Moving my muscles (aka the excruciating "E" word)

Originally Posted by Alaska

...the following are physical therapy exercises ... to restore movement in my bad left hip...which was connected to the spinal damage...

1) stand by leaning on something, doesn't matter what; i use the breakfast bar/counter at home, move your left leg (which is my bad one) out in front of you...a little, a lot, doesn't matter, doesn't have to be straight...then move it right across your other leg, then out left to the side, back and forth as much as you can handle it...that's it...i was doing 100 reps, doesn't matter how much, doesn't matter how far you can even swing it...it builds up the muscles on the outside area of the hip and now i can cross my legs after a year of not being able to, due to pain

2) same concept, sitting...push left leg into right leg, then angle it out to the left, same muscles strengthened, i never lifted my left leg off the floor, just worked the upper leg muscles

3) sitting, with feet on floor, push leg up with toes, lower, repeat however much you want, it helped me strengthen my calf, which i had lost nerves in for a long time, i still dont have all the nerve connections back yet

Originally Posted by WATCH-ME-SHRINK

ARTICLE: LEARN TO LOVE A.M. WORKOUTS

Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you’ll be burning more calories all day long—just because you exercised in the morning.

Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day—not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you’ve done something disciplined and good for you.

Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity—a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you’re snoozing.

Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn’t be a major problem to get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier—especially since regular exercise generally means a higher quality of sleep, which in turn means you’ll probably require less sleep. (If getting up 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day seems too daunting, you can ease into it with 10 to 20 minutes at first.)

When you exercise at about the same time every morning—especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time—you’re regulating your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes.

That’s beneficial because:
o Your body’s not “confused” by wildly changing wake-up times, which means waking up is much less painful. (You may even find that you don’t need an alarm clock most days.)
o Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc.
o Your metabolism, along with all the hormones involved in activity and exercise, begin to elevate while you're sleeping. As a result, you’ll feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake up.

Many people find that morning exercise has a tendency to regulate their appetite for the rest of the day. Not only do they eat less (since activity causes the release of endorphins, which in turn diminishes appetite), they also choose healthier portions of healthier foods.

People who consistently exercise find, sometimes to their great surprise, that the appointed time every morning evolves into something they look forward to. Besides the satisfaction of taking care of themselves, they find it’s a great time to plan their day, pray, or just think more clearly—things most of us often don’t get to do otherwise.

Exercising first thing in the morning is the most foolproof way to ensure that other things don’t overtake your fitness commitment, particularly if you have a hectic family life. (It’s so easy to wimp out in the evening, when we’re tired or faced with such tasks as rustling up dinner and helping with homework.)