Resolving a disability......

When I was a 30 year old I began an interest that dominated over a decade of my life--mountain biking.  I travelled to the highest mountains and the deepest valleys in the United States to quench my thirst for my beloved sport.  However, in my 40s I began to notice my left knee would be numb most all the time.  I began to kayak the rivers instead, but the numbness remained always, however, it did not cause pain.  Years later, after hanging upside-down only one minutes every morning for two years, out of the blue I could not walk on my left leg.  After working massage on my knee for a month I was able to use a walker, then a knee brace to get around.  I then got a service dog because my mobility was not trustworthy--I would fall to the ground without prior warning.

After some time, I developed a new modality in my massage business called 'cupping massage' which is a treatment that involves suction.  I applied this new modality to my knee and as a result, my fibular head released impressively.  I had no idea it has been adhered to the hard tissues of my knee.  Not long after, I could walk freely with only a little soreness.  Not long after I joined the DDPY community and began my workouts.  However, I was not interested in following the dietary suggestions in the DDPY program, so, after only 2-1/2 months of application I began to loose interest and put it on the shelf.  My knee was temperamental, but tolerable.  It would flair up at times, and some periods I even needed to use my service dog again for support.  However, then my blood pressure, which had been progressively creeping higher and higher, reached an all time high of 170/110!  I did not want to have to use medication to lower it, knowing one is just erasing the red flag, not resolving the arterial disease which high blood pressure is indicating.  I remembered the dietary suggestions of DDPY.  I dusted off the DVD set and began once again after my two year 'vacation'!  

too be continued tomorrow......

Learning about my body....

It is so tricky trying to understand my 68 year old aches and pains as I reboot my body.  I have been a full-time practicing medical massage therapist for 30 years, and my body still amazes me!  I am retired now, but I am still learning about my muscles and their problems.  Doing DDPY is teaching me so much about myself.  I really had no idea how inflexible I had become until I tried various poses.

My wrists were very weak, and this surprised me since I had a lifetime of massage to clients!  But, when I did the plank, push ups and poses where I needed to bear weight on my wrists they complained.  I taped them up and this help immensely.  Our wrists are simply not accustomed to bearing a lot of our body weight.  It is more important than ever for me to stretch those joints that start complaining.

I have worked hard this week doing Red Hot Core, Below The Belt, and Diamond Cutter.  My weight is stable at 142 which is a good weight for my height.  I'm happy, happy, happy!

How does it feel to get old?  Well, at 68 years OLD, I'll tell you.  It isn't nice!  I have fallen down stairs;  I have needed to use a walker at certain times;  I have gained unwanted weight that, no matter how many diets I went on, would always return with a vengeance and then some more on top of the last poundage I was dragging around with me;  I had eating addictions that ruled my existence;  I lacked energy;  I lacked fundamental flexibility to do the most needed movement to make it through my day!

How does it feel to be 68 years YOUNG!  I'll tell you.  It's GREAT!  I no longer fall;  I never need the walker;  I am down to a normal weight yet I can eat to satisfaction as long as I follow the DDPY program;  My high blood pressure of 170/110 became a miraculous 121/80 without using any medication (only the corrective diet and yoga);  I have glorious energy throughout the day with no 3 pm slump;  I no longer suffer from my sugar, ice cream, chocolate cravings;  and I move like a youngster now that I have flexibility.

How did I make these fantastic changes?, you ask....I joined a group called DDP Yoga.  After seeing the Arthur Boorman video on YouTube, I decided that if Arthur could do it, so could I.  I was no longer going to sail into the sunset with the concept of 'everybody looses function when they hit old age'!  I found that unacceptable!  I bought the program--not only do you buy the DVD set. but along with that you get support on the internet in the form of a chat room and blogging with friends, etc.  I am never alone in my efforts for improvement!!!

Take a look for yourself.  These pictures are a comparison of my first two months doing DDP Yoga.