Day 365-WalkedTheYear

Dear Reader, 

One year ago today, I set a challenge in front of myself to walk 365 days in a row. There was no forethought, no discussion with anyone, not even myself. Something bigger than me told me to do this, so I did it. 

And it's done. 

Today was not my last walk, but it was my last day on this project. Here is a smattering of what I have learned about daily walking:

• It makes you healthier
• It makes you a better writer
• It clears your brain
• It's meditative
• It's reduces and/or eliminates pain
• It clears your lungs
• It makes you crave walking
• It makes your dogs better behaved
• It inspires others to follow suit
• It helps your work on your alignment
• It fills your head with fantastic ideas
• It's good for your self-esteem
• It encourages you
• It builds muscles the right way
• It lessens your common cold occurrence
• It gives you a stress-relieving outlet
• It helps you sleep better
• It helps you lose weight
• It connects you to yourself
   

I'm sure there are other things I'm not remembering right now, but there is a lot of good things about daily walking. I have walked on the beach, in the woods, with the flu, recovering from surgery, and plain old street walking. I have walked in the country, in the city, in a foreign country and in my neighborhood. I have walked in the sun, rain, wind, snow, spring, summer, fall and winter.  I have walked barefoot, in Crocs, in my silly Monkey Toe shoes, and once in some Merrills (which sucked). and I'd like to thank my kids for their support and love, The Huz for all that is awesome and his freakishly unflagging support and acceptance, my dogs for their companionship,

LaRue, Tootie and Betty

my Mommy for reading my blog every day and telling all her friends to read, Mike Cyger for the unintentional inspiration, Katy Bowman for her wisdom and generosity and the friends who followed the blog, commented, passed it around and walked more as a result of my efforts. 

I am not done walking, and am not done writing--far from it. I may post on this blog 1-2 more times to connect you with my other writing endeavors, but I think that the next couple of months will just be getting settled in our new home in Montana. 

Thank you, Dear Reader, for giving my little project your time and attention. I hope that these efforts have inspired you to walk more, every day. And remember to enjoy every little thing, since that's what we're here to do. 

Walk on, 
Dani
 
 

Day 364-Looking Ahead

Well, I know these last few weeks of blog posts have had little to do with alignment, health and walking, and more to do with ME. The fact that I'm leaving a place after being here for 12 years (twice as long as I've ever lived ANYWHERE) has certainly colored the way I've been thinking the past month or so. 

I've got a presentation in front of 100 or so people tonight, and I've not rehearsed it once, so I better get on that...

...which is why today's post, while my penultimate day of WalkTheYear, may be limp and pithy. 

Ew! Two words that sound like they feel, and feel like they sound. 

Although, I do have to say that I am grateful and excited: The Huz finally found a place that would rent to us and our pack of pooches, and it's actually a terrific place in a GREAT neighborhood. The best part? Miles of sidewalks. Wide, wonderful sidewalks. For walking early mornings, late at night, after dinner, midday--you name it, and we are looking forward to it. 

Yes, I know off--road walking is best, but it's not always practical. And here where we live, it can be downright dangerous. 

So I'm looking forward, like a little old lady, to those miles of manicured sidewalks. 

Thank you, Universe, 
Dani

Day 363-Alert Walking, or Boy! Is my life great, or what?!

We are spending 24 hours here at a water park called Great Wolf Lodge. It's a fun getaway for us and we are here with some of the kids' school chums, which makes it even more gun for them.

I took off for a walk outside the resort property this morn, located her
on the Chehalis reservation. Um, I wouldn't call it my favorite walk, but it did serve some purpose, as a walk always does.

One, it made me move and helped get that lymph truckin' through my body. And two? Walking along a two-mile stretch of frontage road, complete with two smoke shops, a burned out trailer park, and a young woman with missing teeth, scabs on her arms and squirrelly, desperate eyes who ran out and spluttered at me, "you got a phone?"...well, let's just say that two miles left me grateful and alert. Super alert.

I've lived in some sketchy situations in my 42 years. And I'm glad it's not so any longer.

It's also funny to be in an area where folks just don't go out for a walk, and how the drivers stare at you as you pad down Tobacco Road.

Xo,
Dani

PS: typing this on an iPhone made me realize that Auto-Correct just doesn't "get" me.

Day 362- Happy Mother's Day. Go take a walk in honor of your mother, please.

Or, take a walk WITH your momma, if you can. 

Me? I can't. I'm heading to a watery place called Great Wolf Lodge with several friends and my excellent, awesome, fantastic kids. 

So, no time for Mummy today. I'll do this, instead. 

Thank you, Mom, for being strong, funny, loving, practical, wild, positive, tough, brave and human. 

I love you, and when you write on this silly blog that you are proud of me, it makes my heart soar, and it puts a big ol' shit-eatin' grin on the face of the little kid who still resides awfully close to the surface of Me.

Me and Mummy, 1971

Thanks, Mom.
Happy Mother's Day, 
Dani

Day 361-The nose knows.

We all know scent is the most powerful memory trigger. Your mom's perfume, the smell of hot dogs on a charcoal grill, and the rubber on a hot bicycle tire.

But what happens when you smell a scent that isn't there, that hasn't ever been in the place you are now? A site-specific scent that has only belonged in a certain place, but has somehow traveled to your snout from so far away?

I think my brain is playing tricks on me. 

No, I'm not having a stroke. I don't smell burnt toast or fresh cut grass. Well, I did today after I mowed the giant lawn, but all systems are still a go. 

What I'm trying to express is that I will be walking, and thinking about Montana, and then these smells whisper up my nostrils and tickle my brain. And they are Montana, and only Montana smells. Olfactory sensations I've only experienced there, and now, here in Washington, they have appeared. 

Just a few times, and only when I'm walking and thinking about the move. About going home. And then I smell home. 

Is that weird? Does my brain know more, and because the logical part is thinking about a place that it loves, the sensory part is throwing in it's two-cents? Like a gray matter "Hallelujah!" 

photo by The Huz, who is enjoying a cattle-roundup this weekend.

Can I get an "Amen"?
Dani

Day 360-So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, goodbye...

So many emotions, I think I may split. MUST be present in body. Must stay aligned. Must feel feelings...


Today, the dogs and I had a nice sunny walk, through another place that meant much to me when we first moved here. When I had my dog walking business.

I used to be a dog walker. Isn't that funny?

I guess I still am, just not getting paid money for it. 

Tonight, I had a special evening with my friends at our synagogue. They let me know how much they will miss our family, and how much I've meant to them. I cried and got a little less than eloquent, but am hoping I let them know how much they mean to me. 

I couldn't even bear to look through that stack of cards written by every kid in the school--that can come tomorrow. My heart can't take it. It's strong, but soft, too. 

I mean, cardiovascularly strong. If cardiovascularly is a word. I don't think it is. 

I'm sleepy. I'm overwhelmed. But I feel the love. I feel it. It's important to feel it. 

XOX, 
Dani

Day 359-Good to Know Ya

Today, I got to take a nice long walk with someone, someone I've always wanted to get to know better but never took the time nor made the effort. Funny how knowing you won't see that person every day from now on can make you make that effort. 

There are blessings when you leave a place, and there are sad emotions. Sometimes, the blessings are simple acknowledgements that you are loved, and that you love right back. It's important to let yourself feel those things. And, even though it sounds like I'm telling you these things, I'm really telling me. 

The time I have here on our little island is ticking away--19 more days, to be precise. And the time I have for WalkTheYear is even less: 6 more days. 

Even though I won't blog about it, I'll still be doing it, because I know how much I value it. And even though I won't see my friends any more, it doesn't mean they still won't be my friends, because they know I value them. And if they don't all know, I'm going to do my best to make sure they DO know before I go. 

Snort, sniff, 
Dani
 

Day 358-Different Priorities

Hello, Ladies and Germs, 

I'm sorry. I spent all day working on a presentation and teaching kids Hebrew and then barking at kids that were too distracted to learn Hebrew then polishing my presentation and realized that I FORGOT TO BLOG!

I will share my presentation with you next week, although I think it's the last day of Walk The Year when I present it. It's for this:

                            

And you can see my crazee person interview from last year's Ignite Bainbridge, right here:

He's not me, but I should be in there after about a minute or so, looking like an enthused, NAY, Ignited Mental Case.

See you tomorrow, 
Dani

Day 357- Bullet Points of Interest

• To recreate how much Paleo Woman walked in a year, you would have to start walking at least 90 minutes a day, seven days a week. However, Paleo Woman rested, too. So you maybe should be taking bigger, longer hikes and enjoy some resting periods in between, to mimic more natural habits. Oh, yeah, and she carried her kids in her arms and squatted to poop and wee-wee. And then reached up a lot to climb and pick fruit and nuts. Sounds like cross-training? It is, but way better. 
• Our modern living habits have resulted in us using only 25% of our total body musculature. Eww! WTF??? So, then you go do CrossFit, which is nutso, and attempt 20 Burpees, 10 pull-ups, a 20-minute run and 60 sit-ups using that 25% that's working? Does that even make sense to you? 
• Me, neither. 
• Which is why we all need to gain a better understanding of how our bodies really work. We need to shed our current daily living habits AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE and adopt good old-fashioned early human daily habits. 
• Why?
• Because we are adapting, but to our own detriment and demise.

• Ruminate,
  Dani

Day 356- Free your mind and the rest will follow

Okay, okay, okay. I know this is sort of cheating, since I'm not writing it. HOWEVUH---I totally want to share this with you, and I really don't want to muck it up with my thoughts about it. 

I just want you to read it, chew slowly, digest in a calm and relaxed manner, and then see how it nourishes you. 

This is a quote from Gil Hedley, theologian and anatomical scientist and somanaut: 

Many, perhaps most, would prefer to cling to a comfortable false belief than be shown truths that turn your world upside down. Nothing holds us back quite so much as the practiced turns of mind formulated in moments of ignorance, doubt and fear. We will defend to the death notions which are patently absurd when they are being used to structure a worldview that makes us feel safe. I used to take it upon myself to urge folks towards my version of sanity, but I no longer do so. If someone asks, that's one thing, but to de-compensate another person's world view without their consent is no kindness, and will only provoke anger and defense. Even most 12 year olds have enough instinct to speak nicely about Santa before younger children. But if you dare, for your own part, beg to be stripped of your false beliefs, one by one or in a heap. Your world may fall apart, but you will surely come together.

No shit, 

Dani

 

Day 355- WalkTheYear's 10-day countdown

Holy Guacamole. 

We've got 10 days left to make it one whole year of walking every day. 

Way cool. 

When I started this, I didn't understand how challenging it would be some days. But I also didn't understand how profoundly my world would change because of it.

Not bad for something that cost...oh, nothing. 

Not bad for something that anyone can do. 

The weather's been tremendous, which has made walking easier, but my schedule has been more hectic (can you say "moving in 20 days?"), which has made finding walking time more challenging. So, I've either got good weather and no time, or more time and less desirable weather. 

And either way, I've been getting it done. Which is something you might want to pay CLOSE ATTENTION to. Why? 

Because I'm the Queen of Half-Finished Ambitions. 

And looky! I'm 10 days away from completing a something big. 

Will I win a Major Award? 

I already have.

My point is, Puddin', if I can do this, you can, too. Anyone can. If the Queen of Half-Finished Ambitions can take on a year-long project/commitment and get 'er done, that opens up the world for all sorts. All sorts of folks, and all sorts of goals. 

You can do it, Nicky!
Dani



 

 

Day 354-Incredible, Just Darn Incredible.

Late blogging, sorry. Had a great walk with the pooches by the water, just nothing to write about because today was one of the most incredible days of my lifetime so far, and I am grateful for it all. 

This sounds like one of those silly rock star posts, but it is what it is. I am humbled and stunned and just really, really grateful for the positive love and energy that is out there in this world, and how many incredible people I've been able to be near in my 42 years. 

Ciao, Babies,

Love you all, 
Dani

 

 

Day 353- I'll stop the world, I MELT with You, again.

WOW. 

That's all I can say, is...wow. I spent the last two days in the presence of what I can confidently state is one of the smartest, most innovative and honest teachers I ever had the pleasure to learn under. 

Sue Hitzmann, the creator of The MELT Method, was in Seattle for a conference and teacher training, and I was lucky enough to have registered way back when and I got in. 

Brilliant and Genuine Sue Hitzmann with geeky, adoring fan...

And now, in addition to my other awesome schooling in helping folks live better lives, I am a certified MELT Hand and Foot instructor. 

It was two full days of serious brain-crunching information, but it gave me a deeper understanding of why this method really does help relieve pain and slow down the aging process. It doesn't stop aging--simply slows it down. More importantly, it takes you away from chronic pain, naturally, using a system in your body that no one knows about--your connective tissue. 

I am not going to bore you with the whys and whats and hows. If you're really interested, you should check out her book:
                    
                      

It's a good read and the language is much more digestible than the actual instructor training. I think MELT is a perfect compliment to my studies at the Restorative Exercise Institute, and I know from my sporadic reliance on the MELT Method that it works in 5 minutes of practice. After learning what I did, I am excited to commit myself to daily MELTing for 2 weeks to really experience the progression of results. 

It's not a replacement for anything you're doing for wellness; it's a complement. If you lived near me, I'd teach you how it works, but I reckon my students will all be in Montana, since the move is so darn close. But the book really does tell you what you need to know to help yourself get our of chronic pain, improve stability and prevent future issues. 

Now, I'm MELTing and heading out for a walk, which is the other thing I know makes me feel excellent. 

Hugs, 
Dani

 

Day 352-Simplicity

"I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it."

-Rita Mae Brown

And, yes, I had a terrific time at my first MELT class yesterday, more tomorrow about that. 

Carry on, 

Dani

Day 351-Somanauts, onward!

Can you tell I'm SUPER excited about the next two days? I LOVE learning new stuff, and this is especially exciting, because this is stuff I have used for quite some time now and know works. I'm geared up to be able to learn more about it, in-depth, and then turn around and share it with my friends, family and clients. 

Apparently, part of the class is watching Gil Hedley's fascia dissection videos. Cool! 

It's a long day, off my island in Seattle, and I've got things to do to get myself and the kidlets ready, so I leave you with another MELT tutorial, this time about an affliction that has plagued many of us, and ultimately how I learned about The MELT Method from my girlhood Bestie, Missus S.H. Fujiwara:

Yay, Sue!
Dani

Day 350-I'm MELTing, MELTing...

Thank goodness that it doesn't take vocal cords to get a good walk in, or I'd be blue. 

Still can't talk, but still can walk!

Looking forward to an upcoming exciting learning experience, starting tomorrow. For the next two days, I will be training with Sue Hitzmann, creator of the MELT Method, and I will walk away with a certification as a MELT Hand & Foot Instructor. 

Better than that, I'll be pocketing some serious knowledge on the fascinating web-like structure that holds all of us up (no, it's NOT your skeleton!) that is our Connective Tissue. 

I'm all about learning how to live fully, healthy and pain-free. I am living, breathing proof that horrible habits and incomplete knowledge can be overcome and patterns of pain can be reversed. I have become, in the terms Gil Hedley, a somanaut. An explorer of the body. 

I've been studying for this upcoming certification, and am excited. It's also a long two days, which means I'll still be getting my walk in, but possibly no fascinating blogging--unless I can't stand it and HAVE to share some cool hints with you. 

Here's a little intro video about Sue's work to send you on your way today:

Get out and walk, 
Dani 

P.S. Day 350??? That means only 15 more days together, Poodle! :-(

Day 349-Carol Brady-style

I woke up without a voice. No talky. Laryngitis. 

This happens to me 1-2 times a year. Usually coincides with the freakin' Big Leaf Maple pollen and alder pollen appearances.

Blurg.

I came to the conclusion last year that whispering is worse than yelling, so this time, I am carrying around a pad of paper like Louis, The Trumpeter Swan from E.B. White's beloved novel, and I am writing it all down for anyone who can read. 

Let's just hope I don't start humming "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" in my sleep, and it'll all be alright.

Off to gargle with salt and slurp garlic and ginger tea, 
Dani

Day 348-Lame Rhyme/Game Time/Same Shine

I did not sit and blog today

I stayed outside, instead, to play

There was no thinking in my brain

I breathed the air

I dodged the rain.

I think each day should be a treat. 

And bacon is an awesome meat. 

You know that this verse has gone bad

And whatever cleverness I had

Has leaked out of my holey shoes

And that's Day 3-4-8's big news. 

Tah, 

Dani

Day 347-Your Incredible Shrinking Brain

Good one on ya, Lads! Keep it up! Bagpipes blown from the couch sound stupid!

Lads and Lassies, 

New research from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) shows that it isn't how much you pour over the Sudoku nor your expertise at crosswords that will keep you sharper and protect your brain as you age. 

Nay. 

Some clever Scottish scientists have found that the amount you move your body is the indicator of how sharp an old codger you shall be.

They found that physical exercise improved the health of the brain by reducing white-matter damage and shrinkage, which in turn is shown to help maintain memory capabilities and thinking abilities. 

Simply put: taking a daily walk, or getting in some movement, will prevent your noggin from housing a wee shrinking brain. 

Which can only be good news for those of us who grow older. Or those of us who attended our share of Grateful Dead shows.

The researchers took MRIs of the subjects brains, and while things like mental and social activities has no effect on the size of the white matter, they all maintained  brain size regardless of age, gender, social status, IQ or medical history--if they had regular physical activity. 

The research fellow, Dr. Alan Gow, notes, "An increase in daily activity doesn't need to be strenuous or expensive. Other studies have shown benefits can be accrued just by increasing how much you walk each day." 

...just by increasing how much you walk each day

...just by increasing how much you walk each day

Get it?
Dani
  
 
 

Day 346- Keep Clam and Carry On.

Two walks today, but the most interesting one was the walk down to a tidelands nature preserve here on Bainbridge Island. I'm doing a story on a local organization that's trying to clean up Puget Sound, by way of growing shellfish. They're called the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, and they are good at what they do.  Lucky me...I got invited to one of their harvests for the Shellfish CSA that uses the tidelands. Lucky my kids, too. They had no school, and since they are such awesome little buggers, they got to accompany me on this unique adventure. 

So this morning, at a seriously low .1 tide in warm weather, we learned how to harvest shellfish from the farm. I sorted oysters, counter oysters, removed mussels, saved crabs of all sorts, saw starfishes, ate a fresh raw oyster right out of the water (Did you know they DO NOT need lemon, sauce, or ANYTHING?! Freakin' delicious!), and watched my kids explore the beach after they tired of the harvesting work. 

Here are some pictures of the morning--nothing profound or provocative today, Dear Reader. Just good ol' fashioned Puget Sound fun. 

Dumping out the net bags where the oysters have been growing.

Sorting out the larger ones, broken and dead ones.

Jackson and Lola learning how to sort from the PSRF founder.

Bagging up dozens for the CSA members, who will be eating well tonight!

Volunteers get to keep a couple dozen for themselves!

They tired of sorting, but beach combing is educational, too!

Bissel threads, with which a mussel attaches itself to other things. FYI, these suckers were about as strong as steel guitar strings!

Guess who else will be eating well tonight?

Me and Lola. 'Cause Jackson won't touch 'em. Too bad for him!

Aw, shucks, 
Dani

 

Day 345-The Snags Ain't Gonna Kill Ya

 
It's been uncharacteristically DRY here in the Pacific Northwest for the past few days, and I've been taking advantage of it by strolling in the woods I love. Woods that are typically mud bogs when it rains, so it's been a pleasure. 

I was admiring the way the sun was smiling on some ferns and lighting up a spider's snare when I saw one of those cool, leggy, flappy flying bugs fly toward the web, bump into it and get temporarily snagged, and then shake itself loose and fly on. 

That made me smile like you wouldn't believe, because I got myself a loved one who is hitting some snags, and I wanted to let him know something. 

Life is full of snags, and they can catch us up and slow us down, but they rarely kill us. We just gotta, in the words of my dear mother, "Shake it off" and keep on you-know-what.

This too shall pass, 
Dani
 

Day 344-Woods Walking Wisdom

Here's a bit of woods walking wisdom from me to you:

1). Use the restroom BEFORE you head out on your wooded nature preserve walk.

2). If you disregard #1, then make sure you are not wearing your huge hunter orange sweatshirt when you squat in the heavily used nature preserve.

The lesson? Follow #1 if you don't want to go Number One in the great outdoors. Or maybe the lesson is to hang your coat up and then walk farther into the woods to do your business, but then you've three dogs with wagging tails giving away your position, anyway. 

Whiz, 
Dani
 

Day 343-Hello/Goodbye and More Forest Therapy

Funny when you know you're going to leave a place, you have a different appreciation for it than when you first discover it. 

When you first move somewhere, you revel in all the unknowns of it all, and you are delighted and appreciative of all its newness. 

And when you know its time to leave, you have a fondness for all its familiarity, and you appreciate it with a certain longing. 

Today, I took a nice, long walk in one of my favorite spots, and benefited from some forest therapy.

And as I walked along, I remembered how the place first felt when I discovered it. And how it feels now. 

Both are good. Very different, but very good. 

Life is a funny thing, isn't it?

Sigh, 
Dani

Day 342-Sexy Barefoot Style

I had a dream last night where I was walking alongside some friends for hours, and I felt very, very sexy. 

Then I looked down, and saw that I was barefoot. 

Ah-ha. 

That's why. 

To the doctor who told me, when I came to her with my painful plantar fasciitis, that I would never be able to walk barefoot again--HA!

Thanks to using non-drug, non-invasive methods and eschewing orthotics, I cured that issue some years back. Thanks to Restorative Exercise, my feet are now so strong that I can comfortably walk barefoot, and use shoes that I used to feel offered "no support". 

And have sexy barefoot dreams.

Thank you, REx, 
Dani