed frame! That’s twice as much as I did yesterday! Every day, just a little bit more! I think I’ll split the time between the standing frame and the floor today too.
40lb single arm bent over rows!!?!?! That’s the most ever!! All the sets for the back today are going really well!
I couldn’t believe how differently my legs were feeling today, during this workout! They are reacting and holding me up so much!
Wow, this drive over to Wendy’s has got my left leg feeling wild! Firstly, I haven’t had Wendy’s in YEARS! And also, i was driving over without my left elbow on the armrest! Trying to incorporate less and less support into my daily activities!
I’m laying down now, and my legs feel cool, smooth, whooshing, contracted, and wild! This is absolutely a crazy time having to experience this. Just one day at a time, and I will get these legs moving more and more!
2/26
Made it in the floor again this morning! I was taking a little longer in the morning, my body really is just a menace sometimes! I had a thought, “maybe I really gotta be careful about the foods I am eating.” Hmm… I actually am not sure if that’s what I wanted to say! But we will roll with it!
I got the new book today!! I’m really excited to start and continue reading, “From The Ground Up”! This young fella and his exercise trainer look to be up to some really good areas of SCI recovery! It’s been fascinating how I seem to have been making alot of the same conclusions they have found in the first part! But, I’ve only had the past year to work on all this! I’ve been busy! So I’m always excited to hear about other ideas, tips, tricks, and ways to move my body from other people!
So, today was busy! Got on the floor to start the day, worked, got in standing frame, worked more, went to PT, and did a ton of stuff with Bridget and Alejandra! We took a break from the treadmill and did some standing frame work, seated balance and tall sitting, and then some fun parallel bar work with the modified knee block! We did a great session and I’m glad to add some variety to our sessions like that!
Heraclitus, “He exerts a wide influence on ancient and modernWestern philosophy, through the works of such authors as Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, and Heidegger.” [1] Heraclitus and others used “measure” to mean the balance and order of nature. This is an interesting commonality between the ideas of quantum mechanics and this Ancient Greek philosopher. I feel like there is more to build off this? They both are making parallels to observations/ measurements? It is interesting, making these comparisons for seemingly unrelated ideas!
“Change as the fundamental principle” is the idea for which Heraclitus is credited. He inspired Plato’s Theory of Forms, amongst others. I think this is a concept and idea I can get into! For now though, I need some rest!
2/27
8:27pm. I’m exhausted. Today’s been a long good day. Phew. Paul made it, I made it to Pilates, work, out to eat, goodness. These days I’m knowing they help my body respond to in such good way because if I can keep pushing on when I’m beyond tired, it helps me increase my capacity to do more and more. It’s gotta.
Pilates today was cool because Paul came along! He helped me out getting into some positions I hadn’t done yet, in the chair, and then spinning around to different positions! It was pretty interesting!
It was also equally hilarious to me, and really interesting too, to see Paul do the motions and exercises that Therese was asking him to do! This was fun because it gave me a chance to witness somebody doing the movements that I hope to get my body moving to, and also it was really special because it was my brother. It’s pretty wild how similarly us boys all move. I just see it. It’s also a lot more apparent to me now which is kind of cool. They give me a pretty good reference to see and watch and understand how I need to get my body to move to.
Working on the core exercises, getting myself in and out of the more supportive chair, these were all great exercises for me as well!
2/28
Wow, it’s 5:37pm on a Friday. Ordering parts for the Tacoma. It’s interesting because I know this feeling. It’s a very familiar feeling that I’ve had before. Only thing is I hate having to be in this chair for this. It’s pretty dang frustrating to have to be sitting here, getting tight and sore, and having to manage my body when my body just wants to move. Goodness I haven’t had stains on my pants in a while! You wouldn’t think I’d be excited to have brake fluid on my pants, but I’m definitely not even mad about it. I’m also kinda glad!
It’s been a busy day! So much going on with brother Schmüle today! We sure have been busy! It’s been fun being able to work on something again, I suppose you could say I’m working out my body, but just something that isn’t my body something mechanical. And it wasn’t so bad getting to do this with Paul either. Us brothers always seem to get a lot pretty all right even when we butt heads, but at the end of the day, there’s nobody else that I’d rather Butt heads with!
3/1
The sooner you realize you’re just a tree growing his roots into the ground, it kinda helps you visualize where your feet need to be. Very interesting, I know, but it’s genuinely working for me! There may be a million and one different ways to describe how our feet connect to the ground, and this was the way that clicked for me.
Truck work at the LERF! Turns out that parts did get ordered, and fortunately we didn’t have to spend a ton of time getting the brakes lines on and bleeding the brakes! I was also pretty proud of myself for being able to do what I would call a “ dead lift” of the tire. I don’t know what a truck tire weighs, but I would imagine that it’s definitely more than 50 pounds. It’s pretty proud that I was able to flip it up on end!
We took the truck for a spin and with each passing mile got smoother and smoother. I think we’re geared up for Paul to be able to drive at home!
Super smash bros was a really fun time! It was nice taking a second away from working on my body or a vehicle or something and just getting a chance to have some fun.
Made it to Cafe corazon!! I’m glad that we had a good dinner. They always end up making it for a really nice time!
We got milkshakes finally at Culver’s! I know that Paul I were talking about getting milkshakes all weekend so I’m glad we ended up doing it!!
Haha! We also had a 10yr old cigarette! That was hilarious!
Limiting beliefs, where are they? Which ones do I have? That my legs won’t get straight? Or that my quads and glutes won’t get stronger than my hamstrings? Or that I’m going to plateau? Or not continue to regain function? That my legs won’t get strong enough to hold me up? Seems like you have a few, now I need to rephrase these and figure out some other way to say them in my head?!
Reframing those limiting beliefs is a great step forward to help shift my mindset. Here are some ways I am going to rephrase my current beliefs:
1. “My legs won’t get straight.” → “With consistent work and patience, my legs will become more aligned and I will gradually increase my range of motion.”
2. “My quads and glutes won’t get stronger than my hamstrings.” → “My quads and glutes are becoming stronger every day, and I am balancing strength across all muscle groups.”
3. “I’m going to plateau.” → “I am always progressing, and my body is capable of continuous improvement at my own pace.”
4. “My legs won’t get strong enough to hold me up.” → “My legs are growing stronger and more capable of supporting me every day.”
By transforming these thoughts, im trying to allow myself to visualize the process as dynamic and ever-evolving, which encourages ongoing improvement. Every time I reframe a belief like this, it helps open my mind to the possibilities of growth and progress!
What a long day! Glad to have been up to so much and get in the standing frame to wrap things up!!! Time for some well needed rest, I always have a blast with my brothers and family! I’m pretty lucky to have em!
The Astronaut on Earth 
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