Wearing shoes covers this communication up. Yoga, kung fu, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi are all done without wearing shoes.

Try walking around your house barefoot. Stand barefoot and turn your head side-to-side; then do it with your eyes closed. Progress to standing on one foot for 5 seconds, then the other. See if you can progress to 30 seconds. Give it a whirl.

After all, you weren’t born with shoes on.

Stay well,

John R Blilie, MS, OSC

Stress levels have been off the charts, as some of my business connections in the mental health field can attest to.

However, there may be a simple remedy that’s available to most, is inexpensive, and is something we are wired to do; Aerobic exercise!

A study by researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine, published in Journal of Neuroscience, found that subjects that performed walking, running, biking and/or swimming at least 3 times/week, much more effectively strengthens the brain’s resilience when stressful events occur than non-aerobic exercises such as weight lifting.

AND, regular workouts are much better than any form of exercise done only when a stressful event occurs- such as doing a half-marathon the day before something stressful is anticipated.

A consistent aerobic exercise regimen leads to an increase in the protein galanin, which promotes behavioral resilience after stress occurs. Higher galanin levels do not reduce immediate feelings of stress, but they help the body cope with its impact more effectively.

Stay well,

John R Blilie, MS, OSC

I’ve always believed exercise was extremely important for health, but the situation with the corona virus has put the need for exercise up front.

Over the next several weeks, I will be providing a short youtube video along with some short verbiage to give readers some ideas for bodyweight exercises including activities for daily living, core strength, breathing mechanics, and neurological system stimulation.

It feels good to be back.

Stay well,

John R Blilie, MS OSC

I was skeptical at first, as the exercises involve diaphoretic breathing, rolling, crawling, rocking on hands and knees, and head nods. But, after doing these simple (but not necessarily easy) tasks daily (they only take 10 minutes or so) for the past month, I can definitely feel a positive difference. I have recently begun using these exercises in my practice with my clients including the two with Parkinson’s disease.

The easiest to begin with is the breathing. We are meant to breathe through our nose, though many breathe through the mouth. Breathing through the nose encourages diaphragmatic, or belly breathing. If you’ve ever watched an infant, toddler, or dog breathing, they do it right. The belly moves in and out. Somewhere along our life’s path, most of us have become chest breathers. In my case, I know when it happened. As my interest in girls grew, I sucked in my stomach and stuck out my chest so I’d look trimmer and stronger. Belly breathing feels so much more natural, and more oxygen gets sucked in. PLUS, with each breath comes an abdominal contraction, so I get stronger in my core with each breath. Considering most of us breathe 15,000 to 20,000 times per day, we can get pretty strong by doing something we have to do anyway. Plus, it feels really good.

Segmental rolling from back to stomach and back again is another exercise from the book. In short, I start by leading with a leg to start the roll without using the arms to my stomach, and leading with the leg again to roll onto my back. Next, using an arm to lead both ways, and finally, leading with the head. When I first started doing the rolls, my back muscles weren’t very happy with being on my stomach. After a week, no pain at all!

My favorite exercise involves head nods. I get on all fours and push my rear end back over my heels. With my arms straight, I lift my head as high as I can, then tuck my chin as far as I can. I do 20 reps each time. With all the neck issues I see with my clients, this seems to be quite the fix. It feels great!

Again, I highly recommend the book, and I will be attending a workshop by the authors in October. The book is a great read, and easy to understand.

Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.

Have health.com

There is a certain amount of satisfaction working with this age group; seeing how they deal with all of the health issues that the battle of life brings along. There are days when I get home and feel upbeat, motivated  (to do the same) and positive.

And then there are days when I see what may be down the health and wellness road for me and my wife, and I’m not so upbeat.

However, over the past several months I’ve had cause to be much more upbeat, to understate it. One of clients, who will turn 94 on Monday, was given 6 months to live last November. She called me a week ago to say she was feeling pretty good and wanted to start exercising again! She has stage 4 lung cancer.

Another woman had been complaining of her bones hurting throughout her body, and found out last week that she has metatastic bone disease (cancer). I asked her if she wanted to continue and she replied “yes, I want to stay as strong as possible for as long as possible'”

And yet another client whose had Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years, wants to walk unassisted! When I began working with him last June, he couldn’t get out of a wheelchair. He is now walking up to 0.5 mile with only a gait belt! He works so hard.

Compared to these folks, my issues are minor. They make me so hopeful, and inside me to do my best at whatever I do. To Them, I say THANK YOU!

Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.

HaveItHealth.com

There is a certain amount of satisfaction working with this age group; seeing how they deal with all of the health issues that the battle of life brings along. There are days when I get home and feel upbeat, motivated  (to do the same) and positive.

And then there are days when I see what may be down the health and wellness road for me and my wife, and I’m not so upbeat.

However, over the past several months I’ve had cause to be much more upbeat, to understate it. One of clients, who will turn 94 on Monday, was given 6 months to live last November. She called me a week ago to say she was feeling pretty good and wanted to start exercising again! She has stage 4 lung cancer.

Another woman had been complaining of her bones hurting throughout her body, and found out last week that she has metatastic bone disease (cancer). I asked her if she wanted to continue and she replied “yes, I want to stay as strong as possible for as long as possible'”

And yet another client whose had Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years, wants to walk unassisted! When I began working with him last June, he couldn’t get out of a wheelchair. He is now walking up to 0.5 mile with only a gait belt! He works so hard.

Compared to these folks, my issues are minor. They make me so hopeful, and inside me to do my best at whatever I do. To Them, I say THANK YOU!

Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.

HaveItHealth.com

1). My fingernails look like I’ve just had a manicure. They are hard and shiny, and my cuticles are perfect.

2). My wife says my hair looks better; it certainly feels thicker.

3). Most important! My bowels are working as good as they have in a long time. I’ve been battling Crohn’s and Ulcerative colitis on and off for 16 years. I even ended up in the hospital last March with a stricture in my transverse colon. Since I started drinking bone broth (1-2 mugs/day), no symptoms. While I know that it’s too early to declare a complete victory, I’m very hopeful.

In the book Nourishing Broth, by Sally Fallon Morell, there are numerous testimonials touting bone broth’s healing qualities. There are also recipes on how to make it. I highly recommend the read. So far I’ve made chicken, turkey, beef, and pork broth. Give it a try.

Stay well, John R Blilie M.S.

HaveItHealth.com

Back before  pharmaceutical and food processing companies took over the United States in the mid 20th Century, (I’m paraphrasing here) “all soups and stews were made with bone broth-bones and other animal parts slowly simmered in a stockpot, producing a nutrient-rich concoction. Today, “processed broth is usually nothing more than a cube or a powder spiked with MSG to mimic the taste of broth. The loss of bone broth is a big loss.”

Bone broth delivers super-healthy ingredients, whether from lamb, pig, chicken, or cow. Ingredients like :

Collagen: Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. Collagen literally holds your body together in joints, ligaments, muscles, skin, and membranes around your organs.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate: These two nutrients help to ease arthritis pain. Glucosamine is found in cartilage, chondroitin is a molecule that helps hydrate cells. It also contains sulfur, a mineral that feeds cartilage and balances blood sugar.

Glycine: Is an amino acid   that supports healthy blood cells, generates cellular energy, aids fat digestion, speeds wound healing, and helps the body get rid of toxins such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and pesticides. Glycine also regulates dopamine levels, thereby easing anxiety, depression, and improving sleep and memory. There may also be a benefit to helping Parkinson’s disease.

Bone broth can help and prevent and heal many health issues, including:

Arthritis and joint pain. In a review of seven studies of osteoarthritis and melted collagen (collagen hydrate), researchers at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago found that ingesting the compound helped create new cartilage, lessening pain and improving daily functioning.

Digestive problems: Back in the 19th century, Florence Nightingale prescribed broth and gelatin for the masses, touting their healing effects on the gut (gastroenteritis). Unfortunately, this nutritional therapy went out of style in favor of pharmaceuticals. Ironically, a new drug, Tasectan, is being used as a digestive drug to help protect the gut lining. Guess what it’s made of-Gelatin. Hmnnnn.

Injuries and wounds: Bone broth’s components are crucial for healing broken bones, muscle injuries, burns, and wounds. The use of cartilage (a main component of bone broth) for wound healing was championed by Dr. John F. Prudden, whose published papers include “The Clinical Acceleration of Healing with a Cartilage Preparation,” in the May 3, 1965 issue of JAMA. In his research, Dr. Prudden showed that cow cartilage could speed wound healing that was less likely to be injured, and produce smoother, flatter, and more natural-looking scars.

One can either make or buy bone broth. You can look up the directions on the internet. If you’d rather buy it, good sources, according to Ms. Morell, are Bare Bones Broth Company, OssoGood, Stock Options, and the Brotherly. Drink one cup a day for maintenance, two cups a day to improve symptoms.

Stay well, John R Blilie, MS

HaveItHealth.com

So I explored other, more natural options. What I found that seems to be working for me came as quite a surprise-sauerkraut juice. During my research, I found that as one ages, stomach acid production actually decreases, which keeps food in the stomach longer and fermenting, causing gas. So I actually needed more stomach acid. Looking back, it makes sense now, as I have long been a fan of apple cider vinegar (ACV) for blood sugar control and have espoused it’s benefits for weight loss. In the past, when I had a case of the burps, I’d take two tablespoons of ACV with four ounces of water and the burps would disappear within a minute or two.

My research also showed several other fermented foods such as kefir and yogurt, and cranberries also helped with stomach acid. Several reports mentioned probiotics, but I haven’t had much success with them.

If you suffer from reflux or heartburn or gas, why not give some of the above foods a try? There are no side effects like there is with the medications-one can become dependent on proton pump inhibitors, and the jury’s out on the long-term effects.

Stay well, digest well.

John R Blilie, M.S.

HaveItHealth.com

Well, for many folks, that tomorrow keeps occurring, and before they know it, it’s been months, then dropped altogether. They then feel like they’ve failed, and don’t even try again until a serious need (what I call a need-to or have-to) forces them to restart, or consider themselves a failure. And that’s a sad, hopeless place to be.

With that in mind, I’ve come up with a program that is easier to adhere to but still provides great benefits in strength and balance, and this part is key. You have to do these tasks anyway, because they’re part of your life’s daily routine, and, they don’t require 30 minutes or more to do. These routine mundane activities require very little to almost no time out of your day! Only some thinking with your brain, which is always a good thing. A major focus is taking unproductive time, and making it productive for you!

So here’s my program. I call it The Dance With Life.

Let’s say that you’re in line at the grocery store or pharmacy or wherever. You’re standing there, looking at the tabloids, or staring off into space. Why not do a little mini-workout? Check your posture-are you standing up straight? Tighten your stomach and butt muscles. Nobody realizes that you’re doing it, but you’re getting an exercise session in. No extra time expended.

You’re sitting at a red light. Rather than zoning out, do a body check. Pull your head back over your shoulders (most people have their heads way forward, almost into the steering wheel). I have a little trick I do to keep my head up-I adjust the level of the rear view mirror so that I need to keep better posture. Not great for your neck and back. Relax your shoulders and hands, elbows should be bent and hands at 9 and 3. So many of us grip the steering wheel with white knuckles. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, tighten your thighs and your stomach. You’ve done another mini-workout. Now I’m not asking you to be oblivious to traffic or the stop light, always be aware. But there is plenty of time to get this little workout in.

My personal favorite (for strength and low back pain relief) is the proper way of getting up and down out of a chair. One of the most frequent activities that we do daily is move from one sitting position to another. I counted how many times I got up and down twice, and the total averaged out to 78. 78 opportunities to gain strength, which amounts to hundreds in a week! Again, not adding any time to your day. The caveat here is to get up and down properly, using good body mechanics. Try this: Scoot forward on the chair, take a leg underneath the chair (the other one forward), bend at the hip, and push with the leg under the chair. When you go to sit, reverse the action: Take a leg back so that it’s under the chair (the calf should touch the front of the chair), stick your butt back (like you’re trying to butt open a door) and slowly lower into the chair. Note: Not all chairs are created equal, recliners and couches are not good ones to do this technique on, kitchen chairs are great. Getting up this way will take the stress off the back, and engage the right muscles for the job; the legs and butt muscles. If you find it too difficult at first, as many do, prop the seat with a pillow so that your hips are higher than your knees. Also, alternate legs as much as possible-we all have a weak side and a strong side.

I realize habits are hard to change, especially ones that are in the subconscious. You may only be able to remember 10% of the time, but keep it up. Practice makes perfect.

Rather than continue with other tips, I’ll do so in a future blog. This one is too long.

Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.

HaveItHealth.com