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 27-But they make my butt stick out all cute-like!

I've always been a flat, wide-toed-shoe wearing gal. I actually do not have wide feet, but I enjoy a big toe box, or no toe box, for my tootsies to move around in. There was a brief period in my life when I had to wear heels for work, but it was short, thank the stars!

This was not the job:

But I bet she's not allowed to wear Birkenstocks while working. 

Anyway, I've worn comfy, neutral-heel shoes almost my entire life. I always liked to be comfortable, but I also always knew that heels weren't good for the human body. 

Which blows my mind why we think these are healthy:

Now hold on. Before you climb up a pole, scissor your legs, toss your hair and get mad at me, my Dansko-wearing friends, please listen: I have Dansko clogs. I wear them when I cannot get away with these:

These look like they have a heel, but actually don't once you thermo-mold them to your paws. It's cool.

Or these:

I try to get away with them as often as I can, but the culture we live in doesn't let me wear them with this:

Okay, those of you who know me know that I would totally never wear this, but you get my point. 


But here's the rub, and thanks to my fabulous teacher for putting it so well: Those clogs are not healthy. They are comfortable, but not healthy. 


Follow? 


Let me illustrate further: 

There's comfort here, but... eh? Not so healthy.

A clog is still a heel that is still pushing you out of alignment. I know not everybody's going to wear my freaky monkey-toe shoes and pad around in flip-flops in 40-degree weather. I know. 

What I want for you to think about is how much are you wearing those heels? 
Want to see what happens to your body when you wear them? 

Image: copyright Restorative Exercise, Inc.
Image sourced from Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief

Look at the pelvis, lower back and ribs when she tries to correct for the heels. 


Frickin' ow!


Current events in foot hatred:

Ohhhh. Owwww......!!! STOP!!

I'd tell you you look hot, Baby, but you just look ridiculous...

I am currently enjoying reading "Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief" by Katy Bowman, as part of my Restorative Exercise schooling, and when I first picked it up I thought "Huh, she's preaching to the choir with me! I always wear comfy shoes!" 


Sometimes, I'm not as smart as I think. 


Actually most of the time. 


Could I teach you more about this, because it matters? The book is terrific. You would do well to check it out. I think every woman who feels like she should wear heels should read it. If you're a man who wears heels, no judgment here, Buddy, but you should know that you're throwing your alignment out of whack every single day. Go back to the car metaphor. What happens when your tires are out of alignment? They wear down funny, blow out and then the rest of the car compensates until it breaks down. 


Why are you any different?


I care about your well-being, and I want you to be a well being. 


Talk soon, Kitten, 
Dani

Day 24-Your little piggies need you now.

I need you to pay attention today. Everything I say matters a great deal to YOU and I don't want you to miss anything. I'll make it short, but I want you to chew on what I'm about to say for quite a while. 

The 52 foot bones make up for almost 25 percent of all the bones in your body. 

For reals. 

Look at the picture. 

The human foot has 26 foot bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. These intricately designed structures have the potential to be as dextrous as your fingers. When I was a kid, I could scoop up peanuts with my toes and put them in my mouth! I could hold a stemmed wineglass steady in my toes and bring it to my mouth to drink. Of course, I wasn't drinking wine, but a stem glass was easier to hold than a tumbler.

How often do you consider your feet? When they ache? When you need a pedicure? 

Where would you be without them?

(I'm pausing dramatically and frowning a little so you can really digest the gravity of this issue.)
 

I'm going to gradually enlighten you about your feet. I want you to reconnect with your feet. I want you to love, love, LOVE your feet. And then I want you to start taking care of them like you take care of something you love.

So, for today and until I write about your feet again, consider this: Your fingers can do many, many wonderful things. Play piano, pick your nose, knit, draw, flip the bird, type, write, craft, build...on and on and on. 

Forget pulling out your wedgie with these suckers!

BUT...if I put thick, heavy mittens on your hands, how much of that stuff could you do? Make it leather mittens that prohibit the movement of your fingers up and down, side to side? Dang it, that pretty much reduces us to crouching in the corner, banging our heads against the wall until an orderly comes to feed us our pudding cup, no?

Try this, please: with your shoes on, move your toes up and down. 

How's that? 

Now take your shoes off and move your toes up and down. Do your feet move with them? Can you move your toes independently of your feet and then, independently of each other?

No?

What if that seriously reduced dexterity and movement was occurring in your fingers? You'd poop yourself, I bet. I know I would. 

And good luck wiping with mitten hands. 

Don't fail your feet. If you do, and they fail you, here's what's next:

And I'm pretty sure Zappos doesn't have free delivery on these. Yet.

We'll talk more, much, much more about your feet and how you can reclaim what you were born with. I just wanted to really, truly consider your feet for a few days. 

In tough love, 

Dani