Why George... walking backwards SHOULD be a natural for any woman who enjoys dancing. We always have to dance backwards as it is! Hmmm.... (thinking)..... wonder how THAT got started and why aren't youse guys the ones who're the backwards dancers? <smiling> Ohh.. and George... you really should stock some Mexican Yam cream in that walker's shop and eatery of yours! GREAT product for walkers. Just rub that water soluble bright green cream allllll over your legs and it'll do wonders for them muscles! Errrrrr..... make sure ya don't 'SWEAT tho, 'cause the green cream gets kinda runny and those streaks down your legs will attract flies and bees. Of COURSE we have an anti-insect spray made from fava fava bean extract which will take care of THAT problem in no time. Ooops! Gotta go... We're harvesting the Mexican Yams now! Adios amigo mio.... <sonrisa> :-) Barb Mallut "Lil_Honey" on the PD Chat [log in to unmask] ---------- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange on behalf of George Lussier Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 1997 3:52 PM To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN Subject: The BENEFITS of WALKING BACKWARDS FIRST IN A SERIES OF LITTLE KNOWN AND USELESS INFORMATION. THIS IS RATED SERIOUS [NO HUMOR HERE] STUFF. Dear serious reader, Very early evening February 18, 1997 Among the little items I picked up during my 14-15 year career with PD is a pair of very tight, weak and poorly toned Quadriceps You know which muscle that is? Yes that's right. It's the large extensor muscle in the front of the thigh that in fact is made up of 4 muscles.Do you know which muscles they are? The Rectus femoris,the Vastus externus, the Vastus internus and the Crureus? Yes, Thats right. Very good! I'm a walker by nature. Grew up in Boston and didn't get my drivers license until I was 23.I could walk anywhere I needed to go. Life was good......And then along came the BIG PD.At first it wasn't too bad only restricting my mileage. And then slowly but surely it began to run my walking [weak pun there]. I lost my ability to walk a straight line, my fluidity was run down as was my energy. Eventually I had to use a crutch and that just about concluded my walking life.Freezing episodes became common place. For those of you who do not know me I'm a veteran of two Pallidotomies. The right brain was done in August of '95:the left brain September of '96.Prior to the surgeries I was Neurologically a basket case. I was experiencing multiple freezing episodes, the meds were not working, dyskinesia controlled my days and nights. I was generally unable to walk..... But I had an excellent surgeon and the results were very positive. My walking improved a great deal and I don't believe that I've plateaued yet. I used to joke with my care providers about my ability to walk backward. It seemed by doing something different it, at least for a while,tricked my system into behaving normally. Eventually this too faded into nothingness One day recently on something of a lark I decided to walk backward for a bit . At that time I was walking about a mile a day although my Quads were extremely tight and were responsible for the clenching that drove my toes wild. I found my answer for these two problems by WALKING BACKWARDS. As of today I'm walking 2 miles a day,about half of it BACKWARDS and not only have my Quads loosened up but I can feel the strength returning to my legs. It does not ,at least for the next little while,matter why this is true. SO........ The BENEFITS of WALKING BACKWARD BY G.J. Lussier * You will increase your lung capacity. * You will restore your normal deep breathing. * You will improve on your sense of balance. * You will be able to relax,strengthen,tone and stretch your Quads. * You will be able to interrupt the toe clenching/cramping process by virtue of the fact that in order to step BACKWARDS the foot needs to be able to extend its toes whereas with a forward step the toes tend to work in a downward pattern * you will be able to go for walks with friends and have face to face conversations with them as long as one of you agrees to walk forward. * you will enjoy the adulation of the people who stop and watch as you and your BACKWARD WALKING friends ambulate on by. * You will develop a thick skin to deal with those who will shun you * You will marvel at your developing skills in avoiding falling into giant pot holes, avoiding speeding cars, turning corners at a high rate of speed and other stuff. * AND MOST OF ALL YOU WILL BE PLEASED THAT YOU TRIED SOMETHING A LITTLE OFF THE BEATEN PATH. THAT YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN UP ON YOURSELF. THAT THERE IS STILL SOME SENSE OF PRIDE,OF ADVENTURE, OF DETERMINATION AND OF SELF DETERMINATION ****** OBVIOUSLY THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. INDIVIDUALS WITH BALANCE PROBLEMS OR THOSE WHO LIVE IN POT HOLE INFESTED AREAS SHOULD FIND OTHER SUITABLE ACTIVITY.If you have a situation which you can find no activity please feel free to email me and perhaps I can think of some that is off the beaten path. NOTE ! Do not try WALKING BACKWARDS on your own or with that group of doubters you hang with. Only WALK BACKWARDS under the direct supervision of a trained and licensed BACKWARD WALKING professional. Training classes in WALKING BACKWARDS are offerred daily at the LUSSIER SCHOOL of BACKWARD WALKING. [LSBW] The LUSSIER SCHOOL of PROFESSIONAL--CERTIFIED--LICENSED--BACKWARDS WALKING INSTRUCTORS AND SUPERVISORS [LSPCLBWIS] offers low cost, residental 3 year training programs specializing in The GERIATRIC BACKWARD WALKER and BACKWARD WALKERS FOR CLINTON. NOTE ! Visit the LUSSIER HABERDASHERY AND GEORGE'S FISH AND CHIPS EMPORIUM. Eat while you try on a vast collection of sweat pants,T-shirts,sweat shirts and fake feet belonging to a clown.Just imagine yourself strutting down the street BACKWARDS wearing our no-need-to-ever-wash sweat shirts with clever saying written on the back/front such as"I know where I've been but Idon't know where I Going" or "The future is back a way" or"ONE GAINT STEP BACKWARDS FOR MAN KIND and WOMAN KIND" or "Maybe I don't know where I'm going but neither do you[know were I'm going that is] Just picture yourself wearing the fake clown's feet.....No one will know where you are going!{Not recommended for people suffering from severe Obsessive-Compulsive disorders]. Humbly, george [log in to unmask] AMAZING GRACE Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind, but now I see -----------------------------------