Home Physical Fitness

I have worked, challenged, and strengthened my body over the past six months with the following activities:

Rebounder

I spend about 20-30 minutes on my rebounder. The first 15 min are spent health bouncing. I can do 5 min on my own, then I need Jack to bounce me by placing his foot between my feet on the rebounder and pumping while I hold onto the bar. I spend the remainder of the time marching in place, stretching, and doing leg exercises such as squats, side kicks, calf raises, etc.

Stationary Recumbent Bike

I tune into my iPod shuffle and spin away. On the bike I currently use at our apartment gym, I do 15 min of the Fat Burning cycle followed by 15 min of the Strength cycle at Level 3. According to the console, I travel over 11 miles and burn approx 120 calories.

Swimming Pool

With the advent of warmer weather, I began getting in the water at the apartment swimming pool. At first, I gripped the edge of the pool as I walked. Then after some coaching from Jack, I walked across the pool on my own. I now walk multiple laps and perform various water exercises such as kickbacks, marching, squats, toe raises--the possibilities are endless. I LOVE the freedom being in the water gives me. I can stand, walk, and move on my own. And nothing beats a hot TX day like a dip in the pool. It's wonderful!

  Mat Work

I use my yoga mat on the living room floor for numerous activities. I stretch and do yoga postures such as bridge, fish pose, cobra, spinal twist, etc. I also do core exercises to strengthen the vital center of my body as it supports everything else. Jack gives me a chiro adjustment once a week or so which helps tremendously.

Upper Body Strength Training 

I do a combination of free weights and machine weights to build the muscles in my upper body. I use the Lat Pulldown and the Pects/Delts machines at the apartment gym. I do bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder presses, reverse bicep curls, and tricep kickbacks with free weights and have worked up to 3 sets of 10 reps with a 4 lb weight. The 5 lb dumbells are close by and I am nearly there ;) 

I have also started doing dips on our stairs, pull ups from a seated position using the bars on a machine in the gym, and yoga pushups on my knees--V TOUGH! 

                                                     

Dreams of dancing

It's my TOM (time of month) which has never been a particularly easy time for me. The combination of yoga and the fruit based diet had alleviated my discomfort and pain significantly a few years ago. However, in my current condition, I am unable to move as freely as before and my diet hasn't been as clean as I would like. Therefore, I am experiencing the worst TOM I have in a long time-- severe cramps, lower back pain, exhaustion, emotionally frayed. This on top of the daily neuro symptoms I must endure: intense vertigo & dizziness, shaky vision, tremulous hands, brain fog. It DOES NOT make for a pleasant experience.

Thank goodness for the silver lining. There is an ancient, non-pharmaceutical medicinal herb that I have access to. I put on Shiva Rea's Shakti Rhythms, wrapped my abdomen and lower back in heating pads, took a spoonful of raw wildflower honey to protect my throat, and vaporized the herb. It's positive effects were immediate.

First, my funky emotional state began to mellow as a warm & fuzzy feeling settled in. From my comfy seated position, with my eyes closed, I started to move to the gentle rhythm of the music. My cramps diminished slowly, and I actually felt a subtle burst of energy. I stood up and using my walker for support, I did a number of hip circles. It felt soooo good. 

Living with my current disability is a daily struggle. I miss the freedom of being able to just get up and move, go where I want, and do what I want at any given moment, with no help from anyone. As I closed my eyes and let the music take me, I felt the overwhelming desire to dance and perform standing yoga postures. I miss those two activities so much it hurts. But I remind myself that I am regaining my mobility every day, and I will NOT stop working to regain what I have lost. 

Another benefit of the herb is that it helps reconnect me with my higher, wiser self. The one who is able to soothe and unconditionally love me. The one who has unlimited strength and unshakeable faith in the Divine.

I also experienced a wonderful, true hunger. I often lose my appetite when I don't feel well or I want to turn to comfort junk food. But the herb induced a hunger that was only satisfied with sweet, delicious fruit. For lunch, I ate four large EARTH bananas and savored each bite. I even tasted a hint of pineapple and found that EARTH University also grows pineapples! Mmmm pineapple.... V cool!

40 Days till we leave for Mexico!!

Spanish phrase for the day

No comemos el alimento cocinado. Comemos frutas enteras, maduras durante el día y ensalada de verduras por la tarde.

We do not eat cooked food. We eat whole, ripe fruits during the day and vegetable salad in the evening.

Happy Summer Solstice!

As summer begins, I thought I would check back in after a long hiatus and share some exciting news.

On August 1st, Jack and I plan to travel to Coatepec, Mexico near Xalapa in the state of Veracruz. Our lease at our current home ends on July 31st, and we decided not to renew. It was time for us to plan our next move which, after much consideration, led us to Mexico. 

Coatepec, Veracruz

First, the cost of living is squeezing us out of the US. Jack can’t work for someone else because he is dedicated to me virtually full time, so we’re dependent entirely upon my disability income, which is small. Every month has us in the red, and that is unsustainable. Mexico offers more “bang for the buck,” so we think this may arrest the financial hemorrhage.

Because of my frail condition, Jack is reluctant to take me too far from the US. In an emergency, I’m a day and a half drive to the border or an hour and a half flight from the Veracruz International Airport. The advantage of traveling by van, as we intend, is to take all the healing aids we've gathered, along with some creature comforts. When we arrive, we plan to continue and, hopefully, enhance our health routines.

Third, our diet is based primarily on tropical and subtropical fruits: bananas, mangos, papayas, melons, etc. We have found that the quality of those fruits, almost all imported, has diminished substantially here in Austin—to the point where we struggle to maintain our preferred raw fruit & veggie diet (frutas y verduras). Our understanding is that Coatepec is in a very soil-rich region with lots of fresh produce year round. 

Fourth, we have found ourselves in complete social isolation here in Austin. We have no family/friend network or safety net to help out if an emergency arose. Thus, there are no ties to any community that would keep us here. 

We are adherents to the Peak Oil concept and believe that substantial changes are coming to the American lifestyle, if not the world. This is based on a declining supply of oil and natural gas at ever higher prices, leading to eventual crises in the not too distant future. While this may sound “doom and gloom,” there are a growing number of scientific types who are pointing to certain incontestable facts. On one of the lists Jack monitors, The Oil Drum, he met a college professor who is retiring to Mexico from New England to avoid the difficulties he foresees coming: Peak Oil Report. He selected Coatepec as a good spot to ride out the coming storm. He placed a general invitation for others to join him there, and Jack contacted him by phone. We’ve been in communication ever since, and he’s been most helpful in facilitating our transition. Apparently, there is an expat community there.

Next, our research of the area turns up a most agreeable climate, a “cloud forest” that averages 66°F year round, highs in the 80s, lows in the high 40s, a coffee-growing area, full of birds and orchids. We’ve been in email contact with at least one other person there, the co-owner of the local EcoLodge, El Retoño, who has been kind enough to offer to rent a cabin on a monthly basis while we decide if we want to stay longer.

A spiritual element may also be fulfilled for us. Ashram Coatepec offers yoga, meditation, and other lovely activities. 

Additionally, while we don’t want to exploit anyone there, we are certainly looking for someone who can assist Jack in caring for me on a long-term basis, within our budget. He hasn't had a day off since I came home from the hospital on May 19, 2007. Finding help would have been financially impossible here in the US. In Mexico, we might actually be bringing a job to someone.

Finally, to complete the circle life often takes us on, Jack and I met in Mexico 11 years ago. Our love and life together began there, and we are happy to be going back.

My mother says we passed through Coatepec on our way to Xalapa back in the day. When I was 12, my father's career took us to Veracruz where we lived for a year. So, the loop goes back even further.