Day 112-Start today

When I began my alignment & walking practices, I had no idea just how much the quality of my health, and subsequently life, would improve. 

Not that the quality of either was outwardly amiss, but once I began to feel better, I realized that I hadn't always felt so good. Follow?

Also, the day I started this blog and walking practice, there was absolutely no forethought. None. I went for a walk, during that walk I decided to walk 365 days in a row to see if I could do it, came home and decided to blog publicly about it to keep myself on track. 

Way simple. Cost-free.

My alignment practice came along with my studies at the Restorative Exercise Institute. Of course I would try the exercises as I was learning them, and then WAH-BAM! they were so incredible and made my entire body feel oh-so-good and they took away my pain...well, who WOULDN'T turn that into a daily practice?

So, 3-4 months later, after daily practices that improve my well-being like you wouldn't believe, I feel incredible. 

No pills, no frills, no chills---but THRILLS!

Yes! I feel better than I can ever remember, and it's getting hard to remember how I felt 4 months ago. But sometimes, like this morning, I remind myself how far I've come, how much I've improved, how great my health is and how pain-free I am now, all because I started doing what I'm doing 4 months ago, and have continued to do it. 

There's a quote that I read the other day that's been rolling around in my brain, making me think deep thoughts about all sorts of things:

“A year from now you will wish you had started today.” -Karen Lamb

Yeah. That's the one. It's good, and I can tell you, it doesn't sound as cool as "4 months from now, you will wish you started today", but I am so happy I started these practices when I did, because I'm truly reaping the benefits every minute of every day as a result. 

What have you got to lose? What have you got to gain? 

Here's one that I found this morning while visiting those cute, silly Raw Brahs:

Start today,
Dani
 

Day 45--And the beat goes on...

Change of plans, everybody...the blog's name has been changed to "Walk the 44 Days". Okay?

At least that's how I felt this morning when I was wedged between a hot chihuahua and a warm, strong poodle, their combined weight pinning me down onto the bed like a canine act of civil disobedience. HELL NO! WE WON'T GO!

But then, I realized that it might be the only time today I have to get that leisurely walk in, and I DO love these walks...so I peeled myself from my warm, steamy bed-nest, stretched my dog-smothered legs, and we were off!

And that is how I walk. Leisurely. There is no wacky power-walking during this blog experiment. This is not me on these daily jaunts:

Really. That's not me. My bum is rounder.

Nope, that used to be what I considered healthy walking. Now, after some alignment study and learning more about biomechanics, I know that the above Über-strider is not putting her best foot forward. 

Nope, I walk more like Shaggy, but with better posture:

That's not even two of me. But that's how I walk. Except with funnier shoes.

Arms swinging by my side, in a natural, reflex-driven motion. Not hitching up my shoulders and pumping my arms, nor clenching my fists, nor bending my elbows at my side. I definitely pay attention to my gait when I walk, and my alignment/posture. Not doing so would be silly--the machine should be working right when you run it. Otherwise this happens:

I just read that Paula Deen, an obese TV chef who willingly ate sugar and carbs with abandon for 3 years AFTER she'd been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, has finally lost 30 pounds. Yay! Then I read that she walks a little every day, and "hates" it. WHAT?! For reals, you hate it, Paula? Reading further, I discovered that she still smokes. With Type 2 Diabetes? So, you like your ciggies and you hate walking. Go figure. I had that moronic outlook when I was 16 and had an entire lifetime of body abuse ahead of me--now, I'm more realistic about the housing I was given. It's the only place I have to live. How can she hate walking? That's irresponsible for her to say that in an interview.

Paula, here is your alternative:

Very tasty. Very.

As always, walk today so you can tomorrow, 
Dani
 

Day 29--We don't need no sparkly undead...

Did you know that ninety-five percent of Americans are deficient in vitamin D? 

(I'm going to wait here for a second while you think about that number.)

Ninety-five percent.  That's awfully close to 100 %, isn't it? Scary close. 

Why do you think that number is so high?

For Americans. 

Oh. I see. But what about...

Yeah, but ...

Uncle! Uncle!

We are inside. Too much. We don't have a vitamin D shortage because we don't drink enough milk or we live north of the 35-degree latitude line of the U.S. or we live in Forks or poo poo poo poo. 

Yeah, that's right, I said poo on those excuses. Those excuses are one more way for you to delay your well-being.

We have a shortage because we live our lives inside. Inside cars, inside homes, inside offices, inside stores, inside gyms, inside. 

Am I saying you should quit yer job? 

Nope. 

But maybe try and get outside during every second you can, whether for a walk in the morning, your lunch outside on the plaza, a picnic in the park, a weekend flying kites...there are a billion ways to get outside. You need your vitamin D like a donut needs a hole, like an ocean needs the tide...okay, that's stupid, but here's why you do need it:

• Immune system bolster
• Stronger bones and muscles
• Lower risk of cancer
• Resistance to allergans
• Mental health support
• Protection against skin cancer
• Regulates blood sugar
• Pain relief from fibromyalgia and lower back pain

This isn't saying you should go take tons of vitamin D supplements, because that's sort of like throwing bricks at a wall, expecting it to make the wall stronger. 

No, your body needs to synthesize, or make, the vitamin, and the best way for it to do that is to be outside. Outside. It doesn't matter if it's sunny. Go outside. Outside. You don't need a huge, planned trip. Just open your front door and go for a walk every day. You'll feel it, trust me. 

This vitamin D feels AWESOME! So super sparkly!!

Yours in vitamin D synthesis, 
Dani

Day 28--Lymph Labyrinth...say it five times fast!

Yesterday in HoopFit class, I was telling one of my students about this blog/project, and she asked, "Oh, do you even walk when you're sick?"

"I dunno," I replied, "I haven't been sick yet!"

This, of course, was code for: Haha, Universe, you big dumb donkey! I have not been sick yet! Make me sick. Okay, you cosmic butthead??

Woke up today with my body on fire, woke up today with my body on fire. 

So, I'm a little fluish today. And I have to walk, right? I got a blog, man, I HAVE to walk. 

It was a short walk. After all, I AM sick. 

But something sort of cool began to happen a few minutes in. 

I began to feel better. I don't think it's just the fresh air or light rain. I suspect---and I'm no scientist---that this pick-up in health was due to the circulation of lymph. 

Lymph, you ask?

Yes. Your lymph system is basically your body's sewer system. It takes blurgy, blechy waste AWAY from your cells and out of your body. When you exhale, poop, scrub your skin, sweat or pee, out goes waste. Courtesy of Mr. Lymphy.

Nice, huh? I think that the waste produced by the icky bug inside my body was building up while I sat with my recovering daughter (yes, she was sick yesterday) and was then carried out of my cells when I started walking.

Something to note: The lymphatic system has no pump, such as the heart, to make it circulate. Instead, lymphatic fluid is circulated as a side effect of the heartbeat and muscle movement. Guess what I'm going to say next.
 

Did you know that walking is the premier way to move lymph through your body, so that it can grab that waste from your blood and get it out? 

Now you do. 

Walk today, so that you can tomorrow.

XOX, 
Dani

Day 25---In honor of the 25-percent...of bones of your body that reside below the ankle.

Remember yesterday? When I went on about how I want you to start thinking about your feet, and their lost dexterity, and the rampant neglect we're all guilty of, and how they matter so very much to your entire well-being? 

I wasn't drunk. I really meant it. 

Change the health of your feet (and I'm NOT talking pedicures, here) and you can change the health of your hips. Your pelvis. Your spine. Your bones. 

I'm SOOOO Happy You Took Care of the FEET!

That's all pretty important stuff. 

How would your car fare if you drove around on four flat tires all day, every day? Well, I guess you'd use more gas, since the tires wouldn't really be rolling over the road surface. Then, the wheels would wear down and begin to wear unevenly, which would start to throw them out of alignment. Then, the axle bearings, being thrown out of alignment, would wear out and need to be....oh, blah blah blah! Put in the terms of your body, it means bunions, hip replacements, knee replacements---wait! This is starting to make sense.

Why am I shaking an annoyingly pedantic fist at you? 

Because I care. I've been lucky enough to spend almost my entire life, since the age of 14, in "sensible" shoes. However, that still didn't eliminate foot and structure problems, because I didn't know enough. I know more, now, and I want to share it with you so you feel better, too. 

Okay, I've climbed down now. Today's walk happened after a lazy morning of hitting some fairly lame garage sales...

Apparently, people in Poulsbo think my toe shoes are funny...

when I got to take my little family to my new favorite walking park. Sadly, it was seriously boggy due to the monsoon rains that have hit here this last week. 
We had fun, though, and got our daily does of fresh air. 

 And salmon berries...

My toe shoes came away with mud between them, which I secretly find super cool. Walking in them really helps with the connection between me and the ground, so I slip a lot less than if I was in hikers or tennies. 

More next week on loving your feet, and learning the first few steps in changing the health of those tootsies foh-evuh!!


I'll see you tomorrow with some drivel or a silly poem. I'm heading to Sequim to take advantage of a class on pelvic floor health taught by none other than Katy Bowman, the head of the Restorative Exercise Institute and the reason I'm so psyched about your feet. 


Ciao, Bellas, 
Dani




 

Day 21 Αριστερό πόδι, αριστερό πόδι, δεξιό πόδι, δικαίωμα!

 I walked today, and it was wet

Did I enjoy it? Yes, you bet!

The thoughts I thought? 

Well, they were good. 

For I was thinking 'bout Greek food! 

My nephew's coming, just tonight.

So, I will feed him up just right.

Moussaka, pita, dolmas, too.

Garlic chicken, tzatziki goo.

Throw in some tempeh for myself

We'll put that hungry on the shelf!

My sweet, superstar nephew is town, and has NEVER been to Chez Hemmat. 
We just found out he'll be on an afternoon ferry. I've got some cooking to do now. Gotta go.

Looky! A heart-shaped puddle, just for you!!

Walk well and eat well today, my friend, 
Dani
 

Day 15- I Let the Dogs Out

The more I do this walking thing, the more I realize that my pooches--Betty, LaRue and Tootie--are getting serious benefits from this little project. 

Day 15, and I realize that the trio of 4-legged mentals that wrassle under my desk while I'm trying to work don't do that anymore. The moronic and annoying play-fighting that gets so loud I can't hear myself think hasn't shown up for a couple of weeks. Hey---that's how long I've been walking! 

You don't need to be a genius to figure it out. Or maybe you do, and maybe I am. Probably not, though. 

LaRue, however, IS a genius. Can't you tell?

I've always known you're supposed to walk your dog every day.  Really, though? They were getting maybe 3-4 walks per week before I took on Walk the Year. They've been along for the journey, and now they are more relaxed, don't participate in the grating pretend dog fights at my feet, and THEY LEAVE ME ALONE WHILE I WORK. 

Tootie's been sleeping through the night. No more pacing across our heads while we snooze.

My head looks so BEEG in this picture...

Plus, Betty, who was getting a little paunchy, has trimmed back down...mostly.

You called me "paunchy"?  I can't even look at you anymore...

So, more relaxed, sleeping better, less fighting and crankiness, trimming down. All from daily walking. Don't have a dog? That's okay. YOU get these same benefits and more when you take daily walks, too. You still have to poop indoors, though.

Good walking today, 

Dani

P.S. Happy Birthday to my Soul Mate, Jeff! You rock. You make me swoon. 
I love you.

Day 10. Day 10!

I walked out the door this morning and immediately got something in my eye. That is never fun, but for those of you that wear contact lenses, you know that the tiniest speck feels as if someone is jamming their sharp thumbnail into your eye socket. It’s rough. I stubbornly didn’t want to go back in and rinse my lenses out, so I sallied forth, one hand cupped over the bad eye as tears streamed down my face.

Needless to say, my walk didn’t begin so well, and even though whatever boulder was in my eye finally fell out, I was cranky. Instead of hearing the birds and delighting in dew on grass, I was stomping along, thinking about bills, debt, how dirty my house was—all unpleasant, and, let’s face it, unhelpful thoughts. 

Fortunately, I caught myself after about 3 blocks. Mostly because it felt bad, and this whole walking things feels good. I noticed the difference.

 

So I shook it off. And my little episode brought to mind a saying I frequently use to help my family—and myself---understand when others might behave in certain ways that don’t work for us. It’s simple in a Forrest Gump-sort of way:

 

Everybody Looks Out at the World wearing Different Glasses. 

 

It’s true. Your frames might be red, your lenses smudged, or you might put on black horn rims with spotless lenses except for one scratch in the corner. Regardless, it affects how you see the world. 

 

Even though someone might have exactly the same frames as you, their prescription is quite different. Your glasses are your belief system. Without it, things would seem unclear, out of focus. 

It doesn’t always mean that you like Janet’s cat-eye glasses on her or your conservative relative appreciates your new titanium frame-less specs. But it is important to remember that we all wear different glasses and it affects the things we do, the things that leave our lips, and how we view the things others say and do.

It doesn’t really make things easier when some jackass is, well, a jackass. But if you remember that his glasses are different than yours, then hopefully you can understand that his or her jackass-ness has little to do with you, and a lot to do with the glasses perched on the end of his nose.

By the way, today is Day 10. Day 10! I don’t think I’ve ever done any form of healthy anything for 10 whole days in a row. You know what? This feels totally doable, and totally wonderful. Anyone can do this.You can, too.

I hope you enjoy these next few days---going to be beautiful out there,

Dani