Two cool tidbits

[cjsmith]

Yay #1: exercise

Yesterday I did the coolest thing I've done in probably three years. Rob and I went to a fitness store to try out weight machines & see how many exercises I could do without standing, and while we were there I found a water rower.

I'd always believed rowing machines would be too rough on my feet. Some of them probably would be, and certainly if I hadn't been wearing my special shoes there'd have been no way. But I sat on that thing in the store for fifteen minutes, breaking a sweat, making myself red in the face... and I was happier than I've been in years. NOTHING else I've tried can get my heart rate up, really up. Swimming doesn't even remotely come close, for me. Operating a wheelchair I'm limited by my wrist strength. But THIS I could DO.

I was almost afraid to smile, coming out of the store, because I didn't know whether my feet would flare up in pain later in the day or the next morning. If they did there'd be no point. But it's the next morning now, and they don't seem to be too bad. I may have a winner.

I'll have to rework the foot straps completely, of course. They're terrible.

Nifty Thing #2: Iridium flare

I'm still not over jet lag, so I was awake at 4:30 anyway. I went outside to look for my first Iridium flare. The sky was very cloudy, but this one was supposed to be incredibly bright (-8) so I waited. Thanks to Rob mentioning it last night, I knew what direction to face, how high up to look, and what time to be looking (plus or minus the uncertainty of an analog watch that's been time-zone-changed a lot lately). Sure enough, I saw it, even through the clouds! It lasted maybe a second or a second and a half, a bright spot moving quickly across the sky. That was really nifty. I can see how people who don't, say, need sleep for some reason, can get caught up in going to chase these things.

Comments

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

Ya! I'm really glad you've found something good.

You're correct about it being hard to get your heart rate up swimming. One's heart rate is about 10% lower in the water for comperable levels of exercise.

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

hey, that's cool! i hope your feet continue to give good feedback on that rowing machine.

This is terrific!

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy that you found an exercise that's doable for you!

I had never even heard of an iridium flare. Very cool.

[wooddragon.livejournal.com]

I am really excited about the rowing machine. I *love* rowing, too, though I don't do it often enough (why is that? Other than access to a machine, I mean).

Two words!

[airporter.livejournal.com]

Totally cool!

[aliceinfinland.livejournal.com]

Oh, rowing sounds perfect. Also, you may be able to figure out a way to work with the footrests in a sculling boat so you can go out on rivers and such, because rowing on water is one of the great joys of life. You can probably get pretty good seat action from just pushing your knees down, without stressing the feet very much at all, and get most of the real power from arms/back/abdomen. I am getting nostalgic here. I think I may need to get a rowing machine too.

Yay!

[shoutingboy.livejournal.com]

That´s relly great. I know that for me, being able to periodically wear myself out makes a huge difference to my general mood.

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

W00t!

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

This may be a stupid question, but why are rowing machines hard on your feet? Do you have to put pressure on your feet to offset the arm motion? I've rowed in a real rowboat many times but I don't think I've ever used a rowing machine, so I really have no idea of how it feels.

I looked at the website, but I can't see how this differs from a conventional rowing machine. The pictures on the main page jump around too fast and when I click the US area on their map to get more info I don't get anything at all.

In any case I'm thrilled that you found something that will work for you! Exercise is so important, for general health as well as all the emotional reasons you've mentioned in other comments! I'd be interested in learning more about it ... I have a treadmill I don't use and a recumbent exercise bike I can't use any more because of my knees. I'll always want to walk outside when I can, but I'd love to find an indoor form of exercise I could do when it's too hot, too windy or too rainy to go for a walk.


I'd never heard of an Iridium flare! That's really interesting, although I probably couldn't see one here anyway -- I'm only a couple of blocks from the mall, which uses huge numbers of globe lights, so the light pollution is horrendous. (They used to have tall lamposts with rectangular lights that were at least partially shielded ... but when the mall changed hands a few years ago they replaced those with numerous closely-spaced shorter poles with unfrosted clear glass globes (like the ones on this page (http://calgary.rasc.ca/lp/definitions.html) under "Globe-Style Light Fixture") that radiate light out 360º, with most of it directed up! Not only is the light pollution awful, don't let me get started on the ridiculous energy waste for producing light that's about 80% wasted!) In winter when the atmosphere is clear I can see maybe a dozen stars at best ... in summer when the air is hazier I can rarely see more than three or four. So I doubt I'd see even a -8 magnitude Iridium flare very well. :-(

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

oh, how wonderful!!