If you’ve never been to the East Bay Heritage Quilters bi-annual show, you are missing a rare treat.  This year’s show, March 22-23, 2014, included over 200 quilts demonstrating a dazzling array of colors, texture, and shapes.  These are notes from a workshop I was honored to present at the show.

Research for my workshop at the East Bay Heritage Quilters bi-annual show revealed plenty of resources on ergonomic furniture for quilting studios.  However, I did not find much addressing the most important piece of equipment in your studio – your body. 

Quilters spend endless hours designing, cutting, piecing, sewing, pressing, and quilting their creations.  The results can be visually stunning.  But this relatively sedentary craft can also lead to discomfort.  Here are a few prevention tips:

1.         Do not ignore pain.  Pain is information.  It is telling you something is wrong.  Continuing to use the same muscles and joints when you are already in pain can   lead to permanent injury and loss of function.  In plain English: you could lose the ability to quilt.  Stop doing anything that makes the pain worsen.  Go to your      doctor or find a physical therapist.

2.         No matter how ergonomic your studio, you need to take regular breaks.  Move  away from your work area and do something to change the position of your       body.  Even a one minute break helps.



I know it can be difficult to remember to take breaks.  I posted this “quilt” above my desk as a reminded to take breaks when I work at my computer.  I suggest you make yourself a beautiful reminder to take care of the most important piece of equipment in your studio – you!!


3.         Sitting and standing with good posture—using your core muscles for support— will reduce the likelihood of repetitive strain injury. 

4.         Distribution of movement = distribution of force.  Make good use of your breaks by mobilizing your spine.  Gently arch your back, rotate your torso side to side, and bend to each side.  You probably don’t need to practice rounding forward, but   try stacking your vertebrae from bottom to top from a rounded back position. 

5.         Practice balancing.  Keep your postural muscles toned, prevent falls, and impress  your friends by becoming proficient at balancing on one foot. Gradually reduce  your reliance on a nearby counter or chair back as you improve.  Work up to   one minute on each leg.   (I like to balance while using my electric toothbrush.  It even has a timer.)

6         When you aren’t quilting, try to get out and move your body.  It doesn’t really matter what you do as long as it gets you moving—take a walk, go dancing, swim—the trick is to find something you like to do and do it, regularly.


Wishing you many years of pain free quilting!!

From My Hands and Heart
by  Kate Mackinnon

Warning:  Reading Kate Mackinnon’s From My Hands and Heart may be a spoiler.

I was introduced to Craniosacral Therapy by a trusted colleague.  She had already demonstrated great skill and intuition in doing bodywork.  She did not give—and I did not require—much in the way of explanation prior to my first experience of CST.  Neither did we establish any particular expectations.  But the experience spoke for itself.   I quickly came to love CST and found the method profoundly powerful.   When I discovered emotions and memories all tangled up in my tissues it was a surprise—not an unwelcome surprise—but I cannot say I would have gone in pursuit of some the feelings I found.  CST often took me on a cathartic and even painful journey.  I’m wildly grateful I made the trip, but it was difficult at times. 

I wonder if my complete lack of preconceived notions might have allowed me to follow the unfolding experience without trying to drive it in any particular direction.  I ask myself: If I had read Mackinnon’s book before having CST would it have changed the experience?

Having said all that; From My Hands and Heart is very good reading.  It’s well organized and clearly expressed.  By the final pages I felt I’d gotten to know the author.  What’s more, I believe her.  Despite the limited science documenting CST, I am willing to stretch my credulity a bit to encompass some of the dramatic results attributed to CST. 

But then, I already know what CST can do. 

 

In my previous profession I advocated for better public health policy.  These days I like to say I advocate for better personal health policy.  But one thing remains the same; back when I was part of efforts to reduce alcohol promotions to children, or pass sane gun laws, I often encountered the concept of “the perfect is the enemy of the good”.  As a Pilates instructor I still find insisting on perfection can result in no improvement at all.

Every year, shortly after the New Year, I see a handful of new clients who are determined to “get fit”.  They often ask if they can come two or even three times a week and are disappointed when I don’t have openings that mesh with their new weekly yoga and Zumba classes.  I usually resist the urge to caution against taking on so many new activities at once.  I teach their introductory session with my usual methodical attention to the fundamentals.  I demur when a new gung-ho client wants more resistance and advanced exercises before learning how to stabilize the spine.  I explain that Pilates is a powerful method, capable of changing their bodies forever, but it takes time and practice.  If these clients return, it is usually just a few times.  Often they don’t even complete all the sessions in the package they’ve purchased.

It is possible Pilates is simply not their cup of tea.  But I think they are setting themselves up for failure by thinking fitness is an all or nothing proposition. 

The secular New Year is still months away.  But I’d like to plant the seed for everyone contemplating a resolution to “get fit.  Try adding one new, healthy behavior at a time.  Give it a few weeks and don’t give up if you fail initially.  Try again, perhaps adjusting your goal to make it a little less ambitious.  After all, walking to work once a week is better than not at all.  And who knows, once you’ve done it a few times, you may feel like doing it more often.  It needn’t be all or nothing.

 In a quest to conserve, I’ve been trying to eliminate energy loss from so-called “vampire appliances”—electrical devices that are always “on,” even when you are not using them and they seem “off.”  As long as they are plugged into an outlet, electric “vampires” draw a small but constant stream of energy.  I’ve plugged some of my vampires into power strips so I can flip a switch and turn them truly off when they are not in use.  But the power plugs to some electrical gizmos—like my microwave oven—are inaccessible.  These vampires continue to glow softly, day and night, silently sucking energy from the grid and adding to my utility bill.

Now that I’ve done what I can about electrical vampires, I’ve started thinking about other kinds of vampires that suck energy from my body and spirit.

Pain is a major energy drain.  I used to experience pain on most days; headaches, back pain, nerve pain in my neck, shoulder, and hand.  I actually got used to being in pain.  I adapted to it and I could function.  But I was always tired, often cranky, and I got sick a lot.  That’s one vampire I really do not miss.

Allergies can be vampires too.  Mine were never life-threatening, but they caused sinus headaches that made we want to pull my head off and throw it away.  Tracking down my allergies and significantly reducing my exposure has restored a lot of otherwise wasted energy.

Caffeine, sugar, and alcohol are all vampires.  I’ll never give them up entirely, but I’ve put them on metaphorical power strips—that is, I try not to consume them mindlessly.  I make a conscious (if irrational) choice to let them suck a little of my resources, rather than leave them constantly plugged in, draining me daily.

Last, but definitely not least, toxic relationships are the most powerful vampires of all.   I’m not saying it is easy, but you can end a relationship with a toxic boss or co-worker by changing jobs.  And you might find you are just too busy to see “friends” who make you feel like shit.  Toxic family members, on the other hand, are often a different story.  Unplugging from a toxic parent, sibling, in-law, or other family member may simply not be possible.  You can get a small amount of protection by remembering that some relationships just plain suck.  It’s not your fault, they’re vampires.

I am getting ready to celebrate a “landmark” birthday.  I’ll turn 60 in December.  When people ask how I plan to mark the occasion, I typically describe two trips I have planned.  But I find I am thinking less about the 60th anniversary of my birth than the 30 or so years I may have left beyond that day.  I often joke with my clients that “it’s all maintenance from here on out.”  But sustainability has become a major theme as I think both about my own aging and how I teach Pilates.

My appreciation for the power of Pilates has only grown over the years.  First, I experienced my own body change and improve.  I went from chronic pain to mostly pain free, increased my strength and endurance, and toned every muscle.  When I became an instructor I witnessed my clients achieving similar benefits.  Now I am beginning to understand and emphasize three qualities that make Pilates a particularly valuable tool as we age. 

Pilates promotes fitness both in the studio and outside of it.  A well-rounded Pilates practice can help older adults keep doing the things they love and even take on new physical challenges.  One client, age 58, reported she was able to hike farther while carrying a heavy backpack during her vacation this summer.  She attributes this change to practicing Pilates for the past year.

Pilates adapts to fit every body.  Pilates trains us to use all of our muscles, distributing effort and avoiding the wear-and-tear caused by recruiting the wrong muscle for the job.  Older bodies—which are often slower to recover from intense physical activity—benefit from working smarter, not necessarily harder.

Pilates encourages independence.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to see my clients when they come in for their workouts.  But many are now free from work and parenting roles and they like to travel.  Once they know how to do them correctly, Pilates practitioners can perform many mat exercises in a minimum of space with little more than a mat or towel.  This means they can maintain hard-earned strength and flexibility even when away from home.

Fitness professionals inevitably work with people who are concerned about their diets.  Most want to lose weight, but there are many other ways people can benefit from changes in what they eat.  Diet has been shown to affect mood, chronic pain, and allergy symptoms.  As a certified Pilates instructor nutrition guidance is not within my scope of practice.  I wanted to be able to refer clients for nutrition counseling, but make a practice of referring only to professionals with whom I have personal experience.  I was also curious about the cleansing and detox diets I’d been hearing about from my clients and in the news.  This spring I found a professional nutrition consultant[1] to guide me through a detox.  This is what I learned from my experience.

Seven lessons I learned from a detox diet

There are all sorts of detox and cleansing diets out there.  My detox was customized for me by a nutrition consultant.  It required the elimination all sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, eggs, soy, and dairy.  I was directed to drink 8 glasses of water each day, consume 8 servings of vegetables, limit fruit to 2 or 3 servings, replace two meals each day with special meal replacement shake formulated by professional nutritionists[2], take a handful of detox supplements twice a day, avoid non-organic foods where I could, and be sure to eat adequate protein.  I was encouraged to start the day by drinking the juice of half a lemon in a cup of warm water,  drink at least one cup of homemade vegetable broth, and use a soft, dry brush all over my body before my shower every morning.  I also drank toasted dandelion root tea – purported to support liver function - once or twice a day. 

This regime was designed to address my primary motivation for the detox; finding out what foods might be contributing to my chronic drippy nose and achy sinuses.  I was tired of taking antihistamines almost daily and pretty sure they put a burden on my liver.  After completing the four week diet in April, I spent a few more weeks gradually reintroducing foods.  Now, a couple months post-detox, I feel ready to reflect on what I learned from the experience. 

The diet was not unpleasant, although I did suffer from headaches for five days after weaning myself from black tea.  I was never hungry and my energy level was normal.  If I wanted, I could even eat out once a day.  The diet does require some discipline and planning.  But, while I did not manage perfect compliance, there were no serious lapses.

Here’s what I learned:

1.    Caffeine disturbs my sleep.  After years of sleep interrupted by hot flashes and restlessness I had given up on ever sleeping through the night again.  I wasn’t terribly concerned about it because I was convinced I was still getting enough rest.  Also, because I was drinking only one or two cups of tea a day I didn’t think caffeine could be a problem.  But, as soon as I got all the caffeine out of my system I started to sleep better—much better.   Some nights I put my head on the pillow and awake the next morning with no recollection of waking during the night. 

2.    Gluten, eggs, and soy are not a problem.  With all the headlines about gluten sensitivity, it is nice to know I can eat wheat without a worry, especially because I love to make my own sourdough bread and pizza.  I am also free to take advantage of eggs and soy as great sources of protein.

3.    I can do with a lot less sugar.  Until I made a point of eliminating processed sugars from my diet, I had no idea how much I was consuming.  I craved sugar for about a week and then the craving just went away.  Now I choose more nutritious foods when I need a quick snack and no longer experience an afternoon slump.

4.    I can do with a lot more vegetables.  I thought my diet was pretty good.  I love vegetables, but it turns out I wasn’t eating nearly the quantity I could.  Consuming 8 servings of vegetables each day was a huge challenge.  I had to plan to have plenty of fresh vegetables in the house and get creative finding quick, easy ways to incorporate them into my meals.  I now keep washed and cut-up vegetables in my refrigerator so I can throw a cup or more into whatever I heat for lunch, snack on them during the day, and augment the green salads I’ve taken to eating for dinner two or three times a week. 

5.    Alcohol is toxic.  (Yeah, I know this shouldn’t have come as a surprise!)  I waited several weeks to reintroduce alcohol.  After drinking even a small amount of wine I wake up with puffiness around my eyes and a headache.  Although I do have an occasional glass of beer or shot of Irish whiskey, I try not to drink more than once a week.  Awareness of the consequences helps me stop with one.

6.    Life without sinus pain makes it worth living without cheese.   It’s easy to give up ice cream, pizza, and, yes, even crème brulee in exchange for no more sinus headaches.  I like to cook, so I’ve experimented with substituting coconut milk and almond milk with some success.  I’ve even found a vegan mac & “cheez” that simulates that creamy, cheesy texture we all need once in a while.  I still get some nasal congestion, but my allergy symptoms are much better.   I’ve taken only a few antihistamines since starting the detox diet, and then only when visiting a friend with cats.  And, my husband is thrilled that I no longer wake him up with my loud snoring.

7.    Dry skin brushing feels great and makes my skin glow.  Following the advice of my nutrition advisor, I bought a brush and watched an instructive YouTube video to learn the technique for dry skin brushing.  The first time I tried it I was hooked.  It’s a great way to wake up your body and remove dead skin cells, leaving skin soft and smooth.  It also diminishes the appearance of dimpled skin, or cellulite, on the thighs.  I can’t tell if brushing actually helps my skin remove toxins, but that would just be another benefit.

The take-aways

I’ve made some permanent changes based on what I learned from my detox experience.  I no longer drink caffeinated tea or coffee.  I limit my sugar intake and try to eat only small amounts of whole grains and complex carbohydrates.  When I indulge in sweets, I savor every morsel and find I am satisfied with less. I avoid butter, milk, cream, and cheese.  I build meals around vegetables, and sometimes include two vegetables instead of adding pasta, rice, or potatoes to a menu.  I drink alcohol infrequently and in small quantities.

I feel great, have plenty of energy and sleep better than I have in years.  I haven’t had a sinus headache for months.  I have probably lost a few pounds, although I never weigh myself so it’s just a guess.  My clothes fit better and my stomach is definitely flatter than before.  Although it’s called a detox “diet” I never felt I was “dieting” in the sense of deprivation.  Approached in a mindful way, with knowledgeable guidance, this was a gift to my body—an investment in my health and wellbeing.  I earned immediate benefits and expect to continue reaping rewards.

© Laurie Leiber June 19, 2012


[1] Anasuya Basil is a California State certified Nutrition Consultant.

[2] The meal replacement shake was rice protein powder with additional herbs and nutrients that support the liver such as milk thistle and celandine, and the amino acids used by the liver to break down toxins such as glycine, methionine and glutathione.  Even mixed with plain water, the powder produced a very palatable, filling shake.  Both the shakes and supplements were created by a company with a clinical team of health practitioners, doctors and nutritionists. 

Even though running requires relatively little in the way of gear, I did need a decent pair of running shoes and a sport bra to call my own.  Fortunately, I live around the corner from See Jane Run.  The salesperson was incredibly patient as I tried on eight or ten pair of shoes and walked around to see how they felt.  In the end I bought the ones she had secretly expected to fit the best after analyzing my gait.  I guess that's how they get their jollies at SJR.

One down, bra to go.  Sport bras are not generally my idea of a good time.  They smash you into an unattractive monoboob and are ugly to boot.  I found one that wasn't too awful looking, and while it does indeed press my breasts into a single rounded shape, it zips up the front making it the easiest to put on and take off.  In my book that counts for a lot.

Sadly, they only had the bra I wanted in "nude".  I really hate "nude".  But they found my size in black at another store and arranged to have it sent over.  During the following week--while  waiting for my bra to arrive--I continued to run wearing various sport tops with built-in bras, reinforced with a regular bra underneath.  It felt like my chest was wrapped tight in an ACE bandage but my jerry-rigged brassiere seemed to do the job.

A set-back

Meanwhile, my knee went wonky and started to hurt so much I had to slow my work-outs down to a walk.  I rolled out my IT bands, stretched my quads, performed countless knee sets--all in an effort to stop the pain.  It wasn't getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either.

I resigned myself to the possibility I am not destined to be a runner, but I kept showing up at the track.  The track in question is above the Clark Kerr Campus at Cal.  It's about 5 minutes from my house by car.  Although I feel slightly goofy driving to my running work-out, I'm convinced the dirt track is better for me and my knee.
I walked the track for 30 minutes every other day until my knee stopped hurting.  This happened to coincide with putting arch supports in my shoes, but I honestly don't know if the two things are related.  The arch supports are still there and my knee no longer hurts.  I plan to leave well enough alone.

Having finally finished Week 2, I prepared to move on to Week 3.  I listened to the first part of the W3 podcast.  After a 5 minutes walk to warm-up, it calls for two repetitions of the following pattern: 90 seconds running, 90 seconds brisk walking, 3 minutes running, 3 minutes brisk walking.

Those 3 minute runs had me worried.

I'm 56 years old and the last time I remember even trying to run was in middle school.  My life as a Pilates instructor means I have plenty of opportunities to do strength training.      In addition to two or three Pilates workouts each week, I'd walk 3 miles two or three times a week.  But over the past year I noticed I was putting on weight around my middle.  It seemed like it was time to try something to kick-start my menopausal metabolism.

A client mentioned she was starting the Couch to 5 K program (known as C25K).  I downloaded the free podcast from a  link she sent and scouted out  the elementary school up the street from my house.  They don't have a real track but there is a grassy area that seemed suitable.

False Start

Wearing my old sneakers and carrying my MP3 player, I arrived at the field already warm from walking up the hill.  I put my earbuds in and turned on the podcast.  A calm, encouraging voice told me exactly what to do and I started the training run, following the simple instructions as well as I could. 

What followed felt like a disaster.  Although I managed to finish, it was a decidedly unpleasant experience.  About half-way into the 30 minute program of running and walking intervals I felt a sharp stinging pain in my left ankle.  Bending over to bring my face close to the spot, I could see a tiny stinger sticking out of my skin.  I pulled it out and hopped around for a few seconds as the pain flared and then subsided.   Meanwhile, my chest and stomach were inching and burning, a sensation I still remember from those long ago middle school runs, and I had sweat running into my eyes.  As I forced myself to finish the remaining intervals I kept thinking, "I never have to do this again.  I never have to do this again.  I never have to do this again."  That silent chant is what got my through.

My ankle swelled up and the skin around the bite blistered and wept.  I slathered the spot with Benadryl cream and popped antihistimines, but it was itchy and painful for days.
 
That would have been the end of my running if my niece hadn't come for a visit.  Rachel is an avid runner. She's completed marathons and seems to run for the sheer joy of it.  I was looking for some of that joy, so I told her about my unhappy debut.  She offered to take me out for a training run.

Under Rachel's watchful eye I had a much more successful experience.  Wearing one of her sport bras, she had me run on the gravel path around Lake Merritt, where I was less likely to encounter any wasps.  She bumped up my running intervals to 90 seconds, but kept reminding me to take it easy.   I completed about 21 minutes of intervals and felt I'd had enough, so I walked the rest of the way around the lake while Rachel took off like a gazelle. 

This time I had fun.  Rachel cheerfully distracted me the whole way and the  bra helped too.  The greatly minimized bounce resulted in a lot less itching and burning.
 
After running with Rachel I was ready to recommit myself to the C25K program.  That meant I'd be doing some shopping.