The lack of exercise has contributed to several problems which not only affect my appearance with a larger belly but also my ability to breathe because my intercostal muscles are no longer working the way they should.
In addition to my belly getting bigger the muscles in my core are almost to the point where they are nonexistent. As you can imagine this has an impact on my ability to stabilize myself when seated in the wheelchair or on the edge of a raised mat during physical therapy.
When I asked my spinal cord friends what was going on with the new volleyball located where my stomach used to be they all referred to it as quadriplegic (quad) gut! It’s time to do something about it.
Over the next six weeks we are refocusing my physical therapy regiment to address my belly, my core muscles, and my diaphragm muscles which are so tight it’s sometimes difficult to get in a full breath.
Through physical therapy, exercise, and diet I hope to be able to shed a few centimeters off my gut and regain the muscles I have lost. We did a measurement and it came in at 117 cm, something I am not proud of. But we will prevail. See you in six weeks :-)