Exercise is important. That is true even for people victimized by ALS. Exercises may be modest; little more than stretching out cramped muscles. In my case cramps are growing in number, duration, and frequency, so exercise cannot be as strenuous as it once was.

But I close my rings.

Let me explain.

Apple Watch users have a few tools that measure various forms of exercise. A pedometer and heart rate monitor are the two most prominent but there are others. Since I cannot walk then what good is a pedometer?

I cheat.

Three times a day I use a small exercise bike on my lap to get movement in my arms and shoulders. Watch counts those as steps. That means I have a daily exercise goal that I can achieve while wearing the mask attached to the ventilator.

What about the rings?

iPhones with Apple Watch have an Activity app that measures exercises. Exercise, Movement (calories), and Standing; each represented as different colored rings in concentric circles. On good days I close all the rings; Standing being the odd man out.

What’s the benefit to all that effort?

Daily goals; objectives, and exercises that benefit rapidly deteriorating muscles.

And one more that is important to me. My grandmother lived to 104 and was in very good health into her late 90s. She was often asked her secret. Her response?

“Keep moving.”

Keep moving makes good sense. That means I ain’t dead yet.