Life is Healthy

“Self-myofascial release” sounds a little kinky, but it’s actually an excellent way to stretch and release knots in muscles. I use a molded foam roller from Perform Better on my back, hip flexors, glutes, shoulders, hamstrings, under my arms…almost anywhere I get knotted up.

The foam roller made a world of difference in managing my sciatica. There used to be days when my glutes hurts so bad I could hardly walk. My massage therapist showed me techniques for loosening up those muscles, and now I find by using the foam roller every day before working out, I don’t have the same pain issues and my feet don’t fall asleep when I’m on the elliptical or arc trainer as often as they used to. Regular spinal adjustments by my chiropractor also help keep sciatica from being too much of a “pain in the butt.” Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

On another note, the calluses I’ve developed on the lower part of my fingers on the inside of my hands are peeling. If I didn’t wear gloves while lifting my new barbell, I can only imagine how tough the calluses would be, but I like them. They’re rewards and reminders of my hard work.

I’ve got freckles, too. More than I’ve ever had in my life, and my skin has seen the sun more in past years than this year. It’s probably my age. At almost 45 (that happens in six weeks), I’m assuming I’m more prone to age spots, freckles, whatever you want to call them.

My grandmother, Katinka Hagebakken (I’m not kidding you), had really beautiful age spots. Her hands at 90 years old were soft and boney and peppered with brown spots. Nothing cancerous, nothing dangerous, just small, pretty brown spots against her aging white skin. My mom has skin like that, too. While I look like my dad and am built like my dad, I have my mom’s skin. That’s compensation for inheriting the flat Haraldson butt.

So…freckles, sciatica and calluses. TMI, I’m sure. But the more into maintenance I get, the more aware I am of the other parts of me. While losing weight, I was focused on my scale number and what the measuring tape said. Now I notice the more subtle things – things I should have paid attention to even though obese, but never gave them the time of day. Like my toes and ankles and elbows. Do you ever just look at them? Appreciate them?

Give your body a look-see. What do you like? Don’t concentrate on the stuff you don’t like. Really find things you like.

Yes, I even like my problem with sciatica. Why? Because I don’t ignore it. I care for it and work it out. Calluses? If I had them before, I ignored them. And brown spots were just another flaw. No more. I’m keeping my eye out and concentrating on the positive.

Are you?