Day 64: Sleeping Better and Increasing Exercise

When I woke up this morning I was happy to see that I had slept for 7.5 hours last night. Similar to the previous night, I woke up a couple of times throughout the night but only had to get up once. 

This weekend was much better than last weekend when I slept less each night than I had previously since coming home from the hospital.

While I know that last weekend the narcotics were working their way out of my system, I also think that I have hacked my sleep using the right protocol. I will be sharing my thoughts in Part II of my sleep hacking article later this week.

I slipped out of bed to let Laura sleep in and rest up before the work week starts tomorrow. Thankfully she was able to sleep until after 9a.

After taking Sasha for her typical morning walk we headed out to run errands. It sounds basic but it was my second week in a row getting to do stuff such as going to Target, grocery shopping, getting the car washed and other stuff like that.

Before going to the grocery store we placed an order with Good Eggs. We used them last week for the first time and loved the quality of food that we received with the delivery.

Once we got back from running errands and having lunch we went for an afternoon walk. 

Last weekend we had gone for a 3 mile loop near our house. As we approached the turnaround my shoulders were still feeling good so we continued on, finishing up at around 5 miles. 

I should end today with approximately 12,500 steps or so thanks to the 8,800 steps from today’s walk.

I have been trying to improve the way I walk (and eventually run) by using a forefoot strike instead of typical heel striking which is what we all do by default. I am trying to strengthen my legs for when my arms are strong enough to run.

One awesome part of our walk was getting to see the Blue Angels show, at least when they flew higher into the sky. The tight patterns that they’re able to fly are simply amazing to see.

The walk coupled with the 80+ degree heat left me feeling tired and sore but it felt great pushing myself harder.

I crashed on my couch for a bit watching the final two episodes of Parks & Recreation and football. This has been a terrible week for my Fantasy Football team.

Before dinner I ran through a number of shoulder exercises. I decided not to use the shoulder pulleys tonight. Instead I did front and side raises without assistance for 15 reps per arm. I then performed 3 wall stretches walking my fingers up the wall. With my shoulders being sore from the walk I didn’t want to push them too much further.

I grilled for the first time since my injuries which was nice to do. I grilled a London broil with a habanero sea salt. While I tended to the grill Laura made cauliflower mash and green beans. A delicious and healthy dinner for watching the NLDS.

Unfortunately the San Francisco Giants lost on a home run in the bottom of the 9th but it was still a fun game to watch.

We are winding down the night and gearing up for the start of the work week. Tomorrow will be my last day before starting back on Tuesday part-time. Beyond other to-dos I have a few things tomorrow to take care of so that I can start Tuesday in stride.

I hope that you have had a great weekend!