One week in the bag

Been back at work a week now. Just two hours a day. Start three hours a day next week. It was more effort than I anticipated. Physically, by the end of the week, I was a bit worn down. Mentally it was challenging to be alert the whole time. I'm hoping that the extra hour a day next week won't be more taxing.

It's hard to get anything done in two hours a day. To think two hours a day is tiring is hard to imagine. Good incentive to stick with the doctor's orders and not try and stretch my time. The goal is to get back to full time not to burn myself out and fail at resuming a normal work schedule.

PT has been good. I'm doing some exercises that seem to be restoring some of my flexibility and stabilizing my back and neck. My hamstrings and back had really tightened up during the sedentary recovery. Using the exercises to get some flexibility back is helping increase comfort with everything I do.

The back and neck stabilization exercises are really helpful. Before, a few times a day, I would make some move that caused a pain between my shoulder blades like something in my spine was snapping into or out of place. That happens much less frequently now and that's a good thing.

Keep on trying to expand the envelope of things I can do. I took my old road bike out and rode it on the yard, with my helmet on. Very short ride, just half the length of the yard and back to the starting point. Balance was okay if a bit tentative. Certainly not ready to ride at road speed much less on the road. Position on the bike felt uncomfortable. Could definitely feel tightness in my back bending over the bars and weakness in my shoulders keeping my my head and neck up and steering.

That experience led to ordering a stationary trainer to put the bike in. I have rollers but there's no way I'd be safe riding on them. With the stationary trainer I'll at least be able to get on, spin my legs, build some leg strength and aerobic capacity and monitor my back and shoulders for improved comfort in the riding position.

Now I've got two things to focus efforts on. Mental stamina to be able to build back up to a regular work schedule and physical stamina to be able to get out and ride again. I've succeeded, if somewhat underwhelmingly, at getting started back at both. Now I'll just have to keep building on these first efforts.