6/29
So I’m still thinking about the pull up bar/ gymnast rings combo. I think I can try to do some exercises here where I can try to keep my legs extended. Like an L-sit, where my legs are contracted isometrically, and held out? I’m curious, because that’s the big motion/ movement area I need to get my legs into, so if I can get my legs to work for me isometrically, I’m thinking that should probably be a good way to help get them activating? While also continuing my reciprocal motion? I just need to get these knees in extension!
My body definitely has been responding quite interestingly to all this core activation! He’s really needed this to be able to fire muscles further down the chain! It’s been wild feeling how my body has responded so well to this, and I’m hoping it will continue to progress as I move around more today!
Okay so I never lean forward without my hands on something, and I’m over here leaning forward and rocking backward, and noticing how my entire body is responding to this, like everything down the chain is activating more? Weird, I’ll have to mess around with this more!
Saying more, with less words. Isn’t that how music is? How is it that it can convey so much, with only so few words? Interesting idea to think about, all the ways we transmit and receive information. There were a lot of ways we did this before the internet, it’s interesting to think about and explore these concepts, because I think there are real reasons in our brain for why we do these different activities, and share info with others the way we have. I hope these don’t go away the more digital we get!
Alright, so just now I was using the IdealKnee, and did 100 reps on each side, and something interesting is happening? It almost feels like I need to maintain a ton of reps to keep the gains? Lots of reps, lots of stretch?
6/30
Okay, so I’m feeling my hips, low back, and my abdomen really all connecting! I know all this pull up bar work is doing some amazing things! I also got a ton of rest last night, it’s extremely hard for me to get a long nights rest, so somehow I was able to get to bed pretty early! It feels great finally getting some sleep!
I started this morning with something different than I usually do. I pulled out the ideal knee and started to do 100 reps of my leg extensions for each leg and then after I was done with the set, then I would hold it. I don’t really know where I got the idea to do this, and last night I did this right before bed. My legs felt a lot better when I went to get some sleep. I know that people take upwards and more than 10,000 steps in a day so that got me thinking and wondering, “how can I move my legs up to 10,000 times in a day?” so this got me thinking, and I figure if I use this ideal knee dispersed throughout the day in addition to the crawling and pull up work, I do mixed in with those reps I could start getting more time and more signals being sent to my legs and because I should be able to do them anytime that I’d like, Instead of just at PT or just the standing frame, or just during my workout. People are using their legs all day, regardless of intensity and I figure if I can start doing that with my legs, getting them to be used more I figured that the neural pathways will get some extra use and signals sent to them as well.
I figure I have to start small in that smaller range of motion. I know Therese was telling me about that even doing sit to stands even just loading through my legs is going to help, so I figure using this more often throughout the day could help! so I’ll start with 100 reps. Maybe this has something to do with the Pilates 100? 10 sets of 10 and just a larger or higher frequency? Oh yeah, so this was good too! I was pairing the first 50 with an inhale during the extension work and then the other 50 with an exhale. Trying to help my breath too.
So I’m trying to not put on the brakes at all when I’m at home just doing stuff. I’ll put them on to get in and out of the chair, but that’s it, I’m gonna see how this goes! I figure it should help my core and leg stability?
Got down on the floor twice after work! I was really happy with how these pull to stands were going, and how I braced my feet, until I had an accident… that wasn’t ideal. I guess my whole body was firing? And maybe it was, because after I went to go to the bathroom, I barely had to go? It’s always interesting trying to debug why my body has had a less than ideal reaction, and why. I have definitely noticed my shoulders are sitting back better and better! When I get on the floor like this, I also will lay supine, and do overhead extended arm exercises, to work my scapula and keep him grounded.
Got to bed at a reasonable time, boy am I pooped. Bed time.
7/1
I’m shook. My left leg is finally getting extended after a long night of twisting and turning, up and down, and bobbing in and out of sleep. My hip flexor/ deep abdomen really was acting out of line, all night. It was hard. It puts me in this horrible emotional state. And it tears me apart. I hate it when this happens so much. But as I woke up, I noticed my left glute was actually firing, my hips were getting more extended than they usually do, and I finally got some rest.
This isn’t an easy time, but I know if I’m consistent with my body movements, it’s going to help and pay off. I just had a busy day, as usual, on Monday. My hip flexor is definitely ready to not be in this position, so I will have to get up and ready for the day! I’m going to see what I can do to get my legs in the IdealKnee 10x today! 10 sets of 100 here we go!
I was thinking about some of those mobility exercises from that mobility trainer on Instagram and I couldn’t help but think that I might be able to get into some of those positions from the pull-up bar at half high at half height height? I’m just noticing all my bodies responding so well and waking things up so much from that type of movement I figured that could be a fun little next step?
7/2
Holy smokes, my legs sweat a lot, and I was also thinking about how much more sensation there are in my ankles and feet, lower legs and how much more sensation well? I guess I should call it activation in my low back, which is pretty cool to note!
I was talking to Melissa yesterday at PT and she thought that these high rep movements I’m trying to do for my legs could really help. So we messed around with that yesterday and my legs really are getting in extension. She was showing me how there is this different compound movement that I should try instead of trying to kick my leg out from my knee while seated. I should try to press down like I’m standing up or on the reformer, and My body really could respond better to that because im more used to that movement. I should start with the movement it’s more used to, and then add more variation from there. She was also commenting on the Pilates! That it’s very much about control which is cool to hear somebody understand that!
Our feet are the entrance to our body, is a concept Therese is trying to help me better understand? This is a new one so I’m going to need some time to think about this!
Reformer work went really well! I was getting farther and farther into extension! Also, it’s so weird when I get done doing this, because my brain feels so crazy afterwards? Like I’m almost reactivating different parts of my brain that haven’t been as active more recently!
Two-way stretch, like standing! Hmm, this idea is a really hard one for me to grasp, I don’t know what is going to help make it stick!
I’m doing a whole body circuit, waking everything up! These Pilates sessions really do take it out of me!
I was impressed with how I was doing these chest expansion exercises! They went really well!
Pushing through my feet on the reformer is what I need to consistently be thinking, and I’m glad to know that I am feeling my feet more and more as I do this!
Therese said, “mark my words, you will see how you will connect with the reformer and get up from your ankles, just you watch…”
My body is so hard to handle. I’m finally in bed, it’s around 10:30. I’m exhausted. I don’t get breaks. Just pooped.
7/3
Why does the Pilates 100 breath style help so much with movement??? Why is this the case?So I’m doing the 100 modified breath with leg extension exercises in the IdealKnee, and my movements are getting better, with longer range of motion!?!? WHAT?!?!?
So, I’m noticing, that while I was in the harness, I was barely leaning forward, yet I thought it felt like i was leani by too far forward? But I wasn’t? I think that is what is interesting, this position is honestly one indeed my body needs to get used too, because without that comfortability, I’ll never get myself up walking! PT went well today, worked with Ashley and got on the treadmill for the first time in quite a while!
7/4
I also really hate this wheelchair. I’m trying every day, doing as much as I can while still getting enough rest. It’s a slog most of the time, it’s killin’ me. I’m trying to just keep doing what I’m doing, writing everyday, keeping my head mostly up, but it’s been a tough one. Only thing I can do is just try to keep moving forward, like those two goofy hobbits, carrying that ring to Mt Doom. Never knowing if they actually will make it or not, but still keep moving.
Turns out I’ve learned ‘sadness’ is very different from ‘unhappiness’. And sadness can and does coexist with other emotions, like Joy & happiness. But unhappiness is the one I try to stay away from, as best I can. This message from Tolkien is one I’m going to learn more about. It’s so interesting how people never seem to talk this way, and I feel how it has helped me make sense of it all, in my situation. It’s okay to be sad. I had some awful things happen to me and there shouldn’t be me trying to deny that, and just say, “everything is going to be okay.” That’s the thing, not everything is perfect, or has to be perfect. And that’s a part of life I’m trying to learn more about. Seems to help. It’s making us more aware of expectations we set out for ourselves, I guess.
My legs are definitely helping me stay upright when I’m leaning forward to pick up items off the floor! And then when I got to lean back, my legs PUSH me up and back with so much force, sometimes I’m scared I might flip the chair!
So, thinking about the Pilates Wall Unit, and I want to make a device to help me to do unassisted sit-to-stands, with no hands, and only springs. If I can get some extension springs, I can get this setup even in the standing frame?? I should only need 2 springs, with a max force at the extended length of ~80lbs, for ea. this way with the springs in parallel, it would be able to help me initiate my movement, while I’m seated? I suppose I don’t need that much spring, since I’m not trying to levitate and completely pick myself up, I still want my legs to do the work? So I could decrease the force required/ spring rate for this spring. I’m ~160lbs, so I don’t need too much more than that? I was also thinking about the force as the extension decreases… it’s going to decrease, so as I get pulled up, would that mean my legs would have to kick in more, the closer to vertical? Interesting! Let’s see what comes of this!
I guess, there’s gotta be something to doing sit-to-stands with no hands? Idk what that’s going to do to my brain and muscles, the signals going through my spinal cord, but this should work to help? It should also help me start to independently map the area in my brain to remove my hands from the equation? I’m trying to continually think about this, there’s gotta be a way!
Today in the pool was great! I got in an inner tube, and was moving my core, abdomen, hips, and legs around so much! It was really amazing, actually! They were working really well! It honestly took me quite a bit, to get myself under control, while I was in the water. It’s so weird, the longer I was in, the more I could feel my legs! It was really great! I did hula-hoops/ rotational spins/ twisting my legs around so I go in a circle in the pool! Sounds silly, but I was really moving! All hands free!!
This back massager from Hyperice is feeling so good on my low back now, the heat and vibration is definitely helping loosen me up down in my low back area! I’m hoping just 15min before bed should help!
Holy smokes! My legs are so stretched out, I’m so comfortable on my back, this is incredible! My legs are so straight! And they’re not so dead tired, they cannot do anything! They are feeling that much more present right now, it’s unreal! My legs seriously are filling in! Also, my low back isn’t stressed out right now, and my hips and front lower abdomen/ obliques are so much more relaxed right now in this position! All the movement in the pool, the rotation, the kicking in place, and movement of my legs was really significant today! Okay, so I can just now feel something start acting up in my lower left abdomen. Deep breaths in and out of my diaphragm is kinda helping, but I better focus. It’s been a long day, time to get some rest.
7/5
Okay, slept what felt like half the day, but we didn’t get to sleep until late! My body doesn’t do so well trying to get me rested up, so I have to take extra care to keep him rested.
At the pool again today! This was also a great session in there! I got to do my hula-hoop spins, or “dizzy spins” as Callie would call it! I was able to do these first, and that really helps loosen me up! After that, Callie helped me do my steps back and forth across the pool! These went really well!! After about an hour of water aerobics I was about pooped!
Early night tonite, my body needs rest. This week has been a good one for incorporating different movement, and getting caught up! I’m excited what next week will bring, we have a lot to do for this exoskeleton!
The Astronaut on Earth 
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