SheSue Experience

A little over a year ago I started having pain in my left hip. I had been training for the Hood to Coast walking marathon, but naturally, pushed through the pain. It only bothered me when I was going down hills. I made it through the marathon and relaxed my training, but still had the pain. Now it bothered me during my pilates and aerobics workouts. Time for a trip to the chiropractor.

I had to fill out the usual extensive medical questionnaire. Then they took my blood pressure and weight and height. Then I sat down with the therapist. He was very kind. Had me to a bunch of moving this way and that, stretching, bending while he felt my bones. He felt that it was probably back related, not hip.

He got out his nifty bendy spine and demonstrated what he felt was going on. He talked about how each disc is surrounded by a cushion. If the cushion gets squishes, the discs would too and this caused pain.

He then put me on a massage bed. This is a small bed with a hole cut out right in the middle of your back. A big roller comes up and massages your back while you lay there. He also put some electrical impulse pads on my hip and my neck since that bothers me all the time. I also had a heating pad. So while I lay there getting massaged, the impulse pads would send out little zaps every so often. They were kind of prickly, then it would intensify, then lessen up again.

After about 10 minutes of this, I met with the therapist again. Since I had a history of arthritis, he said he didn’t want to “crack” me. Instead he would position my arms or legs in certain ways and squish me. Kind of like a big body hug with your arms and legs all tangled up.

My neck he did a lot of stretching all different ways. Then he smoothed on bio-freeze, a topical lotion to ease inflammation. He said that just like all things meant to move, if they don’t, they get stiff. That’s what was happening to my neck. He also talked about my work. I do a lot on a computer. So we talked about ergonomics. He felt that a lot of neck tension was due to me not having arms on my chair at home. This would cause a lot of pull on my neck and surrounding muscles which caused pain.

He said I had a long way to go and scheduled me for the next week. At the same time, his goal was to get me to the point where I learned some simple exercises to do at home so I wouldn’t have to return. All in all, it was an easy appointment. Some pain when he did his manipulations, but I felt so much better when I left. For more information about chiropractic therapy check out Naturally Healthy You With Chiropractic Therapy.

Water – change and the liquid state.

Fire – In our bodies, fire equals energy.

Air – is a gaseous form necessary for energy to work

Ether – is the space where things happen.

These elements are affected by our five senses: hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell. And each of these senses are affected by our six tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, astringent and pungent. All of these elements and tastes are divided into three dosha: vata, pitta, kapha.

When any of these are out of balance, our bodies respond negatively. If we increase or decrease the tastes within our doshas, we can bring back the balance. Like I said, very complicated. Sort of like a computer program. You find an ailment, then follow the diagram to discover what is out of balance and how to fix it.

I started with breathing. The rule of threes states that you can live without food for 3 weeks, water for 3 days and air for 3 minutes. And yet, we typically only use about 20% of the air we have in our lungs. Learning to really breathe will help you gain energy and clarity.

Breathing can be done anywhere and for any period of time, but if you do it for longer than 10 or 15 minutes, you may begin to feel light headed. All this air it going straight to your brain. The therapist who led my class said that’s why all the monk’s look so happy all the time. Because they are high on oxygen.

Breathing is commonly done in conjunction with meditation. Sit in a comfortable place. If you can, close your eye. Breath only through your nose. Now take a big breath. Then breath in a little more. Let it out completely, using your stomach muscles to push all the air out. You should breath deep enough to make a noise. Another member of the group said it was his darth vader breath. I make little whistling sounds.

The hardest part is clearing your mind of all thoughts. You concentrate on your breathing. But soon, your mind wanders. You force yourself back to your breathing. This takes time. When I am really into “the breath”, I feel relaxed and filled with energy. It doesn’t take a lot of time. Ten minutes at a time is good.

2. Oatmeal – High in fiber, oatmeal is the perfect choice for breakfast or a snack. The fiber in oatmeal is soluble which slows down carbohydrate absorption keeping your blood sugar levels constant. Rolled oats and oat bran are both high in soluble fiber, so if oatmeal is not possible, try an oat bran muffin.

3. Coffee – Be sure to pick up on the Moderation part of this suggestion. Coffee can create a quick pick me up. It makes energy stores more available giving muscles easy access which makes them work better. But the energy boost never lasts, so never replace coffee for food. And drink in moderation.

4. Beans – Another source of fiber, beans also contain iron the most important mineral for fighting fatigue. Iron plays a big role in creating red blood cells which carry oxygen to where it’s needed. Other foods rich in iron are dark leafy greens such as spinach or kale, tofu, steamed clams and red meat.

5. Water – Okay, not really a food, but water is vital to your body. When you are dehydrated, your cells borrow water from your blood stream. Cumulative dehydration occurs when you drink too little water over a course of time which creates fatigue.

6. Apples – A day keeps the doctor and fatigue away. Apples have simple sugar for energy and fiber to spread out the energy. Apples have also been studied for the prevention of colon cancer.

Originating in South America, Beto Perez came up with the idea to combine fitness with Latin music. An aerobics instructor, he came to class one day without his music. All he had with him was his personal music, Latin salsa music. Improvising, he made up a routine using his music and the class loved it.

In 1999, he brought Zumba to the United States. With two entreprenuers, they launched Zumba videos. They sold hundreds of thousands of videos. This led to the demand for Zumba instructors, so they created an instructor training. The company has grown ever since. Today Zumba is the latest fitness craze. There are 30,000 trained instructors and thousands of Zumba enthusiasts.

What makes Zumba so popular is the addictive Latin beat and the easy to learn moves. Their programs meet the high standards of the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America. The routines include fast and slow sections and resistance training which, when combined, tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Zumba coined the phrase “fitness party”.

Oh, but it is. Many studies have proven that those who eat a healthy breakfast every day lead healthier lives. This meal not only gives you more energy to tackle the day, It can also help ward off disease.

Eating breakfast can also help you lost weight. Those who skip the meal tend to gorge later in the day. Often these binges consist mainly of junk food. If you skip breakfast, you are on the fast track to diabetes and heart disease.

Breakfast also tends to provide you with whole grains which contain ingredients that are rich in antioxidants, minerals and fiber. A study showed that those who consumed whole grains for breakfast every day lowered their rate of death from all causes by 25 percent.

Swimming is highly aerobic but easy on the joints. While working with those who are very heavy and looking to lose weight, swimming is recommended as the best exercise. It is a great total body exercise, keeps the weight off your joints and classes make a great way to meet people. Another study showed that swimmers cardio-respiratory fitness was equal to that of a runner. With low impact, swimmers are also less prone to injuries.

Swimming can be done year round. Check out your local area for swimming pools. They often offer classes early in the morning or in the evening to fit into your schedule. Lap swimming is great too, but take a lesson or two so you will get the full benefit. You can even keep up your routine while on vacation. What hotel doesn’t have a swimming pool?

Some tips for swimming by the experts:
1. Be aware of your body positioning – the back of your head, your hips and your feet should regularly break the surface during freestyle swimming.
2. Kick ‘em hard – When you’re just getting started, spend 50% of your time just kicking. But don’t use a board, this will prevent you from the proper body position.
3. Roll into your swim stroke – follow each arm movement with a gentle hip roll.
4. If you ankles give you problems, try a pair of light weight fins.
5. Use swim goggles – it will protect your eyes from drying out.