Let's Do This

Here we go. The start of another week. Another week to continue my progress. Another week to share my story with who knows how many people. So, let's do this!

As you probs figured out, Mondays are my widget days. I started out the workout with doing 2 laps forward, and 2 laps backwards. With my arms getting stronger, these laps are feeling more like simple warm-up laps, rather than exercise laps like earlier on!

Nicole had me then do 4 laps holding my legs straight out. This is deffinitely a workout! My legs strat to feel super heavy, and my feet start to drop down half-way through 1 lap! Nicole let me rest after the first two laps, but I had to go non-stop for the second two laps! I am super motivated to keep working on this exercise, so that my legs can grow stronger and doing these straight legged laps will be nothin' more than a warm-up!

Next, I wheeled under the TRX and put on the brakes. Nicole wanted to try getting me to stand-up with the TRX. We had tried this before, so I was familiar with what she wanted to try. With this familiarity, I think I was able to try with more confidence. Plus, I had just been told to remember not to second-guess that God's got my back! I need to not be full of fear, but full of confidence, knowing that God isn't going to "let me fall." That's something that I have been struggling with because I'd like to think that God would will give me some sort of "heads-up" when something bad is going to happen. But God most certainly didn't warn me that I was going to get horribly sick and end up in a wheelchair. And then I try to give God the benefit of the doubt, and just assume that I missed the "warning signs" when I was 19. I wouldn't think that I was so self-consumed that I would just be oblivious to God's "heads-up." But I didn't think I would blow off a $6000 college scholarship to Whitworth, but apparently I did! So, I guess I can't trust my 18/19 year old self. Grrr...so confusing!

Anyhoo, Nicole held my feet down on the ground, while I pulled myself up with the TRX. I struggled with straightening my knees because, when I put out the effort, my left leg slides/pushes out. Rather, I need to figure out how to push straight up on my legs.

After trying to stand-up a couple times, Nicole sat down on the ground, directly in front of me, and had me do some leg exercises. First, I did some leg presses with the right leg. I feel, and Nicole tells me, that my right leg is getting so much stronger.

Then, I worked the left leg. My left leg is a lot stronger than the right, so I tried raising my knee, then straightening my leg from that raised position. I bent my knee up, then straightened my leg over and over again. Our latest goal is to get my left leg stright while my thigh is off of the wheelchair.

My right leg totally got worked out with overflow muscle activity! This was actually surprising because it is usually my left leg that is constantly affected by overflow.  So, I guess you could tell that I was working really hard!

Then, we had to stop. I had to go pee...bad! I wheeled myself over to bathroom. It was like an obstacle course trying to wheel around the tredmills and corners...and if I could cross my legs to hold in my pee, I would! Luckily, I made it to the toilet where I urinated for a solid 10 minutes! J/K...TMI, I know!

To wrap up our session, Nicole stretched out my arms and shoulders. It was needed...fo sho!