Unsworth returns to working out -- and to church

Aug. 6 Sunday 6:30 p.m. It's funny; sometimes you get a schedule going and seamlessly fall into it. For example, during my recovery from the operation, I usually have taken a short nap in the morning and another in the afternoon. Well yesterday I said that I took a good walk. I figured that would have tired me out, but, no, I was invigorated. I didn't nap in the morning or the afternoon.

Now, I didn't do much. Mostly, I surfed the net, caught up on email and watched the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, still no nap. I figured that I'd really sleep well that night. I stayed up late and watched boxing on HBO went to bed after midnight. I didn't sleep worth a darn, up and moving around all night, got out of bed about 7 a.m.

I've felt tired all day. I've had two naps and didn't go out for a walk. It's pretty hot and humid so not going out is probably wise. I guess surgery does goofy things to your body: you feel good one day and lousy the next. One good thing is that I'm moving around using one crutch and am having no problem. Tomorrow, my wife, Linda, is going to work on her classroom at school and I'll start using a cane around here. She doesn't think I'm ready for it, so I'll use it when she's not around. She always worries about me, but I know I'm ready.

Aug 7 Monday 7:30 a.m. Linda had to get up early, so of course I got up early. She had to go to school to work on her classroom. I got going and went for a walk. I went around the addition one time and added about three minutes to it. It was 21 minutes of walking total. I may go out again this afternoon but we'll see how I feel.

I started using my cane around the house. It's really a "black thorn shillelagh." I got it before my first replacement and used it extensively. Obviously it's black and is straight but has some turns in it. It also has the "bumps" where the thorns were removed. It's very hard and if I ever needed to deliver a hit to someone it would leave quite a mark. I'm sure it'd "ring their bell." I wanted something different and I got it. I was told that when I purchased it that it might become a collector's item since the black thorns in Ireland were being lost to development. That may or may not be so, but it's pretty cool.

I didn't go out this afternoon since it was raining.

Aug 8 Tuesday 7:30 a.m. Got up and went for a walk using a cane. It's the cane Linda used last year with her knee replacements. It has 4 prongs on the bottom so there is a bit more stability. I don't like it; you have to put the two prongs closest to you down first and the "roll" up to the "front" two. It's kind of like using a walker. I don't like how my hand fits on it, so this is the first and last day I use it.

For the first day on a cane outside I did well. I walked one and a half times around the addition in 23 minutes. Linda and I  were supposed to walk outside after she got home, but it was too hot. We took a nap instead. Naps are good!

Aug 9 Wednesday 7:30 a.m. It is raining outside so no walking for a while. I've been "playing around" with different ideas on how I can exercise. My main goals are to 1) be safe 2) keep my hip precautions, and 3) stay fit.

I figured out how to do a modified sit-up. Our bed is high from the floor, and I plan to sit on a corner with my knee straddling either side of the corner. I can go back into a modified sit-up and this doesn't seem to bother my hip. It also adheres to the precautions. I also figured out I can do a modified push up on the bed. I stand with my legs past shoulder width and put my hands in a push up position on the bed. I can do a "push up" from this position and the mattress "sags" so I have to use my stabilizing muscles to complete the push up. We'll see how it goes.
                      

3:30 pm I did a modified workout about 11:30 a.m. I found some "exercise bands" that my wife used to use. They are made of surgical tubing with a handle on each end.

My work out consisted of: Two sets of 15 Pushups, with a wide grip; two sets of 15 Pushups with a narrow grip; and two sets of 20 Crunches. (The sit-ups I described above used too much hip flexor, and I'm not ready for that).

Using the exercise bands I did: Three sets of 10 Front Shoulder Raises, three sets of 10 Side Shoulder Raises, three sets of 10 Up Right Rows, three sets of 10 Military Press, and three sets of 10 Arm Curls

I'm sure I'll adjust to it over the course of time, but this workout pretty much got me breathing hard. When I was finished, I iced my hip and ate some lunch. I then took a two-hour nap; I had no trouble going to sleep at all. Wonder how I'll feel when I wake up tomorrow morning?

Aug 10 Thursday 9:00 a.m. I didn't feel any soreness at all. That tells me that I didn't lose that much muscle wise. It also tells me that what I am doing won't put that big of load on my muscles. However, I don't really want to do all that much for now. If you look at it this way, I've got the rest of my life to get stronger and get in better heart/lung shape.

I walked early, about 6:30 a.m. Linda now gets up early for school and it was supposed to rain in a bit so I took off. I walked two times around the addition in 28 minutes. Felt good.

I am now taking my pain meds just two times a day. By the end of 12 hours the pill kind of takes the "edge" off.

Aug 11 Friday 3:00 p.m. Rain was coming. so I went out and walked early again. I went  two times around in 28 minutes and then added three more minutes.

At 11:30 a.m. I did my workout. I added and extra set of both types of push-ups and another set of 20 crunches. I also added three sets of 10 of an exercise I call (for want of a name) standing chest. Usually, I use dumb bells or cables, however today I gripped the exercise bands with an underhand grip and did a front raise to chest level. This works the underneath part of the pectoral muscles. I've been doing this exercise since my last surgery; Frank advised me that decline presses might put too much strain on the hip. Again I ate, iced, washed up then went to bed. That workout wears me out!

Aug 12 Saturday Noon I waited to go out until a bit later. This is the first really nice day we've had in a while. Temperatures are in the high 70s right now with low humidity. I just want to go out in a little heat and sweat a bit. I went 2 ¾ times around the addition in 35 minutes. On the way, I stopped and talked to some neighbors, so the time was pretty good considering.

I went to 5 p.m Mass today, the first time since the surgery I've felt like going. After my first replacement I didn't go for four weeks, so I am definitely doing better. It was good to be there and had to answer the "What happened to you?" question a few times but that's all right. Obviously, I didn't kneel down, but all the sitting then standing did become a bit bothersome by the end of Mass, but it was tolerable.