7/6
So I always liked mornings, but these days they’re really hard because I gotta wake up and I have such a giant urge to use the restroom. But I did something different this morning, and that was to grab the IdealKnee and start doing my 100’s! What’s interesting is how the sensation has all changed. I was able to decrease the pains to have to go to the bathroom, and honestly the tightness of my hamstrings and posterior side also decreased! Is there something to this?! I’m getting my body more and more go used to moving and because of that, I think I need to constantly be finding more and more helpful ways to get myself up to stand and move? I was also using my reflection in the mirror to help me stay more upright! It was interesting, I’ve never done that before and it was so helpful!
It’s interesting too because the bridge between crawling and cruising for an adult is drastic. It’s vast for adults. Adults don’t just have a playground or jungle gym at their constant ‘becking call’ to work on pulling themselves up and then also move around. Because I’ve been noticing too I have to have both, one is not enough. I’ll do the tall sitting exercises or tall perched exercises at PT and my legs don’t feel tired, but if it’s paired with some form of reciprocal motion, now we’re getting somewhere!
I guess that’s where I’m heading right now is finding that device. Or building that device? The device to help me get up to stand without my hands because I think this is going to be significant. I think this is achievable!
My legs right now after being in the pool are feeling strong! It’s very interesting. I noticed too how my body needs to, I guess, they need to “adjust?” to the feeling of new muscle activation? My best and most previous example is my whole posterior side on my back how it started from the mid upper section and I would just be achy and tight and I think that’s because of constant new signals being sent, but now it doesn’t feel like that! I noticed how it’s moving farther and farther down the chain! See I just went to the bathroom and I didn’t have to go with the urge for which my body was telling my brain, but my body had to do something and that’s what I had to figure out, and that’s what I’m still figuring out!
Each morning is significant because I feel such different sensations, and this morning included. I shouldn’t look at that as a bad sign that I was in pain, I had said that the more they are becoming less and less pleasant, but I think that’s because I’m feeling more and more! So I think I’m gonna have a good stretch of time before things become “pleaseant”. I guess I’m OK with that if I can get up moving to go to the bathroom or I think I gotta do anything else? I think that’s really gonna help. For Goodness sakes, my legs this morning before I got up, I pulled the blanket off my feet and I felt and watched my body instinctually kick and extend my legs to try to get them out of the bed?!?! Like, what was that? That’s my body waking up! Because I’ve thought about that, “ how did I used to get out of bed in the morning?” And truth be told that’s a very hard one to think about because we just did those things instinctually. But now I’m rebuilding!
I need to be able to lean forward without the brakes on, far, and not fall forward. This would really help me in every day life.
Also, leaning and moving this chair with reciprocal motion actually makes it that much easier, as opposed to doing both at once? It really does feel like I have to “force” it to do both, but alternating just makes it that much easier? Seems interesting of an idea to expand upon!
What’s so interesting is laying supine, slightly rotated on my left hip, really aggravates and makes my left hip flexor not so happy, I’m not sure what this mechanism is? Why is it only on my left biased side? What is it that happened during the accident? So odd. Not sure, but feels like some sort of trauma is stored there.
Honestly, today has been a busy day. I kinda forgot that it was a Sunday. Callie and I were busy making the flyer for helping raise money for the exoskeleton, got groceries, grabbed a quick bite, and after we got back, I got on the floor to move around! Boy, was I gassy, it felt great to move around, I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t! That would have been mighty uncomfortable.
We are going to lay low for the rest of the night, get my body rested up. I still want to work on making the sit to stand rig without hands, I’m here curious what spring rate I’m going to decide on, plus max extended length and max force as well! We will see!
7/7
Just like that, and the first week of July is in the books? Huh, it’s weird? I wonder why it went by so fast?!
So, as I’m learning and playing chess, I’m wondering why are most folks starting out or learning chess not good at forks? Or don’t practice them? Why don’t forks, hidden attacks, skewers, some of the essential tactics, why isn’t that stressed more? Or am I missing something?
So, as I’m reading here, These are pattern-based skills — and until you’ve seen and felt them a few dozen times, they don’t click. Most people aren’t training this directly. I’m curious and wondering, is this the same as certain movement patterns in our legs and body to get walking that people skip?
Seems like these are close to being exactly the same. I’m drawing an interesting parallel! Let’s dive in and explore a little more what the AI comes back with!
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🧠♟ Tactics in Chess = 🔁🚶 Foundational Movement Patterns in Walking
Let’s break it down:
1. Tactics = Neuromotor Patterns
In chess, forks, pins, skewers are basic tactical patterns — they’re the “building blocks” of combinations.
But they’re often skipped over or misunderstood because people want the fancy strategy (like castling queenside in the Sicilian Dragon) before they’ve mastered basic geometry.
In movement, it’s the same:
• People try to “walk” before they’ve mastered reciprocal leg movements, glute firing, core engagement, ankle tracking, pelvic tilt, or weight shift.
• Without these neuromotor patterns, walking becomes compensatory, disconnected, or even dangerous.
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2. “I don’t see it” = “I can’t feel it”
When beginners don’t spot a fork, it’s not because they’re dumb — it’s because they don’t see the alignment.
When your legs don’t fire correctly, it’s not because you’re weak — it’s because you can’t feel the pattern yet.
Pattern awareness precedes skill.
In both cases, the nervous system doesn’t have the wiring yet. You need:
• Exposure (visual or sensory)
• Repetition (puzzles or drills)
• Feedback (review or proprioception)
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3. Overreaching Instead of Layering
In both rehab and chess:
• Players try to learn openings before tactics.
• Walkers try to stand before building floor-to-quad-to-glute sequences.
But both are skipping the scaffolding. That’s like trying to play Bach without learning scales.
Your brain needs to build neural templates before executing higher-order functions — whether that’s a queen sacrifice or a full gait cycle.
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4. Corollary Discharge = Chess Visualization
Just like your corollary discharge helps predict leg movement and gives feedback from your motor cortex, chess tactics build internal predictive models of “what will happen if I move here?”
In both:
• The goal is mental rehearsal that becomes automatic.
• The knight fork becomes “second nature” just like a glute squeeze before a knee drive.
You’re rewiring your nervous system — in both domains — through sensory-motor learning.
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So, What’s the Takeaway?
You’re absolutely right to see this connection:
Forks are to chess what glute-pelvis-leg timing is to walking.
You can’t “walk” well without that pattern.
You can’t “play” well without that tactical base.
So for your journey:
• Don’t just train the goal (walking, or winning).
• Train the precursors — the neurological drills, the breathing patterns, the proprioceptive scaffolding.
Same with chess:
• 100 forks a day > 10 new openings.
• 100 walking visualizations and weight shifts > 10 minutes of just trying to “stand.”
Huh, interesting! Seems like maybe I’m on to something here with my silly ideas? This was a fun one to explore!
7/8
Wow! I needed this rest! I really needed to be able to get my body some much needed rest after yesterday!
I’m so glad I did a new stretching routine last night in bed! That actually helped me so much get my legs relaxed, while I was laying down supine for what felt like the first time since the accident. I guess that would be almost like 2years? I was able to lay down on the bed and actually relax for a few moments before my legs got a bit angry! Slowly but surely they are responding!
My legs right now on the floor are doing some cool stabilizing movements while I’m under the pull up bar and rings! They truly are stabilizing as opposed to just “flopping” open and abducting?! This is awesome!
7/9
So, why is “falling” of a baby important? Does this help increase proprioception? If they fall from a crawling/ half standing state, it’s pretty minor, right? Hmm, I bet there’s something to this!
So what’s been so weird is all the heartburn and change emanating from my lower left abdominal area? It’s so weird, I’ve had many cases of indigestion today where I’m left with an awful taste in my mouth? It’s so weird, this does not feel like a regular case of heartburn. My stomach is squeezing voraciously when this is happening, and sometimes even if I’m laying on my back, it’s difficult to breathe.
7/10
Wow! This is a lot of sensation throughout my legs and feet?!! Even a big of coolness in my feet and toes?!
My right leg today has been getting so extended, and Pilates today went really well! I’m really glad to get on the reformer and let my legs actually do some work for a change!
I’ve been noticing how my left leg has been sweating a lot. Standing frame, it will do it a bit, and seems to get a really good sweat when I’m laying supine and stretching it out in the leg stretcher. I’m also noticing how when I’m actually moving my legs, not just contracting them isometrically, or laying prone, my leg doesn’t hardly sweat, if at all. Just like it used to? I’m wondering what it is about that?
I’m also leaning back in the chair, and trying to get my left hip/ hip flexor to relax. “I’m safe” is what I’m telling my body right now. Especially my left hip flexor, or “the crease” as it’s more commonly called! It’s nice! Maybe 5-10min of the massage ball, thee ole Hypersphere Go! And I’m good to go! Honestly that thing works really well, I really like how it gets my muscles that are so stressed out, to relax and actually have a moment of relaxation. That was like the other night too, finally got them to relax!
7/11
Why do people plateau? Is it simply because of lack of effort?
Dear legs and knees, if you’re listening, I would appreciate it if you help me get myself upright, get into extension, fill out, and have fun. We have a lot of fun when we’re up and about, and I appreciate it if we could go for a walk with Callie and Max. – Sincerely, Joe.
I had a sad dream about max getting picked up by the pound, and I had to work to let him out to escape free, but I couldn’t just take him home…. This left me in almost tears..
I also did something really interesting this past night, after we made it back in the rain, we were walking in a way, while I was pushing the wheelchair, to get some reciprocal motion going? It was cool! I was also pretty fast on the way back from Sugar Maple in the downpour?!
I’ve been trying more and more this week to push through each foot individually, and it’s helping. I can feel more in my feet, and my legs are pushing me up better and better!
7/12
Wow, Callie and I made our way around town adding Flyers up to so many places! We weren’t allowed to hang up any Flyers directly at Harley’s Homecoming festival, but we got them at the beer garden around the Milwaukee Art Museum and War Memorial! fingers crossed we will have to see if these flyers help!
Flyers at Collectivo went well! We had a surprise run in with hopefully a very generous stranger!! We will count our blessings and see how it goes!
I just met the son of the owner to the Bucks at collectivo, and he was like, “you have no idea who you just met, look me up on LinkedIn” and goes, “I hope what I donate is helpful, let me go talk to my accountant”
Flyers at Roundhouse at the marina went well too, and we found a giant pretzel to snack on as well!
We rounded out the night with Flyers at Vanguard! My favorite place!! This has been a long week, long day, and I’m ready to call it a night! Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
Here’s the link for my shirts and gear if you’re interested in supporting my mission to get up standing for my wedding, and walking my mother down the Aisle! More info in my bio!
The Astronaut on Earth 
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