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

Day 341- No Absolutes

Short post today. I cut my finger a few days back, but the giant bandage makes typing more of an effort, and I've got an article to finish today, so YOU get the short end of the stick. 

Sorry. 

Yesterday, I bought some shoes at Wal-Mart. Shoes I would've previously considered "old lady" shoes and turned my nose up at. Shoes that are light, FLAT and flexible. Something Patty Duke would wear with pedal pushers. These:

Total bill? $25 for summer footwear wardrobe.

Up until last year, there's no chance I would've worn these things. Absolutely not! 

Now I know the importance of healthy feet, the right footwear, and as I learn every year I grow older: There are no absolutes. 

And that's okay. 

Open, 
Dani

Day 340-When the Pain Comes In, Walk It Out

Seventeen years ago, I had my first problems with debilitating back pain. It was ridiculous because I was so young, but bound to happen considering what led up to it:

High stress job, no wellness program whatsoever with no clue about how my body machine worked, and spending 10 hours a day in Danskos. Which, at the time, I thought of as a healthy shoe. But comfortable doesn't always equal healthy. 

After the flare up that landed me in bed, I drugged up, which didn't work, then finally agreed to go to a chiropractor. He was a gentle one, not a bone cracker, and he released me from the immediate spasms. I was still sore and scared, but it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on the raging fire in my body and cut tension wires that had me tangled up. 

As he helped me off his table, he said,"Now, go out walking. A lot."

For someone who hadn't moved in weeks due to pain, this seemed the most counter-intuitive thing I could possibly do. I nodded agreement and thought "Not!"

Fortunately for me, The Huz (who was The Boyfriend) makes me do things that I'm supposed to, so he drove me to a place that he could walk me slowly along like an infirm old lady.

And you know what? Things started to feel better that day. But I didn't continue a daily regimen, so every once in a while, that pain flared back up over the years. A constant, cranky companion who is always lurking in the bushes outside my home, waiting to barge in on me at the weirdest times.

Have I had any during this 340 days of walking? 

What do you think?

Here's a super short report discussing a study about this very same thing:

Walk For Back Pain

And, 340 days? What the? That means 16 days left in WalkTheYear. Whoa. 

Ta-ta, 
Dani

Day 339-The Comfort Zone

Are you one of those people that is really good at being uncomfortable? 

I'm not. 

I've been wearing Birkenstocks since I was 14, and some of my earliest memories are of hating the itchy green pantsuit my mom had me wear for some Sears portrait when I was three. 

I LOVE being comfortable. Which is why whenever I have to "dress up", I get panicky. Rarely can I find, and then afford, fantastically comfy fancy-pants clothes. 

Call me self-indulgent, but comfort is one of my priorities. Not emotional comfort. I can handle tough situations easily enough, I suppose. No, it's physical comfort I cherish more.

Which is why Restorative Exercise fits me like a fleece mitten. 

Comfy shoes, comfy in your standing postures, learning to be comfy in basic human positions that most of us modern folk couldn't get in and then stay in unless someone was holding a gun to our heads--the full squat, for example. 

It's all about being comfy in your body system. Sometimes, we get so used to how we are feeling that we forget what it felt like to be any other way. We squeeze into shoes that distort our musculo-skeletal & nervous system and call them "comfortable", when we really mean "I can tolerate these, they look hot!"

The other day, someone said to me "You are so CUTE in your Chuck Taylor sneakers! I just love that!"

Me, too. Cute AND comfy rules.

The other day, my 8-year old asked me what a corset was. When I explained it , she screwed up her face and said, "OW! That's not any fun! WHY would you do that?"

"To look like your waist is tiny, I suppose," I answered. 

"Seems dumb," she shrugged.

Sure does. 

Take care of yourself, 
Dani

Day 338-Spiritual Hymns, Dani-style.

A Restorative Exercise Spiritual Hymn

(sung to the tune of "Go Down Moses")

All days I like to walk and stand, 

Let my Butt cheeks go!

With hamstrings like a rubber band

Let my butt cheeks go!

Let go, Pso-as!

Ree-lax, to help me stand.

Tell ol'...gluteal

Let those butt cheeks go!

We need not always be in pain

Hunching shoulders so!

With hips that feel as if they're maimed

Let those knee caps go!

Put on...flat shoes!

Get up, eschew that chair!

Walk on, each day

Watch your wellness grow!

Thank you, I'm here all week, tip your waiters, please, 

Dani

 

PS: If you don't know the tune, then watch this for a quick lesson:

 

Day 337-Mega Millions and You

A few times a year, I buy a lottery ticket. Lotto, Powerball, MegaMillions--it doesn't matter. 

I just like that opportunity to dream for $1 for awhile. Cheap fantasy. 

It's sort of weird, but my favorite fantasy is being a kick-ass philanthropist who gives away so much money to so many do-gooders, that I make a huge difference in the world. 

Not a super sexy millionaire fantasy, but it's mine. 

That, and paying all the bills on time. 

It physically feels good to dream about having a million dollars. Like, things happen in our bodies when we have those fantasies. Things of an endorphin-like nature, and it's nice. 

Such is the power of positive thoughts. They can get us through rough and tough times, dark and scary times, and times of uncertainty. Not just globally, but personally.  

Big or little, these thoughts can transform your outlook and the way you swim through your day. Keep them in your back pocket, pull them out when you feel yourself sinking. 

If you don't have any handy, then go buy yourself a lottery ticket for $1, and spend an evening dreaming. I know it's not highly spiritual advice, but if it's evolved enough to keep you from collapsing, then it's good enough. 

Mo' happiness, 
Dani

 

Day 336- Living Your Life

Don't be scared. Remember good times. See good people, doing good things. You've got no control over anything in this world but how you react to things, and that's good enough. 

Need some good things in front of you on a regular basis? Subscribe to this:

Good News Network

And remember that for every horrible person out there, there are hundreds of good people with good thoughts and decent actions. 

And, I love you. So that's something. Chin up, Poodle.

Hugs, 

Dani

Day 335-The Creep in the Hot Tub

Yesterday I chaperoned my daughter's Girl Scout swim party. Weirdly enough, out of 75 parents, I was one of 5 wearing a swimming suit. Not at all awkward. 

And then my girl happily ran off with her buddy, letting me know I was not needed. So I plopped my rear in the whirlpool and kicked back. 

Ahhhh...

After a while, with no one to chat it up with, I started to look at folks and their alignment. 

I was the creep in the hot tub, gawking at people.

I, however, have less hair on my chest and more on my forehead.

But I learned a tub load about the chain of alignment. I saw lots of men thrusting their ribs out in an effort to make them seem all chesty and minimize their guts. Ouch. I bet I know what causes them trouble, but I couldn't tell them. All I could do was be the creep in the hot tub and watch as they strutted on by.

And then! I saw so many women tucking their tailbones under that it made me cry for all the uteri out there and I could've placed bets and won them on who had back pain, who were lifetime high-heel worshipers, whose neck was freakin' killing them, and whose shoulders were burning.

Sigh. I couldn't say a thing, only watch and wish that I could help. 

That's the tricky part with my line of work and study. People would rather eat pills, wear orthotics, or just live with their chronic pain rather than seek what I believe is the most simple, natural and long-lasting way to relief: learn how to realign. 

I can't say a darn thing until someone clues in that I can help them out. Then the whole darn world opens up to them when they realize how much control they truly have over their well-being. 

Creepily, 
Dani

Day 334-We Be da Sum of our Choices. Word.

Busy day,

I've got to go!

Time to blog?

I don't know. 

Running 'round

Detached head

Should I blog?

Walked, instead.

Lovesies, 

Dani

 

 

Day 333-Swingers

When you walk, what do you do with those arms?

Do you hold them like this, thinking that you're getting a better workout?

Or, is your style more Sasquatch-like?

Believe it or not, Bigfoot's walking style is better for you. 

Pumping your arms while holding them at that 90-degree angle doesn't do anything except overuse your shoulder girdle and encourage rib-thrusting and eventual shoulder impingement. 

All things that can aggravate your modern-living body and give you neck, shoulder, back and wrist pain. 

Personally, I think Bigfoot looks cool. Easy. Relaxed. And he's getting as good a workout, nay, a better workout than the cookie with no rear end in the picture above. Noticed the size of his butt muscles. He's using his posterior to propel him, not his hip flexors. 

Be like Bigfoot. Swing them like a Sasquatch. 

Believe, 
Dani

Day 332-Love that knows no bounds.

Tonight, and tonight only:

I have no kids to watch over. They are at a sleepover. 

I only have myself to take care of, and 3 extremely ridiculous dogs. 

So, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do to enjoy this treat, and here is what I came up with:

Famous Dave's BBQ meat (1.5 pounds!) and 7 hours of Downton Abbey. 

Don't pretend you're not jealous. You know that sounds awesome. 

But here's the cool part: I was just talking to The Huz, two states over, and he is going to do the same thing. 

Our love knows no bounds, nor no boundaries. We are simultaneously participating in a intercontinental feast (nibbling on good ol' American BBQ ribs while watching some hotsy-totsy Brits), continental-style! Sure, we're separated by 3 states--so what? We're still on the same page.

We know how to live the good life, even when we have to do it over the Netflix,  the IntraWebs and the Smart Phones. 

Darling, you have pork lodged in your front teeth.

Ain't no valley low enough, 
Dani

Day 331-The Flavor's All Gone!

My husband moved ahead of us on January 22, and DANG! That's a long time, and I'm done with the separation. So is he. He's not enjoying himself all that much, because, in his words, "The flavor's gone."

That's the good thing about love, and the bad thing. It adds so much, but boy, do you feel it when you can't be with your loved one. At least he's somewhere safe, and not at war, or somewhere else where I'm worried about his safety or well-being. Thank goodness for that blessing. 

I've got some flavor left, since I've got the kids with me. However, I noticed that once The Huz left, the quality of my writing--in fact, my general creativity, went down. I guess he is my inspiration, and I need my hunky muse near me to inspire better blog posts and better writing. 

Which is why you've been getting limp posts. Oh, that, and I'm kwayzee busy!


So, here's your 80s sap song to see you out the door today, done up all tacky and such:

Dig those Spanish subtitles, 
Dani

Day 330-Take Your Stinking Paws Offa Me, You Damn Dirty Ape!

The following is a repeat post from Day 31(a long, long time ago), 

and one of my personal favorites:

"If Soylent Green is People, Then It Must Be High in Fat"

You may not know this about me, but in addition to teaching folks how to move better and regain their health, I also write. I write for all sorts of publications, both local and in other states. Right now, I'm writing a story on local foraging. It's a pretty cool subject, and now I'm very interested. 

That's the cool thing about being a writer. You're required to learn new stuff all the time. Unless you're a sucky writer. 

Anyway, the other day, I was interviewing this fellow about his foraging habits, thoughts, etc., and he said something that really got me thinking. It went something like this (I recorded it, but am too rushed to sift through the recording): 

Humans are hardwired for finding food. So even though we have grocery stores and restaurants, we still like finding something in the wild we can eat. It appeals to some innate sensibility.

So, you're walking through the woods, you spy something red in some bushes, you realize it's an early huckleberry, you get excited and pop it in your mouth. 

Me Tarzan, you Jane. 

It's in our nature to look for food. Otherwise, how would we survive?

Unfortunately, it's also in our hardwiring to conserve energy. I can't imagine that early man would find a handful of berries and then go do wind sprints and burpees (an exercise that Crossfit seem to be thrilled by).

No, a cave woman would probably eat her meager handful of berries, then amble along, looking for more. Once full, she would rest. It only makes sense. But don't forget, she walked almost all day to find her berries and nuts.

Riddle me this, Batman: If we don't have to look for our own food, but we still have the innate drive to conserve energy, what happens to our health and the size of our asses? 

Decline and widen, respectively. 

Our American lifestyle is very sedentary, and our towns and cities aren't designed for walking. European villages and cities were built before we had cars and even bikes, so things were closer, and still are. Every three blocks, you can find a butcher, a tailor, a green grocer and a bakery. A church and a school. So you can walk to meet all your needs. I lost 30 pounds when I lived in Europe, and ate like a queen. But I walked everywhere.

I don't walk my kids to school. It's 10 miles away. Even the nearest school is 4 miles, and I don't think they want to get up that early in the morning. Safeway is 7 miles away and one of the places I work is 8 miles away. Yes, I COULD walk there, but I'd be walking the live-long day and dragging a wagon behind me to carry my groceries and library books. It wouldn't leave much time for anything else, and those other things are an advantage of a more leisurely existence--reading, knitting, playing with your kids--so a decision has to be made. 

You don't walk to go about your daily life, but you NEED to walk.  It's also part of your anatomical hardwiring. Daily walking keeps your systems a 'go'. It keeps you healthy. So if we're not doing it out of necessity, we need to actually make it a priority. That means getting up an hour earlier to walk. Or parking at one end of Winslow and running all your errands on foot. Or, yes, instead of circling for the front row spot, go to the end of the lot and walk.

You can pretend you're searching for berries along the way. It's more fun than pretending to be chased by hungry tigers. 

Big kiss, 
Dani

Day 329-And I even bought a damn bottle of MOUNTAIN DEW!

The trouble with the internet (aside the fact that it's a time vampire) is the reality that any moron (including me) can insert whatever nonsense they want into the Web-o-Sphere, and most folks take it as it is. 

For instance, my kids and I got burned by the whole "you-can-turn-a-bottle-of-Mountain-Dew-into-a-giant-glow-stick-for-your-camping-trip" gag last night. No, we weren't camping. Thank goodness, or I would've lugged hydrogen peroxide and baking soda out into the wilderness for nothing. 

I even went out and bought a Mountain Dew. Blech! What annoyed me the most was that it came from a blog I really like and trust. But, they didn't look into whether it rally worked; they simply re-posted it and called it a day.

Serves me right for not investigating further before trying. The internet does that to you, too. I have a relative whose entire political education of late is fed by forwarded emails filled with absurd claims and nonsense, none of which are ever investigated or followed up. 

And that leads me to Walk The Year. Everything I've told you, or shown you, or claimed, I've done. Except for dance walking. I only have done that in private, but I know it's fun! Also private: pooping with a stool under my feet. That one is cool, too! Try it!

See? Cool!

Otherwise, the health benefits I've espoused are ones I've experienced. There are no Snope-worthy claims here on Walk The Year. You're welcome to it, but I can also tell you that if you try doing what I'm doing--walking every day--you WILL reap huge, and not at all embarrassing, benefits from it. 


True dat, 
Dani

Day 328- Permission Slip

Like sweating? 

I should've taken a long, slow walk, Baby. I'm sorry.

No? 

Well, some folks just don't. And that's okay. 

Good news for them. Actually, for all of us. 

Turns out, it's more important to reduce your sitting time than to exercise vigorously. In fact, your rate of death is more closely linked to sitting on your butt than by how much you go to the gym or run around the neighborhood. 

How do you like them apples? 

Here's a short article, passed on to me by The Huz:

READ ME, OKAY?


that lets you know that a long, slow walk is more beneficial than your high-intensity cardio routine. 

Aren't you psyched?!

I know!
Dani




 

Day 327-The Bargain Price of Happiness

Recently, several blogs published this list of 22 things that happy people do differently than the miserable sludges who mope around and gripe that life is unfair and if only they had ______, they would be better off. 

Well, this list seems pretty correct to me, speaking as a happy person. But what really struck me as I read through it was that the cost of implementing the following habits is zilch. Nada. Bupkes. Nothing. 

In other words, happiness is free, Baby. Check it out, then check it off: 

1. Don’t hold grudges.
2. Treat everyone with kindness.
3. See problems as challenges.
4. Express gratitude for what they already have.
5. Dream big.
6. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
7. Speak well of others.
8. Never make excuses.
9. Get absorbed into the present.
10. Wake up at the same time every morning.
11. Avoid social comparison.
12. Choose friends wisely.
13. Never seek approval from others.
14. Take the time to listen.
15. Nurture social relationships.
16. Meditate.
17. Eat well.
18. Exercise.
19. Live minimally.
20. Tell the truth.
21. Establish personal control.
22. Accept what cannot be changed.                    

Put your wallet and purse back and grab this list by the horns and ride it. Learn it, do it, and rejoice at the fact that no matter your financial station in life, you can do the things on this list and c'mon, get happy!


Wheeee!
Dani
 

  

Day 326-It's all about the walking, right?

And I walked today. It was, as always, lovely and welcome.

But the blogging?

No time in a full and terrific day. 

Adios, Muchachos!
Dani

 

Day 325-Keep it Dark, Angels.

I've mentioned it before, and now it's time to mention it again.

Light pollution. 

Blahg!

Well, here you go:

Turn it off, por favor.

You can't see it, but I'm blowing you kisses, 
Dani
 

Day 324- Poodle Intolerance and You

Today, it was just an early solo walk--just me and my poodle. 

Which got me thinking about gluten-intolerance. 

You don't see the connection?

Huh. I thought it would be obvious. 

A year or so ago, I got tired of what I thought was Irritable Bowel Syndrome and big belly syndrome. Yeah, it gets old getting stomach cramps, having diarrhea all the time and having a poochy belly. 

I stumbled, in the virtual world, across a book entitled "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis. 

"Hey, that's it!" I thought, "My belly is stuffed with wheat!"

Well, not really, but I bought it, and plowed through it. It is fairly scientific, so you do have to digest (!) the information and synthesize. No easy, breezy read here. Pay attention. 

But, boy howdy! The book turned my off wheat and grains (I'm one of those folks who believes scientific evidence. So sue me.) 100%.

And all of a sudden, my symptoms disappeared. 

Huh. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not easy at first, since the world is stuffed with gluten and grains. And, you have to be careful and don't get caught stuffing your face on the gluten-free bandwagon, as almost all the substitutes for wheat and grains are not so good for your weight, digestive tract and insulin-resistance, either. 

Here's the funny part. If I fall off the paleo-wagon, then BOOM! I feel like this within an hour:

That's sh*t. In a bag.

I was at the doctor for something else, and mentioned that I might need a test for Celiac's disease. I told her that I had all these problems that go away when I eliminate gluten, and that when I re-introduced gluten and grains they come right back. So, can I get a test? I asked.

She looked at me through her giant glasses and said, "Uh, you just did one."

Oh. I guess so. Who needs a doctor to tell me what feels right and what doesn't. It's pretty obvious. 

Like why this guy got me to thinking about gluten-intolerance. 

See, he chuffs at me, and I was saying chuff in my head while we walked and that got me to thinking about the HUFFington Post and a pithy but educational enough article I read this morning about gluten-intolerance. 

Get it?

Dani





 

 

Day 323-Look at all the Freebies!!!

Check out Every Body Walk! for more great tips, community, research and motivation. 

Breathe, 
Dani

 

Day 322-All together Now. Or, altogether now.

Took my buddy for a stroll

She knows how to rock and roll

She is cool and she's got style

I hope we're buddies for awhile. 

She likes walking, likes fresh air

Feels the wind blow through her hair

"Mom, I'm just like you!", she smiles

I hope we're buddies for a good, long while. 

Aren't I lucky?

Dani

Day 321-Spring Cleaning, All Year 'Round

The past few days, I've been feelin' BAD.

It could be the fact that I had an uncool reaction to some pain killers I was using after my oral surgery (wah-wuh!), or that I've been putting food that doesn't feel good in me, or that I've shortened my walks the past week due to a completely whacked-out schedule. 

Regardless, I'm lucky in that my body yells when it's unhappy and most of the time, I listen. 

It's yelling. 

Headache-y, nauseous, oogy, puffy and cranky. Blurry vision. What, am I havin' a stroke? 

Nope. I don't think so. This feels like I've got some garbage built up somewhere.
It's time to do some Spring cleaning. 
 
So, I revamped my menu plan, amped up the lemon water and regular water, threw in some liver support herbs, and started to recommit to longer walks-- today. 

Two-thirds through my walk, my head cleared, my nausea lessened, my vision sharpened. 

What up wit' dat?

Our lymphatic system is a super, and I do mean SUPER highway that carries waste products out of our system. It does this thankless job all the time, but it does it best when we are hydrated, breathing normally and walking. 

Yes, walking moves lymph through our bodies, enabling it to pick up the curbside trash cans that the other systems in our body have dragged out to the sidewalk. 

Sure, there are many other things we must do to keep this waste from building up, and I haven't been doing a bang-up job of that these past couple of weeks. 

As the crazy monkey in "The Lion King" whispers, "It is time."

Lymph-Swiffing, 
Dani