El Toro rehab log.....March 2014
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Every day is the first day of the rest of my rehab.....today is no different. <br>
How healthy and fit I was a little over two years ago is not relevant. I spent my time either on my bike... or boat....or travelling the world...and a little bit looking after my business. I was coaching my son's cricket team and played action cricket once a week. Sounds kinda perfect? Thats because it was.<br>
All bygones......<br><br>
I will be 47 soon and nowadays pretty much spend all my time doing rehab. At home for the last year. House looks like a bloody gym! Rehab machines and weights everywhere......if you walked in you would think I must be a fitness freak.....but I can barely spend more than 5 or 6 hours a day out of bed....and not all at once. Ranging from 30 minutes to 90 minutes at a push. Typing this on an Ipad above my bed.....as I have done for the last year. Have set up a workstation a month ago and can manage about 30 minutes in front of the PC every day. Already on chair number 4! Keeper....this one!<br>
Only trips outside the house is going to the physio twice a week. Had to get a car with a lift type access seat because I could not get in a normal car at all. Better now.....drive there myself.....progress!<br><br>
I have been inspired by the training logs on this forum so I decided to start one myself.....only mine will be dire reading compared to others but still a great way to keep track of progress. Which is very difficult because progress is so slow that I sometimes have to think hard whether I am making any.....but I am.<br>
I have more or less given up on the three or six month outlooks the physios are trying to sell me.....now, the only measure for me is whether I am getting stronger.....at whatever rate keeps me happy.<br><br>
Happy also being a relative term after the crushing depression for the first year......still have some dark days but again......better nowadays.<br><br>
Too tired now so will start logging later. -
<p>Good Luck mate!!</p>
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<p>Depression is a nasty nasty disease and I'm lucky to have only had to help people with it rather than saffuer with it myself.</p>
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<p>Wicked that you can express it. Thoughts are with you!</p>
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<p>Good Luck again,</p>
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<p>Hooroo</p> -
<p>Will be a great outlet for your training and general musings on life etc. Keen to hear how your rehab and training progresses! good stuff mate</p>
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Thanks for the encouragement guys.....more on the depression later.....<br><br>
Some stats and a bit of reflection for starters.....<br><br>
173 cm tall....or short? Suffered from a heavy dose of scrumhalf syndrome all my life.....probably explains a lot of some of my posts....some might say? Not to mention when you mix it with serious medication!<br>
Used to have a healthy weight of between 80 and 85 kg for most of my adult life....never been or felt overweight. Weight has gone down to 65 kg at one stage after accident......combination of fat and muscle loss. Settled now on about 75 kg for last few months. Happy with that....really focussed on eating healthy. Had very unhealthy eating habits when I was healthy(??!) Lots of Coke and Red Bull....sweets....cakes....all the bad stuff. Was probably heading for a liver, kidney or stomach train smash at some stage without knowing it.<br><br>
Never really liked to do fitness exercises to stay fit.....never spent hours in a gym. Fitness meant being able to walk all day....which I did often.....fit enough to do a full track day on the track bike or riding the dualie in the bush for a couple of days. Used an orbital trainer about three times a week for about 25-30 minutes while watching the news and the action cricket kept me sharp enough once a week. Did a number of stretches every day to maintain flexibility....and that was it.<br><br>
That was then......<br>
Settling into some form of positive rehab routine was incredibly hard and based on nothing other than trial and error by the physios. The challenge is how to 'listen to your body' when your body and mind is layered with pain killers including Lyrica, tramadol and panadol. Took me four months just to learn how to get myself on the reformer rehab machine....not to use it...just to get on the damn thing!! Then you start using it but because of the pain killers you have no warning signs of going too hard so you practice by numbers. Two or so weeks later you realise something is wrong when you figure you are getting weaker instead of stronger......and you have to back right off again. Trial and error....week in....week out. Until you find some pattern of progress. <br>
Then pacing different type of exercises......and figuring out priorities.....<br>
No good spending all your energy on trying to get your core going with mini crunches or straight leg raises when you can hardly walk......<br>
One day I will write a book on what NOT to do.....daunting choices with physios giving you lists and lists of exercises you are supposed to do and it takes you down instead of making you stronger.... -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="420693" data-time="1395822788"><p>Are you able to tell us what the accident was? I don't expect you to but I'm interested in what caused you to go through all this. <br>
Enjoying your honesty, El Toro. Just completely wishing success on you with this.</p></blockquote>
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Ouch!! <br>
There is a mountain of pending insurance claims and counter-claims ahead which I know is going to become very messy so I have to really count my words....will PM you with a tad more info.<br>
Reality is that I dont have the energy for any of it....I just want to focus on getting better. Had a visit recently from one of the lawyers and it really messed me up..... -
Ok enough looking back.....<br><br>
Typical current daily rehab and.....mmmmmm.....life....when not going to physio: <br><br>
Get up at about 8am<br>
10 x 5 sec standing quad sets to get legs going<br>
breakfast - fruit plus three eggs<br>
Sit in lift-recliner eating breakfast<br>
Theracane getting my glutes going<br>
Walk around in the house a bit... On my feet for about two sessions of 10 to 15 mins<br>
9 am back in bed <br>
Roll quads and hamstrings with The Stick ( what a tool!! )<br>
20 leg slides<br>
15 times 3 sec mini front and side crunches<br>
10 am out of bed <br>
Try and sit 30 mins in front of PC....success depends on pain levels<br>
Walk around in the house for 15 odd minutes...<br>
11 am rest for an hour<br>
12 am get up and put my shoes on by myself!!! Only been able to do this for about six weeks and it still takes about 5 minutes to do. Not a pretty picture but I manage by sitting down on the lift chair and bending forward. Awesome to be able to touch my feet! <br>
Then go for a walk outside for about 15 minutes....try and walk on the grass nowadays for a bit to get some feedback for uneven surfaces. Stop every 5 odd minutes to stretch a bit and bend and touch my knees. Huge progress just to be able to do that lately. <br>
Twice a week walk the 8 mini steps inside the house when I get back....cant use main stairs...have to use lift.Main stairs looks like a mountain in front of me...no idea when I will be able to walk them.<br>
Do a few arm and upper body exercises with dumbbells. Up to a whopping 6 kgs now!!! Started with 2 kgs so.....<br>
All standing up....bicep curls, overheads and some BBBT's thanks to PKB!! Thanks Bro!<br>
Sit on recliner until about 1 pm....sometimes 1:30 Theracane!<br>
Back in bed until about 2:30 pm or 3pm<br>
I always try to be out of bed when my son comes home from school.....chat to him a bit and then for the big one!!! Two or three times a week that is....either the reformer or simply some sit -to -stands from a normal seat height. 40 reps with two full springs on the reformer or 8 sit to stands. Again...very happy that I can do this nowadays. Only managed the first normal sit -to -stand in January . Got so excited about it that I tried it every day and stuffed my quads and glutes properly again! Had to back off for two weeks and then started again...this time giving enough time to recover in between...trial and error!<br>
Back in bed around 4 or 4:30...foam rolling legs and glutes. Bought a rumble roller as well so starting to use it every second day on calves and abductors.<br>
Also do a few push-ups or 15 second planks every other day around this time...all in bed. Havent been on the floor in 18 months plus?? Cant imagine how to get up from the floor...another goal for this year! And that fuckin staircase!<br>
Shower at about 5:30 pm and then dinner with the family...again in the recliner chair until about 6:30. Havent sat in a normal chair at a table for also about 18 months as well....there's another goal....right there!<br>
Last stint out of bed for the day roughly from 8 until 9 pm....tv, recliner, walking in the house....<br>
Sleeping tablets make me doze off around 10. Never sleep through but probably get around 6-7 hours of proper sleep every night. Much better than when I had total insomnia for a couple of months in hospital and fell asleep for maybe two hours every second night....did'nt think it was possible...but it is.<br>
Pain medication now is a bit less than half of what is was a year ago but still high range....two 100mg SR Tramadols and 3 to 4 Panadol Osteos a day...so ' listening to my body ' is still a challenge and I get it wrong very often.<br><br>
Upside of this routine?....I have enough time to watch every rugby match and bike race on my Ipad!!! Yippeeeeee! -
Some great tips I will come back to in future.....<br><br>
Cultivating health during crises.<br><br>
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cultivating-health-during-crisis/#more-48256'>http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cultivating-health-during-crisis/#more-48256</a> -
Home alone for the next three weeks ....wife and son in SA for a welcome break for them. Also forces me to see if I can cope on my own. Just took a drive to Woolies for some fruit and other goodies for the first time on my own! Stoked! Would have made for a very funny youtube vid.......I planned the trip with military precision. Tied the keys with an elastic to my wrist cause I know I cant pick it up if I drop it. Timed my walk in the shop and what I could carry beautifully. <br>
Will do this every second day to gain confidence. Right leg and glute all wobbly from getting in and out of the car twice.....but not too bad! Worth the trip. -
Just got some new toys courtesy of ebay........dangerous to be armed with a credit card if you are on strong medication!!!<br>
An 8kg and 12kg kettlebell ( ball?) as well as a proper set of dumbbells that can go up to 15 kg each. <br>
The plan is to simply carry the kettleball in one hand a few times a day around the kitchen island.....apparently activates and gets your glute medius and minimus going.....which I can do with. <br>
The dumbbells look mean so I feel stronger just looking at them already.<br>
If I havent posted in the next three days I have probably passed out on the floor so watch this space........ -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="El Toro supremo" data-cid="421505" data-time="1396312639">
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<p>Just got some new toys courtesy of ebay........dangerous to be armed with a credit card if you are on strong medication!!!<br>
An 8kg and 12kg kettlebell ( ball?) as well as a proper set of dumbbells that can go up to 15 kg each.<br>
The plan is to simply carry the kettleball in one hand a few times a day around the kitchen island.....apparently activates and gets your glute medius and minimus going.....which I can do with.<br>
The dumbbells look mean so I feel stronger just looking at them already.<br>
If I havent posted in the next three days I have probably passed out on the floor so watch this space........</p>
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<p>New toys are always fun
And Kettlebells are a great piece of equipment, you can do plenty with those as you scale up your exercise regime (see DK's thread for ideas for later on)</p> -
<p>yep KBs are awesome and really versatile too. You could be doing mini-farmers carries with the DBs too - that's great for grip strength and traps/upper back. Good way to increase weight if you are doing body-weight squats as well.</p>
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That went OK.....best part was getting rid of the old DB's that looked like teletubby dog biscuits....all colours of the rainbow.<br>
Started really slowwwwwly just walking around with the 8kg kb and then some BC's with the dumbbels at 8 kg each and 10 BBBt at 8kg.<br>
Core definitely coming on.....from where it was .<br>
Also rolled my quads today first time with the rumble roller......great feeling....melted like butter!
