Staying Healthy with, Both, Eastern and Western Healing

As I throw myself back into a more hardcore health and fitness regimen (with regards to workouts), I have found it essential to also maintain my health with the help of my healers. I am, often, amazed at the things people will spend money on and the things that they won't. I am happy to spend money to stay healthy. Your health is the most important thing - without you, you have nothing else. You can't work or play or pay attention to your family or your life, if you are unhealthy. So I will do whatever it takes to stay that way.

I have a doctor. He has been my doctor for a long time and when I need actual medical attention, I see him. I also see him once a year for a physical. This is a good place to start -- a physical once a year and a doctor's office where you feel cared for, respected, comfortable and where you feel you can place your trust. My GP's office is Midtown Medical Associates and my personal doctor is Howard Scheiner. His fellow doctor is Kenneth Schaefer. I usually see Howard but there have been occasions when he has been out of the office and I have received equally caring treatment by Dr Schaeffer. They are more than just my doctors; they are my friends and I have many opportunities during the year to socialize with them, to my great good fortune. And if you are in need of a GP, I would not hesitate to recommend them. They also have a wonderful office staff who are friendly, caring and funny as heck.

The doctor I see more often, professionally, is Dr Jason Piken. The reason I see him more than the good gentlemen at Midtown Medical Associates is because he is my chiropractor. His office is INNATE CHIROPRACTIC ( http://www.innatechiro.com/ -- or simply click on the title of this piece ) and I have been seeing Dr. Piken for so many years that I don't remember, really, how many years it has been. It's never been a secret that I have back pain - I've mentioned it in other stories I've written and it comes up, often, in my life. I don't let the pain define me and I know it is for a variety of reasons like: the amount of time I spend sitting at a computer, the degree to which I push myself when training, the amount of stress I hold in my neck and shoulders, etc. I also have joint troubles, tendonitis, intestinal issues (due to the changing extremity of my diet) and all the other medical matters that come up when you actually live your life. Dr. Piken is always there to see to the needs of my body that are less Western-medically based. Over the years I have sent any number of my friends to Dr. Piken and I am proud to say that most of them are still devoted patients of his, today (some have moved to other states, making an ongoing doctor - patient relationship difficult). Dr. Piken works with more than just chiropractic adjustments - his knowledge and talents go far beyond the scope of some of his fellow chiropractors (I have known a few); but the driving force behind his success is that he is a TRUE healer - he genuinely wants to help people, he sincerely wants to make the world a better place.) And his support team goes above and beyond the call, when it comes to running the office and making the patients feel like they are more than just a chart. The entire mood and feel of the office is one filled with warmth, caring, loving and healing energy. If you are in New York and seek health maintenance that will prevent your needing Western medicine that often, I cannot urge you, enough, to check out Innate Chiropractic. 'Like' their Facebook page for info and updates: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Innate-Chiropractic-of-Manhattan/177346785643785

Both these healing centers take insurance, naturally; but they are also affordable to the uninsured. I had, for years, some good insurance. When my husband left the advertising world, though, it was just a matter of time before the cobra on our insurance ran out - and when it did, I was sad, but not worried. I knew that my general health would never be threatened because I knew I would be able to afford both Innate Chiropractic and Midtown Medical Associates. I just prayed (A LOT) that I would have no medical matters that would require a visit to the hospital!

So far, I have been lucky.


In upcoming stories, I will be talking about dental health and massage therapy. Please check out those stories for recommendations on the good, the bad and the very ugly of those two areas of health and fitness.


Info on Midtown Medical Associates can be found at http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&gs_upl=0l0l1l3610l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1119&bih=776&wrapid=tlif131972192114210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=midtown+medical+nyc&fb=1&gl=us&hq=midtown+medical&hnear=0x89c24fa5d33f083b:0xc80b8f06e177fe62,New+York,+NY&cid=8685958276948832085

Bootcamp at Circuit of Change

This story was started on Friday, October 21st and (due to time constraints in my week) completed on Wednesday, October 26th.


The sun is shining today. It has been the kind of week, or weeks, where the weather has been trying to figure itself out. It is, after all, autumn; the change of seasons. One day warm, one day wet, one day torrential, one day hot, one day cold... Those who live in states where there are four seasons know whereof I speak. No matter what the weather has BEEN doing, today, the sun is shining.

On my journey back to Bulldozer, I have been making great use of Groupon and Living Social. Wait. Backstory needed for those not in the know: Bulldozer is a nickname that was given to me by Ray Scalvino, my trainer (when I have enough income to afford me one). I got it when a pulldown bar fell on my head at the gym and I refused to let it end my workout. Ray said "you are a bulldozer" and, from that point on, Bulldozer Mosher was the tough part of me. Bulldozer has lain, dormant, for the better part of the last year. Now, on my journey back to Bulldozer, I have been buying exercise classes on the two sites I mentioned above. Bootcamp. Yoga. Pilates. Boxing. Massage (I need them, badly, to keep this body moving, if I am going to use it as much as I want to). I've even bought a dental cleaning and some other things; but, mostly, I have used Groupon and Living Social for exercise/workout needs.

I have, long, wanted to do a bootcamp but never have. There is a bootcamp class at the branch of NYSC that I go to - but I won't join it. The man who runs it just screams at the members and it really gets under my skin. I'm all for the bootcamp mentality; but let's not get carried away. These are people, not marines - there is no need to scream, no need at all. I decided I would find a bootcamp class elsewhere. So when Groupon offered 12 classes for $19.00, I snatched it up! It was for a company called MANHATTAN STRENGTH CAMP and they met in Central Park (my favourite place) a few times a week. I was excited!

But I got sick. One week with what was either a bad cold or a light flu, followed by a week of dealing with severe pain stemming from a dental issue, kept me from the bootcamp class. Then there was a week of rain - and this is an outdoor class. Bummer. I would have to wait until the universe wanted me to go to the Manhattan Strength Camp. In the meantime, Marci had bought, as a gift, a Living Social voucher for five classes at the health studio Circuit of Change (http://www.circuitofchange.com/) and she insisted that I take class with Brian Delmonico and that I take, both, his indoor class and outdoor class. Well, since I was finally feeling well enough to work out, and since Manhattan Strength Camp was an outdoor class suffering from the rain week, I decided to take advantage of Marci's generosity and go down to Circuit of Change, where I could get a 6:30 am class (my preferred time to work out).

Today, I had my fifth (and final) Living Social class with Circuit of Change. I feel sad for all the other Groupon and Living Social vouchers that I bought because I know I will be joining Circuit of Change, permanently. My heart is pledged. Oh, I will use the other vouchers and take the classes - it will just help me get in shape that much faster; but my heart is pledged.

Here's the thing about Circuit of Change that, for me, really makes it a class worth taking: it's not just a physical workout. It's spiritual. You can feel the loving energy roll off of Brian Delmonico, the creator of the studio, the program and the workout. He has spent time in the east and his attitude shows it. There is a big focus on yoga stretching, both before and after the class. There is a focus on meditation, on taking out a few moments to be yourself, to breathe, to relax, to focus on you, before heading out into the crazy world that is New York city. There is, undeniably, a decidedly eastern feel to the classes I have attended. This is a good thing for me because working out is my church. I don't attend mass, though I love being in houses of worship. I pray in my own way; but when I am working out, I am in church. That is my religion; and it is extremely spiritually based. I went to five classes with Brian Delmonico and at the end of each class, as I was stretching (usually in pigeon pose), I found myself weeping. I was crying because I was grateful for the opportunity to exercise my body, for the chance to expand my health and fitness horizons, for the honour of studying with a good teacher, for the sadness of not getting to work out as much as I want to and, yes, I was even crying because of the pain. Hey, when you are stretching out older muscles that haven't been used in awhile, it effing HURTS! When you are operating with a body that has back, knee, neck and shoulder issues, you are going to feel limited - and it is not just the pain that makes me cry, but the fact that I am limited. Damn. I hate that. Being limited. Hate it. The crying, though, is good. It helps me keep the workouts spiritual and personal.

And speaking of the workouts....

Heavens to Betsy. My heart was racing! I was sweating so hard and breathing so hard. Well, let's be honest. It challenged me. Fortunately, I love a good challenge (in my workouts - in life, they can be superboring). The workouts were a combination of yoga, boxing, kickboxing, plyometrics, and (I am sure) other exercise techniques. I found it difficult to keep up; but Brian stresses the importance of going at your own pace. I'm not stupid. I knew I was the oldest person there. I knew that I moved slower than the rest of the group. This is something I am having to admit to, own up and learn to live with: I cannot move as fast as I used to. So I did - I went at my own pace and I focused on form. Brian was encouraging in a gentle way but one that pushes you forward. He is in control of the class and when he corrects your form, you don't feel like an idiot. He is a superlative teacher.

I did three classes indoors and one outdoors (my Living Social was for 5 classes but, to my shame, I slept through the alarm one day and missed class - unhappy face). The difference between the classes was distinct but the merit to both was immeasurable. Honestly, the outdoor class is so uplifting. There is nothing like starting your workout in the dark and witnessing the sunrise over Manhattan as you start your day with the perfect mind and body centering. I can't wait to go back! I just have to get together the money to join. And it's not a lot of money. The studio is extremely.. maybe I should underline it - extremely - affordable. All their prices on their website. I encourage all who live in NYC and who seek a challenging workout that is spiritually in tune and really not invasive to the body to check them out.

You will thank me, Brian and, ulitmately, yourself.


To go to the website for Circuit of Change, click on the title of this story.

The Good Fight Begins

I am going to tell you a secret.

I let myself go.

The way it all played out was one part accident, one part conscious choice and one part rebellion. Maybe there were even other factors that contributed to the entire journey; but, right now, it feels like accident - choice - rebellion. We will have to peel back the onion to see what else lies beneath.

Most people know about the weight yo-yo that I have ridden in my life. Skinny little boy, fat teenager, fit teenager, athlete, fat man, fit man, body builder ... whatever. It has been a yo-yo. I have not, successfully, managed to find absolute balance in my life, where my body and mind meet. I do, in fact, come from a family of over eaters. I cannot write about their experiences, cannot tell their stories. What I can do is tell what I have seen.

My mother's mother was never, in my life, at a weight that (looking back) I consider healthy. My mother has, since the birth of her fourth and final child, battled eating and weight issues. My sister (who, in her youth, had a bangin' body) has a similar story but less extreme. Both my brothers have carried extra weight over the years, as has my father. Only my maternal grandfather seems to have lived his life at a healthy height-weight proportion. My father is lucky in that he has the focus and drive to take off weight, once gained; I mean, let's face it - unless you are Jack LaLanne or Ray Scalvino (my trainer), most people will put on a few pounds in their lives - whenever my dad has done that, he has shaken it off and lost it again (and, by the way, I do not include my father's family tree in my little history because Daddy was adopted and I do think genetics plays a role in these things). And there are some members of my family in the generation that is following my own, who are having weight issues. Clearly, it is a familial trait.

Now. Here is the good news: my mother recently lost 30 pounds. My brother is on a push to live a healthier lifestyle and is exercising and eating properly. My father is currently at a healthy height/weight proportion. (I haven't seen my sister in awhile, so I am unsure about her status.) Everyone is doing what they can to beat the demon fat cell.

To that end, I have had to put myself on a diet and seek out new forms of exercise.

In December I got married. It was the first of several weddings that took place for me and Pat, as we worked our way through the filming of our movie, Married and Counting ( www.marriedandcounting.com ). There was a lot wedding cake... a lot of road trip food... a lot of celebrating. I have no one to blame but myself. I am the one who raised the fork to my mouth. I am, also, the one who dialed back my workout regimen to accommodate a life filled with activity, travel, work and play. There were major changes in my life during the last year and, regrettably, my workout was the sacrifice. I lost muscle mass and I gained fat; I lost definition and I gained girth.

I let myself go.

I'm not really big on the blame game. I am, though, really into accountability. So I say to myself, get back on the horse, kid. I'm not really big on complaining about situational factors. I am, though, really into seeing clearly. So I acknowledge my age (47) and my limitations (bad back, bad joints) and I work with them. Don't get me wrong - I have moments (sometimes days even) when I ride the self pity wave regarding blame and pain; but you have to shake that shit off and keep moving. Be Bourne; that's my peronsonal motto.

So I went on Groupon and Living Social and began spending little bits of money so that I can get back to where I once belonged. I bought a couple of bootcamp classes, some pilates classes, some yoga classes, some fight training classes and a lot of massages. I never spend more than 40 dollars and I take it all very seriously.

I also went to my first Overeaters Anonymous meeting. The time had come to confront the eating disorder with which I have struggled for a long time; I have admitted, for years, that I have an eating disorder. I had never, actively, dealt with it. But now I would.

Over the next few days and weeks, I will be sharing some of my experiences in my blog. To do so, I have to admit that I am not Superman; that I am deeply flawed, that I have emotions. None of these are things I admit, readily or happily; but I must, in order to change and grow into the man I have, long, wished I could be. I am, fiercely, angry and nervous about it - all of it; the journey and the sharing of the journey. I have to do it, though. Otherwise, what good is this life? I mean, really; what good is it? Without the challenge of living and the sharing of the lessons I learn while on this tiny planet, what is the point of being here? That is the task I have set myself. So.

Let's make a start; shall we?