I thought to share these email with everyone as I found them so relevant to many people.
Carol’s problem is more common than you might think. Often people think that they have to push themselves to the limit in order to gain any benefit.
That is not true.
Look at the human body; it is a living, natural machine that is intended to serve us in normal daily life. All we have to do is work it with normal everyday-like energy not anything extraordinary and it will be just fine. The problem is that we seem to either do nothing or else we go overboard. Somewhere in-between is where we should be going!
No exercise will kill us, but too much and too hard will make the body go into self-protection mode, blocking us, and if it cannot block us then we get injured, slowing us down. That is why sometimes less is more!
Read the following email from Carol as she talks about this.
Hello Classical Stretch Staff:
I have been told by my chiropractor I should not use weights ever again in my exercise routine. I keep getting muscle spasms and back problems whenever I use free weights in exercise. The Fibromyalgia doesn't help of course! The doctor says the weights are causing inflammation, etc. I am 61 years old, 40 pounds overweight and per my doctor, I have, have, have to exercise.
From what I've seen, by doing your exercises and also possibly Pilates, I can build strength to my muscles and help my bones too as I have ostepenia, become trimmer, healthier, etc. I did explain your exercises to him and he said to "go for it.”
**I have your Season 4 set. It's funny, as a side note, that I was doing your exercises faithfully then thought that they weren't enough for my bones, weight loss and muscles so I paid loads of money on other DVDs and wound up in the chiropractor's office with severe pain and couldn't exercise for many months. Now, did that help me, by leaving you? No. So, I guess I was "unfaithful". I am a slow learner. Sorry. I stopped watching infomercials; for real.
I am ready! Any suggestions on how to start, or just go ahead and get going with the Season 4?
Oh, I also have your Back Pain Relief DVD and trust me, it really works. I have stopped spasms with it many times. When I get that Funny Feeling/Twinge in my back I get the DVD out and am o.k.
Do you offer a food plan? I hear you once in awhile mention food, but not too often.
Thanks for a wonderful program. I am so glad that our Public Broadcast Station has your episodes on it.
Best to you and your crew. You are great.
Carol
Hi Carol,
It sounds like season 4 is too easy for you. If you can do weights then you are definitely ready for season 6. These workouts will help lose weight, treat osteopina, while stretching & strengthening your entire body. Classical Stretch is a full body program, which means that we intend to exercise all 600 muscles and 200 bones. It increases circulation, which brings blood and calcium into the bones while challenging them. We have received hundreds of emails from people who have used this program to successfully reverse osteoporosis as well as to lose weight and get into good shape. So it should work for you.
Re a diet:
I don’t believe in diets I believe in changing your eating habits to last a lifetime. I try to eat “real” not processed foods and I always look for local and organic food. Local & organic usually means that the food has less pesticides and fertilizers than factory farmed food, which has gone hundreds of miles and been sprayed with preservatives to keep it looking fresh and lasting an unnatural length of time. Those preservatives can interfere with our metabolism as well as make us sick. I also avoid junk food, (most of the time) and occasionally have desert. I eat a lot of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and free run “happy” chickens not factory raised chickens, which again are stuffed full of hormones during their unhappy lives.
I keep my calorie count between 1200 and 1500 daily and generally exercise an hour a day. This lifestyle keeps me full of energy and reasonably healthy so I think it is good. It takes discipline at first to get out of the old eating habits and into new ones but after a while the new habits make you feel so good you will never look back
My best,
Miranda
Hello Miranda,
Thank you so much for your program - I love it! I follow it on the local
Tampa PBS station and tell as many of my friends about the show.
I do have a question...the exercises do make my legs and core stronger but
they are KILLING my feet. Do you have exercises for strengthen the muscles.
I've tried the 3point toe/ankle stretch but that doesn't seem to change
things. The ache occurs when I'm doing extremely pulling/lunge parts of the
program. To note- the pain occurs whether I'm standing on my mat or the
carpet. Sometimes I get cramps when I'm driving too (manual)
Pattie
PS - I'm 49 and in average physical shape - I hate to ask the dr since
they'll just say take a pill.
Hi Pattie,
It is hard to tell from a distance what is the problem. Feet are the furthest extremities from our heart so blood flow is the poorest into the feet.
It sounds like you might have some minor inflammation but I agree pills are the last solution as they have side effects. I do like medication but only after the natural solutions have been exhausted.
Try the following in any order;
Whenever you are seated on a chair rotate your ankles, and wiggle the toes in a very relaxed manor as much as you like, that will stimulate blood flow
Twice daily for a week or two submerge you foot over the ankle in a bucket of ice filled water. Stay for 30 minutes at a time till your feet are frozen to reduce inflammation
Lie on your back with your legs resting on a wall above the head to flush blood from the feet, that will wash out poisonous toxins in your feet
Do this for 2 weeks and let me know if things are better
Miranda
