Thought I would open a July page.

I walked my mile this morning before the heat sets in.

What are the rest of you doing?

Yesterday I did 20 minutes at the health club, not sure what it will be today. Maybe I'll pop in there on my lunch hour and use the rowing machine for awhile. It's less than five minutes from work so I can eat my lunch then go down for a short workout.

There's also a nature trail nearby but it's been too hot to walk it lately.

Thanks Dejibo! I have been busy with family and was out of town last week. Lets see, I went to spin classes on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, spent the 6th through 9th out of town, went to spin class on the 10th, and mowed the lawn on the 11th. Taking tonight off, and will be hitting spin classes tue, thur, fri, and sat, doing a road rides wednesday night, and a 62 mile ride on sunday. So after tonight, I will be either spinning or riding for 6 straight days.

I spent my weekend running around chasing a sick kitty. its way to hot to go outside for me. ick!

I've been doing physical therapy twice a week for the past month. I'm actually having fun with that.

I started it because I had balance problems and weakness in my back and legs from when that flare started in late april and hung on thru most of May. So, I kvetched (complained) to my regular doctor (neuro was on vacation) and he gave me physical therapy for that.

After the IVSM in early May, I had improvement in the numbness and some of the movement problems (that lasted a couple of weeks, maybe 3), but still had some pretty nasty spasticity, and then the flare started back up again, but that time it was in my upper body. Left arm went more numb than it had been (it's been numb since last fall) and then my right arm decided to get in on that.

I developed weakness and a bit of a movement problem in the left hand. (couldnt crochet or knit, could barely use a knife and fork...that freaked me out) Then I got really bad neck pain, some vertigo and some more weakness in my legs for a few weeks. My left shoulder was hurting really bad, and I could barely lift it. It got really weak and hard to move. It's still numb, but better than it was. I was getting a good idea of what my mom was dealing with her broken shoulder.

So, I kvetched again to my regular doctor and he gave me more PT. I think it's finally starting to help a little bit. I'm enjoying the stim thingie. It's an electric thing, they put electrode pads on the affected area, and it zaps at the muscles and I guess loosens them some. When they first started with that thing, I couldnt feel it. My back was totally numb. Now I can feel it...it actually feels like it's giving a massage.

They started using another machine (a high powered TENS unit) on my shoulder a few weeks ago.. I couldnt feel a thing with it, but you could see the muscles twitch when they turned it on. Last week, I could actually feel it. (yaaaaaay!)

Aside from that thing, and getting my shoulder stretched out by the physical therapist, they're also making me exercise. I have fun (not!) little exercises to help with the balance issues, and to build up the muscles in my back and shoulder that went all to crap when everything was super numb.

It's amazing how fast everything goes to crap just from some numbness. I couldnt use my shoulder or left arm to pull myself up for some things and could barely hold a fork. Carrying a plate with food on it was not fun.

I havent been eating that much lately because I was stressed a little by everyhing that was going on. I found my jeans yesterday that I quit wearing when I had full body numbness. They fit better than they used to. Actually felt comfortable for once...and I could fold some of the waistband a bit. Sort of as if I either lost weight, or something stretched my jeans out. (probably got stretched somehow...probably by me, stuffing my rear end into them before I quit wearing them)

I almost feel good enough to start using the gym again. I thought I felt that good last month, but that was the calm before the numbness hit my upper body. I may go to the gym to use their machines to do some of my PT exercises. (probably have to go when it isnt busy, because the serious weightlifters will giggle at me using some of the machines with either no weight or just one pound on the thing...or they'll think I'm not seriously working out and complain)

I'm just excited that my jeans are comfy again...and actually enjoying the PT torture they're putting me thru. I guess that's my inner masochist coming out. Never thought I'd have fun exercising.

Killer spin class last night. Our instructor tried to emulate Stage 9 of the Tour de France over the course of one hour. She told me before we started that it was the hardest class profile she had ever taught at our gym. After doing it, I believe her. I don't remember my time or calorie totals, but I know it was about 1 hour and 10 minutes or riding and that I averaged 76% of my max HR and peaked at 93% of max.

Really good spin class again last night. This one was almost entirely slow to moderate cadence riding, but with moderate to high resistance and long (7-10 minute) endurance intervals. I don't know what my total ride time or calories were...something like 50 minutes and 720 calories, but my avg HR was 77% of max and max was 93% of max. Even though we weren't ever pedalling really fast, it was a tough workout...

Well, I have been in the Northwoods of Wisconsin the last 9 days, and I slept a lot and relaxed, which is just what the doc ordered.
But yesterday, being our last day, made me get up off of the couch in the morning and take a kayak out and go along the shore...lasted about an hour. Today DH was sore as could be...not me...I stroked right, using my upper trunk instead of just my arms...it was great!!
Tomorrow means I am back to the grind...exercise...no more couch potato!!

Lets see...Friday afternoon I did a 45 min spin class...I forget what the numbers were, but it was fun and upbeat, so I just went with it...went pretty hard too.

Saturday morning, my wife and I went to 60 min spin class again. Was her 2nd of the week and my 4th. I was going to go easy, but the instructor did a really cool profile of descending length intervals that sucked me in and made me go harder than I expected.

Today we got up at 4:45am and rode in the Katy Flatlands ride west of Houston. I hung back and stayed with my wife for the entire ride since she wasn't feeling all that great. We did 51.76 miles in 3 hours and 20 minutes for a 15.5 mph average. I was proud of her for averaging such a high speed for her on a day she just wasn't feeling it.

It was a relatively easy day for me, with my max HR at 84% of max and avg HR at 72% of max. There aren't really any hills to speak of (hence the ride name), so the only time I really got my HR up was when I followed a paceline for a mile or so into a break point at around 20 mph.

Just got back from vacation. I did lots of workouts each day, including kayaking, swimming, and working out in the gym among other things. I haven't worked out the last two days but signed up for the local gym through work and will start there tomorrow.