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June 7, 2008
Climb Every Mountain
or "Why is this woman so happy?"
photo © Thomas Hudson Reeve
I took my first hike yesterday. It was Tom's idea and as you can see from the picture I was pretty happy about it!
I had every reason to be happy about it. I have been battling with a diagnosis of "severe bronchial asthma" since 1999 and this hike proved that I have WON! I really don't have asthma and I stopped all medications in 2003. But after those 4 years under doctor's supervision my real problem was de-conditioning and my cardiologist (yes it went from a supposed serious problem with my lungs to a potential serious problem with my heart!) said those magical words, "When can you get back into the gym?"
It is true, surprising but a fact, I had stopped regular physical training. Since 1984 I had been swimming, body building, practicing hatha yoga, training in Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Tai Chi; I even took mime classes from Marcel Marceau! And there I was being told that the level I train at would cause damage to my heart because of my "condition". So I stopped and started to investigate what was really going on.
And yesterday, after 18 months of daily physical training, I was able to walk up a steady incline 1400 feet. Oh baby! It was a challenge but I did it!!
I figured it out on my own, in spite of the doctors but my primary care doc is smart and I consulted with him along the way. It was not easy, in fact it was alot of hard work; still is. We determined that I must have congenitally smaller bronchial tubes which makes me "fail" the breathing tests but the only time I ever had trouble breathing was when I was under the care of the leading pulmonologist in New York City, and taking 4 different asthma medications! My diagnosis went from "severe bronchial asthma" to COPD in a year because I did not respond well to the medication. So he gave me MORE medicine and I got even worse! What he never hear of a paradoxical reaction to medication?? It even caused a jump in my blood pressure. And to make matters worse I herniated two discs in my lower back along the way (lack of exercise??) and was told my a neurologist that I could no longer do anything that had impact on my back. What? Was I suppose to stop walking??
So now I do stair cardio 2-3 hours a week, in addition to aerobics, strength, flexibility, endurance, core stability and plyometric training. I have to do this to regain a healthy blood pressure, train my lungs to be able to do more (like climb mountains) and to be able to keep my back strong enough to do anything!
Don't let anyone, even a doctor, ever tell you that you can't do something. The body was designed to move and it is a miracle how it works. It takes time; lots of time if you do it right. I didn't want to hurt myself with the cure. I even hired a trainer for a year (bless you Christy Miller) who taught me the foundation of how to regain my strength and train safely.
Now I have my own gym in my studio and a pool right across the street! I even am training Tom now. So when he suggested that I climb this 1400 feet to the top of a mountain I knew it was what I had been training for. Going up was strenuous and a real challenge for my lungs but my muscles were ready and my heart is very strong! But harder yet on the muscles was the coming back down - calves, feet, shins, quadraceps, knees; WOW. It took about an hour to climb up and about 40 minutes to come back down which is a good clip for 2.5 miles.
I am proud of myself. I have come a long way.
Posted by photocartoonist at June 7, 2008 7:40 AM
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Comments
I wonder if you could say a little more about your experiences with the Alexander Technique - I found it helped me a great many ways, although it's a bit tricky to explain.
(They do have a website at http://alexandertechnique.com )
Posted by: Bill Vroom at June 7, 2008 6:58 PM
I found the Alexander Technique a bit mysterious and only practical with a therapist, but I did learn that it is about placement. Combined with what I learned in Feldenkrais training, I began to understand that there is a way to change functionality but unfortunately it is not a lasting effect.
Overall the main thing I took away from Alexander Technique was that the ends of the spine coordinate and move together and that the top of the spine is NOT at the back of the head, but in fact our head is poised, balanced, on top, centered!
Add this fact to the fact that small movements can only occur when the muscles are relaxed; neutral muscle tone makes movements easier. So Feldenkrais teaches to always return to a "neutral" muscle tone and Alexander taught me to think of the functional positioning of the skeleton.
Muscles, bones, working together to facilitate movement.
Posted by: at June 8, 2008 2:08 PM
I am so proud of you and so happy after reading this...hugs...
Posted by: nayan at June 23, 2008 12:41 PM