The rain was heavier and the wind stronger last night than the previous night so it made it hard to sleep. I have never been through a strong hurricane before but can imagine that it sounds something like what we heard last night.

Even with the rain and wind I was able to get just under 8 hours of sleep but only 3 hours of deep sleep along with being awake for about 35 minutes in the middle of the night due to the weather. 

I typically only weigh myself once per week but wanted to see how I rebounded after Thanksgiving. I was happy to see that I had lost 3 pounds since yesterday along with losing 0.5% body fat.  

My hair has finally grown back enough that I was able to use gel to style my hair for the first time since the day of my original seizures. Sounds simple but was another hurdle tackled on the road to recovery. 

Today was supposed to be a day of back-to-back meetings, including a lunch meeting. But, as the day progressed meetings slowly started disappearing off of my calendar as they were shifted to other dates. It was great because it gave me time to catch up after the busy day of meetings yesterday. 

Around lunchtime an early Christmas gift from Laura’s parents arrived: a Dyson vacuum. I never thought I would be excited about getting a vacuum however as soon as it arrived I put it together and tested it out. Simply put: it’s amazing. 

When the rain finally broke for a bit we headed out to pick out our Christmas tree. Unfortunately the tree farm that we buy from didn’t have any trees taller, that weren’t already purchased, than 11.5’ with the exception of one that was 15-16’ tall.  

We did end up selecting a beautiful 11.5’ tree that will be delivered on Friday. Though about 1’ shorter than last year it is still very tall. It is hard to tell how the tree will settle since it was bailed when we got there, the trees were soaking wet and it started raining while we there.  

We are still looking forward to receiving it on Friday and giving it the weekend to settle. We’ll likely decorate it on Sunday before heading out to dinner to celebrate my birthday which is on Monday. 

After coming back from picking out our Christmas tree I took my pre-workout drink and went next door.  

For several weeks I have been doing the same full body (minus shoulders) resistance band workout. Tonight I decided that I wanted to try using weights and focus on certain body parts similar to what I used to do. 

Considering that we pushed my shoulders hard during physical therapy yesterday I decided to focus my efforts on biceps, triceps and abs. Here is the workout that I put together to test myself: 

Biceps

• 3 x 12 reps - Alternating Dumbbell Curls 
• 3 x 12 reps - Straight Bar Curl
• 3 x 12 reps - Alternating Hammer Curls 

Triceps

• 3 x 12 reps - Triceps Kickbacks
• 3 x 12 reps -  Triceps Pushdown  

Abs

• 3 x 25 reps -  Exercise Ball Sit-ups 
• 3 x 15 reps -  Leg Lifts

Cardio

• 4 x 30 secs work / 15 secs rest - Jump Rope  

I used 10 pound dumbbells for all of the exercises using dumbbells. A far cry from what I was using pre-injuries but it still made me happy to use weights again. 

I questioned whether I would be able to actually use the jump rope. After thinking about it, if you’re using proper technique you’re only using your wrists to rotate the rope so I decided to use it. 

I felt good during my workout with the exception of a few twinges in my shoulders. We’ll see how I feel over the next couple of days as soreness has a chance to set in. 

Tomorrow we’re heading down to our offices so it will be a long day of driving and a busy day at my office.