Day Three of Body Dynamix

Day Two of doing Body Dynamix.  And only doing it because, after doing the Yoga Flow and Poses workout. 

Now let me confess:  I don’t like doing flowing yoga practices. Ashtanga.  Vinyasa.  No and no.  I am a Hatha Yoga gal.  Slow asanas that you hold and breathe into, exploring each before moving onto the next.  Love love love the slow and easy yoga practices.  

Good news.  Yoga Flow and Poses isn’t going to make you go from a Plank to a Downward Dog to a Warrior I let alone Warrior III.  Debbie Siebers moves oh-so-slowly from pose to pose and some are held for a few deep breaths. If you are one of those people who hate to hold a pose for too long (Who are you?  What’s wrong with you?  I’m kidding.  Truly.  I get it.  But I digress.), I promise you won’t get bored.

I felt a little sore. Not deeply sore, which is good.  I don’t expect to be deeply sore.  Kinda why I chose these DVDs to be my first after not exercising for a while.  

But I did have a few issues with this workout because Siebers didn’t clarify a few essential things. In one highly modified triangle pose, you raise your one arm up and over and place your other hand on the outside of your leg.  At no point does she tell you not to put your hand on your knee.  Depending on your flexibility, you may not even be able to reach your knee but, for those who are, this is a simple and very important instruction.  

Also, when doing the warrior poses, the knee should be directly over the ankle, no matter how deep or shallow you are in the pose.  But watching the women on the screen, I saw several incidents where the knee is not over the ankle. 

Maybe I’m overly critical when it comes to knee things because my knee is injured and I’m in recovery.  Mind you, these criticisms didn’t keep me from continuing with the workout and will not stop me from doing it again.  I just wish these very important clarifications were offered.

Do you want to ask me something?  Please do.  I’m open to questions.

Call Me Crazy Maybe

Yesterday I began doing Debbie Siebers’ Body Dynamix workout—seven different workouts on two DVDs.  I haven’t exercised, really exercised in a while.  So excited to get back to moving my body.

Wait? Who is this? Is this me, the person who hates exercising and sweating writing about being excited to exercise?

Yep.  Let’s face it, I need to exercise if I want to be pain free and I really, really want to be pain free.

Day One I did the Body Insurance workout, which is more a warm up than a real workout. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It was really the perfect way for me to start.  A gentle workout designed for older people and people who, like me, have physical limitations.

So far I love it. I love that the three women behind Debbie Siebers are not young and slender.  I want to know what Siebers’ secret is because she has hardly changed and is still so slender. How?  (Debbie Seibers, if you ever read this, I’m serious.  What’s your secret?)  I only had to hold myself back on one move—a very small move where you push your knee ever-so-slightly forward. Ouch. I held the warrior type pose instead of doing the small move. This frustrated me because this move is supposedly to be beneficial, strengthening the tendons and such around the knee.

In other words, the one move that is supposed to be most beneficial for my knee is the one I cannot do because my knee hurts.  Wouldn’t you be frustrated too?

So yeah, this is me. Me who doesn’t like to exercise frustrated by the fact that I can’t exercise starting a new exercise program.  Sound crazy?  You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!

I hope you’re doing something crazy this year.  If you are, tell me what it is.  Please.  Let me know I’m not alone in trying something crazy.

Why 2016 Was a Waste

Almost everyone I know feels the same way—last year wasn’t our best.  We all have our different reasons.

For me, it started with six months of insomnia.  Six months of sleeping only 3 hours a day.  My friends and family now tell me that they started worrying about me towards the end because I was getting a little weird.  Forgetful.  Thinking fuzzy thoughts.

It got so bad, I was afraid I was coming down with early onset dementia and that was before I read Still Alice.  I was scared but too tired to care.  All I wanted was a good night’s sleep.  Okay.  To be honest I did sleep more than 3 hours three times in the first six months.  I wouldn’t want to exaggerate.

I spent the last three months of 2016 with a hurt knee, unable to exercise and trying to take care of myself.  It wasn’t until December that my doctor said I could use the bike and not just rely on the physical therapy exercises I was doing.  I hate to exercise but I was so glad to finally have permission.

Now here I am, at the start of 2017, looking forward to a new year.  Today I begin a new workout program from Debbie Siebers.  I had already done and even enjoyed Slim in 6.  When I discovered she has a new program designed specifically for older people to be low impact, gentle on the joints, and still provide results, how could I resist?  After all, I have severe osteoarthritis and my knee still feels tender so I have to be careful while doing all that I can.

New year, new workout program.  I’ll share my thoughts as I go along, and more.  So much more.  I’m excited for 2017.  How about you?  Are you trying anything new this month or this year?  I hope so. And I hope you’ll leave a comment if you are.

Obligatory Introduction

A few weeks ago, I “celebrated” the 10th anniversary of an event that changed my life.

Picture this: you wake up one morning.  You stretch as you push aside the blankets. Stepping out of bed, you move towards the bathroom door that is only a few feet away from where you are.  But, instead of taking the four steps to the bathroom door, you slam into the wall.

All balance is gone.  Your eyes twitch trying to find a focal point.  You collapse to the floor and need help getting back into bed.  

Ten years later, I live with a debilitating condition called Cervical Vertigo.  It took over a year, and a specialist at Emory University’s Balance & Dizziness Center to give me a diagnosis.  MRIs.  CT Scans.  Neurologists.  Otorhinolaryngologists.  Months of tests and more tests.

Ten years ago I was using a walker to get around.

Today, my walker is up in the attic.  It is a part of my past, but it will also be a part of my future.  I know this.  I accept this.

I’m not the only one who had to face a life-changing diagnosis.  A few years later, my husband was diagnosed with diabetes.  He hoped to avoid needing to use insulin but that didn’t happen.  He fights every day to manage his glucose levels with diet and exercise.

It doesn’t stop there.  Add stage 1 kidney failure and severe osteoarthritis to our list of incurable conditions.  What can I say?  Being older is great but getting older sucks!

Anyway, this is why I am creating a new blog because I know I am a different person.  I have learned a lot about diet and exercise, about acceptance and resistance, and about the importance of being my own health advocate.

When I was growing up, this “proverb” was ubiquitous:  Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Indeed, it is.  Join me in the rest of my life.  It should prove fun and informative.