Post Op Day 81 – h2o aerobics

Energy level: Great!
Pain level: 0 for non weight bearing
                3 for 10% weight bearing

As luck would have it, there is a water aerobics class that I can jump right into! 

I’ve shied away from aerobics in the past due to my lack of arm and leg coordination.  But…  I’m a strong swimmer and desperate to get back into some kind of exercise routine, so I figure that I should give this a shot.

I arrive a bit early to do a few laps.  The first thing that I notice is that I am buoyant – more buoyant than ever.  I effortlessly float on my back like never before.  I’ve gained 10 pounds in the past three months of impaired mobility and it is now the difference in my fat to muscle ratio is clearly apparent as I float in a pool.

The second thing I notice is that my recovering foot is floppy. It’s a weird sensation.  My good foot propels me through the water, but the recovering foot just gets whipped around as my leg goes though the motions.

Water gives a wonderful sense of freedom.  I do a lunge!   I can stand on one foot!  I can walk with two legs without crutches!  I share Jake Sully’s experience when he ran with avatar legs for the first time.  It’s a dream come true.  This is so liberating!

Next come the “dumbbells” and like a dummy, I thought they would be heavy and ask for the smallest pair.  Well, now I know why they are made out of foam.  Instead of lifting deadweight - this all about resistance.  I immediately feel the burn on the elusive underside arm muscles as I extend and force the “dumbbells” under water. I never found free weights to be particularly exciting, but this feels like opposite-land and therefore is actually kind of fun. 

Running in water makes it easier for me to channel Jaime Sommers (insert sound effects here) and makes up for the fact that I have to crawl out the pool on hands and knees to get to my less than 6 million dollar crutches.