Embrace the Journey: Hard Work Pays Off; a Curated Blog

Tara, a great teacher 

After class, my yoga friend said to me, “Wow, that just goes to show that hard work pays off!”. I was telling her that my neurologist took me off all meds. This didn't happen overnight and it all started with deciding to try Bikram Hot Yoga.

Daughter Liz convinced me that I would be safe in the hot room, so in a weak moment, I chose this wild crazy idea. As I learned more about the practice, I realized it is good medicine.

Exercise for hip flexor 

For twenty five years, I’ve taken MS medicine. Taking nothing is huge! Hot yoga practice added a dimension of sweat and total relaxation. After class, I often feel supercharged. Also, I learned about alternative therapies and ways to improve my diet. 

The yoga room is very hot, but I have never had issues with the heat. The flow and pace are perfect for me. Each posture prepares the body for the next one. After a week of regular attendance, I was feeling better. My body was relaxed and I felt emotionally calm. 

Typical lunch

All I had to do was listen to the teacher give the Bikram dialogue through the 90 minute class.  This discourse tells how to move into each pose, what muscles are used, and what improvements to expect in digestion, breathing, energy, and nervous system. 

After a couple of months of regular practice, I began noticing improvement and some issues just disappeared. I became a believer. The more frequently I went, the better I felt. 

My juices 

Adding cold pressed juices to reduce inflammation to my daily diet was another game changer. Between that and bone broth, I rarely have digestive issues anymore.

 

I believe that diet is the hero in helping me ditch the meds.  I strive to get fifteen servings of vegetables and fruits everyday. This is how I manage food:

• Smoothie for breakfast 
• Glass of juice and bone broth at lunch
• Soup and or salad for dinner 

My motivation - Travel

Three years ago, my neurologist noted a problem with my bloodwork. He cut the dosage of my MS medicine in half. I still felt good, maybe even better. When that didn't change anything about my blood numbers, he said, "Let's take a six month holiday off the meds." I admit to being apprehensive. 

Eight months later, my MRI told the tale. There was no change in the status of my MS. So, this time, he said to remain off medicine, until anything changes! 

Grandchildren make me HAPPY

So, indeed, hard work does pay off! I'm confident that my efforts with exercise, diet and therapy set up these great results. A bonus is that my energy is fantastic and headaches are virtually non-existent.

Will any of these strategies work for you? Maybe try one. Only you know your body. For me, the work is insignificant compared to the benefits. I tweaked my diet and doubled down on exercise. I still have to manage MS, but  my quality of life is great. My motivation is staying off meds, continuing to learn and grandchildren to enjoy. What motivates you? 

Embrace the Journey: Gardening Renewal, A Curated Blog

Front porch pot

Gardening renews the spirit and recharges the mind. Springtime and  gardening go together. Both make me happy. Other spring chores like cleaning and switching winter to summer clothes makes me happy in a different way, a productive way. 

I garden in pots, big pots on the front porch and small pots on the back porch and patio. I am one who would like to rush spring along and start planting during the first warm spell. 

Last year’s pictures give me inspiration and remind me of what worked and what didn’t. Could I see color from the road at the bottom of the hill? Up close, was there enough variety in shapes and textures? Did the combination of plants work together in the pots? There’s a lot to consider.

Embrace the Journey; A Curated Blog: Bikram Yoga for Me

The studio is like "home base"

Going back to Hot Yoga Asheville and our customary practice of the Bikram style yoga seemed right. Old friends and teachers we hadn’t seen in three years hugged me. Regulars were in their same spot on the floor. That moment was surreal. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The Hot 26 Yoga community is tight. They are dedicated to the practice, very encouraging, and non-judgmental.

We fell right back into our old routine of attending the 8:00 am class. The feeling in that hot room is perfect for me. The collective energy helps me make it through class and stays with me all day.  

Embrace The Journey: My Happy Healthy Fix; A Curated Blog

Exercise to keep on cruising 

My fix to stay happy and healthy is mainly exercising and diet! There are days when exercise is hard and I have to make myself do it.  Why? I think  I’m afraid of the consequences if I don’t. Will I gain weight? Will body quit working? Probably not, but I’m afraid to find out. Besides, continuing is easy while starting over is really hard. 

Continuing to feel good is my goal. So, I exercise! I’m addicted to the “natural high” I get. 

Embrace the Journey; A Curated Blog: Be Bold

Do you reject doing things because you are afraid of what people will think or because it looks hard to do? It’s all scary, but I encourage you to be bold. Just try it. Me, I walk funny. Sometimes I talk funny. But, if there’s something I really want to do, I find a way to make it happen. Everything starts off being hard to do. Effort and learning something new are what matters to me.

Embrace the Journey, A Curated Blog on MS: Stay on Tra

With daughter Liz at Notre Dame

I love to travel but always worry about losing strength and flexibility while we play on our trip. You might say I’m  paranoid about maintaining strength and flexibility. Why? MS, of course. This disease weakens muscles and stiffens joints without regular work. I notice deterioration even when I let up for a week. Granted some of the problem is age, but lack of movement for long periods is bad for me. 

I know that MS is a problem for me, but we are all aging. Donnie works out with me doing yoga and weight work at the gym. While he may not be as avid on setting goals, he has commented on his need to stay on track. Traveling always presents some interesting problems, especially with long trips.

Embrace the Journey, A Curated Blog: The Grand Experiment

 

Traveling will be easy!

No meds, no problem! Right? After 25 years of taking meds, it feels really strange. The purpose of the meds is to slow progression of the disease and reduce the symptoms. 

 

Every six months I get blood tests. My lymphocyte count had been too low so he cut the dosage in half. A year later, the most recent blood work indicated that cutting the dosage didn't help. I said, “What do we do now?”

“I want you to stop taking the drug, today. Let’s do a six month holiday from the meds. Before you come back for your next visit, do an MRI and another blood work-up. We’ll discuss what to do from that point. Also, new drugs are going to be available next year that reportedly have less impact on the immune system.”

Embrace the Journey, A curated Blog: Celebrate the Effort

Jeanne, plans my workouts

The Olympics are over. Who are the winners? Certainly the medalists, but also all the Olympians. What is your Olympic challenge? Mine is MS and working to overcome the debilitating effects of the disease. 

The most obvious issues are physical. I’ve been going to a trainer for years. Since starting back after Covid, my trainer has been Jeanne. When  either of us see a new area of weakness, she makes a plan to address it. Recently, I told her , “I want to be stronger so I can walk farther and faster. Donnie says I act tired after three miles. He notices my toe scuffing, slowing down, and being unsteady. I want to be able to do four strong miles in one walk.”

Embrace the Journey: Acupuncture Works

Anticipating the Facial Rejuvenation Treatment

Have you tried acupuncture? I’ve written about it before because I’ve had good results. It’s not scary. I admit to being concerned about the needles that first time, but they don’t hurt. In fact after the initial prick, it's nothing. It’s not at all like taking a shot.

Acupuncture works for me, but I can’t say specifically why. I can tell when I need another treatment. I can also state several specific improvements in daily life because of it. Does that make sense?

Embrace the Journey: Find a "Clean-Up Man"

Donnie, my "Helper"

I call him Caregiver. He says he is Helper. I like and need all he does for me. He's easy and he loves to work and  be helpful.

He likes to eat and I enjoy cooking. I do a lot of food preparation so I appreciate everything he does in the kitchen. We eat mostly at home but enjoy going out for a treat. 

Bone broth and vegetable juices are staples in our refrigerator. He has bone broth with me but not the juice. Making and/or preserving broth and juice take time and lots of standing. 

Embrace the Journey: Music Helps Me

At piano lesson

Once upon a time, I could dance, play piano with reasonable skill, certainly keep a beat and clap, but then I couldn’t. Had I paid attention to losing my beat, maybe I would have gotten diagnosed sooner. All the issues turned out being Multiple Sclerosis. One lesion in my brain impacted my rhythm.

Early in this journey, I heard that music was a great therapy for MS. My neurologist concurred. He said, “Do it if you can. One of my patients can't play anymore because she lost her finger strength.”

Taking lessons again after forty years, I understand. My finger strength is okay, but spasticity is the problem, throughout my upper body. I never knew! Hands, shoulders, fingers, all are stiff, slow and awkward. I found that repetition and finger drills help. Piano is all about practicing, trying to improve and knowing it’s therapy. is, there is some transfer to walking! My ear for hearing pitch also improved. What happens in the brain is a mystery, and all good.

Walking with Donnie

In an article about music as therapy for MS, I found validation for: 

• Improvement in movement and coordination

• Improvement in memory

• Reduction of anxiety 

• Reduction of stress 

• Improvement of digestion

• Improvement of speech and communication

I am seeing results in all these areas, but I notice tremendous improvement is walking. This year I’ve been focused on my walking stride and gait. After falling several times relatively close together early this year, I became tentative and fell into some bad habits. I consulted with my physical therapist and asked, “What do you think about going back to basics?” He suggested several strategies that began working quickly.

At physical therapy with Thomas

Then,  Donnie had an idea while we were walking, (He’s always thinking.)

“What do you think about listening to music while we walk?”

I don’t know. I like the idea, but I don’t know how to get started. Maybe Thomas (physical therapist) has some ideas on this. Maybe he can help me get started. 

“Good. Athletes listen to music while exercising and I see gym people with headsets or earbuds. There must be something there.”

Thomas did have thoughts. He thought it was worth trying even though he wasn’t aware of any research based articles on the subject. He suggested earphones that fit on the bones outside the ears. They operate on the principle of vibration 

“I like that option! I didn’t know and much of my reluctance to embrace earbud is because they have always given me ear infections.” I’m going to ordered them. 

Dancing at nightclub on cruise

I can use my phone where I walk at home. After two weeks, I’m having great results. Everyday, I have fewer missteps even on our long walk. My pace seems to be improving as well. Any upbeat music energizes my step. Even the fourth mile is relatively smooth. The genre of music doesn’t seem to matter. We both like the same music and surprisingly, upbeat classical is one of our favorites.

Why did I wait so long to try music for walking?  Small issues got in the way. I’m so glad Thomas helped me get started. I can’t explain why music works for me, but it does. I’m a believer now. The brain is a mystery and it’s all good. Wish I had gotten on board years ago! I see more dancing in my future!