Embrace Your Destiny: Enjoy the Success

Sister Penni at Sunset

YEAH! I did good. All my hard work in the gym, and at hot yoga, plus massage, physical therapy, acupuncture, and regular juicing and bone broth in my diet have paid big dividends! I got along better than expected on my solo trip to meet my sister and her group in La Jolla, California. I was anxious, especially about my walking, but it was great. My energy was excellent too. Over all, I felt very good. I did have a headache one day that persisted and wouldn't go away. Penni had one too so maybe it was normal jet-lag.

Embrace Your Destiny: The Rewards of Hard Work

This is younger sister Penni on the right. We were doing a selfie at one of the many adventures she has invited me to over the years. The neat thing about Penni's trips, is that she has meetings in really nice places with great people and fun things to do. I think she must pave the way for me with attendees. Everybody embraces me like an old friend and makes sure I feel included in the spouse activities. 

Embrace Your Destiny: Be Smart, Invest in Chiropractic Therapy

 I will go for my regular chiropractic visit next week. I have been going to Dr. Kiefer for five or six years. Since I have been going monthly, I feel really good. In the beginning, that wasn't the case.

When I started seeing Dr. Keifer, it had been many years since I had seen a chiropractor regularly. Finding a good chiropractor must be like finding a hair stylist. I started with Dr. Brian Ranson in Raleigh. He set the bar for my experience with chiropractors. 

Embrace Your Destiny: Indulge Your Senses

Today I went to see my massage therapist, Micah Couttet. This is a monthly indulgence that I have found both feels great and does fabulous work on my muscles and nervous system.

When Micah started working on me about two years ago, he said the hour time was only working on the knots and other blockages in my muscles. He recommended more time or more frequent visits. Sometimes he would have to concentrate in one problem area before finishing the rest of my body. He says he has noticed a change in my body. He said it is more muscular and he is able to get deeper into the soft tissues. Over the three years I've been going to him, the problem areas have disappeared. 

Embrace Your Destiny: Eat to Live or Live to Eat?

I didn't realize how much my diet contributed to how good or how bad I could feel. I should have known! You don't know what you don't know. I was good at dismissing low energy, fatigue and joint stiffness. I thought I felt  good or okay because feeling just okay was my new normal. Then, suddenly I started feeling really good! My energy was fantastic, and joint pain was at a minimum. I had forgotten how good "good" could feel. This premise of "you don't know what you don't know" was fundamental to analyzing the findings of my research for my dissertation. I found it to be fundamentally true then and whenever I taught or embarked on a new learning project. 

Embrace Your Destiny: Enjoy the Improvements

A new stretch 

Week by week, I'm getting stronger. I see improvement in leg strength almost daily. How do I know? My most immediate example is what else, just walking. 

I had done hot yoga followed by an hour workout at the gym. I had worked on leg strength that day. Normally, after doing both activities, my legs feel heavy and tired.They did feel a bit tired, but my son-in-law, Philippe invited me to take a walk with him. I love walking and it was a beautiful day. Of course, I said yes. We walked on a gravel road that was very rough in places. It had holes and uneven loose gravel and was hilly. We went to the top of a hill then turned around to go home. Even on the return hike, I had no problem with balance or leg motion. My right foot rarely toe-tapped and I didn't need to hold Philippe's arm very often. That's progress!

Embrace Your Destiny: Try Acupuncture

Me and Sarah at the Asheville clinic entry

I decided on a whim to get a facial in late August 2016 from Sarah Fields. Sarah is lovable and was getting established as an acupuncturist in Brevard, NC. I had no notion of what to expect, but thought, "what could it hurt".  Let me tell you, it was amazing. What I didn't expect was the impact it had on my entire body. She did a series of treatments to improve the skin and appearance of my face. It also gave my walking a boost after about a week. 

Embrace Your Destiny: Working on Core Strength

I'm slapping the ropes from side to side

My trainer, Lacey has a long list of core strength exercises. I think she gives me a new one every time I have a coaching session. She likes to pair core strength exercises with leg strengthening. 

The work plan always starts with a warm up series of 3 or 4 exercises. I repeat the series 2 or 3 times. Then we shift to another group of exercises for some part of the body such as shoulders, core, front legs or back legs. Sometimes we stay in the same area and use a mat and other tools. We usually end in the free weight area or in the machine area to work the same muscle group.

Embrace Your Destiny: Little Bit by Little Bit

Change happens little bit by little bit. It's easy to get discouraged with what seems to be lack of progress, with anything we do. Spasticity slows me down doing anything. For example, I have noticed very slow improvement in my piano playing. I've been taking lessons and practicing everyday for three and a half years. Practice is the key for me.  Everyday and over a L...O...N.NNNNNG period of time, I can finally see some small, but significant changes. I see the same thing in hot yoga practice, speaking at Toastmasters, walking, and building strength.

Embrace Your Destiny: Physical Therapy

Embrace Your Destiny: Physical Therapy 

I have been doing physical therapy off and on since the very beginning of my destiny with MS. My Neurologist, Dr. Bertics, prescribed PT immediately after being diagnosed. I quickly learned that much of what I thought I was doing at the gym was not right. I found that I was using way too much weight for most exercises and in the process, causing muscle and joint pain. I learned stretching exercises to do daily. I also learned to identify and avoid risky situations. I never realized uneven grass, unpaved surfaces, and dips in the walking surface could be so dangerous!

Embrace Your Destiny: Everybody Has Something

I'm convinced, everybody has something they are working on. It's our destiny and we only get one chance through this lifetime to work on it. One of my hot yoga teachers ends class sometimes with, "There is nothing more important in your life than your life." I am grateful and happy to know that Multiple Sclerosis is my destiny. Now I can concentrate on doing everything I can to make things better for me and my family.