neurorehabilitationFromTheTrenches

 My New Year's resolutions this year include one article per month, so no skipping December 2022.  Walking I have further adjusted my personal training, as follows: I start the day with a stretching routine of my legs and feet. Each morning I walk 1 km on the treadmill; that takes ~30 minutes Then, at lunchtime, I do 20 minutes of cane walking At some point during the day, I spend a half hour* with my new weights bench that Claire got me for xmas. I later schedule a daily half hour of freestanding** Finally, after work, Claire and I go somewhere for a half hour of cane walking, outside, weather permitting *There are currently three different activities, that I interleave. They are: 3 sets (20-20-20) of left-arm curls (5kg); 100 weighted(5 kg) back extensions (40-30-30); 100 (40-30-30) leg raises. I hope to get a 10 kg dumbbell this week, which should see changes to the above. **I've only started this All this is inclusive of ~weekly Peloton and Liegerad sessions My Eyes I st...

 I know I've Outlined the contents of a similar pack before, but those things, although still valid,  represent tools that have made my early experiences more tolerable, not to mention, it is possible to decide to get them AFTER the fact. This grouping represents critical corner stones of my rehabilitation. In no particular order then, departing from my new format, I'd like to outline two major advantages that I've enjoyed. Partner This is probably true of other existential crises that you could face, but a solid partner is essential to neuroreabilitation. I've a long way to go, but when I get there, and I will, I will have Claire to thank. As well as the endlessness of it all, she encourages me not to accept the status quo, and instead, to train harder to better my condition. It helps that she, like me, has been researching neurorehabilitation, and understands that a person only gets out, what they put in. One of her frequent taunts is --and I'll have to paraphras...

 As will become customary, this October update comes one month late, which means I will submit the following month's update in a few weeks, in order to get back on top of things. No problem. Walking Walking is proving difficult, especially with the Weinachtsmarkt, self-imposed deadline for independent cane walking looming. I will therefore scrap that deadline, in favour of next xmas, as a more achievable goal. It won't be for the lack of trying, as you will see, with the following regime, I've been using. Every morning I do some stretches in the bed before I get up. I then go downstairs for breakfast and coffee. I eat my breakfast then hop on the treadmill, for 15 minutes or 500 meters, whichever guarantees that I cover 500 meters. As soon as I compose myself, following said exertions, I grab my cane and do 10 "lengths", as they're affectionately called. They are, in fact, walking from my seat, down as far as the recliner (circa. 15 Meters), then walking back...

 On-tour: Valencia We had our first post-covid, determental-for-the-environment, flight-getaway last month, and it included much training, and lots of good times. We went to Valencia, Spain. First-off, Valencia is a great City. There was no shortage of vegan eateries. Especially in our locale-while-there.  Valencia's main focal point -- but, by no means their only one -- is the Turia river, which is gone. You can read about that here . What's left in its stead is 9k of parkland as wide as the Turia river once was. You have to hand it to the Valencians, they make great use of this space. I remarked to Claire that it was a triathlete's paradise; with intermittent exercise zones, not to mention the beach which is just beyond the City. I brought my Liegerad with me for getting around and I'm glad I did because there's plenty to see and do. Like, for example, this , which saw me soften my stance on zoos.  It is as cruel as the treatment of humans in [**SPOILER ALERT!!M. ...

It' s not August, but I would like to maintain the illusion of regularity. Further to this aim, I would like to relegate my bi-monthly book review post, to a section in my monthly status update.  So every month, starting this month, I will provide a book recommendation. I won't know myself with all this time; putting out fires all over the place. Onto August's belated update. Walking As you will see in the later pic., I have reached the holy grail of 1 KM, I have also been quietly ramping up the pace. My ultimate mid-term goal, if you'll pardon the contradiction-in-terms, is to get to 2 KMPH, and thus a 30 minute workout.  I have also reconfigured my training schedule as follows; I take to the treadmill every morning before breakfast, then, after work, I sweat it out on the Peloton, if we have not planned to go for a real cycle with the Liegerad. I have also re-started a stretching routine in the bed before I get up. I also mean to take a half hour in the evenings for s...

Tomorrow, Monday, will see the start of 2-weeks' holiday. I am spending most of that first week in Bavaria, having traveled here on Saturday by train, for the first time without the wheelchair. It wasn't that different from the last time, when I left the wheelchair in the car boot for the duration of my stay, but it does represent change; onward and upward. Walking The treadmill has made it into my rehab rotation. I now alternate between the Peloton and treadmill each morning. On treadmill day, I simply walk while holding on, for dear life, to the convenient handles, which double as a pulse reader. Early on, I learned that I needed to wear some kind of covering, to protect the inside of my left thumb, which became the source of a bloodbath on my maiden attempt, by becoming frayed by an inoffensive, easily-avoidable plastic joint. Now, as I march with my blue marigold on one hand -- and my safety clip -- I reach the blistering pace of 1.2KMPH, which has been gradually increased ...

  Very Good, Jeeves! :  That is not a typo, The book is entitled 'Very Good, Jeeves!'. Everyman is the publisher*. They have produced, among other things, the entire Wodehouse back catalog in sleeved hardback, complete with consistent artwork. I jumped ahead, and bought ' Something Fresh ', produced by a different company, and I'll have to purchase it again as an Everyman;  otherwise my Wodehouse collection will be lacking, when I finally complete it. * not true, the publisher is Outlook; Everyman is the name of the series of reprints. Wodehouse was a master of writing witty prose. He has two recurring sagas, This is part of the "Jeeves & Wooster" saga, and it is a suitable entry point to this saga, as it contains marvelously constructed, funny short-stories: a new tale per chapter, which is not that dissimilar to what I've seen of Jeeves so far, where each new chapter deals with a problem requiring Jeeves's intervention. Thank you, Jeeves Wod...