August 11, 2012--The Golf Ball Thing (YOU'RE WELCOME)

I'm about to let you in on a huge and wonderful secret.

Okay, it's not really a secret.

It's more of a Thing Everyone Should Know, but Most People Don't.  But now I'm going to tell you about it and then you will KNOW.  And once you know something, you can't UNknow it, so you will have this added knowledge of this huge thing that has the potential to change your life.

So, you may have noticed something in the background of every picture I have taken in my bedroom of the bazillion forearm stands.

I cannot even tell you how much time I just spent trying to find some software on my computer that would allow me to draw a simple arrow pointing to the golf ball.  Apparently, I don't have that kind of software.  Just look in front of the dying houseplant.

It's a golf ball.

(Some of you, used to my photographic prowess, probably thought the golf ball was this year's Soft Scrub. Nope, I leave it out to remind me to do the magic golf ball trick morning and night.)

I know --I don't even play golf!

This golf ball was given to me by my acupuncturist. He put a little face on it, because he has a sense of humor.  You do not need to have a face on YOUR golf ball to participate in this exercise.

He looks a little pensive in this photo, doesn't he?

In fact, it's a little weird to have a face on your golf ball, especially the one on MY golf ball, which seems to always be watching me, which is kind of creepy.

TECHNICALLY, you don't even necessarily have to have a GOLF ball.  When I was in Dallas visiting my parents in January, I forgot my golf ball and had to use a dreidel.

Because there were no golf balls to be found in my parents' house, but of COURSE, there was a dreidel.

Anyway.

Here is Ana Katherine demonstrating the exercise.

All right, all right, I DO know how it works, but I just didn't think you'd buy my explanation since I sound like a Smurf and who would take a Smurf trying to explain something technical seriously? (People, there's a REASON I never went into broadcast journalism.)

Basically, it's kind of reflexology kind of thing. You're rolling around over all of these trigger points in your foot and that unlocks all of the joints traveling up your leg. OR, if you don't buy that, think about it as evening out the foundation on which you stand, which, in turn, brings all of your other joints into alignment.

What I've discovered about my FULF is that during my biggest pain episodes, the real culprit is that my foot goes into a spasm and locks up.  This causes everything in my leg and hip to lock up and then, I'm completely out of alignment and everything hurts.

I do the golf ball exercise at least twice a day, in the morning and at night, and sometimes I do it just because I can feel my foot beginning to spasm.  When I forget to do it, my entire foot is tight and uncomfortable--and my acupuncturist immediately knows I haven't been rolling it around on the golf ball. When I do the golf ball, my foot stays supple and relaxed and then every other joint up my leg does, too. It's magic.

Apparently, it's especially valuable as an exercise for runners and cyclists, who have notoriously tight joints due to the repetitive forward motion of their sports. But it's good for everyone, because we all ask so much of our feet.

So, there you have it: The Magic Golf Ball Thing. You should really do it every day.  Seriously, it's THAT good. Try it--your feet will thank you.