Day 408 - stand before you walk, walk before you run

Today's post is a short one, but here it is, because I don't like reneging on promises.

This blog mainly concerns itself with documenting the progress I make in walking. It is, after all, called Walking by 2013. Nevertheless such a title, and the subjects I have covered here thus far, belie both the depth and breadth of what I have to do to prepare for the big day. My desired goal is indeed to walk and, specifically, to walk to collect my degree - but, in order to walk, I need to be able to stand, to balance. Equally, in order to stand, I need to have strong leg muscles and tendons - particularly quadriceps and hamstrings. My point, here, is that (although I am not at home, and consequently not walking) it doesn't follow that I am not continuing with my training. Far from it - because when I am in my chair, seemingly stationary, my body is in fact constantly moving. So I have learnt to harness this aspect of my disability and use it to my advantage.

A couple of leg jiggles, for instance, actually constitues a pretty good quads workout - as does an increase in the pressure of my foot on its footplate. If I feel my hip-flexors need a bit of a stretch, I lean forward as far as I can go, and then make myself work hard to sit back. These are kind of vertical sit ups or, at least, that's the closest approximation that I can give. I also do the horizontal variety before I sleep.

Of course, none of this is the same as a sustained effort at walking, but it provides a stop-gap - and it makes me feel as though I'm not slacking off, just like these daily blog posts bridge the chasm between now and the videos I'll put up from home. I only hope they're enough to satisfy my readers - but, when coupled with the notion that I expend roughly twice the normal amount of energy on any activity, thanks to my spasticity, I believe they will suffice.

Thanks for sticking around, in any case.