Exercise and Stretch Thread Nov. 2016

[Sunshine]

Today I did 4 flights of stairs. Maybe 300 steps walking. Period.

At dawn, legs felt like they might spasm. Still do. Anxious they'd spasm, so Cancelled work today and tomorrow to rest. Might be due to having added an extra 350 yards swim yesterday. ... waiting for call from neuro about if should increase Baclofen dose.

[Virginia]

Another bump in the road BBS. I am counting on you to make a "full" comeback.

I agree about Sally and her cheerfulness. We always need and appreciate your cheerfulness Sally.

Today I washed sheets, but did not fold. I just put them back on the bed out of the dryer. If I am not going out and I am here alone why fold sheets. They are large and cumbersome. I washed towels and did fold them when they came out of dryer. I do not like to use the same towels, so always fold. I dusted most of my downstairs - did upstairs Sunday, so can't count that. I prepared food to go in crockpot (easy preparation), but will still have to cook egg noodles tonight before dinner and also put in frozen green peas. That's not much activity, but a little something.

The maid I have every two weeks came today and she cleaned the bottom of my shower, moped the kitchen and two downstairs bathrooms, cleaned my countertops and kitchen sink and went to the mailbox for me. On weeks when she does not come I do all of this except the bottom of the shower. I like to have the floors moped every week, but I get so tired of doing it all. She also took trash and recycling down the steps for me. So not as much activity for me this week. It takes me at least two days of getting up and down to do what she did in two hours today, and I just get so tired of doing it over and over. I did not use to feel that way when I could get up on a Saturday morning and get everything done in 4 hours.

[Sunshine]

Seems to me you did a lot of activity! I pray I can move around like that by tomorrow.

[Virginia]

I hope you can do it faster than me.

I want to get all my credit in for today. Finishing dinner and clean up was much more than I thought it would be. Egg noodles I fixed stuck a little to bottom of two quart pot, and anyway I don't put it in dish washer due to size. Then I had to dirty the strainer to strain the noodles and the crock pot was full. All of these things I washed by hand. I also got 3 containers out and froze two and put one in refrigerator. All in all, I added quite a bit more activity, at least more than I had thought I would.

[agate]

Virginia, one problem with many cooking projects is how easy it is to forget how tiring the cleanup afterwards can be.

Pasta has a way of clinging to those strainers and making life difficult for the human dishwasher.

[Sunshine]

Nice job Virginia.

I got desperate and took extra 5 mg Baclofen last night. Had a better night. Still waiting for doc to call with instructions. Left another message just now. Laying low, no vigorous exercise, but did do a short grocery shop entailing 5-10 minutes walking. And 4 flights of stairs at home. Really hoping to catch some waves tomorrow.

[Howie]

Surfing is a great way to stay flexible, and keep your balance sharp. Balance would be to stumbling block for me. I have none. A trick I use for walking from the car into the store is I keep my vision focused on an imaginary spot about 8 feet in front of me.

If someone called my name, I wouldn't look around until I was touching something to stay balanced. But all of this is natural and effortless because I've been doing it this way for a long time.

[Sunshine]

That sounds like an excellent tip! The nice thing about surfing is you fall in the water rather than on land ��

The tough thing is that if you get muscle spasms, you are in the water which could get dicey.

[Howie]

Do you wear that strap that keeps the surfboard from floating too far away incase you fall off? And do you wear any type of floatation device?

[Sunshine]

Always wear a leash as do 90 % of surfers. It saves people a lot of swimming if the board gets loose. Leashes can injure you. Once it wrapped around my neck. Another time it wrapped around my ankle and it was a wipeout and the board traveled very fast, squeezing the ankle, leaving quite a burn.

When you surface after you have a big wipeout, you must cover your face and head because the board will snap back and can injure you and the fin can slice you up pretty good. It can really hit your head pretty good.

No flotation device, that would really not work out well. Your board is like a flotation device unless the leash breaks and then you're on your own. Happens to most guys at some point.

Big wave surfers, the guys who surf the 30+ foot waves, sometimes wear a vest, and if they're pushed way down deep, pull the cord, it inflates and helps prevent drowning. That's beyond my skill level.

[Howie]

Wow, that sounds like a lot of hazards you have to watch for. I don't think I'll get to try it this lifetime.

[Sunshine]

Yes, it's not the sharks you worry about, it's the wave, your board, leash and other surfers

[agate]

BBS, those waves will still be there for you when you're ready for them. They're definitely not going away.

[Howie]

I don't know. I lived in Myrtle Beach one summer, and the day I arrived, it was very early. I walked to the beach, and the ocean was perfectly flat, not a single wave. It was so weird looking. Like someone forgot to turn the wave machine on.

I never saw it like that again.

[Sunshine]

Yes, summer can get pretty flat. One thing about surfing is that the playing field is always changing. And it's alive!