Recumbent Bike

I have to say, working with Michelle has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. Yes, I work with a number of clients who inspire me every minute of everyday, but Michelle's case is different. She has shown dramatic improvement in a number of areas including strength, endurance and willpower. I am forever in awe of the positive attitude she continues to bring to our sessions and the clear and measurable changes she has made over the past 14 sessions. The first day, lifting Michelle was incredibly difficult because of her lack of upper body strength -- it felt like I had to carry the weight of the world just a few inches. Now, I can hold her, have her stand up and make her look in the mirror at us together. Her own two feet on the ground holding some of her own weight!

I cannot take all the credit, for it is Michelle who has been the individual here who is working hard. Biting her lip when she wants to profess her pain or inabilities. If it weren't for her hard work and positive outlook, we'd be working on holding a weight in her hand to this day. I am so grateful for her hard work-- it has been a daily reminder of just how important gratitude can be.

From Michelle:

Good Lord! Today was a work-out! Right away Nicole started me off on the recumbent bicycle. (By the way, I have no idea if I spelled "recumbent" correctly!) Because Nicole wanted to show-off how buff she was...j/k..., she transferred me from my wheelchair to the bike with my wheelchair half way across the room from each other! K, it was actually only a few feet apart! Nicole was amazed with how much easier it has gotten to transfer me. I didn't come in 30lbs heavier, so I can only assume that it's because I'm stronger now, and my leg muscles are doing the work!

 Once I was transferred over to the bike, the work-out began! Nicole had me pedalling forwards AND backwards. Now, for most people, pedalling a bike is as easy as blinking. But for me, I'm having to retrain my muscles to move in that circular motion. It's like telling your skin to grow spots. You know what spots look like, but your skin doesn't know how to produce them. Frequently, there are point where it's apparent that my leg muscle are starting from scratch with the whole bicycle-thing. It's as if my legs stop and need "reminding" of what to do. This "reminding" is provided by Nicole bending my knee and giving me a little assistance to complete the circle. Another BIG part of relearning how to ride a bike, is the muscle strength that I am currently lacking. For example, my hip flexors, which are a big aide in moving your legs forward/stepping, have been just sittin' there, doing nothing for the past 7 years! Obviously, these need work! Overall, pedalling was exhausting for me!

Staying positive despite groaning through this workout! 

After biking for approx. 30 minutes, Nicole got the great idea that I could push up on the side handlebars. I should have known she'd figure out a way to accomplish this task, which she had me attempt last week! I pushed down, attempting to lift my butt up off the seat, for about 15 reps. My right hand kept slipping off, losing its grip. I had to keep re gripping the handlebar over and over again! It was super frustrating, but Nicole just said, "ehhh, it's good for ya!"

When Nicole transferred me back into my wheelchair, my hip were all eschewed. So, we used the TRX to line me up straight.

Then I did bicep curls with one arm at a time. On the right arm, Nicole had me do an extra exercise where, with my elbow pinned to my side, I brought the weight in and out. Gotta love that arm burn I get!

We wrapped up our session with a painful right-hand massage.

On Wednesday, my previous physical therapist, Scott, had a visit on my Pilate's leg-presses session. He decided to bring a bar w/a 3lb weight on it. He handed me the bar and asked me to do lifts/push-ups with it. What Scott didn't know was that I had been working with 4lb weights for weeks previously. So Scott, expecting that I would be challenged with his 3lb weight, was surprised to see me easily raise and lower the weight! I think he was impressed!