Take one and call your doctor in the morning?

By Lynn Difley We are taking a two-week holiday in England, staying in a converted barn and enjoying tramping around the Cotswolds. Today we visited a village that is popular with tourists and I was delighted at the number of senior citizens enjoying the scenery. We saw tour buses unload vast numbers of the silver haired tourists. The people walked up and down, enjoying the shops, the tea houses, chatting and enjoying the countryside. These people, no matter age or infirmity were walking. Many of them used walkers or canes, the pace of some were slow, but all were ambulating, and it was obvious that they were used to walking as a way of getting from one place to another. Shocking to Americans, who regard cars as the only acceptable means of transportation. Here in Britain, walking is a way of life. People walk in the morning, to ‘stir their stumps.” People walk down to the greengrocers to purchase fresh vegetables. People walk down to the post office, then down to get a newspaper, then home for lunch. In the afternoon, many walk down to the local tea house, for a cuppa and a conversation with friends. After supper, its time for evening “walkies”, to settle the meal before sleep. You get the picture. These people walk all over the place, all the time. You probably know that walking can slow the aging process and keep you feeling great. Here are just a few of the ways walking can enhance your life: Cardiovascular/heart health. Instead of the natural weakening of... Read more

Back Pain: The Scourge of RVers

By Lynn Difley Bill writes to me” I have spinal stenosis but that really only bothers me when I stand and walk.  The thing that bothers me when I sit and drive a lot is the back end of my butt.  It is like all the pressure is on it and it really hurts.  Getting up and out and walking around for a while makes it better but once it starts it only takes about another half hour of driving to bring it back again.  I have a 5er with a power seat in the truck.  I have tried moving the seat forward or back, changing the height, changing the tilt of the seat with no success. “Any suggestions on what causes this and what I can do about it?” Read more  Read More →

Benefits of Exercise: Myth or Magic?

Did you see the Time magazine article “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin”? I have had several students ask me about this article, so let’s take a look at it. The article is bound to confuse and mislead, it is full of half truths and exaggerations, and can lead to a mistaken conclusion about the role of exercise in weight loss. It is true that exercise alone will not result in weight loss for most people. You would have to exercise at the volume and intensity of an Olympic class athlete to burn off the 3500 calories required to reduce body weight by a pound. However, every reputable study on successful weight loss techniques concludes that exercise is an important part of weight reduction, along with reducing calories consumed, increasing or maintaining muscle mass and learning mental techniques to deal with life’s everyday difficulties. Exercise by itself will not guarantee a slim silhouette, but it goes a long way towards helping to swing the pendulum to the side of calories burned, and away from calories consumed. To reduce weight you must reduce the amount of calories consumed along with increasing the number of calories burned. It can mean that you keep busy with walking, gardening, cleaning and grandchildren chasing all day. You do not have to join a gym and stand beside the author of that article as he sweats on the Stairmaster. The article states that exercise increases appetite, leading people to eat more than they would otherwise consume. There are many studies... Read more

Goodnight, Sleep Well

Goodnight, sleep well. It’s a common parting phrase. When we leave the campsite potluck, or the card game at our neighbor’s rig, we say, “goodnight, sleep well.” If you are one of the many who suffer from insomnia, this is not a welcome phrase. Insomnia is a common problem, and often increases with the years. You’d think a motorhoming life would be free of worries and problems that cause sleep difficulties, but it may not be true for you. Do you have trouble falling asleep, lying there listening to the vague hum of your neighbor’s TV, or the crickets in the fields? Or do you get to sleep easily, only to wake up in the dark dead of night, and not be able to find restful sleep again until the early morning hours. If you have bought a new mattress, or at least tried higher thread count sheets and still not found relief, I have a prescription that is one of the best, most effective ways to encourage sleep without harmful side effects. Best of all, it’s free. This technique is based on pranyama, an ancient Indian practice of breathing. You may think breathing is totally unconscious, but the fact is it can be controlled, and used to influence heart rate, blood pressure, circulation, hormone production, stress levels and other bodily functions. So how does the breathing pattern go? Glad you asked. Lying comfortably, after you have been to the bathroom, smoothed out the sheets and turned out all the lights, close your eyes and relax your body. Inhale through your nose... Read more

Aching Back From Driving or Sitting? You Can Do Something About It

By lynn Difley Back pain complaints are the number one worry of most of those who live and love to travel in their RV’s. When I teach a back clinic at rallys it’s always to a full house and the back ailments, while they are as many and varied as the typical RV group, are a source of pain, discomfort, and even disability to all. What can you do to alleviate the worst stymptoms, and how can you deal with your back problem without spending a fortune on surgery, medications and chiropractic visits? Read more  Read More →

Competition Eating: Not a Sport to Emulate

By Lynn difley We are indeed a nation of wacky folks. I’m just shaking my head at the craziness of it all. We are currently suffering from a serious health threat due to obesity, have the world’s biggest overweight problem, a million people struggling to control their errant eating and last weekend–and one of the big events–was a competition I hope you never enter. Competitive eating. In honor of the 4th Nathan’s Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest was held. Over 30,000 spectators attended this event in 2006, it was broadcast on ESPN, and an additional 1.5 million households watched it live. This is not what I would regard as a sport. The 94th annual contest this year featured six time winner Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut, both previous champs. The winner, Chestnut, set a new record of 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, while Tsunami finished second with only 64 and a half hot dogs. According to legend on July 4, 1916 four immigrants had a hot dog eating contest at Nathan’s hot dog stand on Coney Island to settle an argument about who was the most patriotic. It has been held almost every year since. These competitive eaters defend their practice, and find a thrill in cramming food down their throats while crowds cheer them on. Eating is often entertaining, but food is fuel for the body. There are foods that are high-grade fuel, and those that are not so healthful. Fresh fruits and vegetables are high quality foods that... Read more

Back on Track

By Lynn Difley A big hello to all those on the road, or about to take off for summer activities.  I’ve been down but not out for a couple of weeks, due to a computer malfunction–as in “she’s done broke”. I’m glad to say I had purchased a long term warranty along with the computer from Circuit City. Oops, Circuit City closed and had their final sale. They are no more. My heart sank at the thought that I would have to buy another computer, and had perhaps lost all the material I had carelessly neglected to back up. Drat and bother, this blankety blank economy. But wait! The good news for me was that the warranty was still being honored by their warranty contractor. I had to take my computer into Radio Shack, where they helped me wade through a pile of paper work (who says this is a paper free society?) and I sent it off to a repair center. I waited, ok, I was a bit nervous about it, but we checked by Email and all seemed to be progressing normally. A part that was necessary was on backorder–isn’t the one part you need always on backorder? Soon they answered that the computer was in shipment, and the next afternoon I went down to Radio Shack and picked it up. Hooray, it is as good as new, with a new motherboard, whatever that is. Now I’m back on line and in business. So what did I miss? Do let me know what you were up to, what happened while I was off line and out of contact?  I was relieved the first week it was gone, free of the responsibilities I... Read more

Summer’s Here

By Lynn Difley It’s already past Memorial Day weekend, the launching of the summer barbeque season. Time to scrape off the grill and get ready for some good outdoor feasting. Summer barbeques can be a dangerous area for those trying to eat healthier or hold the line on the waistline. If you are hosting, I know you are looking for the best and healthiest offering for your guests, and if you are visiting others, or attending a potluck, you want to enjoy the offerings without padding your hips. Are you a burger and hot dog traditionalist? You can make alterations to enjoy healthier slimmer choices. Start by substituting a 100% wholewheat bun for the soggy white one to add fiber. And what about making it an open face, or single slice treat? Or use a big romaine lettuce leaf for the top layer. You can also reduce the fat; instead of a pork hot dog (300 cals and 25 g fat) choose a turkey burger (160 cals and 9 g fat) or even better, a veggie burger (110 calories 4 grams of fat). Instead of adding cheese, mayo, or bacon to your burger, go for mustard, lettuce, onion, and tomato to add lots of vitamins and no fat. Are you making a big potato salad?  Calorie red alert! More nutritious if you leave the skins on the potatoes–little red ones or Yukon gold have a delicious flavor on their own–no need to slather on dressings.  Substitute nonfat Greek yogurt for mayo. And add onions, celery, pickles, etc to add some crunch and zip. What about making a delicious veggie platter... Read more

Gotta Love This Boy

By Lynn Difley Just when you think it is getting all too bleak; another dealership closing, another friend undergoing foreclosure, still one more good program terminated for lack of funding, a ray of hope surfaces to remind us that we will survive this and it will all improve with time. I found just such a ray of hope I want to share. It is the project of Zach Bonner, an 11-year-old boy who has decided he wants to draw attention to the plight of homeless children. Zach has already walked from Tampa to Tallahassee, and from Tallahassee to Atlanta to draw attention to the fact that 13 children per day die due to homelessness. His goal on this trip is to go all the way from Atlanta to Washington DC. The trip is a journey of 665 miles. He plans to walk 11 miles a day for a total of over 600 miles, and figures it will take him two months. His mother will drive an RV, donated by Lazy Daze. He is asking kids to send letters, which he will hand deliver to President Obama, documenting the concern of other kids for the plight of the children who are suffering through no fault of their own. What a great project and kudos to Lazy Daze for donating their RV as his support vehicle. He is asking for letters to take to the president, and donations for the homeless project for kids. He invites everyone to join him along the way. You can go to his website and track his progress. If you are traveling anywhere along his path, make it a point to look for him. If you stay in a campground along his... Read more

Sitting Stretches

Lynn Difley While I am not a fan of prolonged sitting, I know all too well that many times those of us who live and travel in an RV are destined to spend more than our share of time in a sitting position. So are those who work at a desk or computer, and so I’d like to offer a few stretches to at least help alleviate some of the stiffness and soreness that comes from spending too many hours seated. The most efficient way to do these exercises is on a frequent basis; don’t wait till you are so stiff you are aching to do your stretching. I recommend every hour or two, especially if the drive is stressful. Naturally, these moves are not for the driver, unless you pull over to the side of the road to do them. Do each stretch gently and smoothly, breathing deeply, holding for 15-30 seconds while continuing to breathe deeply and slowly. Neck stretch: sit up tall with shoulders relaxed, back lifted and straight. Let your left ear drop toward your left shoulder and hold. Allow the weight of your head to carry the stretch deeper as you inhale and exhale. Roll your head toward the chest and hold it down, again breathing slowly and deeply as you feel the neck muscles stretch. Then roll your head back up toward the right and bring the right ear to the right shoulder, hold and relax. Chest stretch: Bring your hands behind your back and interlace your fingers, straighten your arms. Tighten the muscles of the shoulder and upper back and gently lift the hands up and away from your body. Keep... Read more

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