RENEW
g n i l f f u h S d i Mind Sharp A&voKeep by Lynell Cavner, Owner/Master Certified Bowen Practitioner, Lynell & Company
D
id you know the bones in your feet make up 25% of the bones in your body; the skin on the bottom of your feet is 20 times thicker than anywhere else on your body; and there are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet? Neuropathy in the feet may give you the “dreaded shuffle.” This doesn’t necessarily come just with aging. While there are many factors that can cause the shuffle, having a peppy step is preferred. My dad stated that he only wants to shuffle when he is dancing. He found himself shuffling a bit while walking through his yard, and he told himself to “pick up his feet.” He asked me what he could do about it. The lumbar and sacral nerve plexuses control our lower body locomotion. The sacral nerve plexus controls all of the motor and sensory functions of the entire foot. Keeping this area of the body supple, fluid and strong is necessary to stave off the dreaded shuffle. A simple way to keep those locomotion muscles and nerves working optimally is to step up and down on a step
(using the safety of a handrail, of course) or do some high step marches in place for 5 to 15 minutes a day. Add in gentle hip rotation — forward and backward followed by a figure four (ankle crossed over knee, pulling knee to chest) to stretch out the hip joint and promote circulation. Lastly, stretch out your feet. Don’t neglect the pads that propel you through life. The spark of communication that the synapses give from our brain to our body is important, too! Stay sharp with this trick that my dad does for his mind when he is resting his body from his daily chores. Take a number, any number, and begin to divide that number by another number, then add a number to that number, take that number and multiply it by yet another number and so forth. Once he has completed his number game, he goes to letters and words. This keeps synapses firing across the highway of the brain. Taking a large word, using only its letters, break that word down into as many words as possible. Give it a try…one step at a time…and remember to change your socks!
5 8 PRESCOTT HEALTHY LIVING | VOL . 3 , NO. 6
