As
the tenth day of preparation approaches, you’re probably already feeling
better. But how do you know you’re really ready to stretch? Fortunately,
there’s little guesswork involved. Just look for a few definitive signs.
Less pain. The big sign is that your
pain level, as measured by the pain scale, is 20 to 30 percent lower—often
including a pain reduction in parts of your body that you never even thought of
as “painful.” When Theresa came to me with lower-back and hip pain, I put her
on the preparatory program. After ten days, she felt generally “looser,” as she
put it. “My neck used to be tight,” she remarked, “and now it’s not stiff. I
don’t know why.” Of course, I knew why: water, enzymes, and fish oil don’t
target just the painful parts, they benefit the entire body. As a
result, areas that weren’t actually painful but felt slightly “off” now feel
fine. A vague discomfort that registered as 0.5 on the pain scale improves to
0.
A greater sense of general well-being. You notice overall improvement in your sleep, elimination, and
other body functions. How you feel when you wake up in the morning is a good
barometer. Once you’re fully awake, do you feel energetic, rather than achy or
sluggish? Since water is involved in every chemical reaction in the body, it
makes sense that your body works better when it’s fully hydrated—and when it
does, you have more energy.
A
change in the quality and texture of your skin, particularly in your face. The
benefits of hydration, enzymes, and fish oil combine to make you look
younger and healthier. People who haven’t seen you in a while remark,
“Hey, you look different!” This happens to quite a few of my patients.
Improvement in mobility. Your
mobility is better even though you haven’t done any stretching yet. Do your own
unique test: pick one or two problematic joints and test them before your ten
days of preparation; then test them again after. For example, if you have
trouble raising your arm above your head, do a test raise before you begin the
program and make a note of how high the arm can go. Shoulder level? Up to your
ear? Test again after the ten days. Invariably there’s an improvement. The
preparatory program is almost like a stretch in a bottle.
A change in your body overall.When
you take off your clothes, your entire body looks more supple and robust. Your
muscles look smoother and fuller; your stomach is flatter. These changes are
subtle but definite.
A change in your stool. The
stool itself is softer, and you don’t need to bear down as forcefully to void.
The frequency of stools increases. Ideally the stool should float, indicating a
higher water content. This means that you’re hydrating successfully.
Your urine is clear and relatively odorless. Light, clear urine indicates more water in the body. (Note: B
vitamins turn urine yellow, so you need to briefly stop taking them to see if
your urine has become lighter.)
Your mental function and mood improve. When you’re dehydrated and lacking omega-3s, you don’t think
clearly. When you’re constipated, you’re more likely to be grumpy. When these
conditions reverse, you naturally feel more upbeat.
Your body
will talk to you through these little improvements. However, changes appear
gradually, and because you look at yourself every day, you might not see
improvements clearly (although other people will notice a difference). So
before beginning the preparatory program, make notes on each of the preceding
points, in addition to writing your pain paragraph. Then revisit your notes
after ten days on the preparatory program, and see what’s changed.
Some
people need more than ten days of preparation. Often this is because they
aren’t drinking enough water or taking large enough doses of enzymes and fish
oil. Other people have conditions involving more severe inflammation and must
continue the preparatory program for a longer period until the inflammation
subsides. (See the sidebar “Stretching with an Inflammatory Condition,” on page
79, for details.) A good rule of thumb for everyone is not to stretch if your
body feels hypersensitive to any type of movement.
The bottom
line is there’ll be a moment when you say, “You know, I feel pretty good! I’m
ready!” That’s the moment to begin stretching.
Whatever
your condition, if you’re in any doubt about doing my program or your problem
is complicated, consult a naturopath or complementaryintegrative medical doctor
about whether the stretches are OK for you. In my own experience, as long as
people follow the preparatory program so that their tissue is adequately
hydrated and minimally inflamed, doing the stretches has never injured anyone.
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