Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane

staying healthy in the fast lane

hour-and-a-half class (www.gaiam.com is an excellent re-

source for such DVDs). Clear a space in your house for this.

Get a yoga mat and cloth belt to assist you in stretching.

¾ Do safe, secure, light stretching in the shower when the
hot water is running on the areas of stretch.

¾ Stretch in a pool or a hot tub.

¾ When sitting for long periods of time while traveling,
stand up and stretch at your seat or go to the back of the
plane. If driving, pull over at a rest stop and get out of the
car to stretch.

¾ Use walls anywhere to do flexion and extension of your
lower back. Just stand arm’s length from a wall (palms
on the wall), feet shoulder-width apart, and move your
pelvis toward the wall. Then move your pelvis away while
flexing forward with palms still flat on the wall. Repeat
this five to twenty times.

¾ Stretch on the floor while watching TV.

¾ If you have no idea how to stretch, get the book Stretch-
ing by Bob and Jean Anderson (2010). It’s a classic. (The
thirtieth anniversary edition just came out.)

¾ Remember that any stretching is better than no stretch-
ing.

¾ If you get muscle cramps, try supplementing with calcium
and magnesium in a one-to-one ratio at 500 mg each or
at a dose that doesn’t give you loose stools from the ex-
tra magnesium (especially if you just got off dairy prod-
ucts). Hold your caffeinated beverages (coffees, teas, en-
ergy drinks, soft drinks, etc.). They can aggravate muscle
cramps. If it is hot and you sweat a lot, you may also add
salt to your food.

¾ Doing any exercise or recreation that moves a wide vari-
ety of muscles and limbs in different ways is very help-
ful for flexibility and can be a natural way of stretching
(dancing, martial arts, basketball, etc).