WEEKLY ARTICLE  

In 1994 I incurred a severe back injury while working as a nurse. The pain from that back injury was so severe, that I went from being completely carefree and oblivious to pain of any kind, to being literally crippled with it.

The back injury was no accident really. I was living all wrong. My nursing job was toxic. My body was falling apart. My adrenal system was exhausted, and my bones, (related to the state of health of the kidneys in oriental medicine), were literally breaking. The back injury was a full body breakdown that forced me to STOP everything I was doing and completely and totally re-boot.

There were three things that relieved my pain.

 One: The use of our massage tool, the SpineAligner  (You can read about it below). We actually developed it because of my back injury.

 Two: A change in my diet. In order to nurture, support, strengthen, and heal my body, I had to consistently eat the type of highly nutritious food we prepare at here at Wholly Macro. (The back injury ended my nursing career in fact, and indirectly led into the creation of Wholly Macro). There really are no accidents!

 And Three: Being forced to exercise. And boy did I resist. I had gone from being highly active, to not moving at all due to the pain. After one year of rehab, as part of my rehab, the hospital I worked for literally forced me to perform exercise in order to assess my final degree of rehabilitative-ness. I was unable to do most of the exercises, but to my surprise, being forced to ride the stationary bike actually relieved my pain. I was not super astute back then, but even so, I was able to put two and two together and conclude that the non-weight bearing rotational movement of the bike peddling actually loosened up my back, leg, and hip muscles, giving me some degree of relief, so I pursued it. The bike riding branched out into swimming. Again, non - weight bearing.

I have been a huge proponent of exercise in general, and biking and swimming in particular, ever since.

I found walking to be impossible though. It jarred my hips, it aggravated the back injury, and I just plain dug my heels in and refused to do it. Therefore I have never been much of a proponent of walking, until recently. About 2 years ago, a full 15 years after the back injury, I discovered that I could walk without too much pain. I'm not saying it was entirely comfortable, but it was comfortable enough that I found it somewhat enjoyable. You really do see things from a different point of view while on foot. It is a change in latitude. And just as variety in diet is important, so too is variety in exercise! So I continued walking, and now I am a big fan!

Cut to our recent European adventure.

It is a good thing I had honed my walking skills, because we walked like crazy while in Europe. The ancient European cities were totally designed for foot traffic. Many of them existed far earlier than the invention of the wheel, let alone the automobile. And guess what. Not only did I not see one single obese European (seriously, and I looked), but the achy breaky slightly naggy knee pain I experience intermittently recently completely disappeared. I attribute both to walking!

I feel I am far more astute / healthier these days than I was in 1994. And I developed a few mental conclusions about walking while on our "European Walking Intensive" that I would like to share with you. All conclusions can be applied to other forms of exercise as well of course.

1. Do not be afraid of exercise. Our bodies were designed to MOVE. Use it or lose it. If a new activity feels uncomfortable, ease off a bit, take it very slowly, and allow your body to slowly adjust as you consistently introduce it to the new activity.
2. Be patient. Remember, it took me fifteen years to be able to resume walking as an exercise again. Sure, I walked short distances, I even climbed the stairs in my home at least 1000 times a day, but it took a long time, and a lot of healing, in order to be able to enjoy long leisurely walks, long enough to qualify as legitimate exercise, once again.
3. More is not better. The tortoise always beats the hare. You don't need to walk (or do any type of exercise) longer, faster, harder, better. You just need to do it.  
4. Rejoice as your body embraces new activities / forms of exercise. Be very grateful that your body can be your most ecological and fuel-efficient vehicle, and that it can take you to the moon and back, on all kinds of adventures! Believe me, we went everywhere on foot while in Europe, and while I was highly respectful of my body and it's limitations, working in unison with it allowed me to let it do what it was created to do: mobilize me!
5. Wear good shoes! Very very important. Always wear the proper footwear. I can still remember the feeling I had years ago when I tried on my first pair of Birkenstocks. I literally threw the cheap flimsy pair of shoes I walked into the store with out, wore the pair of Birkenstocks I had just purchased right out the door, and told myself: Never Again. Never again would I wear anything but Birkenstocks. Of course nowadays there are numerous excellent brands of supportive (and stylish) footwear to choose from. I suggest you always choose those, and never wear shoes without a purpose again. That is like eating food without a purpose. Why do it? We never eat anything but the most nutritional food here at Wholly Macro, nor do we ever wear anything but the most well thought out footwear, designed specifically with the health of our feet in mind.
6. Burn fat, strengthen your core, and support a healthy weight by walking. I am seeing and feeling a difference in my core as a result of walking. I am actually starting to develop abdominal muscles, just from normal paced walking!! This is a result I just could not achieve from biking or swimming. My core, my abdominal muscles, were seriously deprived as a long-term result of the back injury. I am happy to say that they are coming back as a result of walking!
7. Stimulate your immune system. When your body is active, disease-fighting cells are able to circulate throughout your entire body. Walking can lead to a higher functioning immune system, which can help protect you from conditions as common as a cold, to far more serious conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
8. Build bone, and keep joints strong and flexible. The weight bearing repetitive motion of your feet striking the ground during walking stimulates bone growth. Walking allows anti-oxidants and nutrients to be utilized by your bones, joints, and muscles, while reducing stiffness, aches, and pains. Please Note: You must actually ingest anti-oxidant and nutrient rich food in order for this to work!!
9. Exercise begets exercise. You create energy within your body by exercising. This can give you the boost you need to get all kinds of things done that you used to "not have the energy to do", including feeling like adding more exercise to your routine. Some days, when I take a walk on the beach, followed by a swim in the ocean, and then later, a nice relaxing bike ride, I truly feel like a super healthy tri-athlete. Who would have ever thought!! 
10. Multi task: Improve your fitness and your emotions. The mental benefits of exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces levels of your body's (harmful) stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol while stimulating the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. Endorphins are responsible for the feelings of relaxation and optimism that often accompany a nice exercise session. Exercise also provides a nice opportunity to get away and either enjoy some solitude, or make friends and build networks. Exercise is play and recreation; and when your body is busy, your mind will be distracted from the worries of daily life and will be free to think creatively. The endorphins help. Exercise gives you the opportunity to step outside the box and get a different perspective on things.
11. Walk to improve your sleep. Per the above, walking regularly can help to improve mood, lower your stress levels, and reduce pain. How could you not sleep more soundly? One of my favorite tricks is to walk at night, just before bed. Be sure to find a safe place to do this. If we have time together, Jaime and I take a walk around our very quiet and safe neighborhood. But often our schedules don't jive, so I have taken up walking on the rooftop terrace of our home at night. (You could also try it in your backyard, on your balcony, or on your patio). Just walk the diameter of your outdoor space repeatedly in order to simulate distance-like walking on a track. This is quickly becoming my favorite new activity in a long list of healthy activities. There is something about the freshness of the night air, and the faint scent of the jasmine and the ocean in the background. The quiet and solitude, and the starlight and moonlight transposes me entirely, and I imagine stimulates the release of many extra endorphins. And can't we all use all the endorphins we can get?? Believe me, on those rooftop terrace nights, I sleep like a baby!
12. Tone your intestines. I actually learned this years ago in nursing school. There is NO BETTER exercise for keeping the intestines (they are a big muscle actually) in shape than walking. Following surgery, the most important thing we did for our patients as nurses, (besides giving them pain medication) was to get them up and walking the very same day as surgery. This was the best way to stimulate intestinal peristalsis. And in the end, after all is said and done, it all comes down to being able to eat, being able to go to the bathroom, and being able to walk. Cessation of any of these activities ends life as we know it.
13. Improve your self-image. Behavioral factors contribute to the emotional benefits of exercise. As your waistline shrinks and your strength and stamina increase, your self- image will improve. You'll earn a sense of mastery, control, pride, and self-confidence.   

So Walk This Weigh to health and fitness right now, and while you are walking, walk on down and take a look at the September 8, 2011 Wholly Macro Delivery Menu below. It is fabulous this week, and is full of the very foods you need to give you the strong, healthy, weight appropriate body that you deserve.

In fact, I think I am going to head up to my roof right now to take a walk! Then I will get a great nights sleep, and check out my newly defined abdominal muscles in the morning light!!

In the best of health to you as always.

Gayle and Jaime / Wholly Macro

SPINEALIGNER