Many hands make light work

This past weekend we had a major work day at my lake house. I was so impressed at how we pulled together as a community  and made heavy and hard work seem like fun. We worked from 8 am to 4 pm splitting wood and stacking it. This was from 4 pretty big trees.

Holy 5 cords of wood Batman!

We broke for about an hour for lunch which we all shared in the process of making. As we sat and pondered whether we should finish the big pile of wood that awaited us we laughed together and all took a collective sigh. I am one who doesn't do well with pausing and then resuming  work. I was all for stopping work for the day so that we could go and relax in the sunshine. Luckily I was overruled.

I was so impressed by my fellow community members who rallied and got us all going again. Although I was frustrated at first, when the work was done, and I realized we don't have to schedule another day to finish it, I felt a big sense of relief. I am so glad we finished the work on the one day vs slacking off and playing.

Throughout the course of the day, some of us were in charge of splitting, others of us were in charge of distributing and stacking, while others did the clean up work of the debris we made. Those of us stacking formed a line to make the task easier and continued on with our laughter and conversation as we plugged away at the (what seemed like) never ending piles of wood. Ever the physical therapist, I was quick to remind everyone to change direction and position frequently, to hydrate, and to remember to stretch a bit when we were done. I was completely exhausted after a full day of movement that I am not used to, but it was a really good accomplished exhaustion.

I still think it's good to spread work out on occasion. I can't say this epiphany will change how I manage my own work/life balance. It did give me a different perspective to think about though and I realized once again just how grateful I am to be a part of this community. I learned the value of completing a daunting task in one moment and the satisfaction of seeing the work done.

I'm not afraid of granny gear

 I am training  to ride in the Tim Johnson's Wachusett Fondo hosted by the Minuteman Road Club on July 28, 2018. My husband, Bill just told me that my ride would be 40 miles. I had a moment of panic. Per usual, I did some thinking again on my ride today. As I started out I chose the harder route (for me) and went up hill vs down hill. A friend who lives on that hill joked about another woman who pedaled extremely slow up the hill in the little ring. As I did the same past his house today I got anxious feeling like I needed to be faster and have improved cadence and not feel so winded.

My parents are now showing signs of slowing down. They struggle with mobility issues as many do when they get older. I realized on this ride how proud I am of both of them. They are work daily on challenging their comfort zones. They push them selves to move and continue to maintain their independence. Sometimes it's not pretty, but they do it and are better for it. I am truly blessed to have them as role models.

I can't say that I will ever stop wanting to do what I did--or even didn't do-- in my younger years. I hope I will always find the inspiration to continue to move and practice moving in way that challenge me. What I do know is that I am quite ok with needing to ride in granny gear up those hills. At least I'm doing it, and I am appreciating the view, experiencing life, and finding an inner calm at the same time.

 

Jimminy Cricket! is that a crick in my neck?!

I love being at the lake. At night the sounds of the crickets totally lull me to sleep. As a physical therapist, I see a fair amount of people who have complaints of a crick in their neck. This is usually described as a 'catch or a kink'. A lot of people will move their neck or roll their shoulders and ask me if I hear the noise. These noises will sometimes keep you awake, and are not nearly as soothing as the sounds of crickets at night.

In my experience, the noise that people describe as 'crunchy' comes from the upper trapezius and/or the levator scapula muscles. Sometimes it's a 'grinding' which can also originate from the spine and is thought to be due to arthritic changes.

Image from Google search upper trapezius and levator scapula

I have frequently heard from patients that they woke up with a crick in their neck. I think this generally occurs from sleeping in an awkward position.

Neck is forward, tipped to the left and turned to the right..ouch!

Sleeping with your head and neck in a somewhat neutral position can help to alleviate this. Neutral means with your ears in the same plane as your shoulders, and not tipped or turned to either side. Most of the time, these creaks, cracks and crickets are nothing to worry about. They sound worse than they are. If they cause pain, what motions can you do without pain? If they don't cause pain, can you adjust your posture and movement of your neck or shoulders to decrease the noise? For instance, if you roll your shoulders back and do the same motion, does it create the same noise?

These movements may help to decrease some stiffness throughout your neck muscles. They'll definitely create a more natural amount of movement in your spine and related musculature. None of them should hurt. They should be done slowly and thoughtfully. When done consistently, they will likely help to improve your overall posture and therefore ability to move in a pain free range of motion. Of course, if it's concerning or the pain is not manageable, please seek an assessment from your movement specialist to find out the root cause.

When in doubt, be like the Girafflamingo with your chin tucked, your neck long and find a better pair of earings than your shoulders.

Image from:

https://www.google.com/search?q=giraffe+flamingo&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=FDGeoSUcJjGIvM%253A%252CUyozP3u2fnFk0M%252C_&usg=__0WHbhoe8IawDwjJgF1r77jySIhk%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiemauFt7jbAhVD5oMKHeXWBAsQ9QEILTAB#imgrc=FDGeoSUcJjGIvM:

Just say no! To diet and exercise...

Diet and Exercise are two words that I believe should be eliminated from our vocabulary. (So is should, but that's a topic for a different blog).

We spend our lives stressing about our weight and appearance.  I admit it. I am intrigued by certain diets. I still may try to see what this Ketogenic diet is all about. I do think some people feel better if they eat a certain way, but I don't think that one way is the only way. We have become a society that strives to look like a starving supermodel. Don't get me wrong. I think some supermodels are the most beautiful people in the world,  but sometimes they look emaciated and really sad and I can't help but wonder, "what did they actually eat today and did they enjoy the activity they had to do for that shoot?"

Over the last 50 years (pretty much my entire life!) we have gone through a ridiculous amount  of fad diets and exercises. We spend a bazillion dollars on product that will make us look better and thus feel better about ourselves vs on how we actually feel on the inside. On a whole, we continue to have a rise in heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression and osteoporotic fractures.

I propose a change! Ok...it's not an original idea, I just finished reading How to Make Disease Disappear, by Dr. Chattergee, but I absolutely resonate with the content.  It's really causing me to examine my thoughts around food and movement.

What I would like to see is how we actually view food and movement. Both are incredibly important to our survival. Too much or too little of either have been linked to disease. The quality of both can contribute to good or poor health and inflammatory processes. To live a long and happy life, I believe we need to change our perception of both food and movement. Besides, the word diet itself implies a start and end time and I'm pretty sure we want to consider food (and movement) for our entire lives.

Instead, I would like to see a change in our view of food to be an amazing fuel source. We have so many quality foods that fuel to choose from. What would happen if we actually took our time to enjoy the fuel we need? If we put in high octane, super quality fuel and we mix it up so that we get all the different true nutrients that are available to us, our engine will run better. Our bodies need a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables especially those that are not treated with pesticides and are grown locally. It grows strong with quality sources of protein such as lean meats, fish (salmon and anchovies seem to have the best Omega 3's), nuts and nut butters. Our brains function better when we include good fats like avocados and olive oil. Add in a variety of spices and we can savor what we are eating and actually enjoy food again. Limiting processed foods and sugars will decrease our risk of rusting and rotting from the inside out.

"Taste the rainbow" with colorful and flavorful foods

Taking our time to prepare a meal, sit and taste the food, share our day with our family puts more enjoyment in the process and may slow us down while we eat. This allows for a better digestive process and feeling full sooner which inevitably will decrease our overall consumption and lead to a healthier weight, blood pressure, blood sugars and cholesterol. **Note, this is not to imply that ALL these symptoms will go away. There are some other causes that we cannot control. I'm just suggesting we work to control what we can.

As I noted above, movement, not exercise is one other key to good health. I think people cringe at the idea of exercise. Not all of course. I actually enjoy working out in gym as do many of my peers and colleagues. But one hour a day in the gym doesn't correct what I do the other 23 hours a day. When i work with people, I try to give a home program that is more of a 'do thru the day' routine than an 'exercise' routine. This is because I believe you can achieve your goals by moving thru the day more than a 30 minute home program. There are so many ways to include movement in your day, it all depends on what you want to achieve. I think there are 3 components of quality movement: mobility, strength, and both intermittent, high intensity and a good, steady low intensity heart pumping.

Today I went for my first bike ride of the season. (This is where I always come up for ideas for blogs lol) As I pedaled along the lake, I took in the sights. I smelled the fresh air. I experienced the breeze on my skin. To me, that hour and a half of (mostly) steady, low intensity work, was not exercise. It was pure enjoyment.

Bike, kayak, lake..is there anything better?

I do believe we need to get our heart rate up a few times per week, to keep the blood moving well. I know it's super important to lift up some heavy things a few times per week to prevent bone loss and fractures while keeping our posture upright. I absolutely understand that if we don't work on improving our 3 dimensional mobility, we set ourselves up for risk of falling and possible pain points. Including these 3 aspects of movement in our everyday lives will truly allow us to see the world from an upright and energetic way that we are meant to.

I also believe we can include movement without having to be at the gym. Why not play with your kids, or nieces and nephews, on the swing set? Or throw a football around? Or play tag? How about throwing on some fun and upbeat music and dance with your family while everyone helps to create a fun new meal? Take a walk and admire the flowers. Grab a float and kick around a pool. Strap on a pair of water or snow skis and rip it up. Get up and down from the floor a few times in a row...now THAT will get your heart rate up, improve your mobility AND build some strength!

Picture from Google images-Pinterest

The possibilities of good food and movement are endless. Find what you enjoy doing and eating. Take your time in the process and tune in to how you feel during and after. Perhaps you too will drop the words of diet and exercise from your vocabulary and just enjoy life again.


To learn more about Dr Chattergee's book, check here. **Note, if you order from this site, I will receive money from Amazon.