Some of My Summer Reading

There was a wonderful book first published in 1937 called, “The Thinking Body” by Mabel Ellsworth Todd.  I came across it in the late 60’s when it was re-published by Dance Horizons Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

I’ve reread it more times than I can remember, and every time, I learn the same thing, but from a different angle, with a wider interpretation – things about the way bones and muscles work that cause me to think, teach and write about exercise in more literary than scientific ways.  That allows me to get closer and closer to the subject of exercise as an allied art rather than a gymnasium type of thing.

For instance, Todd says that “the unconscious is one of the keys to physiology.”  Eighty-five percent of our muscle action is used in “vegetative  processes” – heart action and so on.  That means that we only have 15 percent conscious mental and physical energy to use for thinking and moving.

Not only that, but in times of emergency and stress, that 15 percent can draw from the 85 percent unconscious energy in the body to alleviate temporary  danger.  Imagine then, that an unhealthy, sedentary body is probably making it harder to maintain that 15 percent/85 percent balance.  It’s easy to see that obesity, illness, and other body traumas have to draw on that 15 percent to supply the daily, unconscious body processes needed to survive.

Frankly, I think information like that gives overweight, sedentary people good basic logic they can use to help themselves better their lives. 

And what I like to do most in my work is help people to help themselves.

 

Recreational Exercise: Swimming

Sometimes I think the exercise scientists are too obsessed with sport conditioning as the perfect form of exercise.  It IS the best exercise if you’re going to participate in competitive sport, but not everybody is
engaged in competitive sport.

Right now, because we’re into summer, I’m concentrating on summer recreational sport – bicycling, golfing and especially swimming.  But the exercise scientists downgrade swimming as good exercise because it’s not weight bearing.  (Weight bearing exercise simply translates to exercise forms that are done standing.) But you’re getting your weight bearing exercise walking to and from wherever you’re going for a swim so what’s the big deal?

What the exercise scientists miss in their criticism though is the wonderful, relaxation and therapeutic value of swimming.  Also, it’s exercise that uses the entire body; there’s movement from fingertips to toes. Feet flutter kick and arms reach forward through the water, one at a time, and the waistline becomes smoothed out because of the muscle stretch action through the center of the body.  But the real value is the stress relief that swimming offers.

If you don’t know how to swim, it’s never too late to learn.  And if you don’t have access to a body of water, try your community YMCA.  Otherwise you can join the league of pretenders and go swimming on the top of your bed every day, duplicating the action of the crawl stroke (as pictured).  Safely supported by your bed, you can even go slowly -since there’s no danger of sinking – and exaggerate the stretching movement of the exercise so that you get a little extra benefit from your simulated swim.  With an exercise like this simulated swim session you have complete control, for even though you are trying to extend your stroke to the maximum, there is no danger of muscle strain.

After your phony swim on top of your bed, “float” awhile, fully outstretched, totally relaxed, with a delightful feeling of bouyancy.  Then please the exercise scientists with a brisk walk around the block.

GOLF AS AN EXERCISE FORM: Does it do it or not?

Recreational exercise has always been one of my prescriptions for people who want to exercise but don’t want to go to gyms to “work out.” In theory, recreational exercise is excellent because the mind and body are set for enjoyment. Therefore, a person’s physical body is relaxed, and the mind is primed to anticipate pleasurable movement – a better state going in than when you psyche yourself up to run, jog, go to an exercise class or the gym to “work out” with the overhanging tension of sedentary guilt. Such tension can result in misalignment and injury.

When it comes to golfing though, the bending and twisting can strain the back muscles, ligaments and hip joints – unless, of course the golfer is ambidextrous and can switch swing from time to time. I never really thought golfers got a total exercise experience from their game anyway because they rode around in carts, but figured it was a recreational sport done outside in the fresh air, and that was enough to be somewhat beneficial to the body/mind at least. But those golfers who do some warm-up and wind-down stretching to loosen neck, shoulders and back, can avoid some of the strain.

Golfing is basically a sport of horizontal movement. Even though there’s a mid-line twist to the follow through, it still comes down to constant, horizontal motion with a right or left side dominance. (Few golfers
are switch hitters.) There is no (other side) motion to equalize the action, nor is there any vertical movement. To get the maximum exercise value from a recreational sport there needs to be total body action both vertical and horizontal.

If you’re not interested in doing some of the regular exercise routines that the golf pros do to keep in shape, here’s something you can do before and after your game to relax, stretch, and keep you from jeopardizing the back in the twist of the swing:

Standing up straight with feet apart, look upward and reach for the ceiling slow, with alternating arms l6 times, letting your head roll to each side with each vertical arm reach. Each time you do it, concentrate on
reaching high enough to lift the rib cage away from the body to offset the downward gravity pull. Then, with the rib cage still held high, relax, the entire body with the following golfing simulation.

With knees flexed and feet spread shoulder width, head down, weight distributed equally on both feet, hands holding an invisible club, move the legs, hips and arms smoothly from left to right l6 times, simulating the weight shift of a short iron shot. Then reverse the action by doing it from right to left l6 times to reverse the action and equalize the flexibility.

Above all, monitor your consumption at the l9th hole.

Get Ready For Summer With Recreational Exercise

Remember back in childhood how good it felt to run outside and play after sitting in school all day – the  freedom to run, jump, maybe even hop on a bicycle and go for a ride?

So you can’t do that as an adult in the same way, but you can relive the movement, freedom and exhilaration of it as you take a pleasure walk, lifting your chin to raise (and open) your diaphragm, with a deep breathing pattern that exchanges stale, negative air for the fresh, positive air that will stimulate your circulation and make it possible to quicken your pace.

Or, if you have a bicycle machine in your house that doesn’t get used much, place a TV in front of it, and hop on the “bike” to watch a show.  As you pedal, use the muscle action through your whole torso instead of just using the legs, as you pump the wheels in a standing position to “ride away.”  The legs begin a mechanical locomotion pattern; the trunk and arms become involved in moving and controlling the bicycle.  This involvement is muscular teamwork operating one unifying line through the whole body. It’s as though your feet are walking on the pedals as they push down. 

If you were on a real bike outside as the feet push down, the power from the muscles of your thighs and lower trunk would be moving the bicycle forward in space.  You’d then have horizontal movement as a result of vertical effort. You and the bicycle become one, moving together with alternating activity and rest – a healthy inhalation/exhalation process plus good muscular usage through the torso.

Good exercise? YES  Better yet is to get on a real bike and go for a recreational ride, but that’s not always possible for everyone, so USE that old bicycle machine, and just pretend it’s a real bike, but in your zeal, don’t get so carried away that you have an accident.

Exercise Philosophy

In case you’re interested in just what kind of exercise I really represent and I hope you are by now if you’ve been reading these blogs – I’m going to be more specific.

You already know that I believe exercise is a natural, daily, body instinct equal to eating and sleeping, for you to, (and you alone), take responsibility for and act on. It’s primal, and once you understand that, you don’t really need any external motivation from other people. All you need to do is satisfy that primal instinct. What I’m really saying is that you can make up your own daily exercise routine.

It’s sort of a yin-yang, natural balance thing; when you’re hungry you instinctively take in the food your body needs to supply the power needed to function. And at the end of the day when that balanced process has been completed, the body sends its signal that it’s time to sleep, and you do.

So where do I fit in to this process as an exercise teacher? The kind of exercise I teach is what you might see in a dance studio instead of a gym – slow, continuous stretching from the inside of the body, done to classical music. I learned the base of it from my training in classical dance.

The difference between me and the rest of the exercise personalities is that I’m coming from the world of the artist, which is open and creative. The exercise scientists are coming from a scientific base, which is more rule rigid and finite, without emotional interaction except the striving for enhanced athletic performance.

I don’t mean to steer you away from the sport conditioning of exercise science which is excellent training for competitive sport; I’m just trying to help the people who don’t relate to that exercise style. The artist (dancer) is in touch with the expression of the individual person within the body as opposed to the scientist who equates fitness to athletic sport proficiency.

I’m like the one who comes to an aged person with gait and balance problems and says, “Let’s sit down and listen to some Mozart and then I’ll take your hand and we’ll go for a walk while I teach you to relax and focus, and find your center balance,” rather than the physical therapist who would have the person do leg squats to strengthen the legs while he or she holds on to the back of a chair.  Strong legs will not keep a person fom falling if there’s no sense of balance in the head and inner body.

My next blog will start a series of exercises you can do to get ready for summer and all the wonderful opportunities we have to indulge in recreational, outdoor exercise and sport. And there will be simple illustrations to show how to prepare.

Appetite & Hunger

Even though eat, sleep and move are the three basic things we need to do every day for good health, my concentration is on exercise. People do ask me about my eating and sleeping habits though since I’m in such good health for my age.

My routine is quite simple. I’m up by 6:00 and in bed by 10:00. I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner – have honey on my toast every morning, a cookie after lunch, and dessert every night after dinner. I also have a glass of wine with dinner every other night and some vodka on the weekend. I cook from scratch daily – meatless every other night – don’t eat between meals, don’t eat junk or fast food.

Every morning I exercise before dressing (after my breakfast has settled and I’ve read the newspaper). The exercise I do gives me enough energy to get through my nine to five workday. I need my “three squares per day” because I’m very active.

What works for me though is not necessarily what everyone else should do. We’re all different and have different lifestyles. Get to know your own body and listen to it. After all, you’re the only one living in it. I’m sure it already lets you know what foods you prefer and those that disagree with your digestion. Once you start paying attention to what your body tells you it will also let you know the quantities of food you should be eating.

Here’s the rule to follow: Don’t eat more per day than you can burn off in a day.
- and memorize the definitions of the following two words -

APPETITE: a sensation based on previous experience of eating foods which are pleasant to the taste.

HUNGER: the need and desire to eat that the body feels when it hasn’t had food for some time.

(People who overeat and become too heavy might have the two words
confused!)

Today’s 80 is Yesterday’s 70

Those of you who’ve been reading my blogs have probably noticed there hasn’t been a new one for awhile. It’s because I’ve been concentrating on a new DVD. My distributor has been after me to do a “best of” Ann Smith for the last couple of years, so I decided this would be a good time since I turned 80 this year.

I’ve been watching all the films, trying to choose the sections that will give viewers an opportunity to follow a complete class type session like I did in “Stretch Exercise with Ann Smith” (also marketed as “Stretching for Seniors.” ) There’s also going to be a shorter, but complete routine that people can follow, plus even shorter sections that might become favorites for specialization.

Writing a script to tie it all together is a little tricky, because there’s a lot of technical information I’d like to get across without boring people with talk. But I have a good film editor who’s good at keeping me on track. We had hoped to have it out by now, but everything takes longer than planned, and I don’t like to push people. Mistakes are made when you rush.

I do have the title though: “Music, Movement & Longevity – the exercise of Ann Smith” – and someplace on the cover it will also say “Classic Exercise for an Ageless Body.” If any of you have suggestions about it, there might still be time to act on them. If not, I’ll save them for my next video. Each time I film one I think it’s the last one. I can’t imagine what more I can say, and show about the exercise system I devised in the fifties and am still teaching with a few additions and deletions, which accounts for the fact that I’e reached 80 in good shape.

But today’s 80 is yesterday’s 70, and I’m still learning more about exercise all the time so I doubt if this will be the last one.

The Right Exercise for the Right Age

The other day I was one of many presenters at the joint conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging in Washington – a group that drew about 4,000 people who work in the field of gerontology.

I’d been a presenter two years ago for their conference in California. My DVD, “Inhale, Exhale, Stretch and Move,” was about to be released, and as I ran it on the screen everyone in the room took off their shoes and followed along. They’d never seen my slow motion, continuous stretching to beautiful, classical music. They all agreed it was wonderful exercise for older people and I was happy to have made an impression.

When the call for presenters was put out for this year’s conference I noticed that “controversy would be welcome.” This is my chance, I thought. For years I’ve been trying to get the exercise scientists to change the sport conditioning exercise they impose on the older population and use more of the classical dance exercise style.

Now that I’m 80, I figured I had nothing to lose. Why not just come out and say, “Please stop having older people sit in chairs and lift weights. I know it’s in right now, but look what it’s doing to them! It’s stressing the lower backs.” And I held up photographs that had been taken in reputable exercise classes, showing men and women sitting on chairs, pulling stretch bands to show that, yes indeed, we can get back lost muscle strength, but clearly showing that the people didn’t have enough inner torso strength to do it without
rolling back on their lower spines to do it.

Older people do not need athletic muscle mass rejuvenation as much as they need flexible strength. They need total body exercise that works through the inner torso (stimulating the viscera in the process) and flows through the joints.

I know that well meaning gerontologists want to help older people maintain enough muscle strength in their arms to be able to carry bags of groceries up stairs and into their homes so they can lead independent lives, but maybe those same gerontologists should go to Iceland and the Scandinavian countries and watch the total body exercise their seniors get from their very popular social dancing sessions. You can be sure they pick up a bag of groceries on the way home and get them into their kitchens quite easily.

So, not only was it an honor to be a presenter at that conference, but what I thought would spark some controversy, didn’t. My point was well received, and I was applauded. I only reached one room full of people, but change takes time.

Stretches for Hip Pain

After some time off for a vacation without computer, telephone etc. (which was wonderfully relaxing, by the way), I came back to discover that people are starting to read my blogs, so I’m eager to get back to writing them.

But before I start firing off some new ones I want to respond to a lady who thanked me for my “WONDERFUL” exercise system because it has helped her with lower back problems. I’m flattered that she took the time to let me know.

This same lady brought up another subject that many people probably also experience – pain in her right hip. She wondered if I could suggest an exercise to alleviate that discomfort. She didn’t give her age, but it’s possible she’s experiencing some of the inconvenience of age related aches and pains.

Coincidentally, my right hip is my vulnerable one. I am right handed, which means I have favored my right leg and hip to lead off, to dig in the garden etc., so it’s probably showing some wear and tear.

Instead of suggesting a specific exercise to help the situation I have three things to suggest that I think are much more effective than specific exercises, which I do when it hits me.

l. Before you do your exercises, and also at various times of the day, stand in front of a mirror with legs slightly spread, and check the horizontal line of your shoulders. It’s very possible that one shoulder will be lower than the other, and if so, raise the lower one so that you have bilateral symmetry (both shoulders horizontally aligned). Try to maintain that bilateral symmetry as you exercise, and check it as often as you can during the day to maintain it.

2. Remembering the statement that “any exercise that stretches AWAY FROM a large area or a PAINFUL area will reduce the size or pain of that area” (i.e. large hips, stomachs and even knees that are starting to wear out), and concentrate on the exercises that do that. You need to carry more of your weight in the upper body, and get it out of the hips and off the knees. You do this by lifting your upper body in an expression of pride, with the chin up.

3. If you need extra help achieving bilateral symmetry, find out if there are any classes in Feldenkrais or the Alexander Technique in your area. Both disciplines are good for helping you establish symmetry if you can’t do it on your own. I’m presuming you will also continue doing my exercises for total body fitness and flexibility.

Posture and Body Alignment

After some time off for a vacation without computer, telephone etc. (which was wonderfully relaxing, by the way), I came back to discover that people are starting to read my blogs, so I’m eager to get back to writing them.

 

But before I start firing off some new ones I want to respond to a lady who thanked me for my “WONDERFUL” exercise system because it has helped her with lower back problems. I’m flattered that she took the time to let me know.

 

This same lady brought up another subject that many people probably also experience – pain in her right hip. She wondered if I could suggest an exercise to alleviate that discomfort. As she is only 42,

it’s still possible she’s experiencing some of the inconvenience of age related aches and pains.

Coincidentally, my right hip is my vulnerable one. I am right handed, which means I have favored my right leg and hip to lead off, to dig in the garden etc., so it’s probably showing some wear and tear.

 

Instead of suggesting a specific exercise to help the situation I have three things to suggest that I think are much more effective than specific exercises, which I do when it hits me.

 

l. Before you do your exercises, and also at various times of the day, stand in front of a mirror with legs slightly spread, and check the horizontal line of your shoulders. It’s very possible that one

shoulder will be lower than the other, and if so, raise the lower one so that you have bilateral symmetry (both shoulders horizontally aligned). Try to maintain that bilateral symmetry as you exercise, and check it as often as you can during the day to maintain it.

 

2. Remembering the statement that “any exercise that stretches AWAY FROM a large area or a PAINFUL area will reduce the size or pain of that area” (i.e. large hips, stomachs and even knees that are starting to wear out), and concentrate on the exercises that do that. You need to carry more of your weight in the upper body, and get it out of the hips and off the knees. You do this by lifting your upper body in an expression of pride, with the chin up.

 

3. If you need extra help achieving bilateral symmetry, find out if there are any classes in Feldenkrais or the Alexander Technique in your area. Both disciplines are good for helping you

establish symmetry if you can’t do it on your own.

 

I’m presuming you will also continue doing my exercises for totalbody fitness and flexibility.