Days 11-20 - Unicycling

At Day 20 (February 4, 2015):

Weight - 146.0 (Still!)

Stamina - I can make it down the block one length before turning onto the next segment.

Clothes Fitting - They're getting baggier

Strength - Legs, butt, arms, abs all way stronger

Muscle Tension - sore, perhaps even more. Could possibly have an injured knee. I also jammed my pinkie finger.

Family Climate - 7

Emotional Well-Being - I am happier...

Conclusion: I am definitely going to keep this up.

2/6/15
Today is day 21, and I wanted to add an updated video including the second 10 days. So during days 11-20 I've been working on a few things. I figured out how to get on by free mounting (no hands), but then I watched a couple YT videos showing a bunch of ways to do it and none of them were the way I was doing it. So I decided to start learning those ways so I'd at least seem legit around other unicyclers.



Benchmarks:

- I worked on going down the driveway without falling, and then up the driveway without falling. I got it, although I can't do it every single time, yet.

- I mastered free mounting with my right foot back, and it is pretty solid. Still takes about 10 tries to get on cold, though.

- I rode around the block once by myself, taking lots of breaks, getting off maybe a total of 7 or 8 times. Then I tried to ride around the block with Christopher riding his BMW balance bike, while pushing Nico in the little Cozy Coupe car. That didn't work, because Nico kept dragging his feet and falling off the seat, so I tried pulling him backwards but it was difficult to steer that way, and I almost never was riding my unicycle the whole time.

- I tried to get over bumps. This is still not accomplished. In order to get over even a little bump, I realized a few things. 1) I'm going to have to hop while holding onto the seat with one hand. 2) I can't ride while holding on with one hand, yet. 3) I can hop, but only if my right foot is back and left foot forward. This won't always be exactly how my feet are every time I get to a bump. I'm going to have to practice hopping with my feet in every position and master that, before I can ride over a bump/root. I dreamed that someone told me hopping like that is called "advancing". haha. 4) I'm going to have to practice how to keep going after hopping, which I can also not do, yet.

- I thought if I'm going to be ambidextrous with getting over bumps and hopping no matter where my feet are, I'm going to have to feel ambidextrous enough to get on with my left foot back also. Otherwise my muscles never really will be trained enough to be in control no matter what position they're in. So I practiced that on day 18 and got it pretty much right away!

- I don't consider myself competent until I can also ride backwards in order to stay up and not fall off. You know, do little 3 point turns, and be able to do u-turns. This is something I just started working on.

- From now on, I need to practice what they call idling, or rocking: rocking back and forth with one foot going in a boat shape motion on the bottom. I need to be able to do 100 of these per foot. I got 10 so far with my right foot, but on day 21 I got 26!

This is a picture someone took of us while trying to make it to Starbucks. THIS is why I do this. Christopher never went out of the driveway on his little bike before! His awesome, orange, BMW balance bike!!!

Days 1-10 - Unicycling

In the beginning:

Weight - 142.6

Stamina - Cannot even get on the unicycle yet

Clothes Fitting - Clothes seem to be a little snug still

Strength - weak, very weak!

Muscle Tension - sore neck & shoulders mostly.

Family Climate - maybe a 6

Emotional Well-Being - Sort of depressed

Conclusion: ??

Day 1 - Barely could hold on to the house while trying to get 2 feet on the pedals. Realized that pulling the pedal back automatically puts the wheel underneath you!

Day 2 - Same thing for about 30 minutes. Unicycle went flying most of the time. Really impossible to get that second foot up onto the pedal! Bought two 2x4's and went to urgent care to remove a bad splinter from my thumb that I got while trying to sand them. Gave up unicycling for about 6 months.

Day 3 - (6 months later) Got up while holding onto 2x4's on both sides. Unicycle still went flying most of the time. Wore gloves so I wouldn't get splinters. My legs got really sore after just one day of practicing! Gave up unicycling for a couple months of bad weather.

Day 4 - (another couple months later) Rode between the 2x4's back and forth over and over. Realized that in order to ever get out from between these, I'd have to learn to fall onto my feet and not let the unicycle go flying. Worked on that the whole time. Learned how to roll backwards a little to keep from falling backwards, and pedal forwards to keep from falling forwards.

Day 5 - Got out from between the 2x4's and learned that I get up better with my right foot on the pedal first. I can consistently get my second foot up onto the pedal while holding on, now. Riding any distance without holding on is still almost impossible. Legs around the knee and arms are very sore. Also my abs hurt.

Day 6 - Started realizing that at some point I have to learn to get up without holding onto anything, if I'm going to go around the block with Christopher. I got up twice and went about 4 feet! Still couldn't figure out how to stop falling to the left or to the right. At the end, I realized that turning the wheel hard while flailing my arms and using my thighs to turn the seat, I could turn the wheel and stop from falling to the left or to the right!

Day 7 - Learned that I couldn't go past 6 or 7 feet because that's the longest I could hold my breath. When I started trying to breathe I could go about 10 feet! I also learned that instead of holding onto the unicycle with my right hand, I could balance better and compensate if I held onto the seat with my left hand while my right foot was down and on the pedal. Today is the day I started telling myself to commit, and imagined myself out stranded on the sidewalk with nothing to hold onto. That always made me do better. Committing made me lean forward and try harder to keep my feet on the pedals and balance instead of falling off.

Day 8 - Practiced free-mounting all day long. Didn't get up more than 3 or 4 times. I learned to pull the seat to my left while mounting so the wheel didn't always veer to the right immediately when I got up. I got all the way to the carport! Muscles getting stronger and I feel much more confident balancing now!

Day 9 - Today I could free-mount eventually and ride all the way down the driveway. I fell pretty bad once at the bottom of the driveway and decided that going downhill was scary and needed pads. I also realized that going uphill is very difficult, not to mention climbing up tufts of grass and mud.

Day 10 - Changed my mind about pads until I start mountain-unicycling (muni-riding). I also free-mounted, and rode all the way down the driveway and turned left, and kept riding until I got tired right past Shelley and Andy's house (that's about 3 houses down)! I feel I have officially graduated from a training wheel!


At Day 10 (January 25, 2015):

Weight - 146.0 (ok so I gained 4 lbs... go figure)

Stamina - Cannot make it a block even though I can ride the unicycle after 10 days.

Clothes Fitting - Clothes seem to be a little snug still

Strength - muscles around my knees feel much stronger. My arms, too! From flailing.

Muscle Tension - Neck & shoulders still sore, add feet to that now too!

Family Climate - 7

Emotional Well-Being - Feeling good, like I have something to look forward to every day

Conclusion: ??

Day 23 - Oil Pulling

It's been 23 days because I started on January 8th instead of January 1st. Here is my report:

Overall Tooth Health - My teeth haven't gotten any whiter! They do seem to be less sensitive, though.

Sick - I did get sick one time

(I don't know if hormonal issues were affected because I don't think I had any.)

Headaches - nope

Skin - it is a ton clearer! I am amazed

Weight - 142.6

Stamina - (no idea)

Clothes Fitting - N/A

Strength - N/A

Muscle Tension - sore (not sure it applies)

Family Climate - It has caused some amusement and gentle teasing

Emotional Well-Being - no significant change.

END RESULT: Add to lifestyle?? I think if it cleared up my skin, I will keep this up! Maybe it will improve other blemishes, too.