Judy Berna, exploring NYC wth her kids.
Getting in shape is a unique adventure, when you use technology to get around in the world. After I got my first artificial leg fitted, almost exactly eight years ago, I hit the gym. I’d spent years only exercising sporadically, held back by the deformed foot that I eventually chose to get rid of. It kept me from being ‘athletic’ in almost every sense of the word, and it was an exercise in futility to…well…exercise.
Then suddenly I had this great new metal foot, that had energy return, and range of motion. It made me stand up straight again, and I couldn’t wait to see all that it could do, once I got my core muscles back.
I hit the gym every day, for months. I lifted weights, rode the bike, and practiced the motions of my new foot on the controlled deck of the treadmill (with great handles to hang on to, in case I felt wobbly). I didn’t learn to run on my new technology, because my first priority was getting back a normal walking gait.
As much as I love the feeling of being fit, the logistics can talk me out of making the effort. The art of showering with an artificial leg means I have to wait to shower at home. The gym doesn’t have a set up that works for me. I also have the issue of sweat in my leg to figure out. After riding hard on the bike, the liner, that fits between my flesh and my leg socket, fills with sweat. Once I get off the equipment, and try to walk back to the locker room, I squish with every step. It’s like walking with a waterbed in your shoe. It can be a bit intimidating, to sit on the bench next to the showers, and strip down to the bare stump, and dump out the sweat.
Read the rest of Judy Berna’s post about exercising with bionics and comment over at GeekMom.
