Hurdles

This past week was not a good one as far as positive attitude is concerned. It is one my moms biggest threats to her health I feel. It takes a lot to get her out of these slumps but, yesterday proved to be a good exercise day by way of cleaning and hanging new pictures. She played a big role in everything and it helped to turn her mood around. I think this change is very gradual and seems, at first glance, ineffectual. But that is why I think if we are able to make overall major changes that they will stick. Like I have posted before previous weight loss came at a dramatic and abrupt exclusion of calories both good and bad. This had quick results that also faded fast. Emphasis was placed on caloric intake and weight, not health and fitness. So heres hope'in.

You know I am starting to think there is something to this exercise thing! We had a slow start tonight and I was quite sure that mom was going to try and get out of working out. But as she started to talk about something or other I started to do warm-ups with her. Within 2 minutes of throwing the ball her entire demeanor changed. Her energy level grew, she was much more positive, and before I knew it I was 25% further away from her than last time and she was almost knocking me over with the ball! We tried some tricep extensions but she was a bit tight so we did some great stretches and breathing exercises that she enjoyed. The highlight of the evening was when mom suggested some music for inspiration. I took a potty break and when I came out of the bathroom she was holding on to the back of a chair casually dancing to the tunes. lightbulb!! I made the music louder and had her pick her feet up. She was breathing heavy but having fun. I put a resistance band around her ankles and had her to what equated to hip extensions. She was able to jam for about 7 minutes until she realized she was out of breath and had to rest. I am so stoked about this! This proves that she is capable of cardio providing that we can take some of the strain off of her back. My mom seems in great spirits and we had a wonderful second session. Also, she noted increased endurance in her upper body after last session. Great. From a dietary perspective I do not want to do anything to fast. I don't want her to "diet" per say as opposed to slow but permanent changes in eating. This week she has committed to one meal a day composed completely from plants. This should help with some digestive issues. One more day down many to come!

Joe

Day 1

Success!! My mom agreed to let me help her and seems like she is in a good place about it. We did an assessment of and found some key areas to start in on. Her large muscle groups are, not surprisingly, very strong. However, she seems to have issues with joint stabilization in her hips, knees, and ankles. Her right hip appears higher than her left; I think since her right leg gives her more pain there is some compensating going on that is throwing her out of wack. Also, she has a pulled muscle in her groin that is limiting movement and a fair bit of lower back pain I think due to pelvic imbalance. Plenty to work on but we have to start somewhere! We warmed up for ten minutes throwing a ball back and forth. This got her blood pumping pretty well and further displayed imbalance in the hips. It also got some "back of the arm" muscles working (which cramped severely). We then did sets of leg lifts to keep her heart rate up and help loosen up those hips. She, very successfully, held each leg up and traced the alphabet with her toes. This helps stabilize the ankle and knee, while being worky-outy at the same time. That is the technical term by the way. After about 20 more minutes of assorted resistance band upper body work we rested and had a good for you dinner. I want to do a detailed set of measurements to help gauge our progress soon. As of right now we are not doing any weighing as I want to keep the focus off of weight and on general health. I hope it will be enough motivation. All in all it was a great first session! My mom seems pumped to change her life and I get to learn some great skills. Thanks to everyone for following!

Joe

PS If any Doctors in the room read something that doesn't seem right please let me know because I'm winging this one!

Introductions, Acknowledgments, and Accolades.

This begins the journey of my mom, Angela! The stars aligned, the gods agreed, and my large, stubborn, Italian mother, a 54 year old RN, and mother of three boys is at a turning point in her life - whether she likes it or not. My mom is very overweight (we will get into specifics later); she is battling high blood pressure, and is on a fast track to type II diabetes, a wheelchair, and assisted living. She is very headstrong and does not respond well to constructive criticism. I have heard she isn't the first nurse to suck as a patient. She has had a rocky few years with relationships and is finally rid of distraction and can focus on herself. Her three sons (Michael, 30; Me, 28; Andrew, 17) love her very much and have been concerned about her weight and general health for quite some time. Two years ago she had bi-lateral knee replacements 3 weeks apart. She never followed up with her Physical Therapist and is now worse off than she was before the surgery. Having realized that there is little chance she will cooperate with anyone else, I am taking it upon myself to help her change her life and get her healthy. I am a rock and ice climbing instructor, a runner, surfer, and cyclist. I am very interested in Biomechanics and am fascinated by the physiology of the body. I am currently finishing a Biology degree and am applying to Athletic Training programs (hopefully moving on to PT school). I have a passion for helping people get healthy and am shouldering a huge challenge. I am about to learn what it will take to help my mom drop a couple hundred pounds and to change her life for the better. I have been shadowing Physical Therapists all summer and have learned a ton about the structure of the human body. I am blessed to have a friend who is a very experienced PT. He has already helped me immeasurably and has laid the ground work for what I believe is a great career track for me - as well as develop a safe and achievable game plan for helping improve my mother's quality of life. So here we go! Ambush results to follow!