Tag: relaxation
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Legs Working and Trying! Positive Self-Talk! | Nov 30 – Dec 6 2025
Positive Self Talk – Learning from the Water – Up in the Exoskeleton – Full days
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Thanksgiving! // Items for Daily Leg & Core Work for SCI Recovery | Nov 23 – 29 2025
Thanksgiving – Busy Days – And Time for Reflection!
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“One Construction Zone At a Time” // Who Knows What’s Next? for SCI Recovery | Nov 16 – 22 2025
Working On Left Hip – One Construction Zone At a Time
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Getting Back To Work for SCI Rehab | Nov 9 – 15 2025
GI Pain & The Astronaut – Letting Out Body Do What It’s Best At – Hydration Rules SCI-Style – To Plant A Seed – Looking Up!
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“Don’t Die Today” – Ocean & Desert Exploration for SCI Recovery | Nov 2 – 8 2025
“Don’t Die Today” – getting back in the groove of daily work/ life routine after SCI and vacation
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Stabilizer Cascade Theory Refinement / Boats, Pukes, & Planes for SCI Recovery | Oct 26 – Nov 1 2025
Trip to San Diego! Stabilizer Cascade theory refining, and figuring out my GI tract.
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Black Hooded Figure //Learning From Others, Social Engagement for SCI Rehab | Oct 19 – 25 2025
Externalization of our minds. Working through the black hooded figures inside ourselves. Learning about the natural frequencies in our bodies. Always something new to be learning.
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New Meaning of The Word ‘Understanding’ – We Only Have What We Remember / Pairing Excitation With Inhibition for SCI Recovery | Oct 12 – 18 2025
And fold our lives like crashing waves and run up on this beach. Come on and see us together, we’re just some tattered rags stained forever, we only have what we remember. – Listener
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Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, Stabilizer Cascade Theory, & ‘Keeping Perspective’ for SCI Recovery | Oct 5 – 11 2025
What do the Uncertainty Principle & The Stabilizer Cascade Theory have in common? Let’s explore these thoughts in this week’s entry!
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Neural Rewiring and GI Triggers for SCI Recovery | Sep 28 – Oct 4 2025
All the work being put in, day in and day out. Feeling some new “rumblings”..
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“Building Off One Another” | Having Hope & Faith in SCI Recovery | Sept 21 – 27 2025
9/21 Wow, I’ve been pooped. I guess there’s not much to add there? Okay my low back and glutes are fired up like crazy after getting in the standing frame for the first time in the past two days!! Goodness yesterday I got TIGHT! All the shenanigans all day in the chair has really lent…
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Wedding Week & Time on My Feet! For SCI Recovery | Sept 14 – 20 2025
Wedding week, and all the amazing events leading up to the big day.
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Making Something From Nothing // Visceral Manipulation for SCI Rehab | Aug 24 – 30 2025
8/24 Okay, I can feel more and more surging into my lower legs! It’s definitely that “creaky” and slow signal, that has reminiscent points of tingle, but it’s slower, like the TV static on basic TV from the 90’s tuning back into focus, with the antenna you have sitting on top! It’s crazy, everything has…
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“The Gravel Walks” // Movement Patterns for SCI Recovery | Aug 17 – 23 2025
8/17 This was a rough night. Okay, so I need to reframe how the cyclobenzaprine can help me right now, as opposed to thinking of it like a crutch, because it’s really helping with my lower abdomen spasms, and helping more clean signals go to my legs! My abdomen, upper things, glutes, and feet are…
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“Recognize What You’re Feeling, Don’t Tell Yourself What You Are Feeling.” for SCI Recovery | Aug 10 – 16 2025
8/10 when I went to the bathroom for the third time today, I got rather emotional because of the flood of thoughts running through my head. Max, Family, Julia, Callie, Mom, John, Jill, Schmüle, Jake, you name them. It’s always hard in these moments being seemingly removed from the family, but also right there with them.…
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The Astronaut On Earth
The reasons why I call myself an Astronaut On Earth, it turns out, have been growing as I have been learning more about astronauts, space, neuroscience, kinesiology, and continuing my rehabilitation from my Spinal Cord Injury. I want to take some time to help others understand why I’ve called myself this, and hopefully this will…
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“Can You Kick It?” // Making Connections for SCI Recovery | July 20 – 26 2025
Making new connections while healing from the spinal cord injury makes for a rather interesting experience!
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Lake Michigan // Party Time and Up For 23hrs – SCI Rehab Marathon | July 13 – 19 2025
7/13 My legs are really extending out while I’m laying in supine more and more while I’m waking up in bed! So much to think about when I get down on the floor. Which exercises to do, what to try, what did the PTs tell me to try? What did Therese tell me to try?…
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T-Shirts, Fundraising, and Reciprocal Motion for SCI Rehab | July 6 – 12 2025
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…
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We Need Both – Upright Weight-Bearing & Reciprocal Motion for SCI Recovery | June 29 – July 5 2025
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…
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Sadness vs Unhappiness – Contracting the Ab’s full time for SCI Rehab | June 22 – 28 2025
6/22 Wow was that one of the saddest and most heartfelt moments I’ve had in such a long time. The image of Max, sitting and watching, patiently for me, as I was pulling out of the driveway. I miss that old boy. He knows, he knows all too well, how much I miss him. It’s…
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Legs in Extension & Family Visits for SCI Recovery | June 15 – 21 2025
6/15 I guess, days like this are bittersweet and very hard. There is so much my body needs, and it’s so hard. It’s so hard, mentally and physically. And I really need to keep moving. Today was a slower day for movement. I really don’t know what to say about that, except I know my…
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Small Repetitive Movements for SCI Rehab | June 8 – 14 2025
6/8 I’m doing this to be kinder for my future self. I’m working these abs to help control what extends out from underneath them. It’s a slow process, but each morning, I’m feeling my legs leveling up in terms of their power and activation. It may not be much, and it may not always be…
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“I’m Safe” – Mental Cues for SCI Recovery | June 1 – 7 2025
6/1 Had a good morning with Callie! Got in the pool today too!! I’m really excited to see where the pool work is headed!!! This was really cool, because Callie was helping me work on advancing my legs, one at a time! I was doing some sort of “walking” but was not fully getting my…
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Independent Leg Initiated Movements – SCI Rehab Movements| May 25 – 31 2025
5/25 Preloading my legs first before movements… it’s almost like I need to be loading my legs and attempting the movement, prior to getting assistance from my hands. And slowly by slowly, I can keep delaying the use of my hands until I eventually no longer need them? Made it out and about, and talking…
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Doing Hard Things & Family Visits! Subconscious Processes for SCI Recovery | May 18 – 24 2025
5/18 Hard things. Doing hard things. Seems to be a theme going on here. Today’s the day. Today is the day of the accident. I…. am at a loss of words right now. It’s really surreal. I am not sure how to describe my emotions or feelings right now. I’m like, really struggling to put…
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Lake Michigan Lighthouse Project – Take 1 | May 11 – 17 2025
5/11 Wow, another day and another increase in sensation! My legs really needed yesterday! That was a great day of rest! I still incorporated activation into the day, but I really got caught up on some rest!! I realized too, how my hopefulness waxes and wanes as the day moves on. It’s a hard reality,…
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Neural Oscillation Pairing + “Spiritual Experiences” for SCI Rehab | Apr 6 – 12 2025
4/6 Will hinging at my hips/ lower spine/ sacral region, will that be bad for that area if I’m fused from T3- L5? How can I functionally get my spine/ pelvis/ hips in extension or flexion with this limitation? What do I need to work? What needs to be bolstered for support and movement? I…
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Neurological Thresholds & Brother’s Birthday Party for SCI Rehab & Recovery | Mar 30 – Apr 5 2025
3/30 You know, I’m thinking about dancing and how your entire body moves during it? To me, this was something I was feeling very different with last night?! I feel like there’s something there, I just don’t know what yet. Like holy crap, I wore the compression top yesterday, after being completely exhausted, and today,…
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Sit-To-Stands On The Go! Perception From Action to help SCI Recovery | Mar 23 – 29 2025
3/23 Wow! My legs are so engaged today!!! Callie and I were able to have a great start to the morning! I’m pretty glad to have her to work through all the things I have to improve in my body. It’s been a lot to try to tackle on my own, so I’m glad I…
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“Ichi-Go Ichi-E” Create / Control for SCI Recovery | Mar 16 – 22 2025
3/16 Adaptive e-sports equipment for folks working to regain function, mirror neurons, and more?! To help regain stability and motor control?! Seems like something I might have to investigate and add to the list!?? So, I woke up here this morning, with a flood of new sensory input in my legs, core, chest, back, glutes,…
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Schmüle’s Supply & Delivery & Morning Routine’s for SCI Recovery | Feb 23 – Mar 1 2025
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…
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Small Movements Matter – How We Help Train Our Spinal Cord | Jan 26 – Feb 1 2025
1/26 Wow, my legs are moving so well to get out of bed partially on my own! I am able to kick them out so good these days, my left leg likes to initiate the movement, and it seems being in certain positions too, really helps! All these small, subtle movements and attempts are important,…
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Overcoming Spinal Cord Rehab Challenges in 0-Degree Winter Temps | Jan 19 – 26 2025
1/19 So! Putting furniture together from IKEA has turned into quite the therapy and physical exercise for me! I would have never thought that this would require such different bodily positions, movements, or strength, or balance! But it did! It got me in so many different positions on the floor, and even in the chair…
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Celebrating Christmas Again: Reflections During Spinal Cord Injury Recovery | Dec 29 – Dec 31 2024
12/29 We had everyone over today at my parents for gifts! This was awesome, because Callie and I got to give all the kids their gifts! I was really excited to get them gifts this year, because I had to take the previous year off. I felt like Santa’s sleigh driving over to Detroit from…
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The Freedom For Which The Schedule Creates – Structure in Spinal Cord Injury Recovery | Dec 22 – Dec 28 2024
12/22 So, I realize one thing that I’m doing that’s been so helpful, so impactful to my recovery, and I just started doing this a couple weeks ago. That’s trying to turn my muscles “on” and having them all be able to stay “on” at the same time, just as you would while you were…
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Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Progress Amidst Winter’s Arrival | Dec 15- Dec 21 2024:
12/15 So, I woke up to the most extraordinary feeling through my right leg and inner thigh! He’s feeling so full! And even my ankles and feet, have such a significant cooler and “smooth” feeling as well? I mean goodness, even into my glutes, everything feels like it’s filling back out! I wonder how I…
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Continued On My Journey – Progress & New Goals in My SCI Rehab Oct 27- Nov 3 2024
10/27 Wow! were my hips and quads tight last night and feeling the burn from yesterday!! I’m working on letting go of the hamstrings and hip flexors so that they will relax right now, and I wanted to use this time to help my mental imagery with this! Time for some research! So the research…
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Legs More Like Legs – Progress in Lower Body Function for SCI | Oct 13 – Oct 19 2024
10/13 My legs are feeling fuller and fuller everyday. My right hip and groin area is really filling out, as are my thighs, my left hip, knees, outer legs, shins, calves, ankles! My heels really have been joining in this morning cascade of feelings, and the tingling is really only in what seems like part…
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Challenge Accepted – Overcoming Obstacles in Spinal Cord Injury Rehab | Oct 6 – Oct 12 2024
10/6 I woke up this morning and my legs are going through some changes! I don’t know what! But I’ll tell ya what, I’m feeling something changing! I do think though too, that the alcohol I had last night didn’t help anything. I was really feeling the contractions in my lower legs!! Had a wonderful…
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Drink Your Electrolytes & Family Visits – Supporting SCI Recovery | Sept 29 – Oct 5 2024
9/29 Okay. This has been an interesting and wonderful week! My body is experiencing some drastic changes, and I’m feeling it. My low back right now is working through some extreme amounts of tightness, and it’s been amazing being able to actually feel that! My hips are unlocking, and my legs are really activating! My…
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Sept 15th – Sept 21st 2024: “Chair Scans and Body Changes”
9/15 I was just thinking about something. It’s always really hard to have to be fighting internally with my body when I’m out and about. When a muscle group isn’t listening quite right to me, and contracting at the wrong time (or a spasm, and it contracts when I’m not telling it) is pretty hard.…
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Aug 18th – Aug 24th 2024: “Backwards Crawl”
8/18 Okay, so I’m waking up, and feeling my left shoulder doesn’t quite like being laid on so much. I think it’s partially because I haven’t been to the gym very much last week! Need to step it back up! My left leg is making some rather huge movements these days, while I’m laying on…
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Aug 11th – Aug 17th 2024: “Quantity Over Quality, Practice Makes Perfect”
8/11 Okay, so I’m not really sure why I was so tired today, but boy was I. Goodness I’m glad to have a nice recovery day!! I’m brushing my teeth standing up in the standing frame, and it’s interesting because I haven’t brushed my teeth and spit in a cup in what feels like forever.…
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Aug 4th – Aug 10th 2024: “Memories Like This”
8/5 So, I’m crying right now. I’m at work, and I’m tearing up. It’s hard. A song came on that reminded me of a video I made like a month before the accident. “Teal” – by Wunderhorse, was the name of the song, I’m pretty sure I made and sent a Snapchat to the brothers of…
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July 28th – Aug 3rd 2024: “Your Body Adapts to The Demands You Place Upon It”
7/28 Goodness! This was an amazing weekend at GermanFest with the family! I had an absolutely amazing time! I am feeling so much in my legs right now! My quads and inner thighs are feeling very full right now! Also, when I was getting ready for bed, I realized that my feet and lower legs…
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July 21st – July 27th 2024: “GermanFest!”
7/21 I’m really noticing how my floor routine is constantly progressing! It feels like, every single Set I’m feeling more, contracting more, and moving more with each step! I’m really noticing the feelings in my legs changing! Starting at my glutes and hips, and progressing through the entire leg, hip, and abdomen! My body is…
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July 14th – July 20th 2024: “Do Not Ever Give Up”
7/14 Well, it’s been a crazy day. I can’t believe it, really, sometimes. It’s happening. I’m doing it. I’m going back to work. It’s 9:09PM right now and getting ready for bed and it’s just been the most wild experience that could have ever happened to me. I don’t know of many other life altering…
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July 7th – July 13th 2024: “The More You Learn, The More You CAN Learn”
7/7 Okay, today has been a good day. I have felt like I haven’t been writing a lot, and it’s got me all stressed out. I think it’s been interesting, I’ve been saying a lot, “the more you learn, the more you can learn” and I feel as though I can apply this to so…
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June 30th – July 6th 2024: “4-A-Day’s”
6/30 Okay maybe I get to the gym and do some “pull ups” with a spotter on the smith machine? Like, get the legs on the ground, and just work on pulling up and letting my legs be on the ground? Doing some research into what infants do between the crawling and the walking stage.…
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June 23rd – June 29th 2024: “Apple Pie, salads, Knouldering, and Chess. What do they all have in common?”
6/23 I feel like the amount of nutrients, B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals is pretty okay for my diet. I think I need to try to incorporate some more essential fatty acids, as they are essential for maintaining and improving glial, myelin sheath, and neuronal health. At least that what’s my research is showing! It’s…
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June 16th – June 22nd 2024: “Linus The Lump is Gone!”
6/16 Okay so my legs are ready. They are ready to do some things today! I need to get moving so they don’t feel so restless today! It’s interesting how I can take a second and reflect and see all the changes happening in my body. See and feel the changes. It’s really been a…
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June 9th – June 15th 2024: “KNOULDERING!”
6/9 Wow, what a great day! Got to see my little pupper, that big ole floof! Did some crawling and laying in the sun! It was a really well spent day with the family, and just relaxing and enjoying everyone’s company. 6/10 Alright, so this morning I had one of the toughest goes I have…
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June 2nd – June 8th 2024: “Kneel Bouldering = Knouldering?”
6/2 Alright, so it happened!!! I made it over to Jake and Carley’s! It was so cool, I did so many firsts! It was also really emotional, driving over there from the freeway. I actually teared up on the way over there. While I got off the freeway, I noticed how much had changed off…
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May 12th – May 18th 2024: “Try and Fail, but Always Try!”
5/13 So, everytime I go to the gym after a longer break, I start to feel such different feelings from day to day. My lower back lately has been feeling so much! I can really feel him contracting! 5/14 It’s hard. Having to get up and try to do something, and then go at it…
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May 5th – May 11th 2024: “First Crawl at The Park!”
5/5 I woke up today feeling rather under the weather! I may have been a bit over served last night at the bar, and might potentially had a case of the brown bottle flu. I’m glad this is a very rare occurrence! 5/6 So I woke up with a lot of ideas throughout the night!…
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April 14th – April 20th: Co-Contractions
4/13 So, I learned two new things this morning. 1. That almost all our muscles besides our hands and face contract during the gait cycle, and 2. That co-contraction of muscles is actually a pretty normal and good thing! This is really fascinating to me, because of all the reasons that our muscles do this,…
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April 7th – April 13th 2024: Look Ma, No Hands!
4/7 Welp, that was a morning for the books! I really haven’t felt that good in a very long time. I’m really fortunate. Also, the feeling of having to go to the bathroom is getting to be just the feeling of the movement, and isn’t a bunch of pain! We made it to Culver’s and…
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Mar 31st – Apr 6th 2024: I Got Some Walkin’ to Do!
3/31 Easter! Wow! Had to get up and get ready to go to church with mom and dad! We had a pretty alright time, really. It was an interesting time because I had to take a break and do my business in a public facility.. but public bathrooms are usually pretty good, and this was…
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Mar 24th – Mar 30th 2024: Gettin’ Ready to Rumble!
3/24 Wow, I had a wild day today!! Some exciting things happened today!! 3/25 Waking up is a tricky one sometimes. I usually wake up with this definite feeling of having “to go”. It isn’t like I have to try to get that feeling to go away, but it can be such a drag to…
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Mar 17th – Mar 23rd 2024: Hittin’ The Gym 5x a Week! Energy and Work
3/17 It’s so weird having to be “on my best behavior” when everything inside my body is ramping up and not feeling well. When I’m not feeling well, where my nose is clogged up and I’m super stiff, everything seems to bug me so much more than it usually would. I don’t think that’s abnormal,…
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Mar 3rd – Mar 9th 2024: The Boys Are Back In Town!
Mar 3rd This was a bit of a rougher start to the day. I realized very quickly why I don’t drink…. turns out that I have some really hard things I have to do in the morning that require my body to not be in pain or hurtin’ in other ways. Just getting out of…
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February 25th – March 2nd 2024: Just an Astronaut on Earth
Feb 25 Well, I had a really good start to the day! IM ACTUALLY WEARING REAL PANTS!!!! This is kinda wild, because I haven’t worn blue jeans this entire time since the accident! I used to wear these things all the time, or something similar, that kinda helped define me! I had these silly pairs…
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February 18th – 24th 2024: Trust Your Legs
Feb 18th So this morning was interesting. I had quite a few thoughts on what all happened this past week, and what’s to come. I had a great session at the gym yesterday, and was very pleased to have gotten up yesterday when my motivation was pretty low, and I knew I needed to get…
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Dec 17th – Dec 23rd 2023: I’ll Be Home For Christmas!
Dec 17th Yep, there is a lot going on. Butt, legs, left ankle! Holy smokes the feeling of a deep burning is there How can I improve the signal from my brain and my legs? This is the real question I’m asking and working on! Dec 18th How do you think of help differently? If…
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Nov 26th – Dec 2nd 2023: First Week on My Own!
Nov 26th Definitely had some Mexican food!! Making chicken and dumplings tomorrow!! Nov 27th Wow, today I had both the new physical therapy and PM&R doctors appointments Nov 28th Woke up this morning feeling great! I got on my tum this morning and started to do some prone exercises! The are gonna be important for…
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Oct 29th – Nov 4th 2023: UTI’s and Train Rides
Nov 1st Today I have been feeling a lot better. I think it probably was a UTI…… but lots to do and think about! It’s been an incredible time for me thus far, and I don’t want that to stop. Still feeling kinda wonky and this trip has me fairly stressed….. it wasn’t the most…
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October 22nd – 28th 2023: First Train Ride
Oct 22nd So, I had a pretty good start to this day! I’ve really been able to get myself up and out of bed on my own actually! And, not to mention….. I actually got my first shower in a house?!?! That was crazy! I can’t believe that happened! The only things I needed some…
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October 16th 2023 – Dry Needling
Oct 16th I got dry needled today! It’s a pretty wild time, because it always is a pretty relaxing time. I have to shimmy about and get on my tum, and I get a bunch of needles stuck in me, which is really cool, because I think it’s actually helping! It’s wild to think that…
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September 30th 2023 – John’s House
Sept 30th Today I had quite the day, being out and about for the whole day and for the first time going over to John’s house! I had gotten Max a super goofy dog toy, went to the orchard, and then grabbed a slice of pizza and headed over there with the Schmule! The weather…
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September 23rd 2023 – The Snow Pant
Sept 23rd Need to look up muscle activation while running and biking to get those images of the muscles being activated in my head! I’m already trying to do that, but it will only help! So today I would describe the way my legs feel as being in a warm snow pant. Like my right…
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September 19th 2023 – Metal Rods
So, yesterday marked the 4 month mark of the accident. Which is tough to realize. But at the same time, it does feel really good to have made as much progress as I have! And still am! So that’s reassuring!! It’s a lot of work, but envisioning myself walking, in a new future self, is…
The Astronaut on Earth 