Saturday Sun
I met my friend, now Doctor Shelley, for a late breakfast. We sat and talked about, among other things, the state of education in New Jersey and around the country. Suffice ti to say that for two rather inventive people like us, it's all very frustrating.
I won't go into it all here, but standardized tests and conventional "in the box" thinking, are not our style. Both have limited the quality of education our students receive here in the US, and things don't look too promising for the future. Shelley has officially retired from her administrative job but wants to find another in an innovative school system where she can develop new programs and encourage teachers and students to explore creative options. She has a challenging job search ahead of her.
After brunch, I did a little shopping, then headed home.
I didn't do much productive once I got home, but eventually, I headed out to the swimming pool. There I did my ten laps and a long session of bicycle kicks before coming back home. The pool will be open daily on Thursday upcoming, so I'll be able to do daily exercise as long as the weather's good. My plan, as noted before is to get my body and my legs in top condition for my knee replacement surgery. Swimming is perfect as it's one of the few exercises I can do without putting impact stress on my joints.
I also have some leg exercises to do at home. I'm not really good about repetitive exercises as I just find them boring. I'd much rather be doing something, or going somewhere as exercise. If I could find a way to do the exercises and actually accomplish something at the same time, it would be so much easier. But, PT exercises are something I am going to have to face and deal with after my replacements, so I'd better find a way to get used to it again.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
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I'm with you on the education system in this country lately. I can only term it as the dumbing down of America. There should be more importance put on educating our young people these days and I don't think we're doing that.
ReplyDeleteAs for some exercises, my doctor told me one of the best ones is to lift and hold your leg in front of you to strengthen the muscles around your knees. The other one would be to contract your thigh muscles and sort of pull them up from your knee and hold then release. Don't know if it really helps all that much but that's what I was told. After the surgery I had a nylon band with a loop at either end that helped to bend my knee further than I could myself and get range of motion back, wonder if it would help to do it now and get more flexible?
Your friend Shelley should look into the IBO, PYP MYP and International bacalauréat. It is quite inventive and ground breaking way of teaching.
ReplyDeleteIMO there should be a way in the middle ...
If you are looking for something challenging and different this is it!!!
Perhaps for your exercises you can do them with a physio ball, or unstable blank etc...
education system is going the same way over here as well - it's all results driven, for work, and never mind teaching people for life and their own well being!
ReplyDeleteThe exercises part is hard. They are mostly tedious and boring!!
ReplyDeleteI worked with my PT on figuring out a variety of different exercises I could use so that they can vary from session to session and day to day.
I think the most important thing is to strengthen up your quad muscles as much as possible before the surgery.
Front and side leg lifts, tie an exercise band around your legs just above your knees and side step in each direction, also using the band tied to a post and put around you leg just above the knee and then doing a little mini squat. That really strengthens the muscle insertion around the knees.
And lots and lots of stretches!!!
Being proactive is so important, the thought of a quicker recovery is worth the tediousness of leg lifts!