Squat Update

No, squats aren't the only rehab exercise I do, but they're my favorite, so I'll be focusing on them here. I had started out doing body weight squats, first using a grab bar to support me, then over a chair in case I slip and fall. I still like to do them over a chair for safety, but now I've added some weight. Not a lot -- I may never be cleared to lift large amounts of weight again because of potential heart damage from doxorubicin, one of the chemo drugs I've received. This is definitely a drag; the weight room was one of my favorite places to work out before my diagnosis. But adding some weight still gives me some of that weight room feeling. In the case of squats, my physical therapist introduced a 2 kg medicine ball, which I hold in front of me with my arms fully extended, before my most recent cycle. Since I don't have my own personal supply of medicine balls, I've substituted my backpack, which I can fill to 2 kg or a bit more if I so desire.

I've made more strides recently. Yesterday and today, I went about my business without using my cane at all. Yesterday, this included walking to a follow-up with my prosthetist, plus then heading to Midtown on the subway to pick up a shirt I'd ordered online and then back to a Trader Joe's on the Upper West Side for groceries before calling it a day. I still take my cane with me even when I don't want to use it in case I get tired, but I'm going to go caneless now as much as I can. I'll still use my cane if my backpack is loaded up, though; going regularly without it while wearing my backpack can be my next step.

I shouldn't say it's just been squats. There are other exercises that have been important -- leg lifts, swaying, stretches, and balancing on my prosthetic leg are some of the other big ones -- but given my huge affinity for the squat that goes back to summer 2012, I'm going to talk it up as much as I can. Plus it provides a nice backdrop for this great video I recently saw and want to share. It's of a ticket machine in the Moscow subway that issues a subway ticket in exchange for 30 squats instead of the usual monetary payment. I wouldn't mind seeing a few of these pop up in New York! :)