February Progress Report

I can't say I've made much progress in the last month.  Every time I work up to .25 miles daily, something happens to set me back a bit.  Lately the weather has yo-yoed between single digit chills and wet melting slush, so I've been doing most of my walking indoors at work.

I do feel though stronger and more confident.  On my good days I occasionally sprint a bit instead of just walking.  The other day I forgot something in the car and sprinted the whole way there and back in the 10F chill.  I can sprint really good leaning on a grocery cart, but that is an accident waiting to happen so I don't do it (much).

I have had occasional hip pain, but only after I've tried new exercises.  Apparently I'm not ready for Egoscue's Hip Lifts and Hip Crossovers yet.  Mostly for hip exercise I'm working on balancing, either just plain old balancing on one foot, or popping in the Tai Chi DVD.

I'm wondering how far I can go with independent exercise, or if I should consult a professional.  Chiropractors, physical therapists, and Tai Chi masters are on my list of possible professionals to consult on the matter, but I think I can make more progress on my own, so why waste the money yet?

I'm working on several pairs of shoes.  A winter boot set for myself, and mocs for hubby.  I need to find more time to sew and less time to read to get those done. 

I have a sewing awl now which makes sewing the thicker materials much easier.  I learned felting to work on the winter boots, and have had a bit of fun with that besides the shoes.

I can wear my minimal shoes with a pair of sock liners and wool socks in any kind of cold, but slush has been an issue.  I'm hoping a pair of rubber-bottomed boots will resolve that.  I'm also working on a series of waterproofing experiments that I'll post about later.

Tribute to Jack Lalanne

I'd not really heard of Jack before the news of his death, but I think his wisdom applies to us today.  This will apply to the big experiment later...

Christian Paleo?

The Paleo diet advocates are frequently evolutionists, who take the stance that our bodies evolved to meet the conditions during the paleolithic era, and have not evolved significantly since.  Does my belief in the word of God contradict the Paleo diet?  I don't think so.

On the eighth day God created technology.  Wait, no, I don't think it says that anywhere in the Bible.  We were created for living in the Garden of Eden, and have since then turned to technology to increase the availability, quantity, and desirability of our foods gained from a cursed ground. 

Our first major venture into technology was agriculture, invented when we were forced from the Garden of Eden:

"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

We know some additional detail of the lives of two of Adam and Eve's sons, Cain and Able.  Cain worked the soil, and Able kept flocks.  Neither lived the hunter gatherer role portrayed in the paleo theory, but that does not mean they ate anything like a modern diet.

Let's look at several food related technologies and when they first appear in the bible.

• Gardening - From the very beginning, there was a garden for Adam and Eve to supply their needs from
• Animal Slaughter - Performed by God at the time of leaving the garden
• Boats - Noah
• Baking - Tower of Babel
• Flour - Abraham
• Knife - Abraham
• Spear - Moses
• Arrow - Moses
• Flour Mill - Moses
• Olive grove - Moses
• Oil Press - Moses

Most of these technologies do not have their invention dates documented in the bible, but the order of their first mentioned uses line up with the archaeological evidence of their order of invention.

Other modern foods with archaeological/historical evidence:

• Refined Sugar, discovered in India prior to 550 AD, spread to China in the 600's, then to the Arabs, then to the rest of the world
• White Flour - developed in Europe in the 1800's
• Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil - 1911, Procter & Gamble
• Soybean Oil - 1930's

So no matter whether you believe in evolution or in creation, it is clear that many foods are the result of technology and not the pristine state of the world.  Although Christians may find some of the logic in "Paleo" diet books incorrect, the recipes and diet guidelines could be in line with what we might guess as the original diet of Adam and Eve and the way God designed us to eat.  Agriculture was thrust upon us as a curse, and we are only starting to learn what other food related technologies have hidden curses under their benefits.

Addictive Nature of Shoes

"Can Good, Supportive Shoes Become Addictive?" by Dr. Nirenberg

"The person who had been wearing the supportive shoes finds him or herself with achy, sore feet (and maybe even injury) and quickly decides that they need to get back into their shoes. They are hooked! Worse, as their muscles continue to weaken, they will need increasing amounts of support."

I think my breaking point was when I got to the point where I needed more support, and I could not get that from my old line of shoes any more.  I had to push the big reset button and start over with training my own muscles to hold me up instead of letting them lean against supportive shoes.  It was difficult at first, but my bad hip saw the benefits right away which encouraged me to stick with it through transition.