Positive Body Change brought to you by Pistol
Before turning to the saddle, I had tried various other activities such as swimming, physical therapy, yoga, personal training, belly dancing, pilates - all to no avail. No matter what I tried I was still in pain. There is nothing special about my aches and pains, except my age. I have been dealing with neck and back pain (that then becomes arm and leg pain) since I was in my growth spurt years. As an adult I have been informed that I have degenerative disc disease, which is a fancy way of saying - Oh look, arthritis!
I was still hiking and having adventures as best I could, but I felt limited a great deal of the time.
Some of the things I have managed to do before I started really feeling better are:
2010 I hiked Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park
2012 I hiked and Snorkeled around St John's and St Thomas
2014 I hiked through El Yunque National Forest and up Mt Britton
2014 I snorkeled in open waters and swam with wild sea turtles
2015 I swam with stingrays on Grand Cayman
2016 I toured castles in Germany and coastal towns in England
2018 I toured around Iceland and snowmobiled up across a glacier
Each adventure came with challenges that I alone had to face. Not challenges of 'hey we are going to scale a mountain', but challenges of my body literally not responding to what I needed it to do, challenges of the simple act of walking a nice trail resulting in screaming pain in my legs and back, challenges of struggling to maintain my luggage in airports because my neck and shoulders were too weak to handle it - these were things I struggled with, things that others make look easy and normal.
Mostly I kept the misery to myself, there is simply only so many times you can hear helpful advice from people who aren't living it. It's easy to say 'well you need to stretch, workout, eat better, lose weight, etc' especially if you don't know all the details. I was eating well (mostly :P) and was in various levels of working out/being active and was in various states of weight loss and gain. Those things are all in my control and I have worked to create balance with those aspects. The problem is the parts that are not in my control. I don't know when my body will refuse my instructions, I don't know when it will be a day that everything is uncomfortable and I feel overwhelmed.
Along with some spinal fun, I also deal with Hashimoto's, an auto-immune thyroid condition (yay genetics!), which I mostly maintain with lifestyle choices, but which can rear an ugly head on occasion and throw a wrench in my plans. I have spent the last 7 years figuring out what sets it off and what doesn't so that I can have a normal life.
Point is, yes I live an exciting and fun life, I work to never let my physical being stand in my way of experiencing life. That being said, I am always on a quest to make my physical self stronger, better, more functional, because I am literally not getting younger and age will take a toll on me, so I better get my butt in gear now if I have want any sort of fun later!
I know, right about know you're thinking, Amber, what the bleep does this have to do with your horse, I am reading your silly blog for horsey goodness.
Well, I'm getting there. So the root of a good chunk of my discomfort is essentially inflammation and stiff muscles, inflammation is controlled by diet and medication. Stiffness is controlled by motion, sounds simple right? Well it is and it isn't. When you start out in a place of being so stiff that your muscles cramp in protest at simple acts (like walking up a flight of stairs), then everyday life can be an obstacle. This is where Pistol makes a huge impact on my existence.
Not only am I forced to do cardio, build muscle, learn balance and gain confidence in my body abilities, I also am forced to be less stiff. The motion of a riding a horse mimics the motion of walking as a person, it is a natural gentle rock that relaxes tension and lets my back slowly start to become fluid. It takes constant work, constant riding and continuous effort, but I see a huge difference.
I went from not being sure I could ever saddle a horse on my own, to doing all of the things by myself easily! Sometimes sweaty, but the effort output gets less and less each time, it is truly amazing. There are always new challenges and fears to conquer, but with my horse it is all possible!
What I pay to own Pistol is paid back to me ten fold in the health benefits I reap from that relationship.
Because of him, I believe I will be able to live a long and active life where I will be able to mitigate the symptoms of aging in a much more productive way than would have otherwise been possible.
Thank you, Pistol.
I was still hiking and having adventures as best I could, but I felt limited a great deal of the time.
Some of the things I have managed to do before I started really feeling better are:
2010 I hiked Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park
2012 I hiked and Snorkeled around St John's and St Thomas
2014 I hiked through El Yunque National Forest and up Mt Britton
2014 I snorkeled in open waters and swam with wild sea turtles
2015 I swam with stingrays on Grand Cayman
2016 I toured castles in Germany and coastal towns in England
2018 I toured around Iceland and snowmobiled up across a glacier
Each adventure came with challenges that I alone had to face. Not challenges of 'hey we are going to scale a mountain', but challenges of my body literally not responding to what I needed it to do, challenges of the simple act of walking a nice trail resulting in screaming pain in my legs and back, challenges of struggling to maintain my luggage in airports because my neck and shoulders were too weak to handle it - these were things I struggled with, things that others make look easy and normal.
Mostly I kept the misery to myself, there is simply only so many times you can hear helpful advice from people who aren't living it. It's easy to say 'well you need to stretch, workout, eat better, lose weight, etc' especially if you don't know all the details. I was eating well (mostly :P) and was in various levels of working out/being active and was in various states of weight loss and gain. Those things are all in my control and I have worked to create balance with those aspects. The problem is the parts that are not in my control. I don't know when my body will refuse my instructions, I don't know when it will be a day that everything is uncomfortable and I feel overwhelmed.
Along with some spinal fun, I also deal with Hashimoto's, an auto-immune thyroid condition (yay genetics!), which I mostly maintain with lifestyle choices, but which can rear an ugly head on occasion and throw a wrench in my plans. I have spent the last 7 years figuring out what sets it off and what doesn't so that I can have a normal life.
Point is, yes I live an exciting and fun life, I work to never let my physical being stand in my way of experiencing life. That being said, I am always on a quest to make my physical self stronger, better, more functional, because I am literally not getting younger and age will take a toll on me, so I better get my butt in gear now if I have want any sort of fun later!
I know, right about know you're thinking, Amber, what the bleep does this have to do with your horse, I am reading your silly blog for horsey goodness.
Well, I'm getting there. So the root of a good chunk of my discomfort is essentially inflammation and stiff muscles, inflammation is controlled by diet and medication. Stiffness is controlled by motion, sounds simple right? Well it is and it isn't. When you start out in a place of being so stiff that your muscles cramp in protest at simple acts (like walking up a flight of stairs), then everyday life can be an obstacle. This is where Pistol makes a huge impact on my existence.
Not only am I forced to do cardio, build muscle, learn balance and gain confidence in my body abilities, I also am forced to be less stiff. The motion of a riding a horse mimics the motion of walking as a person, it is a natural gentle rock that relaxes tension and lets my back slowly start to become fluid. It takes constant work, constant riding and continuous effort, but I see a huge difference.
I went from not being sure I could ever saddle a horse on my own, to doing all of the things by myself easily! Sometimes sweaty, but the effort output gets less and less each time, it is truly amazing. There are always new challenges and fears to conquer, but with my horse it is all possible!
What I pay to own Pistol is paid back to me ten fold in the health benefits I reap from that relationship.
Because of him, I believe I will be able to live a long and active life where I will be able to mitigate the symptoms of aging in a much more productive way than would have otherwise been possible.
Thank you, Pistol.
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