WWU - My Home Gym...er, "Gym"
I thought I'd show you my little home gym where I do my PT exercises:
This is in a little corner of our bedroom, formerly home to Paco's sleeping crate (don't worry, he upgraded to roomer accommodations in my closet). I use the chair, the floor pillow, and the foam roller every day. Sometimes I'll pull out that cheapie full-length mirror behind the chair to check my form. Sometimes I'll hold that PVC pipe behind my back when I'm sitting on the chair to make sure I'm in zero spine. And sometimes I'll use that green yoga strap when I'm trying to do the Bretzel stretch while my body is being particularly inflexible.
Oh, I just realized that I didn't point out the part of my home gym that gets the most amount of use: the floor. Over half of the exercises are done there, and to go along with that, the vacuum is the next most-used piece of equipment because floor plus dog plus cat plus feet = a lot of fur and dirt.
But wait, there's more:
After Jared had me use a kettlebell to do hip hinges during one of my workout sessions, I bought one to have at home because I felt like I did the hip hinges better with it; there is something about holding it behind my back that gives me the right feel to start the motion correctly. Only thing about having one at home is, I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy - holding it is OK, but I shouldn't pick it up from the floor. So, this little spot of a cabinet in my office became the storage area for the kettlebell. When I want to use it, it's at the right height for me to pick up, and when I'm finished, I just back up to the cabinet (since it's being held behind my back) and feel my way to setting it on top. It may look awkward but it works.
I realize that I've been talking about PT for months now, and lately I haven't added anything new because I was still working on mastering some of the more challenging exercises. One in particular is the rocking pigeon, where you are sitting on a chair with one foot on the floor and the other leg bent so the ankle rests on top of the other knee. You get into zero spine position and rock forward to stand on one leg while the other is still bent and touching the top of the knee. I could do it with my right leg on the ground - it was wobbly but I did it. However, try as I might, I could not make myself stand with the left leg on the ground - it just would not budge.
Yesterday I did the rocking pigeon at PT - right leg was wobbly but I could stand. Left leg, still a no go. Amanda then put a cushion on top of the area where I was sitting, which raised me up two inches...and I actually managed to stand up on my left leg! I couldn't believe it - I honestly thought that my leg was too weak to be able to do that, but it just needed some different mechanics and boom - I had a breakthrough! Both Amanda and Jared have said many times that there is a disconnect between my mind and my leg thanks to the nerve issue, and that right there is proof - what I couldn't will myself to make happen actually happened with a small physical change.
I have a new goal now - to do that rocking pigeon one-legged stand every day, as many times as I can. Yesterday it was three, and I'll build from there. It doesn't sound like a huge thing, but after months of failure, it is big for me.
No workout with Jared tomorrow because he's on vacation, but hopefully I'll get that steroid injection in my SI joint instead, and a whole new pain-free world will open up for me! I have my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that it happens.
from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8319519 https://ift.tt/32bvMym
It IS fancy, I know...
This is in a little corner of our bedroom, formerly home to Paco's sleeping crate (don't worry, he upgraded to roomer accommodations in my closet). I use the chair, the floor pillow, and the foam roller every day. Sometimes I'll pull out that cheapie full-length mirror behind the chair to check my form. Sometimes I'll hold that PVC pipe behind my back when I'm sitting on the chair to make sure I'm in zero spine. And sometimes I'll use that green yoga strap when I'm trying to do the Bretzel stretch while my body is being particularly inflexible.
Oh, I just realized that I didn't point out the part of my home gym that gets the most amount of use: the floor. Over half of the exercises are done there, and to go along with that, the vacuum is the next most-used piece of equipment because floor plus dog plus cat plus feet = a lot of fur and dirt.
But wait, there's more:
Why yes, that IS an orange kettlebell in my office.
After Jared had me use a kettlebell to do hip hinges during one of my workout sessions, I bought one to have at home because I felt like I did the hip hinges better with it; there is something about holding it behind my back that gives me the right feel to start the motion correctly. Only thing about having one at home is, I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy - holding it is OK, but I shouldn't pick it up from the floor. So, this little spot of a cabinet in my office became the storage area for the kettlebell. When I want to use it, it's at the right height for me to pick up, and when I'm finished, I just back up to the cabinet (since it's being held behind my back) and feel my way to setting it on top. It may look awkward but it works.
I realize that I've been talking about PT for months now, and lately I haven't added anything new because I was still working on mastering some of the more challenging exercises. One in particular is the rocking pigeon, where you are sitting on a chair with one foot on the floor and the other leg bent so the ankle rests on top of the other knee. You get into zero spine position and rock forward to stand on one leg while the other is still bent and touching the top of the knee. I could do it with my right leg on the ground - it was wobbly but I did it. However, try as I might, I could not make myself stand with the left leg on the ground - it just would not budge.
Yesterday I did the rocking pigeon at PT - right leg was wobbly but I could stand. Left leg, still a no go. Amanda then put a cushion on top of the area where I was sitting, which raised me up two inches...and I actually managed to stand up on my left leg! I couldn't believe it - I honestly thought that my leg was too weak to be able to do that, but it just needed some different mechanics and boom - I had a breakthrough! Both Amanda and Jared have said many times that there is a disconnect between my mind and my leg thanks to the nerve issue, and that right there is proof - what I couldn't will myself to make happen actually happened with a small physical change.
I have a new goal now - to do that rocking pigeon one-legged stand every day, as many times as I can. Yesterday it was three, and I'll build from there. It doesn't sound like a huge thing, but after months of failure, it is big for me.
********************
No workout with Jared tomorrow because he's on vacation, but hopefully I'll get that steroid injection in my SI joint instead, and a whole new pain-free world will open up for me! I have my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that it happens.
from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8319519 https://ift.tt/32bvMym
Comments
Post a Comment