One of the first posts on this blog, Get Ye a Morning Ritual, shared a great morning workout by Master Shi Heng Yi.
I’ve been doing this for over a year now and have recently upped my reps to 36. Master Yi uses the Ayurvedic numbers, so I’ve followed this pattern.
Really feeling it in my arms/shoulders and tops of my thighs. But yeah, it’s all good and I’m happy and thankful that I can do it and of course I feel better after I do.
Here’s the original workout:
The only problem with the 36 reps is that it takes a while, and I often lose count. My husband asks me a question, or the dog sees me standing still and gives me his signals for backyard, walkie time, or breakfast time… and so I pause, forget where I’m at in my count ….
So today, I did an 18-rep workout, and then I did it again for a total of 36 reps. I think this is gonna stick.
Whatever your health situation, this is a great way to get moving in the morning, and move that lymphatic system!
I recently spoke with an old friend who had heard of my diagnosis through the grapevine. He asked if I was doing all the things… all the things a person does when they get a diagnosis like this. Yes, I replied.
But what are the things? Well, there’s a lot of ’em, so I’m breaking them down by the phase of a typical day.
Here’s Part 1: Morning Routine.
I’ve wavered in consistency lately in terms of my morning routine. Months of extra-snowy and cold winter, plus traveling & staying with family are just a couple of the reasons why. There’s also “couch inertia,” aka “warm blanket in front of the fire,” inertia.
Yeah, its a thing.
It’s just a little snow… no biggie.
Here’s the morning routine I strive for (and often achieve):
Wake up between 6 and 7 am. I don’t use an alarm but seem to always wake up around this time.
Put on my dumb watch, which counts my steps and tells the time, but isn’t constantly sending updates to my phone.
Open the blinds & get a blast of natural light into the bedroom.
I add about a tablespoon of chaga to my coffee. Chaga is a mushroom product that has some really great health benefits.
A quick walk outside, usually my backyard. Put bare feet on the earth. This is called grounding, and there’s a wonderful documentary on YouTube called The Earthing Movie… check it out.
While I’m outside, I like to break pine needles and smell them. I feel that it wakes up a different part of my brain. In the summer, we have other aromatics like rosemary, basil, and lemon balm to choose from. But in winter, it’s pine.
Set my circadian rhythm by looking at the sun. We have mostly hazy sun here, and if you live in a very sunny place, this would be impossible. Still, our stomachs set their expectations based on this morning exposure to the sun. Read about it in the book The Oldest Cure in the World by Steve Hendricks.
I started doing this morning activation routine with Master Shi Heng Yi, and it was a great starting point. However, over time, I’ve added reps and hand weights and a few more exercises to make it a more challenging routine.
A shower with only yuka-approved soap, shampoo, and conditioner.
While showering, I do a lymphatic massage. This is based on lots of reading and videos by lymphatic specialists. A great resource is the Lymph Love Club, which you can follow on social media for lots of reminders and techniques. (Note: CLL is not only considered leukemia but also a form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, so taking care of that system is important for me, especially to balance out my sedentary work.)
A cold blast at the end of the shower, based on the research of Wim Hof.
Out of the shower, I get dressed, walk the dog, and do chores — or hit the rebounder — with a goal of getting 2500 steps before settling down to my desk at 8:45 am.
Ok, that’s it for the wake-up routine. Tune in next time… 📻
I went to Catholic school from 1st through 10th grade, and at the high school level, we did get into some really interesting stuff in theology class.
The history of the Bible is, in many ways, the history of human civilization, behavior, and even health.
One memorable lesson was involved leprosy… according to our teacher, it was caused when a person’s body became convinced that it was actually dead and flipped a switch internally… basically telling the microbial counterpart that it was okay to begin decomposing.
The disease could arise from poor sanitation and lack of physical movement (or from touching the sores of someone with leprosy).
We discussed how a bedridden person, or a prisoner held in chains in a dark, moldy dungeon, would be forced to stay sedentary, with who knows what sort of bacterial growth around them.
I was flashing back to that discussion while thinking about how physical inactivity is linked to many chronic diseases and declines in health.
I’ve heard it from many different sources: our comfortable lifestyle is the root of many diseases.
Personally, I’ve had some time off for the holidays and am now adapting to being back at my desk. Long story short: not loving it. I miss being more active.
Weather is another factor. A “feels like” temp of 4° is not helpful in terms of physical activity. Even my dog has stopped wanting to go for walks, choosing just a quick backyard potty time.
And of course, the lack of daylight hours is just plain old depressing. Your body wants to hibernate!
Oh, January… you’re killing me!
Proactive Steps
In light of the toll a cold January can take, I have:
Increased reps on the morning activation routine.
Added some handweights to a few morning activation exercises.
Am striving to get at least 2500 steps prior to the beginning of the work day. These are mostly on my rebounder.
And I’ve started taking “stair breaks” a few times per day. I just run up and down the main staircase at my home to get my heart pumping. I try to do at least 3 ups/3 downs per break.
Booked a flight to Florida! ✈️
What do you do? Send me your suggestions in the comments!
Scrolling thru social media a while back, I discovered this interesting way to move the lymphatic fluid around through massage.
I made up a routine based on what I was seeing, using 18 repetitions (it matches the morning activation exercises I’ve been doing and Ayurvedic tradition). I do it in the shower every morning! And I incorporate a cold blast!
This video explains it well:
My shower routine:
Get in and wash as usual (with soap and shampoo that get great scores on the Yuka app 👍).
After shampooing, begin at neck, and do 18 sweeping motions from ear to collarbone.
Next, 18 sweeping motions along each collarbone, towards center of body. Give each collarbone a few light taps at the end.
While one arm is over your head, 18 sweeping motions from center of ribcage (sternum) to armpit. Alternate beginning at the center of the ribcage with beginning at the waist and pushing up along your sides. Ladies, you can also check for any lumps or changes in that area.
Once you’ve done that, keep your arm raised over your head and sweep down from elbow to armpit. Put your thumb in the armpit at the end of each stroke. (Btw, armpits should feel like hollow pits. When I was getting diagnosed, mine were fat and puffy. Not good.)
18 circular sweeps of the stomach area. Pretend you are pooh bear rubbing his tum. Use a clockwise motion.
Around this time, I put in my hair conditioner, turn the water so it is cool, and get my head out of the reach of the spray.
Now it’s time for legs. Remember those spaghetti servers? Make your fingers look like those. I’ll put a photo at the bottom of this post.
18 strokes to the back of the leg using spaghetti fingers. I tend to sort of push a little. Move from ankle to back of knee.
18 strokes to the shin, moving again from ankle to knee.
9 to 18 pinches to just under the kneecap. There’s a pressure point there. It shouldn’t hurt. I’ll try to find a photo so you know how to position your hands.
Use both hands to encircle each leg just above the knee, and move up 18 times. Do both sides.
Lastly, do 18 presses to the pressure point around the aortas to the sides of the groin area.
Now turn the water as cold as you can handle and rinse out the conditioner.
CLL is considered both a leukemia and a lymphoma. (Yeah… I got a BOGO on cancer 😵💫?!?)
Having watched my mother and my sister-in-law battle breast cancer, I knew that the lymph system is often the pathway for a disease to spread / become metastatic.
However, with blood cancer, it’s everywhere already. There is no locus or tumor. The cancer circulates all the time.
There really is no pump or circulation process for lymphatic fluid, other than our own movement. Being a desk worker, I know I’ve been living in a dangerously sedentary way.
Things have been way too stagnant in my entire lymph system.
So I needed to find ways to move and stimulate my lymph system to circulate fluid… ways that would work during the long cold winters here in upstate NY… It’s a challenge!
So now I’m bringing in more movement and sweat to my days. I do the morning activation routine, a daily lymphatic massage (usually in the shower), and use the rebounder here and there throughout the day.
Here’s why:
It’s great with music or when watching a TV show with my husband (though I think it gets on his nerves a bit… 🤪)
So I’m not eating Cheerios anymore, or really anything from the cereal aisle (if we’re being truthful, it’s more of a candy aisle).
But I still like oats! If you can find an organic source, here’s a tasty and quick breakfast recipe — and it is loaded with fiber, aka post-biotics.
These Woodstock Oats are great. Yuka gives them an excellent rating, 100 out of 100.
So I fill up a little jar about 50% full of the oats, then add a heaping spoonful (each) of milled flax seeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. These are all organic, purchased at either Trader Joe’s or Aldi.
Add a couple sprinkles of cinnamon if you like, then stir everything up. Add the milk of your choice and stir again.
If you want to add honey or maple syrup, add it after you stir, and don’t stir any more because it will get sticky and your spoon will get coated. Just put it on top.
Pop on the lid and put it in the fridge. Let it soak overnight or at least for a few hours.
When you’re ready to eat, add some chopped apples, raspberries, or blueberries. You’ll probably also want to add a little more milk as the oats really soak it up!
Pro tip: Check your teeth after eating, because these seeds get stuck everywhere, and you may look a little crazy 🤪 after eating!
Most of us aren’t getting enough nature. Putting your bare feet on the ground, inhaling fresh air, being around living things… this is all so important.
I happened upon The Earthing Movie on FreeVee, and have since been evangelizing to friends and family. It’s available on YouTube as well.
Since watching, we’ve been spending more time outside. I go out each morning, even when it’s frosty, and walk around. Exposing yourself to different temperatures is good, as Wim Hof can tell you. I look at the sun, which sets my circadian clock. And I smell flowers and leaves and pine needles.
I also bought a grounding sheet and a little mat for under my desk, where I spend entirely too much time.
Next time you think about using a plug-in, an air freshener, or a scented candle, stop yourself! Go outside and smell a flower. Grab a leaf or a pine needle, break it in half, and give yourself some true aromatherapy.
Sadly, most fragranced items, including many toiletries and cleaning supplies, contain phthalates, which are linked to health problems. I’ll talk about that another day.
The Cancer Canary 