Sure wish someone from Lilybelle's home would come here and tell us how she is doing. I know her son was to leave for the middle east and she was supposed to have a liver transplant before that. He was to leave mid Jan.
I wonder if they can even get on this website? Lily herself is probably too ill/recovering from the transplant to think about being online. I hope she's doing ok. I'm sure we all give her this and hope she gets back to her golf clubs soon
Good morning! I wish I could sleep in on weekends but my body is up and at 'em already. Too bad the gym doesn't open till 8 am.
I had my followup appointment with my knee doctor this week and he asked if I could walk without crutches yet so it was fun to tell him that I was back in the gym by the fourth day after surgery. I got the green light to do weighted leg exercises but he wants me to go light for another month until the healing is complete. After that, the sky's the limit because he says it's not weight that kills knee replacements, it's impact and he said that strong leg muscles actually will make knee replacements last longer.
So I did real BB squats (with a bare bar) and I could get to 90 degrees for the first time since the knee replacements! Very exciting! Then I did leg press, calf raises, split squats, and some one-leg leg press. I'll try some more tomorrow. Lunges will be next.
After the gym this morning, I have to make an airport trip, then give DS a hand cleaning his apartment. I want to get some shrimp cleaned and marinating for dinner before I leave, then all I need to do is grill them later.
Meg - great job with the lifting! Glad your knee is healing so well. That is interesting about the 'impact versus weight' on knee replacements.
I was just wondering about Lily this week. I hope she is doing well.
I'm hanging at home with DSS watching Phineas & Ferb. DH ended up having to go in to work and it is cloudy and cold outside. I'm hoping to get some park or treadmill in today, but if I don't I'll just take a little two day exercise break. Or try to do some yoga or something. We are going out to dinner with one of DH's coworkers tonight, to a brew house. I'm about to look at the menu online, but am seriously considering tossing caution to the winds and having their highly touted fish and chips. Hm. I've been really on track this week, with the exception of one sugary soda. We'll see.
Shannon, I was thinking more about that weight vs impact effect on knee replacements because obese patients wear out knee replacements much faster than normal weight patients -- perhaps only six years of use vs 20 years (some doctors won't do knee replacements on people over certain weights, like 300 pounds, for this reason). And I was thinking hmm, if the weight you put on the knee doesn't matter, why is do knees wear out so much faster on obese people? And I figured out it's because the impact is so much greater when a knee is carrying extra pounds. My doctor has always said that every extra pound of weight equals four pounds of pressure on knees, so 100 extra pounds would mean 400 extra pounds of impact with every step. So it makes sense that extra weight makes an artificial knee wear out much faster because every step has so much added impact due to weight.
What he meant about weight with no impact is exercises that load weight on the knee to build muscle but have no impact. So leg press, squats, lunges, dead lifts etc. can be done with a lot of weight because there isn't any kind of impact with those exercises, so they won't stress the knee replacements. He said that going heavy and building muscle will make the new knees last longer.
My personal best doing squats is 205# and I don't think I'll ever get there again due to issues with my back. But it's good to know that I can work back up to a reasonably challenging weight. This week was the 45# bar and I think I'll bump up 10# a week until I get to 95#. Then I'll focus on sets of 25 at 95# and see how the knees feel. Squats, lunges, and deadlifts are what got me into little size pants and it's been pretty frustrating not to be able to do them correctly since the replacements. So I'm stoked!!
ANother cold day here - I sound like a broken record. But it's 10:30 and I'm about to go out and do a bunch of errands and end up at the gym. That way I can just come home and shower which I much prefer to showering at the gym. TOnight we're off to ANchorage with another couple to go square dancing. THis is usually a much more active evening that with our own club on Friday nights, as the club has students so the more experienced dancers sit out more while the students do every set. It's how they learn, and we do mix experienced dancers in with them, but once all the students are incorporated into a square, the rest of the club dancers are usually not intersted in all of them making up a square to do the low-level dancing. The dance in ANchorage will be all what's called "Mainstream" dancing, the level most people are at, with a little bit of "Plus" dancing, the next level up. I took a Plus class last weekend and with some pushing can dance at this level for a set or two (all evening would leave my brain reeling ) There is one more level - A1 - but there's not many dancers in Alaska at this level. They need to go to a regional/national convention to have enough dancers to fill a floor.
So, it's time to get moving. I have laundry going, and as soon as the last load goes in the washer, I'm off. DH will empty the dryer, though not necessarily fold the clothes. It all helps.
Meg, sounds like your new knee is doing really well. Bet you amazed the dr. with how fast you're recovering. You're a nice mom to help your DS clean. Four hundred pounds of pressure for 100 lbs. of weight--glad my knees managed to make it through my heavier days.
Shannon, how was your dinner out? Did you get to exercise? And, more importantly, who are Phinneas and Ferb?
Pat, your dancing sounds like a lot of fun. Exercise and social--all the good things that make us healthy and live longer.
Yesterday we went to the memorial service for the husband of a woman I know. After hearing his family and friends talk and looking at the video, I wish I had known him. He had an incredible zest for living, even as he was dying. Sadly, this is my third spouse death in less than two years. Everyone, give your spouse/partner a big hug today.
Meg - that makes sense on the added pressure of body weight on the knees. My grandmother had a knee replacement in May and has lost a good bit of weight since. Her therapist was very pleased by that. He also had her doing weighted leg exercise, to strengthen the leg muscles, which I thought at the time was a little odd. I never thought about weight exercises causing less strain the body weight. Nifty.
Pat - the dancing does sound like a lot of fun!
Sheila - we had a good time at dinner. I ended up with a cup of curry (sweet potato & garbanzo bean curry over rice) and the fish & chips. Didn't eat very many of the chips, though they were fabulous. Had one beer, then was the driver. I did get to exercise - did a good LB workout in the garage. And here are Phineas & Ferb... Cartoon on The Disney Channel. I think one of my favorite tv shows ever, actually. Very witty dialogue, fun stories. I sometimes watch it when DSS isn't over... to your friend.
Good weekend everyone!
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 01-24-2010 at 12:27 PM.
Do you have Phineas and the Ferbtones on your iPod? I do. I downloaded it for the kids, but somehow it ended up on mine and played when I was in the weight room the other day.
and hope she gets back to her golf clubs soon 
I got the green light to do weighted leg exercises but he wants me to go light for another month until the healing is complete. After that, the sky's the limit because he says it's not weight that kills knee replacements, it's impact and he said that strong leg muscles actually will make knee replacements last longer. 
It all helps.
to your friend. 
