=>Moving =>Mom

Time Session Began:  1306 Duration of Session:  47 min
Exercise	Reps	Sets	Comments
ISL	12	1	Still isn't tensing arms through entire exercise; worked on this. Performed sitting.
KI	12	1	Slumped through most of this exercise, so didn't feel it in the right place.
LU	11	1	Again, not tensing muscles enough during exercise. Performed sitting.
KNI	12	1	Had her sit straighter, so it was harder work for her than usual
FO1	12	1	Significant improvement. Performed sitting.
SDS	12	1	Caught her lagging with right foot and corrected this.
FO2	14	1	She's still breaking her wrists, so we did some extras to work on this. Performed sitting.
TDS	12	1	Good.
BG	6	1	Very good. Could see her belly gripping and relaxing each time.
MIP	12	1	This was hard for her today.
F2S	12	1	Fair; she had trouble holding her arms straight today. Performed sitting.
SSS	10	1	She seems to have lost her understanding of how to do this right, so it was hard for her, today.
AC	4	1	Beginning to understand that the movement happens in the shoulders and upper arms; thus, it was harder for her than usual, today.
FC	10	1	Performed standing. Still having a little trouble gripping weight through entire exercise and using muscles to pull weight up and lower weight.
SDST	10	1	Bothered her knees some, today.
IACR			Not done yet.
TDST			Not done yet.
IACL			Not done yet.
STS			Not done yet.
SSST			Not done yet.
BD	10	1	Performed sitting, today. Did very well, though. Can almost completely straighten her arm above her head.
NSGP			Not done yet.
SUSD	6	1	Fought this one, today, so it was harder for her.

    Today, after her session, we talked about attitude and the difference it makes in her performance and the level of productivity of each session. The reason this came up is because she simply wasn't into exercising, today, but she wasn't unusually tired, either, nor was her body "under the weather". She just didn't want to exercise and carried this attitude throughout the session. I couldn't figure out why she did so well three days ago when she hadn't performed her exercises for awhile, but so poorly today. Then, about halfway through the session, it hit me. It was her attitude. She agreed. I reminded her that at the SNF her attitude was always up for the exercise sessions because she was motivated to get out. Here, she has to come up with a motivation. I suggested that she consider that the exercises will make her stronger, more mobile, increase her energy level and allow her to have more interest in getting out and about. This time, when she agreed, I wasn't sure she was absolutely attitude positive, but I'll just keep reminding her.

Time Session Began:  1203 Duration of Session:  45 min
Exercise	Reps	Sets	Comments
ISL	10	1	Better than ever. Performed sitting.
KI	10	1	Right leg still harder for her than left, but good.
LU	10 + 4	2	Last set done to correct tendency to break wrists. Performed sitting.
KNI	10	1	Good.
FO1	10	1	Good. Performed sitting.
SDS	10	1	Good.
FO2	12	1	Good. Last two were for correction purposes. Performed sitting.
TDS	10	1	Good.
BG	5	1	Very good; could see her belly muscles working. Performed standing.
MIP	10	1	Good. Shifted balance well. Performed standing.
F2S	10	1	Good. Performed sitting.
SSS	10	1	Better than before. Finally got the idea that the movement to the side is to be performed from the hip, not the thigh or calf.
AC	5 + 1	2	Second "set" was to correct her tendency to move her forearms rather than moving from the shoulder. She finally felt it in the right place.
FC	10 + 2	2	Her form is improving; second set was to tweak it a little.
SDST	10	1	I reminded her to flex the knee before we started. Good balance shift; good performance.
IACR			Not done yet.
TDST			Not done yet.
IACL			Not done yet.
STS			Not done yet.
SSST			Not done yet.
BD	10	1	Performed standing. Did great.
NSGP			Not done yet.
SUSD	5	1	She did terrific on this one. Before she started I demonstrated the two ways old people often rise from a sitting position, one of which she does regularly, which is lifting herself with her arms while bending at the upper back while fully seated back in the chair. I did this to show her that both of these ways of rising are hard even for me, and hard on the back and the knees. Then, I reviewed, once more, the way to rise that's easy on one's back, one's knees and just generally easy: Scooting forward until her ass is close to the edge of the chair, bending forward from the hips until her ass begins to lift off the chair, which naturally begins to shift her weight to her bend legs, then promoting the completion of the weight shift and rising up. She got it, and surprised herself at how little effort it takes to rise from a seated position like this. The first four she did holding onto my hands, but with much less transferred pressure than usual. She insisted on doing the last stand-up herself, and did really well. After she was settled back in her rocker (this was the last exercise), I showed her, once more, how "everybody", especially those whose bodies are tone, actually rises, exactly like this, but they do it so fast, including the part where one scoots closer to the edge of the chair, that it isn't noticeable. She understood.

    I surprised both of us with this exercise session, today. During breakfast, and during our traditional after breakfast game of Sorry I noticed that she was bright eyed, bushy tailed and rosy. Her right eye wasn't swimming (something that happens when she's tire or sick; her right iris floats well above her lower lid, rather than sitting on it), her eyelids weren't swollen and she was in good, feisty humor.
    She, of course, gave me her typical snide grin when I suggested an exercise session but didn't back down. I've been insisting, lately, when we do both formal and informal sessions, that she sit closer to the edge of the chair with her back as straight as possible and her legs "at attention", which means not sprawled and split for relaxation. Normally I have to badger her a bit to keep this posture but today she did fine on her own. I did put her on continuous oxygen flow (2/lpm) throughout the session, which is unusual, but only as a precaution because, as usual, when she returns to this altitude after even a short stay in the Valley she mouth breathes more than usual.
    Today it wasn't necessary for me to be nearly as hard on her as I usually am. As well as covering the corrections mentioned above in the individual exercise reviews, I talked a lot, today, about how the weights are meant to be used to remind the exerciser to grip, tense, lift and lower, not tote, haul and drop. She paid attention to this better than usual today. Correction wasn't necessary for most of the exercises.