SIt-ups Hurt!

TODAY WAS A DOOZY! WELL, NOT REALLY TODAY, BUT THE WORKOUT THAT NICOLE HAD ME DO WAS DEFINITELY A DOOZY! I ACTUALLY HAD A PRETTY PRODUCTIVE DAY...I EDUCATED MYSELF ON ALL OF THE PROPOSITIONS (PROP 30-40) AND HAD A LIL DISCUSSION WITH MY FRIEND ABOUT EACH ONE! I FEEL REALLY SMART AND PRODUCTIVE! SOMETIMES, I AMAZE MYSELF.

BUT TALK ABOUT A DOOZY! NICOLE PUT ME THROUGH THE RINGER! MY BODY HASN'T WORKED THAT HARD IN AWHILE. MY ARMS AND SHOULDERS WERE SORE FROM OUR SESSION ON WEDNESDAY AND MY PHYSICAL THERAPY ON THURSDAY, SO TODAY NICOLE WORKED MY LEGS AND ABS!

FIRST, I DID LEG-RAISES WITH MY WHEELCHAIR IN THE FULLY UPRIGHT SITTING POSITION. AFTER ABOUT 10 LEG-RAISES, NICOLE TILTED MY CHAIR HALF-WAY BACK. AFTER 10 MORE LEG-RAISES, SHE LEANED MY CHAIR ALL THE WAY BACK.

I MOVED MY WHEELCHAIR UNDER THE TRX, SO THAT I COULD PULL MYSELF UP AND NICOLE COULD STRAIGHTEN MY HIPS (I WAS SITTING ALL CATTYWHOMPUS IN MY CHAIR).

ONCE I WAS STRAIGHTENED OUT, I WORKED ON RAISING BOTH OF MY KNEES UP. IT'S INTERESTING (and tiring!) TO SEE HOW MUCH HIGHER MY LEFT KNEE WANTS TO GO COMPARED TO MY RIGHT. I SWITCHED TO RAISING UP EACH KNEE INDEPENDENTLY, FIRST THE LEFT, THEN THE RIGHT.

I'M CURRENTLY ABLE TO BRING MY LEFT KNEE UP TO THE POINT WHERE MY LEFT FOOT IS A COUPLE INCHES FROM RESTING ON THE SEAT OF THE WHEELCHAIR. THE RIGHT KNEE ON THE OTHER HAND, RAISES ABOUT AN INCH OFF THE SEAT. NICOLE FELT MY HIP-FLEXOR WHILE I ATTEMPTED TO RAISE MY RIGHT KNEE UP, AND SAID THAT SHE CAN DEFINITELY FEEL THE MUSCLE ENGAGING. I GUESS THAT RIGHT SIDE JUST NEEDS LOTS OF PRACTICE.

THEN, NICOLE HAD ME SIT MY WHEELCHAIR STRAIGHT-UP, AND I USED THE TRX TO STAND UP. I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT STANDING WITH THE TRX IS GETTING SOOO MUCH EASIER. NICOLE AND I FIGURE THAT WEARING THE BACK-BRACE A COUPLE TIMES WILL STRAIGHTEN MY SPINE/HIPS OUT AND I SHOULD BE ABLE TO PERFECT STANDING-UP!

NEXT, I LEANED MY CHAIR ALL THE WAY BACK, AND NICOLE HAD ME DO SIT-UPS...I DECIDED I HATE DOING SIT-UPS. NICOLE PLACED HER HAND ON MY ABS TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE ENGAGED...SILLY ME. I ASKED HER TO DO THAT! BUT BY THE 10TH SIT-UP, I COULD HAVE JUST TOLD HER THEY WERE WORKING BASED ON THE BURNING MUSCLES IN MY CORE!

STILL LEANING ALL THE WAY BACK, NICOLE AND I TRIED CROSSING AND UNCROSSING MY LEGS. WE FIRST CROSSED THE RIGHT LEG OVER THE LEFT. THEN, I WAS ASKED TO UNCROSS MY LEGS. I THOUGHT NICOLE WAS ASKING ALOT FROM MY RIGHT LEG, BUT I TRIED, NOT EXPECTING MUCH.

TO START, I HAD TO RAISE MY RIGHT FOOT, IN ORDER TO BRING MY LEG OVER. SURPRISINGLY, MY RIGHT FOOT LIFTED. THEN, WITH MY RIGHT LEG STRAIGHTENED OUT AND MY RIGHT THIGH RESTING ON MY LEFT THIGH, I HAD TO BRING MY WHOLE RIGHT LEG OVER TO THE RIGHT. AGAIN, I WAS SURPRISINGLY ABLE TO DO IT! WHOO! IT FELT AWESOME TO TRY SOMETHING AND SUCCEED! 

I ALSO TRIED CROSSING MY RIGHT LEG OVER MY LEFT. FIRST, I HAD TO RAISE MY RIGHT KNEE HIGH ENOUGH, THEN MOVE MY LEG OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE...NO GO. I STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO ENGAGE THOSE INNER THIGH MUSCLES.

THEN, WITH THE LEFT LEG, I WAS ALMOST ABLE TO CROSS IT OVER THE RIGHT! I JUST NEEDED TO RAISE THE KNEE/LEG UP A LIL HIGHER, BUT I HAD VERY LITTLE TROUBLE MOVING MY LEG OVER TO THE RIGHT.

UNCROSSING MY LEFT LEG WAS BIT DISAPPOINTING. I WAS ABLE TO LIFT-UP MY LEFT FOOT NO PROBLEM, BUT MOVING LEG OFF OF THE RIGHT LEG, TO THE LEFT, JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN.

OUR TIME WAS ALMOST UP, BUT NICOLE THREW IN ONE LAST HOORAH.....SHE HAD ME DO SIT-UPS AGAIN! AS MUCH AS I HATE DOING THEM, I LOVE HAVING THAT DULL ACHEY, TIGHTENED ABS FEELING AFTERWARDS!