NOTE: When I mentioned my new posting schedule I said Wed and Fri, and that anything other than those days would be icing. Today’s post is icing. 😉
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I have been working out on my Pilates reformer to try to gain strength and mobility. It is working!
I have been riding my bicycle several times a week and this morning managed 4.5 miles using the full range of gearing! Only 8 speeds, but I felt like a champ when I got home. (Tom, this will certainly be a baby step to you!) 😉
(Mine is Blue with several city commuter mods)
Then I got off and tried to walk on our little street to cool off. I made it to the neighbors mailbox (150 ft + or – ) and had to turn back.
I am finding it strange to be able to perform Pilates, with a reformer assist, and to be able to ride with no noticeable pain during the ride, and yet I am still unable to walk or stand for too long. Or at least, in the case of standing, for as long as I would like. And although sitting is much improved… is that really a plus?
Frustration.
Then I think: Several weeks ago I was in the lightest gear and only able to make my legs move up and down with the pedals for a simple circuit of my street, and any walking was with a cane. Today I was able to use all 8 speeds and no longer require a cane.
I went inside, showered, iced down my knee and now feel fine.
I persevere.
Life on the Farmlet 
Sounds like your perseverance is paying off. Impressed with your endurance too!
Thank you, Annie, I am trying really hard to ‘get it back’ so I can keep on doing the fun things I love so much.
Keep up the good work, every step forward is another sign of success. You are an inspiration. Carolyn
I have to think that if I had gotten a good doctor, one who listens to your complaints of aches and pains, that I would have had this done far sooner and would have healed much easier. Even so, I am not taking this inconvenience laying down! 😉
Glad you’re doing so well (and persevering with patience; ) HUGS!
So, I guess it’s allowed to post while Icing (’cause this IS only Monday, right?; )
Seriously though – as long as you’re listening to your body – “Laughter is the best medicine” so sayeth The Reader’s Digest: )
Say, have you tried Arnica yet? (Y’all feel free to call me Pain in the Butt; )
The mention of ‘icing’ refers to extra posts as “icing on the cake.” That said, I suppose my timing was good as I did ice my knee too. Using the China Gel because it is what I have on hand and I can’t afford to buy anything after paying cash for the surgery. (Yes, it is true. Obama care has not been very good to me.) 😦
Not sure “Obama Care/the FinalVersion” ended up quite the way he’d hoped): more hugs
Not so sure about the patience, but persevering nonetheless.
Hugs anyway: just for trying… (And an”A” for effort; )
I know, I know, you want to be better NOW! It’ll come. Before, it was time for RICE. Now it’s time for the three Ps: Persistence, Perseverance and Patience… You’re doing great!
Kate, how did you know I was an instant gratification person? LOL!
Thank you for your support and cheering me on!
The cycling looks more fun than the Pilates but perhaps I should try the Pilates too.as my joints are giving me grief at the moment.
Like you I can bicycle a lot more easily than I can walk but I hope that your hard work will pay off and that you will soon be skipping about like a young lamb again.
Tom, both exercises have their merits. The Pilates because it builds muscle and core strength without stressing your body. The cycling because it gets you out of the house and into the world. And, BOTH make you feel good on the inside! (mental/physical)
Looking forward to singing: Lamby Days are Here Again 😉
The beneficial mental effect of exercise should not be underestimated.
Agree, Tom!
hey amiga
i am so glad that you’re regaining your strength – even if you feel more fatigue when standing… in another week it will be a bit easier.. and a bit more.. and a bit more.. and soon you’ll be clearing hurdles!!! otherwise i suppose i’ll have to come up there and see if we can enter a wheel-barrow race.. i’ll be the pilota!
congratulations. you’ve come a long way, which shows that you’re made of some strong ‘stuff’!!!!
” …you’re made of some strong ‘stuff’!!!!”
Lisa, it is all my dad’s fault. He was very tough! Our last name was Strong and he seemed to think that we had to live it every day. Never show weakness he said. He once had a collapsed lung and went out to work in the garden in spite of the pain. He thought he was dying and said, he didn’t “… want die in the hospital plugged into machines.”
But that is a story for another day. 😉
i can’t say that i blame him for choosing the garden over the hospital!
with a last name of strong, yes, you were surely coaxed to be the strongest, and it’s certainly helping you now! i hope that he is smiling down on you now and saying, ‘that’s my gal!’
😀
I’m glad to hear you are more mobile and improving. My granddaughter is having trouble walking, don’t know if she’s tried a bike–but she has been using a cane. She’s getting medical help to find out what’s going on.
Patti, I am glad she is getting help so soon! I think if I had that I would healed so much faster. As it is, I left if go for years because none of my GPs ever thought it was bad enough to go see a specialist. But, for me it is better late than never! 🙂
I am so proud of you! Love your posts!
Thank you, Jackie!
Ha! This not only is icing on the cake, it’s a great report on that icing on your knee. Do you suppose slathering your knee with a little cream cheese icing would help it along even more? Just think, a new exercise. Ice your knee, bend it up, lick off the icing. 😉
Linda, knowing how much China Gel I have been slathering onto my knee when I massage it each evening, somehow that icing idea doesn’t sound so delightfully delicious…
Now, for sure and for certain, I could get behind slathering the cream cheese icing onto some carrot cake and getting some fork to mouth action going! 😛 slurp-slurp
4.5 miles is awesome!!
Have you asked your PT if is typical to be able to ride, yet not be able to walk? In that I deal with other parts of the body ( 🙂 ), ortho is not my specialty!
Laurie, I am done with PT. I saw my surgeon today and mentioned it, but he didn’t really comment on it; he only shook his head. Some of those Drs are just too deep. 😛
Congrats on your accomplishment, keep up the good work!
Thank you! I’m trying. 😀
Your icing is nicing.
My wife Eve makes a mean carrot cake.
Mmmm… Yummy! Recipe? 😉
She mostly improvises, so I don’t know if she can offer up a recipe.
Many of us do. 🙂
Lynda, I’m so glad you’re seeing some improvement. I have been thinking of trying Pilates since my sister Jodi has had years of success with that form of exercise. I need to research more on the Pilates Reformer… I hadn’t even heard of that!
Trust me, Lori, it is so wonderful and gentle to your bones and muscles. I couldn’t ever do mat work until I had been working on the reformer for about three years. When you look for a reformer class, ask if they are following the Stott Pilates program on the reformer. I really enjoy my reformer workouts!