But if instead of harvesting the riches of rest, you wake up feeling withered on the vine, you’re not alone. According to a National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll, seven in ten American adults say they experience frequent sleep problems and one in five say daytime sleepiness interferes with their daily activities.

It’s hardly a surprise that we aren’t reaping the benefits of shuteye, given the prevalence of sleep deprivation in our society. Sixty-three percent of adults do not get eight hours of sleep, reports the NSF, and 31% report sleeping less than seven hours each weeknight. This results is what experts term a “sleep debt,” an accumulation of missed hours of rest.

Our sleep debt has increased over the last five years, in part because we’re working longer hours than ever before. “There is a direct relationship between hours worked and its negative impact on sleep,” says NSF Vice President James C. Walsh, Ph.D. “This is particularly noticeable for people working more than 40 hours per week.”

As any mom knows, children can also sow the seeds of parental sleep deprivation. A baby crying to be fed, a child’s nightmare or an adolescent’s rebellion provides fertile ground for parental insomnia or interrupted sleep.

Busy lifestyles and the 24/7 availability of everything from electricity to Facebook also contribute to sleep deprivation, asserts Holly Vance, clinical pharmacist and patient education specialist for drugstore.com. “As people’s lifestyles get busier and busier, they sleep less and less,” she observes.

Vance is quick to recite a litany of repercussions of sleep deprivation. “Not getting enough sleep causes drowsiness, irritability, decreased productivity at work and problems with judgement,” she says. Lack of sleep also contributes to larger societal problems, such as an increase in traffic accidents and workplace injuries. “Not sleeping well does have a far-reaching impact on society,” Vance concludes.

“Sleep deprivation has severe consequences,” agrees William “Joel” Culpepper, a sleep disorders researcher and a biostatistician in the Office of Research at the University of Maryland-Baltimore’s School of Nursing. “Research-wise, we have not be able to definitively pinpoint the restoration that occurs during sleep, but we all know from our experience when we don’t get enough. We’re tired, we’re sleepy, we’re not nearly as productive, and we’re susceptible to colds and bugs.” In studies where rats were deprived of sleep for long periods, he says, “You saw marked deterioration in these animals. They stopped grooming, they stopped eating and they became ill. If you deprived rats (of sleep) long enough, they died. That was the bottom line.”

Sue Langford, a publishing executive and single mom in Northern California, feels like one of those lab rats. Langford has a demanding job and a five-year-old son that consume most of her waking hours. “I adore my son and I love my job, but I walk around like a zombie most of the time. I operate on about six hours of sleep a night, and I know that’s taking its toll.” Unlike many people who sleep in on weekends, thereby “catching up” and reducing their sleep debt, Langford rarely has that luxury. “Miles is raring to go at 6:30 in the morning, every morning, including weekends.”

Because she has so little time to herself, Langford finds that she stays up until midnight most nights. “When he takes a nap at preschool, Miles doesn’t go to bed until about 10:00, and I just need a couple of hours alone to decompress,” she says. When Langford tries to get into a routine of going to bed at the same time as her son, “I feel like I’m trading my sanity for the sake of sleep.”

Still, Langford snatches up opportunities to catch up on sleep when she can. “If my son takes a nap on weekend days, I’ll head off to bed, as well. And even though I feel guilty, on some mornings I’ll let Miles get up and watch cartoons, and I’ll doze for another half hour.” A recent experience makes Langford determined to make sleep a higher priority. “My son spent the night at a friend’s house, and for the first time in over a year, I actually slept – uninterrupted – until my body was ready to wake up. I felt like a new person, as though the fog had lifted, and it was a great feeling!” she exclaims.

Problem Sleepiness

The foggy or zombie-like feeling that Langford experiences is a typical symptom of problem sleepiness. Memory lapses, problems with concentration, and struggling to stay awake while watching TV or reading are weeds that flourish when the garden of sleep is neglected. According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), the first step in remedying problem sleepiness is to evaluate how much sleep you’re actually getting. If it’s consistently less than eight hours, the NCSDR recommends gradually moving to an earlier bedtime, going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night for four nights. If your schedule doesn’t allow for a full eight hours of nighttime sleep, they suggest, try a daily nap.

While Langford’s sleep debt accumulated due to inadequate sleep, there are can be other causes of problem sleepiness. According to the NCSDR, certain medical conditions – such as asthma or those accompanied by chronic pain – can disrupt sleep, as can some prescription medications. Any of these can result in daytime drowsiness and compromised mental acuity. While alcohol can make a person go to sleep more easily, it causes sleep disruption during the night. Caffeine and nicotine are both stimulants, which can make it hard to both fall asleep and sleep through the night.

Problem sleepiness can also be a symptom of one of five more serious sleep disorders: insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, periodic limb movements in sleep and restless legs syndrome.

Insomnia

Virtually everyone will have an episode of insomnia during their lives – lying awake in bed watching the second hand rotate endlessly around the face of the clock, waking up at an ungodly hour and not being able to get back to sleep or waking up every hour on the hour. According to the NCSDR, there are three classifications of insomnia: transient, which lasts from a single night to a few weeks; intermittent, in which transient episodes recur from time to time; and chronic, which occurs on most nights and lasts a month or more.

While women with a history of depression and those over the age of 60 are predisposed to chronic insomnia, transient and intermittent sleeplessness can be caused by environmental or emotional factors. Stress, noise, extreme temperatures, jet lag and side effects from prescription medications can all affect our ability to get to sleep and to stay asleep.

For those who suffer from insomnia, the problem of daytime sleepiness pales in comparison to the emotional roller coaster of anxiety about sleep. Each night becomes a battle, and anxiety mounts about whether or not sleep will come. Yet, even when insomnia feels entrenched, there are some relatively simple strategies you can use to get off the merry-go-round of sleeplessness.

Drugstore.com’s Holly Vance enumerates myriad tips to combat insomnia, but says that taking stock of your sleep habits should be first on your list. “You might not even realize you have bad sleep habits until you evaluate them.” Vance says, and advises, “The most important step in breaking the pattern of sleeplessness is getting in the habit of a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time each night, and wake up at the same time each morning – even on weekends.” In addition, Vance recommends that the insomniac eliminate naps. “This may be tough to do, but a lot of people fall into the habit of taking a nap in the afternoon, and it just perpetuates the cycle (of sleeplessness).”

Making your boudoir sleep-friendly is another key to a restful night. “If you live in a noisy home or apartment,” says Vance, “introduce white noise that drowns out cars or trains.” And keep your bedroom off limits to anything other than sleep or sex. “A lot of people bring work or laptops to bed – that’s a no-no. Don’t sit in bed and watch movies. All of these things can contribute to poor sleep habits.”

Vance also suggests trying relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation, or visualization, before going to bed. She also encourages regular exercise, though not right before bedtime.

If these techniques don’t work, Vance indicates that an over-the-counter sleep remedy might be appropriate once or twice a month. Diphenhydraamine and doxylamine are actually antihistamines, which have drowsiness as a side effect. “You’re actually taking advantage of the side effects to help you sleep,” Vance says, but cautions, “You don’t want to use them regularly; after a few days, they’re going to become less effective.”

For sporadic insomnia, you could also go herbal and try valerian, a root which, according to Vance, “increases deep sleep and dreaming, but doesn’t cause a morning hangover and drowsiness.”

While once touted as a miracle drug, melatonin ultimately received mixed reviews. “Melatonin is a hormone involved in the sleep cycle,” says Vance, “but it’s a little controversial. (Researchers) are not sure how it works and who it’s going to work for, plus there are conflicting studies about its effectiveness.”

If your sleep habits are impeccable and over-the-counter and herbal remedies still leave you grasping for slumber, a trip to the doctor might be in order. A health professional can not only rule out more serious sleep disorders and underlying medical problems, but can also, if necessary, prescribe a sleep aid. “Prescription drugs,” says Vance “can break the cycle of sleeplessness.” She does caution, however, that they are generally only recommended for short-term use, since prolonged use can trigger dependence problems.

Drugs like Restoril (known as benzodiazepines) cause drowsiness when taken 30 minutes before bedtime, though they can result in a morning hangover. According to Vance, Ambien is a slightly different drug and can have fewer side effects.

Antidepressants, such as trazadone and amitriptyline, are also used to promote sleep. “No one is sure how they work,” says Vance. “Some think they affect the sleep cycle and others think they have a drowsiness side effect, and you’re just using that side effect.”

Sleep Apnea

For Leslie Davidson, sleep apnea was like a creeper vine that was slowly choking the life out of her. In the beginning, “I would wake up in the middle of the night with a feeling of fear and an adrenaline rush,” she recalls. “Then, for over a year, I had chronic bronchitis, which I couldn’t figure out.” One day, she started having the need to “go unconscious – I can’t even call it sleeping. I couldn’t drive more than half an hour without having to pull over somewhere and go unconscious.” She experienced a subtle emotional shift toward depression, which led her to start taking the antidepressant Zoloft. Eventually, she began waking up every hour with dry mouth and the need to go to the bathroom.

Davidson, a business owner in Sacramento, Calif., took the first step toward regaining her breath and her life when she picked up a pamphlet on sleep apnea. “I read the symptoms, and I basically had all of them,” she says with a laugh. She went to a sleep specialist shortly thereafter and, Davidson recalls, “When she examined me, she could tell by looking in my mouth that I was a candidate for sleep apnea because of the shape of my throat and my palette.”

In obstructive sleep apnea, the airway becomes blocked, causing breathing pauses during sleep. According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, the sleeper struggles to breathe, but air cannot easily flow into or out of the nose or mouth. Heavy snoring, lapses in breathing and frequent waking characterize this sleep disorder, which affects as many as 18 million Americans. Symptoms can also include choking sensations, early morning headaches and problem sleepiness. Sleep apnea is considered a life-threatening disorder, as it is associated with irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

The doctor scheduled Davidson for a sleep study at a local hospital. Typically, sleep apnea is diagnosed using polysomnography, which records brain activity, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, respiratory effort, air flow and blood oxygen levels during sleep. Davidson reported that the experience, “wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t pleasant, because they glue little sensors all over your head and face and chest.” After seeing her test results, Davidson’s doctor told her she had stopped breathing 188 times during the night. “That was only moderately bad,” Davidson somberly recalls. “For a lot of people, it’s much worse.”

While behavioral changes, such as discontinuing the use of alcohol, tobacco, and sleeping pills, may shorten apneic periods during sleep, treatment most often involves the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. The mask of a CPAP fits over the nose and mouth, and pressure from a blower forces air through the nasal passages, preventing the throat from collapsing during sleep.

Once Davidson began using a CPAP, “waking up with feelings of fear stopped right away. I haven’t had bronchitis since, and no problems with driving. Plus, as my doctor predicted, I got off the Zoloft within three months.” Although some people have difficulty adjusting to a CPAP, Davidson adapted easily. “You just learn little tricks, like putting the hose under the covers with you if the air’s too cold, or using a humidifier if the air’s too dry.” She says, “My CPAP is my lifeline. I go nowhere without my CPAP. That’s my baby.”

Treatment for sleep apnea can sometimes include dental appliances, to reposition the lower jaw and tongue, and oxygen administration. And while some surgical procedures have been developed to remove excess tissue at the back of the throat, the NCSDR estimates only a 30-50% success rate for surgery. They caution that long-term side effects and benefits of the procedures are not known, and that there is no way to anticipate who will benefit from this procedure.

Superfat people sometimes have extra tissue in the throat and mouth, which can contribute to sleep apnea when combined with an abnormality in the upper airway. Yet, given the 95-98% failure rate of weight loss attempts, dieting is hardly the first-line treatment for the sleep disorder. Davidson, who is superfat, reports that her doctor told her that “Fat can aggravate sleep apnea, but it’s not the cause of it.”

Davidson encourages anyone who suspects they might have sleep apnea to get tested. “It slips upon you gradually, so that you don’t remember what it was like (before). It’s definitely, absolutely life threatening, but it doesn’t seem like it. It’s a condition that you can’t see, so it’s easier to let it slide.”

Narcolepsy

According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, narcolepsy is as common as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis – as many as 200,000 Americans have this sleep disorder. Narcolepsy is characterized primarily by overwhelming sleepiness during the day – even after a good night’s sleep. People who have narcolepsy may also experience episodes of sudden loss of muscle function, called cataplexy, which are triggered by emotional reactions such as laughter, anger or fear. Sleep paralysis, a temporary inability to talk or move when falling asleep or waking up, and hypnagogic hallucinations, vivid dream-like experiences that occur while dozing or falling asleep, are two other symptoms of this sleep disorder.

The University of Maryland’s Joel Culpepper says that, although there’s not a definitive scientific explanation for narcolepsy, “It’s believed that somehow those areas of the brain that control motor function during sleep manifest themselves when (the person is) awake. The border is considerably blurred.” He adds that there’s a strong genetic component to narcolepsy, and recent research has isolated a gene in dogs. “There’s still considerable work to be done,” Culpepper says, “but they’re honing in on (the gene).

“For those with narcolepsy,” Culpepper continues, “it’s such a dramatic event in their lives. It can have a rather sudden onset, usually in the late teens or early twenties. Sleep attacks, where there is literally the inability to fight against sleep onset, are scary and startling.”

Narcolepsy, like sleep apnea, is typically diagnosed with a polysomnogram. A multiple sleep latency test, which is administered during the day and measures how fast a person falls asleep and the time it takes to reach the various stages of sleep, is also used in diagnosing the disorder, since people with narcolepsy usually fall asleep and enter the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep rapidly.

While there is no cure for narcolepsy, treatment includes central nervous system stimulants, drugs – such as antidepressants – that suppress REM sleep, and scheduling two or three short naps during the day.

Restless Legs Syndrome
Periodic Leg Movements during Sleep

While restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) are thought by some to be at two points on the same sleep disorder continuum, Culpepper maintains that the latest scientific literature treats them as two separate disorders. “There’s a basic distinction between the two. With RLS, there is uncomfortable tingling and cramping (in the legs) as you’re trying to fall asleep. PLMS symptoms are very characteristic – the toes come up toward the knee, there’s a rhythmical pattern, and it occurs in spurts throughout the night. (PLMS) is associated with arousals and, in severe cases, full awakening.”

Since childhood, Julie Young has lived the nightmare of both disorders. Young, 25, who works as a construction company office manager in Nantucket, Mass., and who has a web design business on the side, remembers times in her girlhood when she would cry herself to sleep at night because her legs hurt so badly. “When I was young, I used to thrash around in my sleep, and my mom didn’t want me to sleep with her because I would kick her all night,” she recalls. When she got older, Young would wake up with bruises on her legs, mystified as to how they got there. Looking back, “I assume they were from kicking myself during bouts of PLMS,” she says. When she was in college, Young’s boyfriend (Matt, now her husband) would complain – echoing the lament of other PLMS sufferers’ significant others – that she was “running” in her sleep.

According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders, the involuntary jerking or bending leg movements that characterize PLMS typically occur every ten to 60 seconds during sleep, and some people can experience hundreds of movements per night, which severely impacts the quality of their lives. Young and her husband took turns sleeping in the spare bedroom because her PLMS was keeping Matt awake. “It put a strain on our relationship,” Young recalls, “because we were losing that closeness.” In addition, she says, “I was always tired and cranky from lack of sleep. I started to get very depressed. I was sullen and irritable all the time. My productivity at work began to slip, and I was getting called on it. I tried everything I could, but I was still always tired.”

Restless legs syndrome manifests when the person lies down or sits for long periods of time. The RLS sufferer describes creeping, crawling, tingling, or painful sensations in the legs, along with an irresistible urge to move them. Young recalls that, “Driving for long distances or sitting for long periods of time became difficult. I would have to move my legs or the ‘creepy crawly’ feelings would start.” When she and Matt moved from Maryland to Kansas a few years ago, “We had to stop many times on our cross country trip so that I could stretch my legs. The sensations weren’t painful, just annoying, and nothing seemed to stop them.”

While some cases of RLS are transitory – it’s not uncommon for pregnant women to experience symptoms in the third trimester, but they usually disappear after delivery – most are permanent, although the severity of the disorder may ebb and flow over a lifetime. Because there is no diagnostic test for RLS or PLMS, health professionals rely on the patient’s (or her partner’s) report of her symptoms.

Unfortunately, there is no definitive treatment for either PLMS or RLS. In the medication arena, central nervous system depressants do not fully suppress symptoms, but may allow sufferers to get more rest. Drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease can also reduce symptoms of both disorders, but they do not work for everyone. Pain-killing opiates sometimes work for people with very severe cases of PLMS or RLS, but have their own drawbacks.

Young’s experience in treating her sleep disorders has been nothing short of nightmarish. Her online research led to her self-diagnosis and a trip to a sleep specialist. Since then, Young has variously taken a central nervous system depressant, three different drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease, and an anti-depressant. Some helped her get more sleep but did nothing for her PLMS; others worked for awhile, but stopped when she developed a tolerance to the drugs; and another made her deathly ill. Currently, Young is taking the dopamine agonist Mirapex, which is more commonly used for Parkinson’s patients. It’s working fairly well, and Young says, “It allows me to get a good night’s sleep and my husband doesn’t seem to notice the kicking so much anymore. My work and relationships have improved, since I’m getting more sleep and have my RLS under better control.”

Young doesn’t consider it a wonder drug, however. “I’m still exceptionally tired most of the time, I sometimes have a hard time concentrating on things, and I occasionally have a short-term memory problem. I will stay with Mirapex until it stops working, and then I will look into other medicines.”

Although much research has been devoted to the science of sleep, answers to why slumber is so beneficial have been elusive. The reigning theory is that sleep allows our brains to consolidate our memories and enables the recovery of our organs and metabolism. But regardless of the science, sowing the seeds of good sleep habits and reaping the benefits of eight hours – or whatever your body needs – of shuteye is crucial to our health and well-being.

Good nutrition, exercise and sleep are the triumvirate of good health, but sleep often takes a back seat to the other two. As Joel Culpepper says, “The trend continues to be for people to pay close attention to their (nutrition and exercise), and we need to put the same emphasis on sleep. It has an impact on every aspect of our lives. If we find ourselves nodding off at our desks, that should be an indication that we need to make some changes.”

Delve Deeper

The Great Escape
Your bedroom should be haven where you can retreat from the world. When furnishing your oasis, don’t neglect what Better Sleep Council Director Andrea Herman calls “the heart of the comfort zone” – your mattress. The Better Sleep Council, a non-profit organization funded by the mattress industry, suggests that, when shopping for a new mattress, you follow these guidelines:

1. Support: The mattress and foundation should gently support your body at all points and keep your spine in the same body position as a good standing posture
2. Comfort: Trust your body to tell you which mattress feels best. Mattresses don’t have to be hard as a board to be good for you
3. Space: Choose a mattress size that gives you enough room for free, easy movement, especially if you’re sleeping with a partner
4. Matching Sleep Sets: Matching mattresses and foundations are designed to work together. The foundation acts as a giant shock absorber, and lends added support and durability
5. Durability and Warranty: The performance of a poor quality sleep set can deteriorate very quickly, while top quality sets can provide comfort and support for a number of years. The warranty protects again product and workmanship defects
6. Value: Shop for the best value, not the lowest price. Buying the best you can afford is a healthy investment in yourself.

Wells finally consulted a chiropractor, but not long after, she drove six and a half hours to a convention, where she dashed up and down the hotel stairs several times each day and danced all night, every night. On drive back to her San Francisco home, the executive administrator says, the back of her knee tightened up, then became numb. “I came home and alternated with heat and ice and took the herbal muscle relaxants that the chiropractor prescribed, but my biggest mistake was not going to the hospital right then.” Within 24 hours, Wells says, she was back up and getting ready for work when “I bent over, heard a snap, and just went down. I had to crawl to my bed.” When another day went by and she couldn’t stand up or control her bladder, she went to the hospital via ambulance, where she was diagnosed with a herniated disk and faced a four-day hospital stay.

Wells, a veteran of the back pain wars, is not alone. For most of us, it’s not a question of if we will suffer from back pain, but when. Almost 90 percent of adults will endure a back pain “episode” in their lifetime, and for many it will be the beginning of a recurring condition that will plague them for the rest of their lives. Lower back pain is the number two reason for absence from work, following the common cold.

The spine is pretty amazing. It can move side to side, backward and forward and it can rotate. However, it is this amazing mobility that is at the root of all our back problems.

“If we fix one joint in the low back slightly, no joint will move normally,” says Dr. Jerome McAndrews of the American Chiropractic Association. “If the problem is corrected right away – great! If not, eventually the [whole spine] will compensate.”

There are many causes of back pain but almost 90 percent of all back problems are simply due to a strain on the muscles.

The pain that is caused by a muscle strain is often called “non-specific” pain. Like that which Elizabeth Wells experienced before her disk herniated, It is often described as a general discomfort or achiness over the entire lower back, pain that shoots into the buttocks or leg, stiffness when you first get out of bed or pain that feels better when you move around.

There are a variety of tests, such as MRIs or CAT scans, that can help diagnose your pain. But the experts at BackPainAnswers.com say such tests are not necessary: “What is necessary…is a good clinical exam made by an interested and experienced physician who isn’t giving you the bum’s rush.” Often, your range of movement will tell a doctor what is wrong and what is necessary for treatment.

Initial treatment will often include some kind of painkiller and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling and irritation. During her hospital stay, Wells took – with gratitude – the muscle relaxant Flexural and the painkillers Demerol and Vicodin. From this point on, doctor recommendations and treatment options will greatly vary. Obviously, the kind of health care professional you are consulting may determine the kind of recommendation that is made.

“I can only say what worked for me,” remarks Caroline Brigham, 29, who recently suffered six months with her first serious back problem. “My doctor wanted to send me to a neurosurgeon. With visions of scalpels and anesthesia and hospitals in my head – not to mention disability pay – I decided to exhaust all other options first.”

When Brigham’s primary care physician refused to refer her to a chiropractor, she went on her own. Working in partnership with a spine specialist who was able to prescribe narcotic-level painkillers until the treatments began to take effect, the chiropractor had her almost back to normal in six weeks. “I think the best thing a patient can do is think for herself. If you aren’t feeling better or if you are uncomfortable with your doctor’s course of treatment, get another opinion. I’m glad I did,” she said.

The Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research has concluded that only two percent of people with back pain in the acute stage require surgery, but about 250,000 people a year have back surgery, at the cost of about $15,000 each.

“Once you have had surgery,” report Dr. Andrews, “the odds that you will have several follow-up surgeries are great.

Elizabeth Wells’ earlier experience with a chiropractor was less than ideal, so she was comfortable following her physician’s recommended course of treatment. “In the hospital, a physical therapist taught me the proper way to get out of bed and take a shower so I wouldn’t re-injure my back.” Once out of the hospital, Wells continued to take muscle relaxants and painkillers, and began what she considers to be her key to recovery – walking in the swimming pool. “I started water walking twice a day, for 20 minutes each session. The first time it was extremely painful, but by the fourth or fifth time it wasn’t bad at all.”

After ten days, Wells met with her physical therapist, who helped her modify standard back exercises to accommodate her large body. “Instead of doing exercises on the floor, the therapist showed me how to do them on my bed, and she modified others so I didn’t have to slide down the wall.”

A woman’s size does not effect the treatment options open to her. Some doctors, however, such as Dr. Russell Windsor, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, feel that size can affect the time it takes to heal. According to Dr. Windsor, “Once injured, weight may significantly slow the recovery and healing process due to the [additional stress on the spine] that occurs in larger individuals,” he asserts.

Wells theorizes that many doctors assume plus-size patients will have a slow recovery. “My doctor was shocked that I got better so quickly, but I think it was because I did modified exercises and activities like water walking that are gentler on a large body. The water takes all the pressure off your body, so that you don’t have anything weighing you down, so to speak,” Wells says with a smile. Wells, who at the time of her injury worked as a buyer in a plus-size clothing store, was back at work on light duty within four weeks.

By ignoring the first signs of back pain and engaging in risky activities, Wells exacerbated the problem by not following the basic tenets of back health. Keep from making the same mistakes by following these guidelines:

Diagnosis. If you injure your back or develop back pain, see your doctor. Remember that you can always get another opinion, additional tests or see a different kind of specialist. It is especially important to see your doctor if you think the pain could be caused by any kind of infection or if you have risks for other serious illnesses.

Ice and Heat. For the first couple of days after the injury occurs, apply ice to the area. This will bring down swelling and inflammation. After that time, according to Dr. Russell Windsor, many sufferers find that moist heat brings them the most relief, because it brings a greater blood supply to the muscles in the area and helps to loosen them for easier movement.

The Team Approach. Many back pain experts are advising patients to find a pain clinic that provides a team approach to treating back pain – where physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists and mental health professionals all work together to solve back problems. According to a briefing published in January of this year by the Center for the Advancement of Health, chronic pain patients who receive this kind of treatment experience a greater reduction of pain and improvement in mood than patients treated by one kind of practitioner.

“As the pain persists, [chronic sufferers] become more anxious and depressed, engage in fewer activities, spend less time on a job or quit working, become withdrawn and more focused on their pain. The likelihood that any one specialist…could take care of all their problems is pretty slim,” says Dennis C. Turk, Ph.D., a psychologist and professor at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Movement. If your doctor determines that the pain is a muscle strain, the best thing you can do after a day or two of rest and icing the area is to keep moving.

“Bed rest is the worst thing for me,” says Debby Loraine, who has suffered from back pain for 15 years after initially lifting a heavy picnic cooler. “I stiffen up if I stay immobile too long. As much as it might hurt at first, I always feel better if I get up, get a hot shower and get moving.”

According to Dr. McAndrews, even just four days of bed rest can cause permanent muscle damage. A day in bed can cause your muscle strength to decline by up to three percent per day. At some points, the benefits your back will gain by resting will be outweighed by the future problems such deconditioning can cause. In addition, the longer you stay in bed, the greater your chances of becoming depressed.

Sleeping Positions. While bed rest may not always be appropriate, you are going to have to sleep at some point. Investing in a good mattress may solve part of the problem. Many practitioners recommend sleeping on your back, with a thin pillow under your head, with more pillows under your knees. This position takes the stress off the lower back, and allows the muscles to rest and relax. If you are uncomfortable sleeping on your back, try lying on your side with a pillow between your legs.

As a supersize woman, Elizabeth Wells finds no relief by sleeping in a bed; she swears by the wonders of a La-Z-Boy recliner. “When I sleep in a bed, the weight of my stomach presses against my back and causes pressure. But when I sleep in my recliner, there’s lumbar support and it takes the pressure off of my back.”

The Right Moves. While keeping mobile is important, be sure to move the right way. When you bend to pick something up, or, for example, to move laundry from the washer to the dryer, bend at your hips, not at the waist. When you lift something from the floor, don’t bend at the waist; squat, hold the object close to your body and return to a standing position by pushing upward with your legs. To get out of bed, roll onto your side, and let your feet drop over the side of the bed. Use your bottom arm to push your body into a sitting position and then use your legs to push yourself upward into a standing position.

Sitting Pretty. Your chair at work should offer lumbar support and is best if hard-backed. Your feet should sit flat on the floor and your computer should be at eye level. And remember, sitting at a desk all day can be one of the worst things you can do for your back, says Dr. McAndrews, because it contracts the leg muscles, which over time can cause severe back problems. Try to get up and walk around your office at least once an hour.

Elizabeth Wells seconds that notion, saying, “At work, I try to get up and walk around. It’s so much better for my back to stand or lay than to sit.”

Most people don’t think about their car seats being bad for their backs, but they can be. The driving position (legs and arms suspended and immobile, possibly for long periods of time) puts a great deal of stress on our backs. People who drive for a living are twice as likely to have back problems. So when car shopping, test-drive the seat as well as the engine and look for lumbar support, arm rests, support on both sides of the torso, a headrest and a good deal of adjustability. And when you are taking a long car trip, make frequent stops to stretch and walk around.

Wells solved the car dilemma by buying a truck earlier this year. “It’s perfect,” she exclaims. “When I get out of the truck, my back doesn’t hurt like it does when I get out of a car. Plus, I think it helps my back that my feet aren’t cramped because my legs are so long,” says the 5’10” Wells.

Smoking. If the millions of other reasons haven’t convinced you to stop smoking, do it for your back. One effect of smoking is that it limits the blood supply to all the tissues in your body. When your back receives an inadequate supply of blood, it is more prone to injury and less able to repair damage. One study showed smokers were twice as likely to suffer from back pain than non-smokers were.

Relaxation. For many people, relaxation – not just of the back muscles, but of the mind as well – may be the key to alleviating pain. When you mentally stress, your body often tenses. It would follow, then, that stress makes lower back pain feel even worse.

Often, listening to relaxation tapes, meditating, or completing muscle relaxation exercises will help lessen back pain. For it to be truly effective, however, you should find a relaxation technique you like and practice it on a regular basis. According to the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, the repetition of a meditation makes it easier for your subconscious to “retrieve” that feeling when it’s needed.

Exercise. Just as movement is important during a back episode, regular exercise is just as important in preventing future occurrences. According to Dr. McAndrews, walking is the best overall exercise for keeping leg, back and abdominal muscles strong and flexible. Swimming is another excellent choice because, although it strengthens and tones muscles, it relieves the stress and pressure on your back.

For extra insurance, ask your doctor or physical therapist for some back strengthening exercises, like those shown here, to do on a daily basis. They only take a few minutes, but you will feel a difference almost immediately. It is important that the back muscles are kept loose and conditioned so they will be better able to deflect muscle strain and unusual movements.

Recurrences

Alleviating acute pain is only the first step in the process of regaining back health. To avoid future recurrences, says psychologist Turk, “We teach people to think about ‘rehabilitation’ rather than ‘cure.'” While a cure means a permanent fix, rehabilitation involves learning to “pace your activities and to keep active to increase your strength and endurance and prevent pain flare-ups.” Concludes Turk, “The goal is to find ways to help people become much better self-managers of their own condition.”

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“Alternative” Therapies

In the past, therapies outside the medical model were rarely covered by health insurance plans, and a patient who chose to try an alternative therapy was on her own financially. But as studies have shown that the cost of missed work, disability insurance and hospital stays for back surgery greatly outweigh the costs of these non-invasive therapies, some insurers are beginning to cover these treatments.

Physical Therapy: A physical therapist develops a routine that includes exercises that stretch the muscles, build strength and lessen pain, to improve your immediate condition and help prevent recurring problems in the future.

Acupuncture: An acupuncturist uses needles to stimulate the brain to release pain-reducing chemicals into the body. This method will alleviate the pain, but it won’t heal the problem in the long run.

Massage Therapy: Massage relaxes muscles to relieve spasms. It will also relieve mental tension and anxiety, and can help with healing by exploring metaphysical causes of back problems.

Yoga and Tai Chi: Yoga and Tai Chi exercises can help prevent further problems from occurring because they increase muscle flexibility and relax the mind.

Chiropractic: Most chiropractors will treat back pain with manipulation, in which they use their hands to move a joint out of its normal range of motion. This repetitive movement may cause the joint be become more mobile over time, which usually decreases pain.

TENS: In transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, small pads connected to cables are laid on the skin in the region of pain. Barely perceptible electrical impulses are applied to the area for a short period of time. The electrodes “interfere” with the sending of impulses of pain to the brain, causing your injured area to be less painful. This treatment is painless, and patients can rent or buy these machines to keep at home.

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In 1993, Arizona resident Mary Nelson-Hannigan had a vision, which inspired her to use, heated river rocks to massage her clients. She called her technique LaStone Therapy, and she’s since conducted workshops to train other massage therapists in this form of relaxation.

While Nelson-Hannigan strives to add a spiritual element to her massage, some practitioners consider this too New Age, and have amended her techniques to provide a luxurious massage that triggers a relaxation response without delving into meditation and spirit guides.

The Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon & Spa on Fifth Avenue in New York City calls their technique Desert Stone massage, and they use flat black rocks found in rivers to cater to clients’ needs. Ula Polansky, a massage therapist at the spa, explains, “It’s much more profound than regular massages because of the waves of heat that penetrate your body and relax your muscles.” Their treatments last one long, luxurious hour, and leave clients coming back for more.

There are different variations on the hot stone theme, but all use the same basic equipment: flat rocks – usually basalt – that are oblong and smooth to the touch. “We use so-called Mexican river stones,” said Polansky, “but they ‘re also found in Arizona and California. These stones were originally lava that came out of erupting volcanoes. Somehow this melted stone found its way into a river and was cooled there. After the passage of millennia, the running water made these stones round, flat and extremely smooth.”

These volcanic stones have a high iron content, so they retain heat for an extended period of time. They also have a complex crystal structure. “They can carry information about the energies that created them, like the fiery power of volcanoes and the energy of the running water that smoothed them out. This is actually imprinted in the stone,” explains Polansky.

She adds that although this might sound too New Age for some people, it’s backed up by science. “It’s not mysticism,” she says. “It’s physics. Silicon chips are used in the computer industry because of their ability to store information.”

Elizabeth Arden’s version of hot stone massage, the therapist leads you from a reception area with a waterfall into a softly lit room. You disrobe and crawl under plush towels on a massage table while listening to soothing music piped in through the loudspeaker.

On one side of the room is a Hamilton Beach meat roaster. No, you’re not going to have pot roast for lunch. Stones are immersed in the roaster’s water, which is heated to 175 degrees. Ms. Polansky quells fears about burns. “If I can pick up these stones with my bare hands,” she says, “then they won’t be too hot for you.” She adds that her clients can always request a lower temperature. But few do.

She starts off by rubbing lemony-scented oil all over your back and shoulders. This will make it easier for the stones to glide across your body. She picks up two heated stones – one in each hand – and gently rubs them across your skin. Exquisite waves of penetrating heat radiate throughout your body. All your kinks and knots melt away. Polansky quips that it’s almost like ironing clothes and smoothing out the wrinkles.

After the heat of the stones has relaxed your muscles, the therapist applies her bare hands for a regular massage. Then she lovingly covers your back with a thick towel and places several hot stones in a row, following the curve of your spine. She leaves for ten minutes while the luxurious heat penetrates your muscles even deeper than before.

Next, you turn over, and the front of your body gets the same sumptuous treatment. Finally, small, flat pebbles are placed in between each of your toes. As the massage comes to an end, you’re again covered with plush towels, and heated stones are placed along your chest and abdomen, with one added indulgence: a warmed, toweled stone placed beneath your neck.

The only difficult part of this massage is having to get up off the table. But even after you leave, you’ll experience an inner glow. It’s the mental and physical strength that comes with total relaxation.

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The prevailing belief of the mainstream scientific community can be summed up as “fat-is-bad/thin-is-good.” While being larger than average was once seen as a positive attribute, Twiggy-esque ideals began to haunt the public’s and medical community’s consciousness’. Indeed, scientists now view someone with a high body weight as having a chronic disease requiring lifelong treatment. Dietary and behavioral changes, along with pharmaceuticals, have been promoted as the way to achieve and maintain thinness, which is now equated with health and longevity. As a result, a weight loss industry with annual revenues of $33 billion now exists in the U.S.

However, the anomalies to the mainstream belief that extra weight is harmful are accumulating, with a growing body of research demonstrating that permanent weight loss is achievable by only a small percentage of those who attempt it (approximately 3-5%); that some methods of weight loss can be harmful (remember Redux and fen-phen?); that for some people, conditions associated with a higher weight (high blood pressure, gallstones) may actually result from weight loss attempts; and that large people can improve their health without ever losing a pound.

Thus, the scientists who conduct the research that results in this new information are challenging the current paradigm about weight. In addition, this renegade research rings true for a growing number of nutritionists, health educators, therapists, physicians and other health care professionals, who find that these theories validate their clinical experience.

The question then becomes, why haven’t we, the public, heard about the theories and research that may point to an alternative view of weight? Is there a coven of diet industry bigwigs out there, cackling around a cauldron of Slim-Fast and conspiring to keep this research suppressed? Has media bias resulted in the underreporting of important scientific findings? Or is it something far less sinister – simply a number of factors that make changing public perception a Sisyphian task? In fact, there appears to be evidence to support all of the above.

But before we start, let us first review the machinations of the world of research publishing. In order for a study to be considered legitimate by both the scientific community and the media, it must be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine are examples of these. After a researcher’s study is completed, s/he must write a paper on the subject and submit it to a journal. That journal editor then sends the paper out to experts in the field to be critiqued. No one receives payment of any kind: not the writer or the reviewers. If the paper doesn’t receive the amount of favorable commentary the journal requires, it is returned to the sender unpublished.

Being published is the lifeblood of researchers. Publication or lack thereof impacts whether or not they receive funding for future research, their standing at the academic institutions at which they’re based, and their level of credibility within their field. “Publish or perish” is the axiom of those who inhabit this world.

The experience of psychologist David M. Garner, Ph.D. may support the conspiracy theory. Dr. Garner, who is widely published in the field of eating disorders and is an adjunct professor at both Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo, as well as the director of the Toledo Center for Eating Disorders, says, “For many years, there has been a problem with research that led to conclusions that are critical of the traditional weight loss industry.”

About a decade ago, Garner and his colleague, Susan C. Wooley, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, submitted an article to a major scientific journal for review. The article, which was used as a background document for the House of Representatives’ 1990 committee investigation of the diet industry, was critical of the traditional dietary and behavioral treatments of obesity.

“The scientific review process for our paper was disturbing, to say the least,” Garner says now. Their paper was sent out to three experts for review, and came back with mixed conclusions. Garner and Wooley addressed most of the concerns in what they considered a thorough fashion and resubmitted the article. According to Garner, “Apparently, the journal editor could not make up his mind and sent the paper out to other experts in the second round of reviews.”

Eventually, the article was rejected, in part on the basis of another expert’s review. “We were sent this review as support for the editor’s decision,” says Garner. It was only later that they found out that a highly favorable review of their paper, written by Paul Ernsberger, Ph.D., a biomedical researcher at Case Western Reserve University, had been suppressed by the journal editor, in that Garner and Wooley never received a copy. “Dr. Ernsberger later sent me a copy of his review, which was one of the most scholarly and complimentary reviews I have ever received – or in this case, not received,” recalls Garner. “Clearly, the failure to forward a copy of this review reflected editorial policies rather than fair and impartial science.”

Ultimately, their article, “Confronting the Failure of Behavioral and Dietary Treatments for Obesity” was reviewed by the editor of Clinical Psychology Review and was accepted with editorial accolades. It was published in that journal in 1991.

Esther Rothblum, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Vermont who is the preeminent researcher on weight and social stigma in this country – if not the world – had similar experiences. “One expert reviewer wrote that the findings in one of my obesity studies were not valid ‘because they differed from those currently held by psychologists,’ and went on to cite Glamour magazine – in a prestigious medical journal! – to back up this point,” she says, incredulously.

As for how the mainstream media reports studies that go against the mainstream, Dr. Susan Wooley’s experience suggests that they often simply dismiss it. When she was interviewed on 20/20, for example, the ever-combative John Stossel’s response to her findings was “Why should we believe you? You’re fat yourself. Couldn’t you be biased?” Wooley (who, when asked for a photo to accompany this article responded, “Oh, I don’t have a new one. Just tell them I look like a queen-size Sandra Dee with brown hair”) recalls, “I was introduced on the program as an expert, and it took them three minutes to discredit me.”

According to Wooley, for many decades research has revealed that diets really don’t work and the reasons why, and that powerful genetic influences affect body size. However, she says, “We’re just beginning to hear about it from major media sources.”

Ed Silverman, a reporter for the New Jersey Star-Ledger, articulates the trap that many journalists fall into when he says, “There is a working assumption that all fat is bad, along with a cultural bias. This is just more justification for harping on the dangers of fat, and reporters tend to turn to sources who validate that belief.”

To Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Virginia and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, one of the more annoying falsehoods endlessly repeated by the media is the statistic that “300,000 people die each year from obesity.” That sound bite originated with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop during the launch of his organization, Shape Up America. Gaesser resolved to find the source of that statistic, and discovered it in a study done by Foege and McGinnis. Much to his surprise, the study never mentioned weight. Instead, it said that 300,000 deaths each year were related to a combination of dietary factors and sedentary lifestyles.

Why has this bogus statistic become a media mantra? According to Silverman, “The average reporter…often (doesn’t) have time to really delve into the subject. As a result, you miss the more sophisticated nuances that lurk behind the machinations, and you get people in the media who take Koop’s pronouncements for granted, not knowing his non-profit organization is funded by grants from the weight loss industry.”

Silverman knows something about the way that economic interests may influence the manner in which research is promoted or suppressed. In 1997, he and a colleague at the Star-Ledger completed a year-long investigative report, “Fat Pills, Fat Profits,” which, among other findings, clearly demonstrated that “Some of the doctors, researchers and scientists who shape the public’s perception of obesity and what the government should do about it accept money from companies that profit from weight loss pills and programs.”

From a startling diagram accompanying their series of articles, one can clearly see how some might view the mainstream obesity research community as incestuous. Almost half of the members of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity (the federal government’s weight-related public health policymaking committee, which we – as taxpayers – support) are affiliated with the diet-industry-funded American Obesity Association. Two of these scientists are members of a council funded by Knoll Pharmaceuticals, makers of the diet drug Meridia. And both Koop and Shape Up America’s executive director are on the advisory council of the American Obesity Association.

In the early ’90s, a NIH panel reviewed all of the studies on weight loss, and found that, instead of improving health, weight loss actually increased mortality. Dr. Glenn Gaesser recalls being told by a reputable source that, “one of the panel members actually said, ‘I don’t believe it, and even if it’s true, we can’t let the American public know about it.'”

Given that the vast majority of research money is provided either by the National Institutes of Health or by pharmaceutical companies, one may wonder whether the policymakers’ potential conflicts of interest has an impact on the types of research that are funded.

When discussing the molasses-like speed of change in shifting the weight paradigm, some authorities also point a finger at the public. “The diet industry doesn’t want to hear this, but people don’t want to believe it either,” says Pat Lyons, RN, MA, director of Connections Women’s Health Consulting Network. “So instead of promoting a healthy lifestyle for people of all sizes, we have an unenlightened ‘fat-is-bad/thin-is-good’ consciousness.” Lynn McAfee, director of the Medical Advocacy Project of the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, says, “People have to change, too. We have to be willing to change our perceptions instead of preferring to keep our illusions.”

Despite the seeming damning evidence, most experts don’t see a conspiracy at work. Instead, they feel that mainstream obesity researchers are simply the reigning royalty within the present structure. According to Dr. Cheri Erdman, “Research (from the new weight paradigm) isn’t so much suppressed as ignored.” Dr. Gaesser concurs, saying, “There is very selective use of literature with regard to size. Pharmaceutical companies quote directly from findings in their favor and dismiss any study that shows otherwise. If it’s anything about improving health independent of weight loss, those references are not publicized.”

Dr. Esther Rothblum attributes the difficulty of getting published less to conspiracy and more to cultural bias. “It’s always very hard to be at the vanguard of anything,” she says. Her theory is that it takes people time to ‘get it,’ regardless of the subject. “Years ago, I was asked questions like, ‘Why would you be studying women?’ and ‘Why bother to analyze gender?’ That’s funny now, but that’s how people think.”

Lynn McAfee also doesn’t believe there’s a conspiracy at work. She says with conviction, “As for an organized effort on the part of the diet industry to prevent the public from finding out the truth, that is not happening.” She believes that, “They make individual attempts to ignore the research, but they’re not ‘in it together.’ They hate each other too much to do anything together, even something this vital to their survival. The diet business is that competitive.”

Instead, they suggest that perhaps the fact that we haven’t heard as much about the alternative theories of weight is due less to collusion, and more to a collision of cultural bias, a lazy media, economic interests and a public clinging to the old “truths.” Time will tell whether the “anomalies” to the current dogma about weight will reach critical mass, and thus crash the belief system. If they do, it will be interesting to see what new truth rises from the ashes.

Whatever The Truth may be, we consumers should probably bear in mind that science is Big Business, and therefore, not always as objective as we might assume. Ultimately, we should keep in mind that our health is individual and that what works best in our lives is our own personal choice.

This article was originally published in a 1999 print issue.

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You bolt for the door, intimidated beyond belief, when one of the women comes over to you and says, “If you aren’t ready for this, follow me.” With a spring in her step, she leads you through a hallway into a room filled with-other yous. Okay, you can handle this! How on earth did you luck out?

Fantasy? Perhaps. It certainly was for Shelley Bond of Belmont, Calif. Fate plays funny tricks on all of us, and Bond was no exception.

Initially, Bond hated the idea of working out. The mere thought of going to a gym was enough to cause her to break out in a cold sweat. Then she went to a program called Size with Style, which forever changed the way Bond looked at a structured exercise program.

Dana Schuster and Lisa Tealer were at the same program, sharing their new venture, Women of Substance, a spa and health club geared especially for the plus-size woman. They needed a “guinea pig” for a routine they were demonstrating. Before she could say “Richard Simmons,” Bond was sitting in a chair doing the routine, spouting with no qualms that “I don’t do this.” Undaunted, Schuster told her to “Be quiet and try it.” She did, surprising herself.

The Size with Style coordinator, a friend of Bond’s and a member of Women of Substance, “dragged me to the club, kicking and screaming,” Shelley recalls.

“I was so comfortable there within a few minutes that I came back the second time, then the third, and I was hooked,” Bond enthuses. “The women were all so great. We might be fat, but we’re fun, too!”

Bond says the best part of the exercise experience is the great support system spa members feel for one another. “It is not just praise when we have done good, but they give us a good kick when we need it, too.”

The final test for Bond came when the other women kept bugging her to try water aerobics. “I was scared to death of water,” she says, “and I couldn’t imagine getting into a swim suit. I hadn’t had one on for years.” But, the treadmill was getting boring, so with a great deal of coaxing, she finally ordered a swimsuit. She put it on and managed to get into the pool-very slowly. “Now,” she exclaims excitedly, “I just love it. I’m swimming three times a week.”

“I’m serious when I say (movement) changed my life,” Bond says with conviction. “I feel so much better, so much stronger, and so much more positive about everything.” Her husband, Mel Kiyama, adds, “I’m really glad she is doing it. She is so much healthier and happier.”

Dana Schuster and Lisa Tealer, who opened the Redwood City, Calif. spa in 1997, talk about their own spa with almost as much vitality as Bond.

The basic premise of Women of Substance, Schuster says, is to help women return to the fun they had when they were children, back when they didn’t even know the meaning of the word “inhibition.” “As kids, we had fun with exercise; we can do it again. It takes a change of our thinking, as much as a change of our lifestyle. We try to keep the goals for each of our clients functional and obtainable.”

New York City’s In Fitness and in Health is another facility that caters to the plus-size crowd. Owner Rochelle Rice says that she “saw that the fitness industry was not accommodating the needs of these people, either physically or emotionally.” So, she decided to try to fill in the gap.

“We emphasize the anatomical part of the body in our sessions,” she explains. “We concentrate on a different part of the body each month. This month it is the inner thighs.” The staff does not weigh or measure anyone; the main goal is to get people into an active lifestyle, both physically and mentally. “Too many people separate the head from the body,” Rice asserts.

While some of In Fitness’ 200 members get private sessions, most of the women prefer the group workouts. “It’s like any other group – the support system is probably the most important aspect of the program,” says Rice. “Nobody judges anybody; not for the speed they work at, the clothing they wear – nothing.”

Cinder Ernst, a San Francisco-based personal trainer, has also heeded the call to help people of all shapes and sizes become physically fit. She describes herself as a “size 12-14. Not really big, but in the fitness biz, that is really big.” She laughs as she adds, “I’d never make it on the cover of Fitness.”

Ernst began offering her services to plus-sizers after finding that many women, even if they started a program, soon dropped out because they couldn’t keep up with other class members and because the instructor was yelling at them.

According to Ernst, the best way to get yourself in shape is to do whatever you can at whatever pace is comfortable for you. “If your body says you can’t do it,” she advises, “don’t do it. If your body says, ‘Stop!’ it’s time to stop.”

When she’s not serving her clients, Ernst lends a hand at an embryonic website, bestself.com, which will soon be up and running. She describes it as “sort of like guerilla warfare.” One of the features on the site will be “How to train your trainer.”

Ernst says that while her clients are working towards a goal of better health and physical control of their bodies, they are not obsessed with such issues as weight loss. “They have their priorities straight; they are worried about the really important things in their lives.”

Okay, sounds great, right? But what if you don’t live in San Francisco or New York City – if instead, your town or city has no facilities for plus-size women? Take heart; there are still ways to meet your plus-size fitness needs.

If you can afford it, you can hire a personal trainer (see sidebar). If you can’t, you can begin incorporating more movement into your life on your own. Ernst encourages her clients to hone their instincts in order to listen to their bodies and their spirits. “There are two goals that I teach people,” Ernst says. “One is to show up and the second is to enjoy the ride.” In order to “show up,” she says, you have to know yourself – what kinds of things you like to do and when you like to do them. Are you a morning or an evening person? Do you like solitary or group activities? Do you like to swim or do you hate the water? To Ernst, “enjoying the ride” means that you have to stay in the present, so that you’ll know when an activity feels good to your body. “If it’s not fun, if it doesn’t feel good, change it,” she advises. In any event, she adds, “Err on the side of caution. Do less than you think you can do, and add onto it in increments.”

Another option to a personal trainer is to contact a physical therapist from your local hospital. See if she would like to earn a little extra money (and who doesn’t these days?) by helping you set up a suitable exercise routine. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Start out slowly, then build on it.

If you find that your own newfound strength and enthusiasm animate you, start talking to your friends. Before you know it, you will have formed your own group. There might be only two or three of you to start with, but it is surprising how fast a good thing grows. If you all enjoy the water, you might want to consider contacting the local YWCA to set up a water aerobics class for plus-size women. Or if you have access to a private pool, hire a water aerobics instructor for your group.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to sweat to the oldies to get health benefits from movement. Yoga, bellydancing, or even a walk around the block will help to improve your flexibility and stamina.

There is nothing more frustrating for a plus-size woman than someone whispering behind her back, assuming that she is incapable of climbing a flight of stairs or swimming ten laps just because of her size. A recent discussion on plus sizes resulted in this comment: What is the opposite of a plus size? Simple. It’s a minus size! A negative! So go on, be your positive self. Be the best that you can be-in a size 16, 26 or 46!

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Finding a Trainer

Personal Trainer Cinder Ernst gives a money back guarantee to her clients that they will feel better when they’re done than when they began. Ernst says that the key to creating an active lifestyle is “building on little victories” and taking fitness goals one small step at a time. If you’d like to find a personal trainer in your area who can help you achieve your goals, Ernst gives this advice:

• Check on the trainer’s certification
• Be certain that the trainer is insured
• Find someone with whom you have a rapport, and whom you like
• Always remember that they are working for you, and clearly communicate your goals to them
• A good trainer teaches you how to be your own best expert. If an exercise scares you or hurts, a trainer should respect and honor that, rather than saying, “Come on, you can do it!” It’s you who has to live with any injuries that result from exercises that aren’t appropriate for your body.
• “99% of the fitness industry wants you to focus on weight loss and body shaping.” Find a trainer who will support you in exercising for the health benefits, rather than for weight loss.

Exercise = Health

Personal Trainer Cinder Ernst says that while weight loss can be a byproduct of a fitness routine, you’ll get all the health benefits of exercise even if you never lose an ounce. “You’ll want to move more, and you’ll be more active, so you’ll have more fun,” she says. “You’ll be able to play with your kids more, walk your dog more, and even shop more!” According to Ernst, a fitness routine can help you:

• sleep better
• reduce stress
• increase flexibility, strength and endurance
• stabilize your blood sugar
• lower your blood pressure
• prevent osteoporosis
• alleviate depression
• improve your sex life

This article originally appeared in the print magazine.

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Now a Certified Dive Master and Dive Instructor, Dixon says she has never felt that her size has affected her sports ability. “The only time I think of myself as large-sized is when I see myself in a photograph.” When she was training for her Dive Master certification, an advanced program designed to gain in-depth knowledge of underwater navigation and deep diving, Dixon was in a class with six men. “Even being large-sized,” she recalls, “I was still in better shape than them! I could out swim all of them.”

Scuba diving is fairly straightforward, but training and certification are required. There are two parts to a scuba diving certification course, the “theory,” which is taught by an instructor in a classroom (or even via computer), and the “Open Dive” classes, which are usually held in a swimming pool. Typically, five Open Dive classes are required to become a Certified Diver. You can usually locate a training course through your local community college, an adult education program or through a dive shop.

For the casual diver who just wants to check out the underwater scene while on vacation or at a resort, the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) has joined with Scuba Schools International (SSI) to develop two officially recognized programs called “Try Scuba” and “Passport.” These two short courses allow the novice diver to enjoy actual scuba diving and gain experience while under the supervision of a Dive Leader. The two programs are being widely marketed to adventurous non-divers whose schedules may not allow time for a full certification course. “Try Scuba” and “Passport” get you into the water, and into the action – fast! Both certifications are transferable to other dive sites and resorts. The “Passport” can even be registered on the NAUI or SSI websites.

Dixon feels that plus size women will find diving especially enjoyable. “When you are scuba diving, you learn how to become neutrally buoyant so you are really weightless in the water – you are one with the water. It is the most incredible feeling. There is no pressure on your body anywhere and you’re seeing all of these incredible sea creatures underneath the water.”

Dixon’s most memorable dive was when she and Julie, her best friend and fellow instructor, led a seven-day scuba trip for Dixon’s mother and three of her mother’s best friends to the Sea of Cortez in Baja, Mexico. “The water in the Sea of Cortez is very warm, with a mix of tropical fish and Pacific Ocean marine life. The scuba trip was all women – we had a blast! One day while diving, we ended up in the water with a whole bunch of sea lions, mostly mothers and their babies. The young ones were very playful and were swimming around us and in and out and through our legs. It was awesome.”

While touring the Sea of Cortez, Dixon’s group got a chance to try another exciting water adventure – sea kayaking – a sport that has now exceeded canoeing in popularity. Sea kayaks are bonded plastic, one-piece units shaped like canoes, with seating “on top” rather than “inside.” Especially suited to the larger woman, sea kayaks are very wide and stable and can be used on both ocean and lake. Most sea kayaks contain watertight compartments with enough room to stow gear for either a day trip or full overnight camping. “They are very comfortable, even on long journeys” comments Dixon. ” The design is so sleek and you feel like you are going so fast that you can just feel the water part before you.”

While certification isn’t required for sea kayaking, a little instruction ensures a happier, safer journey. Most resorts and paddle sport rental companies will give instruction on how to handle a kayak. The Trade Association of Paddle Sports (TAPS) recommends that beginners take a basic course which covers paddling skills, signaling methods, entering and exiting your kayak, how to carry and transport a kayak, basic safety and rescue skills, managing waves and basic navigation. TAPS also maintains a website and phone number where the sports enthusiast can access paddle sport products, businesses, services and events in their local area as well as recent developments in the sport of paddling in North America.

The beauty of kayaking is that you don’t have to be in great shape to get right out on the water and begin enjoying yourself, but the sport is a great way to build upper body strength. Sea kayaks can be either rented or purchased and, depending on the area, you may be required to wear a life jacket while on the water. Adds Dixon, “I encourage everyone to try sea kayaking. I remember one trip when I got up at six in the morning and the water was calm and glassy smooth. I kayaked out into the water and ended up right in the middle of hundreds and hundreds of migrating dolphins. I just sat there, surrounded by dolphins, watching the sun come up. It was beautiful.”

How about a water sport where you just show up? No equipment to worry with, no lessons required, just fun and excitement. Whitewater rafting may be just the sport for you. Whitewater rafters generally join an organized group for either a day trip or overnight trip led by a certified guide. Rafts vary in size, most seating 8-12 thrill seekers. Even completely outfitted, they remain very stable. Begin your adventure by contacting a commercial rafting company via the Web, phone book or guidebook. When you find a tour that interests you and matches your experience, book your trip. You will be told where to meet the group and what to bring. After that, all you have to do is get ready for a good time! You may want to time your trip to the seasons to get the kind of ride you want. Spring may have colder water, but great rapids. Summer waters tend to be warmer, but may have less whitewater, depending on the location. Remember that part of the fun is getting bounced into the water!

American Whitewater is a national non-profit organization with a membership of 8,000 whitewater enthusiasts, organized to help people enjoy whitewater resources safely. AW [VGC1]organizes sporting events, such as Whitewater Rodeos and maintains a complete national inventory of whitewater rivers. AW was one of the first to establish a uniform national ranking system to measure whitewater levels of difficulty. This kind of safety information keeps eager rafters correctly matched to their experience and comfort level.

Marianne MacFarlane, a plus-size whitewater rafting enthusiast from Maine, got her start in the sport when she joined a group of women from work who had planned a trip. She loved the experience so much that she’s been back 25 times! When asked what she did to get in shape, MacFarlane says she didn’t worry about it. “All you have to be able to do is handle the paddle, which the average person can do,” she reports. “Large-sized women have good buoyancy – we take to water naturally.” Nonetheless, MacFarlane confesses, “When I first started, I was nervous about falling out of the raft. How were they going to get me back in? Then we hit some rough rapids and I accidentally flipped out of the boat. As I popped up out of the water, I grabbed the side of the raft. While I pushed down on the raft to get in, the guides grabbed the back of my life jacket and just yanked me in like it was nothing. It was so easy! After that, I relaxed.”

Melanie Rochat’s experience with whitewater rafting echoes MacFarlane’s. Rochat, who has years of experience as a Whitewater Rafting Guide, finds herself gravitating lately towards calmer, more peaceful sports such as canoeing. Says Rochat, “All you need in the way of supplies is your canoe, your paddle, and an outfit of Quick-dry nylon shorts and a tank top.” Rochat explains that there are basically two kinds of canoes: lake canoes and river canoes. Lake canoes have a ridge (keel) down the middle of the boat to provide stability and keep the canoe traveling straight. River canoes have a more rounded bottom to help with turning and maneuverability. Rochat claims that the plus-size woman can easily enjoy canoeing even if she isn’t in great physical shape. She does, however, have to get a canoe that handles not only her weight, but also the weight of her gear. Canoes come in different sizes and capacities designed for short day trips on up through long distance camping trips. Rochat especially enjoys flatwater canoeing in slow-moving rivers throughout the Carolinas and Georgia. “I like the solitude. You can still be close to the city, but when you are out on the river it’s like you’ve gone 200 years back in time, it is so peaceful.”

One of Rochat’s most memorable canoe trips was an autumn trip down the Black River. “The trees dropped their leaves into the river, coloring the water black with their tannins. The water was clean and flowing, but was literally black, like brewed tea. I saw turtles sunning themselves on logs and flocks of white egrets swooping low towards the water at sunset. I even saw alligators!” Reflects Rochat, “While I am canoeing, the world stops going by at 50 miles per hour.”

All of the women profiled in this article love the water and excel at a variety of water sports. Not surprisingly, Ashley Dixon is also an avid sailor. She enjoys sailing so much that she is currently in preparation to embark on a two-year sailing cruise with her family, her best friend Julie and Julie’s family. “The experience will be great for everyone,” says Dixon, “especially the children. It will be good for them to see how the rest of the world lives so that when they come home they will really appreciate what they have.” The group plans to travel from San Carlos, Mexico through the Panama Canal and on towards the Caribbean. They plan on waiting out the storm season in the San Blas Islands along the Panamanian coast, then traveling along the Venezuelan coast to Barbados and St. Thomas, where Dixon grew up.

Dixon became interested in sailing while working as part of the crew on charter sailboats during her scuba instructor years. Having purchased a 48′ sailboat, which they christened “Echelon,” the family spent a month practice sailing under the guidance of an experienced captain and certified sailing instructor. They then spent three more years “learning the ropes” in preparation for the time when they would set sail on their two-year cruise.

If you long to hear the snap of a sail, lessons are available through several venues, including the American Sailing Association (ASA). ASA offers referrals to certified instructors and local training courses.

Dixon sums up her love of the water by saying, “It’s a great place for a large woman. The feeling of weightlessness is a feeling we don’t get on land very often. My mission is to help bring awareness of the importance of the oceans and the meaninglessness of size when it comes to life, adventure and happiness!” Melanie Rochat concurs, “We all feel, ‘I can’t do it, I’m overweight.’ But in water sports, size just doesn’t matter. In many ways larger women do better in the water, where we are more buoyant and better insulated against changes in water temperature.”

Scuba diving, sea kayaking, rafting, canoeing and sailing – so many different ways to enjoy the oceans, rivers and lakes. Water sports can be fast and thrilling or gentle and peaceful – it’s our choice. Perhaps in the water, we can feel more truly at home. Buoyant and graceful, we are particularly well suited to this exotic environment.

Well, make room for a more unconventional picture – one with fewer rippling muscles and a little more jiggle – because plus-size women are training for strenuous athletic events in record numbers.

Like any other athlete, the plus-size marathon bike rider, runner, or power walker probably began her athletic journey innocently enough, by deciding to hop on a bike or take a stroll for pleasure and fitness. But strolls soon turned into hikes and short spins to the neighborhood park became trans-city excursions. At some point along the way she began to self-identify as an athlete, and eventually her inspiration and motivation combined to galvanize her to sign up for an endurance event.

Anita Mower, 39, wasn’t much of a bike enthusiast when she was a kid. But this spunky redhead has more than made up for lost time, having racked up a 150-mile bike ride as well as numerous other distance events in the four years she’s been cycling.

Mower’s initial motivation for climbing on her mountain bike was to get into shape. She says that she was looking for something that “wasn’t too hard,” and that wouldn’t put a strain on her surgically reconstructed ankle. She initially rode alone, using “a heart rate monitor to gauge my performance and my level of fitness, with my goal being to do better than the ride before.”

Before long, Mower joined the Sacramento Bike Hikers and began participating in longer-distance group rides, where she found that she could ride at her own pace, and where there wasn’t pressure to perform. “Plus,” she says, “it’s fun to be outside, to be with a group of people who are supportive. It’s just a blast!”

Mower’s shift in self-concept from an “exerciser” to a “athlete” was subtle. “My self-image started changing when I bought a good road bike. I put a lot of thought into my choice and made sure I got a bike that fit me. At the time, I thought, ‘I must be getting serious about this!'”

Mower always had a goal in mind before starting a ride, noting, “Unless I had goals, I wouldn’t keep riding.” In early 1997, her earnestness led her to choose a 150-mile, two-day ride benefiting the Multiple Sclerosis Society as her long-term cycling goal. Mower, a massage therapist, says, “I have a client with MS, so it was easy to sign up for the ride and raise money for a cause that affected me personally.” In addition, she says, “Even though it was 150 miles, it was a pretty flat ride, so I didn’t have to worry a lot about altitude gain.”

Mower devised a training regime for the MS150 after seeking out recommendations for century (100-mile) training in cycling magazines. Her workouts consisted of one sprint day, where she would ride at top speed for a certain number of minutes, followed by a rest day, followed by a day where she would complete a long ride. Over time, Mower increased both her minutes and her distance, and as the date drew nearer, rode one 65-mile course and did several long rides back-to-back, mimicking the conditions of the two-day event.

Her blue eyes sparkle with excitement and laughter as Mower describes her tour de force. “On Saturday, when I finished the 75 miles, it was great, like ‘Yeah! I did it!'” The following day, with temperatures hovering at 104° and having to ride the last seven miles into the wind, she was tempted to give up – but didn’t. Mower flashes a thumbs-up when she recounts, “It was something that in my head I knew I could do, but that in my heart I wasn’t sure that I could do. It was such an accomplishment. It was so exhilarating. I felt so alive.”

Through countless rounds of patching tires and reseating her bike chain, Mower’s fitness goal became secondary to the sense of accomplishment she feels every time she finds herself exceeding her last ride. Now, she says, “I love to go out and ride. I’m always looking for the days it’s nice enough to ride. I’m not peeling myself off the couch to do it.”

While some plus-size athletes, such as Mower, train on their own, others – such as this writer – work out at their local gym. While my gym attracts women of all sizes, I noticed that the big girls were not participating in some of the more popular classes such as cardio-boxing and spinning (group indoor cycling). Instead, I saw trim – even skinny – folks participating in these new exercise fads.

So it was with great trepidation that I approached an indoor cycling instructor and simply asked, “Can big girls spin?” After being assured that I could participate and work at my own level, I began the class routine of pre- and post-stretching, and covering between ten and 15 miles on a stationary bike.

Then a most curious thing happened. Other large women at the gym began to approach me and ask about spinning. They all confided the same thing to me: They had never seen any big folks spinning. I encouraged all of them to join one of the classes. After several months of spinning, other aerobic exercises (EFX machine, treadmill) and lifting weights, I saw an advertisement for the California AIDS Ride, a 560 mile, seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The thought occurred to me that, if big girls can spin, then they (we) can certainly train to ride a bicycle 560 miles.

Despite the fact that in the last 20 years I have not ridden my bicycle more than three miles in an outing, I signed up for the June 1999 ride and began training in earnest in last December. Around that time, I met Mary Buckner, a plus-size woman who attended one of my spinning classes. Mary told me that she planned to participate in the Escape to Alcatraz Triathlon in 2000. Mary said that when she goes to aerobic classes, “they are surprised that I can keep up,” and that sometimes folks “kinda do a double take.” Buckner expressed some familiar sentiments about exercise, in that she thought, “big people only exercised when dieting.” It only recently occurred to her that “exercise is a lifestyle,” and although weight loss might be a byproduct of exercise, the primary goal is fitness.

Although Buckner began to envision exercise as a lifestyle, she also wanted a challenge, something to excite her and push her further. She watched the Ironman competitions on television, found them challenging and decided to enter a triathlon – not to win, but to complete it as a personal challenge. She felt the competition was a motivator to encourage her to get in the best shape she could be in, and wanted to prove to herself that she could do it.

Cinder Ernst of the World Gym in San Francisco has taught a class for plus-size women for several years. “The gay rights movement became successful after people realized that being gay is not a choice. You either are or you aren’t. People think larger people choose to be that way, but genetics plays a part,” said Ernst. People she has known have lost 100 pounds, but they are still heavy: “That’s all they’re going to lose.” One of her clients lost 120 pounds, but still weighing 270, walked a marathon without losing a pound.

“When they come, they’ll eat the fat ones first,” was plastered on a billboard advertising 24 Hour Fitness Center in San Francisco. Many folks – both large and average size – found the ad offensive, and there were protests outside many of the gyms. Frances White of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance said, “The billboard never would have seen the light of day if any other group in this society was targeted. If (24 Hour Fitness was) really interested in our health, in our well being, they would not alienate us. They would try to encourage us to come to that gym.”

The underlying sentiment behind the 24-Hour Nautilus billboard is that fitness and fatness are mutually exclusive. And, while the National Institutes of Health claims that over half of the U.S. adult population is either overweight or obese, exercise physiologist Dr. Glenn Gaesser of the University of Virginia believes, as other experts do, that “Ideal weight is really a statistical myth.” Gaesser, the author of Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health, draws the conclusion that weight isn’t the issue or problem, but that being unfit is. He says that the issue is one of health, regardless of size, and that the key to health and fitness is to improve diet, eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise – regardless of whether these activities result in weight loss.

Ruby Vejkajs, 36, hails from Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, and like many of us, used to exercise only to lose weight. When she didn’t lose weight or when she tired of dieting, she gave up exercising. Saying she “stopped weighing myself on November 11, 1997, in an attempt to get off the diet-deprivation-binge-low self esteem cycle,” she now not only enjoys exercising, but also relishes it. “I think of power walking as my time; a time to enjoy movement, relieve stress and challenge myself.”

Vejkajs decided to train for a 28 km (16.4 mile) walk in 1998 after she finished a 10 km (6 mile) Super Cities Walk for Multiple Sclerosis. Her workout schedule is divided into seasons: winter (walking 30 minutes three to five times a week) and spring/summer/fall (walking 30 minutes to one and one-half hours five times a week and bike riding 30 minutes two to three times a week).

Vejkajs’ advice is sound: “(Finding) movement that you enjoy is a great boost to the self-esteem of plus-size women. Any movement will do – power walking, weight training, dancing or moving you feet to music. Don’t wait until you weigh that magic number to treat yourself well. Treat yourself well now, move and enjoy your body.”

Although plus-size athletes are on the move in triathlons, marathons and long distance bicycle rides, obstacles do crop up in their attempts to achieve their dreams. Upon joining a gym, Vejkajs found that “the staff had a hard time understanding that I was not there to lose weight, but to get stronger and more fit.” She also notes “looks of surprise on people’s faces” when she tells them of her training plans.

Cyclist Anita Mower depends upon a triathlete friend for good advice about training and equipment. “Bike shops assume that I’m not a serious rider, so they won’t give me all the information I need.” That assumption could be detrimental to the health and well being of a plus-size rider, since, as Mower notes, “If you cycle long enough, you’re going to fall down. It’s a matter of having the right equipment so you won’t get seriously hurt.”

And while Mower’s spring plans include participating in the 50 km (30-mile) Party at Pardee, a celebration of the “official” opening of bike season by 1200 riders, she may not have a fresh jersey and bike pants for the new season. A size 2X, Mower says, “It’s a constant challenge to find bike clothes that fit and that are comfortable for me to go on a long ride.” While the Junonia and Nashbar catalogs sometimes carry the special bike pants with a chamois, or pad in the seat, finding bike equipment for plus-size women can be hit-or-miss.

Mower sees the scarcity of plus-size bike clothes as a chicken-and-egg dilemma. “Not many large people cycle, so I can understand manufacturers not making the clothes. But my question is, how many large folks aren’t riding because they can’t get the equipment?”

The future holds exciting challenges for our marathoners. Ruby Vejkajs is planning for a 42-km (25-mile) walk in the year 2000 and Anita Mower will be biking across the U.S. within the next decade. It will be a self-contained trip (without vehicle support of any kind) with a dozen other riders, including her husband, Tim. Her motivation for such an undertaking? “I’m such an adventurer, and I’m always wanting to do the next most fun thing. But mostly, it’s because I can.”

And that’s the bottom line. As plus-size women, we’re often given the message that we can’t be active or consider ourselves athletes. But by setting our own goals and workout routines, or by joining a gym, we can add a little jiggle to the hardbody image of an athlete. And in the process, we’ll give ourselves the wonderful gift of physical, emotional, and mental well being. Because we can.

Excuse me? Hiking? Bonding? I think he’s got the wrong suffix there. Just three little letters, but what a difference in mindset.

You see, I think the correct word for the hiking experience is “bondage.”

No, no whips or chains in sight, but in my endorphin-challenged mind and aging body, there’s nothing but lots of pain, suffering, sweat and tears. You’re a prisoner of time and space. No matter where you are, you’re always only half-way there because you’ve still got to turn around and go back to wherever you left your car or your house, or in my case, personal emergency medical technician.

To be honest, I can’t even blame my aging body for my feelings – I’ve always hated hiking.

Clear back in Girl Scout camp – when I was young, supple, healthy and reasonably energetic – hiking was hell. At least the camp leaders were smart enough to avoid the havoc of 30 rebellious ten-year-olds by having something worthwhile at the end of the path – a swimming pond, lanyard-making class or dinner.

My little backwater school was too impoverished to have field trips, so we were spared going anywhere for nature walks. Living in the midst of miles and miles of farmland, we had plenty of nature to examine on our way out to the school bus or once we got home.

As I’ve sat meditating on my apparently unnatural anti-nature reaction over the past few days, I began to wonder: Am I so weird? Am I alone in my revulsion to everything big and beautiful that can only be enjoyed by hotfooting it over hill and dale? Everywhere I turn there are these endorphin-crazed people lacing up their hiking boots, hunching into their backpacks and practically yodeling with joy as they begin tramping off into the wilderness.

Perhaps being hiking-averse is for the best, because the other thing I can’t stand on hikes is someone always telling you what a beautiful flower that is or how gorgeous that mountain is or how terrific they feel out here in the great outdoors. Half the time your words are falling on deaf ears. I’m not home. I’ve already seen that glorious flower and have sent my extra-sensory energy over to mingle with it and absorb it and appreciate it.

The other half of the time all those vocal observations have just messed up my zone of silence that I build around me so I can listen selectively to the call of a bird, or the whisper of the wind, or the rustle of a silky leaf against rough bark. God talks in so many wonderful ways and I want to hear it all.

Perhaps I’m not alone. Quite possibly, I’m just not finding the rest of you hike-avoiders, because, like me, you’re in a comfortable chaise lounge somewhere, looking up from a good book now and then to appreciate the beauty of nature around you, even if nature consists of the one scrawny peony left in your backyard.

Are you a quiet, fellow chaise lounger? Let’s do a little bonding of our own. That inviting spot about 100 feet from the parking lot seems tranquil. Same blue sky, same blazing sun, same green trees. Oh sure, those path-trampers will see some vistas we’ll miss, but we’ll be exploring some glorious vistas sprayed across our imaginations from the words on the pages we’re turning. And since there are so many folks who love that walking stuff, it will be pretty isolated in our little zone of contemplation. We’ll welcome the rest of you into our loosely bonded group – if you can find us.

Unless, of course, you brought along your radio. Or worse yet, your cell phone. If that were the case, we’d like to direct you to a cozy little spot across the parking lot – the one between the Dumpster and the PortaPotty. You will serve as a reminder to those passing you on their way to the trailhead of what they’re trying to get away from in their eternal search for the Perfect Path.

Write to me. Tell me your preference. I’ll get back to you. But for now, I have a peony that needs some energy-mingling, and 75 pages remaining in a great novel I left lying on the chair in the backyard are calling me.