Day Treader

Four more weeks

2009-01-30T18:00:00.000-05:00

I visited Dr. Schramm today to pose for knee photos, have staples yanked and catch a first glimpse of my deformed and discolored left leg.

My hopes of getting back on the DayTreader soon were shattered almost as bad as my tibia.

It looks now like it will be at least March before I can climb back aboard.

Week Three - BedTreader

2009-01-23T20:33:00.005-05:00

The DayTreader stood silent this week.

I consumed oxycodone and celebrated my achievement of making a 20-foot trip from the couch to the bathroom and back.

On Sunday, I took my son and a friend to Swiss Valley Ski Area to celebrate his 15th birthday and give downhill skiing a try for myself.

My skiing career was both glorious and brief.

After a dozen or so impressive runs down the bunny hill, and feeling fairly confident that I should soon try out for the next Winter Olympics team, I moved to the big-boy slope.

Within minutes, I was in a snow drift with a shattered fibula and tibia, my Olympic dreams fading. The ski patrol team, including Tom and Mary Ann Kaade, wrenched my ski boot off, stabilized my leg with an inventive (almost artistic) combination of cardboard, foam and duct tape.

I snapped my leg at 4 p.m. By 11 p.m. I was out of surgery. Thank God for ski patrol, good friends who are willing to haul bellowing cargo to Elkhart General Hospital, ER nurses, and on-call surgery teams.

The surgeon, Dr. Schramm, tells me I have 6 to 8 weeks of healing ahead. I haven't mentioned the DayTreader yet. My hope is that after about 3 weeks, once the screws and plates are firmly in place, I will be released to tread an hour or so a day. I am counting on it to be part of my therapy regimen.

Suffice it to say I have not stepped on the scale. The heavy brace and bandages would skew results anyway.

Week Two - Focus and Collaboration

2009-01-16T11:09:00.004-05:00

One of the main reasons I was drawn to the concept of the treadmill desk - beyond general fitness - was that I have a hard time sitting still. Even when focused and deep in thought on a project, I feel a need to get up and move around, interrupting my train of thought.

As I have grown more accustomed to walking and working, I notice that it is a lot easier to stay focused for longer periods of time.

One slightly awkward aspect of the DayTreader is when co-workers drop in my office to collaborate briefly or ask a question. I don't mind talking and walking, but my colleagues seem ill at ease. They joke that I should have two DayTreaders in my office so we can walk and talk together. If a conversation goes much beyond 30 seconds, I just jump off the DayTreader and sit down at my desk.

I'm five pounds down this week (18 pounds total since Jan. 1). Though not entirely due to DayTreader exercise (I have cut back on calories, too), I'm thrilled with the results so far.

Week one - Coordination

2009-01-09T17:12:00.004-05:00

On Monday, Jan. 5, I hopped on the DayTreader and started to work.

Coordination was not immediate. It took me 5 to 10 minutes until I was able to work without consciously thinking "step, step, step, step."

One of the biggest work impediments the first day was curious (and very understanding) co-workers. Most probably thought I was crazy, but few shared the sentiment.

My optimal speed seems to be around 1.4 mph.

My treadmill control does not have any distance memory. The distance clears shortly after the treadmill is stopped, so I don't have a good way to track total miles walked. I would estimate that I spent about 4 hours out of an 8-hour day on the treadmill in the first week, which calculates into roughly 5-6 miles per day.

I lost 13 pounds in the first nine days of January! I don't expect to maintain this pace.