(FRIDAY). (Story of MYYY LIFE:) I simply do what I [physically] CAAAN.

 

Here's a picture of my sorely injured RIGHT arm--as of this past late Wednesday morning.  Also, take it from me, it FEELS a HELLUVA LOT WORSE than it LOOKS!  After showing both my CURRENT bruise & this picture to my trainer, he bulged out his eyes to remark,

"WHOA!  That is WAAAY worse than I thought it'd be.  I know you are your harshest critic.  But, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.  That certainly looks painful."

As a direct result, I requested from my trainer that we [EXCLUSIVELY] focus on my LEGS & my LEFT ARM today.  Kindly & considerately, he obliged.  Thus, today I demonstrated 

20 LEFT armed rotary curls;

several minutes of various LEFT shoulder stretches of the areas around my bursa, my humerus & my rotator cuff;

a thankfully UNeventful ~16 minute bike ride [of just one singular lap] around the community.

(I told him that in the near future I'd like to test my endurance by trying TWO laps around my community.  I think his reaction marked the very first time I have ever confronted/experienced this--a grown man actually giggled.)

--> During the bike ride, I remarked that DISTANCE-rides, such as these, are more ENDURANCE-tests.  While SPRINTS focus more on STAMINA.

   ... Just after said bike ride, I commented,

"We both come from athletic backgrounds that concentrated on ENDURANCE--your cross country track & my wrestling.  To each his own."

--> We also discussed--as we always do--our preference of northeastern sports team over ANYone in south Florida.

I was on such an emotional & psychological HIGH immediately after my productive [PHYSICAL] workout, that I thought it only appropriate to next exercise my mind.  Thus, after only a couple minutes of trials, I texted both my nurse & my mother with this message:

"YAAAY!  Just now I designed an angular placement of this lil’ pillow to rest beside my bedside desk to support my elbow withOUT my dragging my RIGHT forearm against my desk.  Thus, I am NOT further irritating my bruise.  AAAH, trigonometry!"

I bid him adieu by stating,

"I really hope YOUUU have a happy Mother's Day!"

I smiled as he chuckled & replied, "Oh, yeah!"

He knew good & well, that the Celtics' GINORMOUS Game 7 matchup is this Sunday.

(TUESDAY) Change is definitely NOT always good! :( :(. :(

UN-fortunately, late this past Saturday morning, I experienced a BIIIT of a TRAVESTY.  Now, I am not one to lay blame on anyone [else], so I'll just say the jury's still out.  Regardless, completely unbeknownst to me, my caregiver had turned away to fix my bed mattress.  I dunno WHY, but--while WALKING with my walker--I stumbled to lose my balance.  My helping caregiver ALWAYS grabs me by my shirt, IIIF I stumble.  But, feeling no immediate grabbing of my shirt, I panicked & threw out/down my right arm to brace myself for my impending fall.

Thinking I UNDERestimated just how brittle [SOME of] my bones now are, I then spent all of the next ... ~2.74 days [& change] suffering through the pain of my daily tasks.  Not knowing how exactly to handle the pain, I contacted my main nurse for her advice.  After hearing my synopsis then viewing & analyzing my arm, she concluded that--when trying to brace my fall with my RIGHT arm--I simply landed awkwardly on my RIGHT [NOT so] funny bone.  As mt brain injury is almost entirely neurological, many of my nerves are EXTRA sensitive.  Thus, even the most mundane stimuli--like a slight stumble--can make a limb feel as if it's on fire.  Conversely, my many other nerves (in areas NOT affected by my accident) are very much dormant.  They are NEVER, ever stimulated.

Thus, I emailed my trainer EARLY this morning to CANCEL my workout for today.  I said I was hoping to feel better for our meeting on Friday.  He appreciated my informing him & wished me well.

(FRIDAY) '[NECESSARY Workout] 2: Back in the Habit'

 ... (The title is a PLAY on the quality film--'Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.'  That film is actually waaay MORE clever, because the reference to "habit" DOUBLES as a pun for the religious feminine headpiece.  (The protagonist acts as a NUN.)

Well, first & foremost, I was SOOOOORELY disappointed that the damn maintenance guy[S] couldN'T figure out how to fix my new wheelchair.  After close to an HOUR of just playing with it, they finally just gave up & promised their return.  UUUGGGHHH!

In terms of my ACTUAL strength & conditioning, well, first, I performed my usual 

-- hand-stretching exercises with an elastic band

-- One set of 20 hammer curl repetitions w/ a 10 pound dumbbell on my LEFT arm

-- One set of 30 bicep curl repetitions w/ a 15 pound dumbbell on my RIGHT arm followed by one set of 10 hammer curl reps w/ a 10 pound dumbbell also on my RIGHT arm

-- Stretches of my LEFT shoulder

-- Hamstring stretches with a big, plastic ball

-- 125 "HIP-ups" (80 then short break then 45)

-- 10 tricep extensions w/ 10 pound dumbbell on LEFT arm then 10 reps w/ 15 pound dumbbell on RIGHT arm

-- 120 consecutive seconds of PLANKING

-- Four laps of STRAIGHT walking along parallel bars followed by 30 calf raises

-- ~15 minute BIKE ride around my community

-----> AAAAAND, I wrote a BUNCH more.

(WEDNESDAY) Distractions

 RELAX!

I'm just fine, thank you.  I forgot to POST yesterday, merely because I got caught up in writing my ... EIGHTH ... different book critique for Goodreads.com.  I am trying to broaden my customer base for my own books, & those reviews of others' books will better get my name out there.

Sooo, I certainly see my repeated task as ...  a MEANS to an END.

Regarding my actual PHYSICAL workout with my trainer, I had a GREAT, very productive OUTput.

I demonstrated my usual strength & control with any & all of my usual exercises:

-- my bicep curls,

-- my rotary curls,

-- my shoulder stretches,

-- my ONE plank of 120 seconds, 

-- my ball-controlled hamstring extensions

&

-- my "HIP-ups."  (I actually reached my Independence Day goal of 125 "HIP-ups!"  (I demonstrated 80 then briefly rested then 45 more.). So, now I've gotta reset my expectations & my hypotheticals.  I'll now aim for ... "135 by July 4.")

In addition to my five laps of WALKING, my calf raises & my BIKING (a MUST-have), I've found the time to add 10 TRICEP extensions with each arm.

Finally, I conclude each & every workout with an ... ~15 minute BIKE ride around my 'hood/community.

(FRIDAY) SAME spiel. DIFFERENT day.

 ... 

I write because I WANT to, ... not because I HAVE to.

My overall progress is very SSSLOOOOOW & methodical.  Only I can observe the very minute improvements that prosper day by day.  It's an often frustratingly LOOOOONG & gradual process.  But, I see the [DIM]light at the end of the tunnel.

... Weeeeell, actually, my untiring IMpatience very much blurs my FOREsight.  Yes, I am a relentless optimist.  But. my death-DEFYING accident transformed me into MUCH more of a REAList.  I still possess a very optimistic view of life.  I merely set more attainable goals ... for myself.  IIIF I attain said "goal" ahead of my predicted date, I will adjust myself accordingly.

I.e. Initially, I set "100 'HIP-ups' before 2024" as my exercise goal.  Through numerous RE-estimations of my kinetic output, I have finally settled upon "125 'HIP-ups' by July 4" as my new target.  Well, well, well.  In lieu of my latest revision, I took a very encouraging [metaphorical] step forward:

I successfully & painLESSly demonstrated 120 "HIP-ups" (80-rest-40).  That was my NEW record!  (Audible SIGH) At the rate I'm exercising & with just five more "HIP-ups" to display in the next ... two plus months (67 days), I'd say I am WELL on my way!  I just may have to revise my goal yet AGAIN.

On a WAAAAAAY LESS positive note, my NEW* [mechanical] wheelchair just completed shut DOWN/OFF all too quickly.  After recharging it all night, it still doesn't work.  At all.  Nevertheless, my health insurance will pay for a newER chair.

(It had BETTER!)

Alas!  To end on a more POSITIVE note, I'm really making commendable progress in my writing!  Currently--as of 4/28/23, I have published 12 books.  Additionally though, I have completed writing another six+ novels.

(My mind operates THAT quickly, & I have THAT much free time.)

* = Well, 'twas NEW to ME.  But, it turns out that the salesman had acquired said "chair" from a now deceased [EX-] customer.  Well, the steering & the mechanics worked just fine.  However, the battery itself "DIED" after less than an hour.  

(TUESDAY) HHHMMM. HOW to BEST entertain/stimulate MYSELF:

 ... 

I really do not care to watch much/ANY television during the day.  I prefer to WRITE, to exercise & to conduct extensive SELF-therapy.  This can range from various finger stretches to CORE-building all the way to analyzing others' writings on Goodreads.  When it comes to my actual, formal BI-weekly workout, I performed my usual routine of

20 rotary curls on my LEFT bicep, 30 [standard] bicep curls on my RIGHT bicep, 20 rotary curls on my RIGHT bicep along with numerous stretches of [only] my LEFT shoulder.

However, as I just acquired a NEW[er] mechanical wheelchair, I spent several minutes attempting to adjust the chair to various positions to better accommodate my necessary mobility.  As a result, I switched onto my raised exercise mat to perform all of my curls.  Additionally, I added in XX repetitions of tricep extensions (15 reps with a 10 pound dumbbell--WITH my trainer's spotting me--on my LEFT arm & 15 reps with a 15 pound dumbbell on my RIGHT arm.  After my five laps of assorted walkS on my parallel bars, my 30 calf lifts & my 115 "HIP-ups" (80 + brief rest + 35), my trainer keenly realized that--with the combination of my new chair's problems & my added tricep exercises--I had time for ONLY either a bike ride OR a set of planks.  He insightfully knew I'd pick to do the former.

My usually pleasant mother was--JOKINGLY--pitchin' a fit about MYYY trainer's being minimally tardy arriving for her workout.

P.S. Hats OFF to me for choosing the bike ride, as I KNOW that biking stimulates my innards enough to get my bowels moving ... withOUT requiring any medicinal assistance.

[No, I am NOT some kind of WEIRD sicko obsessed with excretions!  I just find that final stage of digestion particularly relieving, because it signals to me, that some of my (supposedly natural) biological systems still do actually ... WORK!]

P.P.S. I am reeeally liking how minimal my new chair's required turning radius is.  It's definitely gonna require some time to master all the steering & sizing nuances.  But, I am gettin' there.  

AAALL in due time.

(... SATURDAY, Part II) Clarification:

... I merely wanted to ADD that I've had two PHENOMENALLY productive online-meetings with my main editor.  

(Yes, I have multiple editors for AAALL my content.)

Anyway, this "main editor" agreed with my Speech Pathologist-mother, that the plots of my mystery novels tend to become "excessively wordy & overly complicated."  I am here to defend myself, as I am physiologically programmed to attempt to PROVE--in any & all ways[S]--that I am NOT a brain-damaged moron.

(Well, technically, I am the former adjective.)