Ageless Yoga - part 1

I got my new Ageless Yoga DVDs in the mail yesterday. Today I tried out Volume 1: Chair & Standing Routines. I tried only one routine: joint freedom.

Almost the entire set is done in a chair. The exercises are almost not exercises in the normal sense. They are gentle movements of all of the joints, one type at a time. For example, stretching out the fingers, then making fists. No music and no mandatory type breathing. Just remember to breathe comfortably. The joint freedom routine takes 18 minutes and doesn't strain anything.

It felt like I had not done much, but I can see how using this routine regularly would be of great benefit, especially if you remember the different moves and just use them wherever you are, when you think of them. A good way to keep moving.

I'll be trying the other routines and reporting on them here as well. I am feeling hopeful.

Trying yoga

Well, I completed workout no. 64 on my wii Fitness Coach. Some of the workouts weren't wii workouts but DVDs instead. My Fitness Coach allows me to substitute other types of exercise and get credit for them. And what good is the credit? Well, it earns me additional wii workout spaces and wii workout music when I do use My Fitness Coach. Who wouldn't want those!??

I think it's good that I am still using this program. Because it keeps track of the frequency of my workouts I am more inclined to get it done. It makes me accountable in its funny little way. So I do it. At least fifteen minutes at least five days a week. It isn't much but it's how we get used to it. Further, I have found that if I do one of these little workouts before I go out I am indeed moving better. Not always a lot better but a little is a lot.

In fact, I keep thinking of the recommendation by that British arthritis organization: a little and a lot. Do a little but do it a lot. More and more I just get off the couch, wander around a bit, sit down again. I try to do a little a lot.

Now that I have been doing these little workouts for a while I am branching out. I am interested in yoga. We hear that yoga is good for arthritis. And my arthritis RX exercises are based in part on yoga. So when I got an email from Amazon several days ago advertising a Yoga for Dummies DVD for $5.99 I went to Amazon to read reviews and hunt down more yoga DVDs that might be suitable for me. The descriptions of the DVDs sounded good, all of them offering opportunities to skip poses, choose workout levels, and use alternative moves. Even though the descriptions and reviews did not specifically mention arthritis I thought they'd be worth a try.

Today I tried two of the DVDs: Yoga for Any Body and Yoga for Dummies.

I first put in Yoga for Any Body. The DVD is divided into several sections: an interview with the yoga teacher, a discourse on yoga definitions by that same teacher, and workouts divided into beginning, intermediate, and advanced. The beginning sets include several options. I chose the morning workout.

The yoga teacher starts right out sitting on the floor, cross-legged, and goes into the first position. She does not remind us to breathe nor does she spend much time describing the posture. I think one could follow the moves easily enough - if one were without physical limitation. She did not offer alternative positions or options. I hunted around on the DVD for some hint on how to use this DVD, because it felt to me like I was starting in the middle. I found nothing that met this need of mine. I decided to try another DVD.

After my aborted effort with Yoga for Everyone I put in the Yoga for Dummies. This DVD is organized in a way that made a lot more sense to me. The organization is simple: she offers twelve different "poses", which she calls the Daily Dozen. She tells us at the start that we can choose among the twelve, focus on just one if we want, or go through the entire dozen. I went through all twelve today.

But that doesn't mean I did all of the poses, frankly. I simply could not do all of them. However, she does offer alternatives for some of the poses. Some alternatives made the moves easier for folks like me, some were intended for those who wanted to move in a more advanced way. Throughout each description, which was detailed and included detailed information on breathing, the leader emphasized that the intent was the important thing. Not everyone can do every pose perfectly, and one should not push beyond comfort. I found her emphasis on doing what you can an important one. I like this DVD and expect to use it again.

However, there were times while doing these poses that I actually started to cry, just little tears, just a little whimper. Not because of pain but because I felt so limited in my function and wondered if I were so disabled that I would never be able to do this. I am always happy to start where I am and improve little by little but it seemed impossible in this case. I was already testing DVDs that proclaim they are for "every body" but they aren't.

It's the same thing I ran into with the wii workout: no recognition of physical limitations beyond being out of shape. I remembered, too, a comment on Amazon that responded to complaints that My Fitness Coach does not make any allowances for disabilities. The commenter said the workout does not advertise itself as a workout for those with disabilities. So there. Get over it.

I am not ready to get over it. I can't imagine nobody has considered this situation. There are so many of us with arthritis and with such a need for yoga for us. So I decided to do a simple search: "yoga for arthritis".

And it worked! I found several websites discussing yoga and arthritis and some that actually offered DVD workouts for us. I was so excited I ordered a double-DVD set from Ageless Yoga: one DVD is for floor and standing routines, the other for chair and standing. I look forward to reporting on these DVDs here.

More exercises!

I continue to do the wii workouts, modified as needed. And now I have another little set of exercises to try out.

For some reason I was hunting around the web the other day and I came upon the Arthritis Research Campaign, a nonprofit organization based in the UK. There is a section on arthritis of the knee that includes these recommended exercises:

Quadriceps (thigh muscle) exercises

The most important thing is to choose exercises which you can do regularly. The easiest one to do is when sitting down in a chair.

1. Straight-leg raise: sitting Get into the habit of doing this every time you sit down. Sit well back in the chair with a good posture. Straighten and raise the leg, hold it for a slow count to 10, then slowly lower it.

Repeat this several times with each leg – at least 10 times with each. If this can be done easily, repeat the exercises with a weight on the ankle (buy ankle weights from a sports shop or improvise, for example with a tin of peas in a carrier bag wrapped around the ankle).

2. Straight-leg raise: lying Get into the habit of doing straight-leg exercises in the morning and at night while lying in bed. With one leg bent at the knee, hold the other leg straight and lift the foot just off the bed. Hold for a slow count of 5 then lower. Repeat with each leg 5 times every morning and evening.

3. Muscle stretch At least once a day when lying down do the following exercise. First, place a rolled-up towel under the ankle of the leg to be exercised. Then bend the other leg at the knee. With the straight leg, use your leg muscles to push the back of the knee firmly towards the bed or the floor. Hold for a slow count of 5. Repeat with each leg 5 times. Not only does this exercise help to strengthen the quadriceps muscles, but also it prevents the knee from becoming permanently bent.

4. Clenching exercises During the day, whether standing or sitting, get into the habit of clenching and releasing the quadriceps muscles. By constantly stimulating the muscles, they become stronger.

Go to http://www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6027/6027.asp to see the original page.

I also appreciated this bit of advice:

For most people with osteoarthritis the best advice is 'little and often': a little rest, followed by a little exercise.

My wii workouts fall generally into this category - 15-minute workouts. Sometimes I do longer workouts, using exercise DVDs, or I take a walk if I feel good. I can usually do a little of something if I can rest.

I will report more specifically on the exercise DVDs I like using in a later post.

gone again

The pain in my right leg - hip, I guess- has been gone for a few days now. I've been paying attention. It didn't take long for it to leave again, which is a good sign.

I do think my little workouts are helping here.

Today I did new one. It is called Strong and Safe or Safe and Strong, I forget. I will look it up.

Safe and Strong at 50, by Cindy Kozacek (pronounced Kozak). It is a strength training workout for us older folks. It isn't specifically for arthritics and I found I could not do one of the exercises. I could do the rest. Cindy offers us three different versions of every exercise, including one that's seated. She is excellent at cueing and explanations without wasting time. And she's generous in her understanding of where we may be at. The workout requires weights and resistance tubes. It is the first time I have used resistance tubes and I like them. I can see why people would like to bring them when they travel. They are versatile and lightweight and inexpensive.

I recommend this workout. I will be using it "in rotation" with others and with my wii workouts.

I am also now keeping a little notebook in which I jot down how I feel each day and any other notes that may be relevant to my health and state of mind. It's good to keep track.

Pain management

Well, curses. I do not remember when the pain in my right leg left. You'd think I would have marked that day in my memory forever but apparently I was distracted.

I do remember when the pain came back. It was this last Thursday, two days ago. I also remember what I did the day before that may have contributed to its return.

Wednesday night I went to my local college, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, to attend the screening of a documentary. The film was to be shown in the Education building, a building I had not been in before. I looked at a Cal Poly map before I took off and I thought I had a picture in my head of where the building was. But I didn't. I wandered, actually walked rapidly (for me, considering I'm a bit slow these days) for fifteen or twenty minutes, circling and going through buildings, before I found it. Most of my trekking was on hard surfaces, asphalt and concrete. So this walking may have contributed.

My money, though, is on the standing. After the film I went to the front of the room to talk to the filmmaker. I had to wait a while to get to her and to wait for a friend who also had questions and comments. My friend noticed my discomfort, even though I was trying to hide it. I don't know how long I was standing but I do know that my experience has been that standing is far worse for me than walking.

It irritates me that I did not keep closer track of the pain so I could correlate the rise and fall better than I have so far. I now intend to get a small daily planner type notebook. I will bring it to my bedside with me at night and take it with me through the day. I will note how I feel when I get up in the morning and will note the activities I engage in as well as pain levels, as best I can. That's my plan. I hope, though these actions, to narrow down what causes me the most grief and what helps with the pain as well.

some light? or not

I went to Las Vegas for an extended vacation with my daughters. During that whole time my right hip in particular was in pain, making it difficult to do any amount of walking. Sometimes I had little windows when the pain receded but it came back soon after. The weather in Las Vegas was cold and moist. I wondered if there were a connection.

I have simply dug in and let it be. I figure I will come out of this part too, as I have from extreme pain in my calf and knees. I have no proof of it but I am assuming this hip pain is making its mark and then, after several months, it will back off and not be so bad most of the time.

Yesterday I noticed I was much more able to move than I had been for some time. No right hip pain and in general I wasn't as stiff. I do not think I can attribute this to my three days of using My Fitness Coach on my new wii - those were fifteen minute sessions, very light - but hey, they didn't hurt either. The weather here has been cold and moist, so there again I have to assume there isn't much connection.

I also fell off the program with my glucosamine in Las Vegas, constantly forgetting to take it. I am back on track with that. Maybe it's a combination of moving my body, however lightly, and using glucosamine. I am hopeful.

I record these thoughts because I record changes. I do not look for anyone to suggest that I look into acai or chontroitin or chelated metals or anything else. As noted in the purpose statement for this blog, I look to exercise, some supplements, and diet to help me, and particularly I like the approach described in Arthritis Rx (see link at right). Thus I note changes, I note whether I am following or not following the program, and I try to perceive connections.

Edit: it's a bit later and suddenly I am hit with sharp pain in my right hip again...the respite is over.

Acai and beyond and an offer

Some readers may notice that I have allowed comments from persons who appear to have an interest in selling products made from the acai berry, a fruit of the acai palm, which is grown in South America. The berry is an interesting fruit, containing an unusually high amount of fat (for a fruit) and a rather grainy texture that is, according to some reports, a bit off-putting for some.

The persons who have posted these comments promote the use of acai juices and powders in the treatment of arthritis pain. As best as I can make out from my research, you would not likely harm yourself by using this juice. And the juice may be of help to you. That's why I have allowed these near-spam comments.

For the record, though, I am not a proponent of "super foods" whether naturally available or chemically made. I am a proponent of a diet comprised of whole foods, plant-based, organically grown and preferably grown nearby. This way of eating has been shown to be the best for health for everyone, including arthritis sufferers and those with diabetes, for example.

A compelling argument in favor of this diet is to be found in The China Study by Colin Campbell. The link is to my review of this book and includes a link to my amazon bookstore, where you can purchase it. I make an offer here, though: I will send you this book, straight from my bookstore, for free if you promise you will read it through, all the way through, and let me know what you thought of it. I will offer it to the first person who responds with a name and address and I will trust you to do as you say.

The media likes to stir up interest by letting us think it is impossible for us mere mortals to know just what is healthy and what is not in our diets. It isn't all that complicated. The media has an interest in adding to the confusion with articles that serve more to confuse than to enlighten, as such articles lead readers to read more, to keep searching. The sellers of products like acai berry products and enhanced pomegranate juice benefit from the confusion as well. People naturally want to do what they can to stave off illness and enlarge their life spans, and articles about single foods providing benefits sucker in a lot of readers. It doesn't have to be that way. Stick with the whole foods, as cleanly grown as you can get them, and you won't regret it.