Been a while since I posted here. That's a good sign, it means I haven't had any setbacks!
It's true. No setbacks. I signed up for the BASI Pilates Teaching Certification Course (Pilates has saved me, how could I not decide to become a Pilates teacher??) which started two weeks ago. Part of what's required is to learn all the exercises, of course, which necessitates practice. Lots and lots of practice. I wasn't sure that I'd be up to the physical challenge, but since Pilates typically makes me feel better (only makes me feel worse when I don't listen to my heart rate monitor!) I figured I was just gonna jump in with both feet and see what happened.
For the last two weeks I've been doing Pilates 5 days a week. That's quite a jump in activity level from where I was even two months ago. I'm wearing my heart rate monitor and resting between exercises when I need to, but for the most part it's non-stop Pilates. And I'm thriving. This is the best I've felt since this whole craziness started. Is it all the lateral breathing (breathing into the sides of your ribs)? Low-heart rate activity? I don't know. I don't care. It just feels great to be active again.
And all without drugs. Any drugs. I admit in the beginning it was pretty scary. But I was more scared of the drugs than of my lungs not working. Asthma drugs didn't work on me, so those were never a temptation. My only option was prednisone, a steroid, and I just wasn't going to go there, way too scary. Steroids are immune suppressors ferchristssake, they give it to organ transplant patients to treat organ rejection. Incredibly powerful drugs, steroids. I rather like my immune system, thank you, I think I'll keep it. Read the potential side effects of prednisone on wikipedia. It should scare the hell out of you. Scares the hell out of me. Side effects like euphoria and mania? Sound far out, right? No. Happened to someone close to me after one single dose. One dose.
Yes, it's a pain in the ass to do things the natural way. I have to eat right. I have to meditate. I have to take garlic, and remember to make myself ginger tea. And not work out too hard. And yes, it's frustrating and sometimes scary to have a setback. But if I was on drugs, would I feel the setback? Would I know that I needed to take it easy? Think about that for a moment. If you're on drugs that make you FEEL good you're much more likely to push past your natural boundaries.
The past 8 months have been long, admittedly. But I've learned a great lesson. Listen, listen, listen to your body. Give it what it needs and let it do its job.
Showing posts with label pilates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pilates. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
You, The Owner's Manual
If you have any interest in how your body generally operates, pick up a copy of "You, The Owner's Manual". Comprehensive and fun to read. Got mine yesterday for 30% off at Borders. The big moment for me was on page one of the chapter on Lungs (emphasis is mine):
"In fact, when it comes to your airways, the small things post the greatest threat...When you take bacteria, viruses, and other particles into your lungs, your system is able to stop the larger particles, because they get trapped by the lung's natural defenses. They beat the particles out of your windpipes with little brushes called cilia and force them out of your body through coughing, sneezing, and blowing your nose. But even smaller particles - particles we can't actually see - can slip through the defense system much like a great running back breaks tackles. Undetected, these particles actually cause an inflammatory reaction that destroys part of your lung tissue - and puts you at greater risk for various lung disorders."
No shit. That seems a very simple explanation of exactly what happened to me and, from some of the forums I read, in various forms to lots of other people too. The difference for me is that when I read those forums everyone is on some medication or another (or more commonly on 3 or 4). Steroids. Bronchodialotors. And they're not getting better. I, on the other hand, am only on good nutrition, supplements, Buteyko exercises and regular doses of Pilates and seem to be making all kinds of progress. Admittedly, it feels achingly slow at times, but when I read forum posts from people suffering similar symptoms, but going months with no improvement, I suddenly don't feel so bad. Looking back, I've made quite a bit of progress. Spent the weekend talking to my son. Yes, I could tell it was taxing, but 2 months ago I couldn't have spent an hour talking to him, much less 3 days. I'm not saying that my course is right for everybody, I'm sure there are people who are helped by the meds, but I'm saying if results are the measure, my way seems a valid alternative more people should at least consider.
We'll see how much progress I can make in the next 6 weeks. I'm going to be taking a comprehensive pilates certification course which will require me to be working out as much as I'm able. Incentive!!
"In fact, when it comes to your airways, the small things post the greatest threat...When you take bacteria, viruses, and other particles into your lungs, your system is able to stop the larger particles, because they get trapped by the lung's natural defenses. They beat the particles out of your windpipes with little brushes called cilia and force them out of your body through coughing, sneezing, and blowing your nose. But even smaller particles - particles we can't actually see - can slip through the defense system much like a great running back breaks tackles. Undetected, these particles actually cause an inflammatory reaction that destroys part of your lung tissue - and puts you at greater risk for various lung disorders."
No shit. That seems a very simple explanation of exactly what happened to me and, from some of the forums I read, in various forms to lots of other people too. The difference for me is that when I read those forums everyone is on some medication or another (or more commonly on 3 or 4). Steroids. Bronchodialotors. And they're not getting better. I, on the other hand, am only on good nutrition, supplements, Buteyko exercises and regular doses of Pilates and seem to be making all kinds of progress. Admittedly, it feels achingly slow at times, but when I read forum posts from people suffering similar symptoms, but going months with no improvement, I suddenly don't feel so bad. Looking back, I've made quite a bit of progress. Spent the weekend talking to my son. Yes, I could tell it was taxing, but 2 months ago I couldn't have spent an hour talking to him, much less 3 days. I'm not saying that my course is right for everybody, I'm sure there are people who are helped by the meds, but I'm saying if results are the measure, my way seems a valid alternative more people should at least consider.
We'll see how much progress I can make in the next 6 weeks. I'm going to be taking a comprehensive pilates certification course which will require me to be working out as much as I'm able. Incentive!!