The Rehab.....

Rehabilitation  - "to restore to good condition"......yep, that's what I'm doing!   Well, I'm trying anyway.   I am starting on my second week of Cardiac Rehab.   I drive to the hospital about 15 miles from here 3 days a week on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's.   While there, I am hooked up to a heart monitor and my blood pressure is monitored before I work out, during work out when I'm on a machine, and after I work out.    Each time I spend 10 minutes on 3 different machines for a total exercise time of 30 minutes.   On Monday's the work out session is followed by another 30 minutes of weight lifting (light weights of 2 or 3 pounds) and stretching for the upper body.    On Friday's the work out session is followed by focusing on the lower body with rubber bands around the legs and feet and stretching of the thighs, hips and calves for 30 minutes.    Wednesday's is "education day" with classes on nutrition, general heart attack information including angina, cholesterol, exercising safely, and stress management.    We were also given a log to write down our daily intake of calories, fat & salt in our diet, and given orders to buy a "pedometer" so we can keep track of the number of steps we take each day.

On our days off,  (tuesdays, thursdays, and  the weekends) we are to do what we can on our own.   Believe me, this has all been quite the experience.

I'm doing it - I am doing what I'm told, but I'm not sure I can say I'm doing well......  for instance, with my right hip/back/leg problem because of my bad disc, and now the left leg/foot problem, walking is hard for me.    The orthopedic doctor did write orders that keeps me off the treadmill, and the upright stationary bike, but I find I am over doing now on the other machines.

I come from the old "no pain, no gain" era, which is totally wrong,  so I've had to really change my way of thinking in exercise along with a lot of other things......    I got on the "rowing" machine yesterday and was really working hard pulling and pushing, nearly out of breath, panting, sweating, when the rehab nurse came over and yelled at me to stop, just set there for a minute or two, catch my breath and quit working so hard.    I guess my blood pressure was too high, and she didn't like what the heart monitor was showing.   I honestly thought the harder I worked the better it was, but I guess that's not the case....

So far today which is an off day at home, I have walked 2060 steps.....  I am doing this 1,000 at a time as that's about as far as I can go without my legs giving out.   An hour of rest though and I'm ready to get up and go again.....  I want to get over 3,000 steps in today, and hopefully next week I can get that up to 4,000 on my days off, then eventually get it up to 5,000 which would be equal to about 2 miles.

The machines I get along best with in the gym, is the "Nu Step", or any kind of horizontal movement for my legs.....that particular machine does not hurt my legs at all, and it actually feels good to move them without pain, but I know I need other movement as well so I have to work on other machines and other parts of my body in order to get stronger over all.   I'd love to have a Nu Step at home, but they don't give them away so it's going to take some time to save up for it.....  I'm keeping my eyes open for a used one in the classified ad's....

Now that the super bowl table spread is gone, I am really watching my diet.   I was amazed when I started noticing how much salt is in canned vegetables, or any processed foods for that matter........I have cut down.

As I just told a friend, I have so much to learn and so many old habits to change!    It's not easy, but then as they say, nothing worth having is, and when it comes to good health habits I have a lot of work to do.

Nearly an hour has passed, so I'm headed back outside to work on that 3rd thousand steps.   At least we have nice weather today........   ok, are any of you ready to go buy a pedometer and join me?