About two months ago, I began running, again, for I can't tell you the how many hundredth time. For the past five years I have had one false start after another. After a few weeks I always began to get twinges (or worse) in my feet, ankles or knees. It was so frustrating! I'm way too young to stop moving. So I'd give it some time off and begin again. Today's post is about sharing one of the things that made my current 7 week running streak possible.
I have very tight muscles (and no, a fifteen year yoga practice has not yet completely overcome my uptight personality). Now, my theory was that these muscles were causing imbalances and hence my aching ankles. The worst moment was when, less than a half a mile from our house, I had to flag down my neighbor for a ride home. Daily massages were not an option and no stretching regime had worked. At left find the
Sunpentown Healthy Swing Machine with Swivel Disc
, my personal live-in masseuse.
I must admit, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous when I first saw it. Really, swinging the legs such a short distance, how could it help? What I did not understand was what a persistent little bugger this is. It just keeps swinging for as long as programmed. At first it just moved my feet, but as the session progressed it moved up the body. As each lower region relaxed, more and more movement happened, until at the end, I can usually feel the gentle rocking all the way up to my neck. If you figure $60 an hour for a massage, this has paid for itself six times over in the three months I've owned it.
One day I forgot to use the machine before I took off for my jog. I had to go even more slowly than usual to warm up and never really felt very good. Let's just say I've not forgotten again.
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