Advice From An OT

As promised, sleeping tips from an OTs point of view. I wrote this awhile back for parents who are trying to help their kids get a better nights rest. But I really think this can be helpful for adults too!

Sleep well because it continues to be dark all the time. Story of our lives until about May if you're in Michigan.

* Have the same routine every night is very helpful

* No TV/screen time after dusk (lights and images from the screens wake the brain up and disrupts sleep)

* This is a good time for old fashioned play (using building blocks on the floor). Adults reading a real book, arts and crafts, puzzles, etc.

* It may even be helpful and fun to eat dinner by candle light (bright lights can be alerting to the brain)

* Body temperatures need to drop 2 degrees to fall asleep, so it is best to keep the room cooler (increased body temperatures usually are because of high cortisol levels which puts them in flight or fight mode at all times

* Use a weighted blanket while sleeping (or heavy quilts, extra comforter) 

* Take a hot bath and then send the child straight to bed (no play time, story or snack after bath time)

* Use deep pressure when towel drying (which increases serotonin and dopamine levels 
* Research essential oils that are calming to diffuse at night. I like lavender oil.
* Make sure you sleep on a firm mattress
* Avoid sleeping on your stomach or with an over sized pillow. Both of these positions place your neck and spine out of alignment.
* Place a pillow between your knees if you are side sleeping or under your knees if you are laying on your back.

Sleep and Occupational Therapy/Disability

This has been a quick series with thinking about sleep issues and how important it is to rest well in order to have a holistic approach towards life, in order to be as fulfilled as possible.

To wrap up these ideas and thoughts about sleeping well I decided to google "Occupational Therapy and sleep" and then "adults with cerebral palsy and sleep."  The link about the OTs role mentions how lack of sleep decreases work productivity and performance and increases absenteeism. I was also reminded of the OTs role in providing sensory integration techniques and appropriate posture and body mechanics while sleeping (I will fill you in tomorrow).

Then while googling adults with CP and sleep I learned there are lots of writers with CP. Very few......still have yet to come across one with my OT and rehab counseling background.  But there's lots of complaints about sleeping.

I 100% agree about the complaints. My neck is still healing from a new pillow...this is becoming similar to shoe shopping (which also sort of sucks as well).

However, with my unique spicy twist to all of this baggage we're all having to face, I realized that I am the only one attempting to provide a positive outcome.

Just surround yourself with spas, mindfulness, peace, gratuity, yoga and basically.....kick CP's ass!!!

We all need to remember to spoil ourselves a little more, with or without CP. It's dark...hibernate.

Anyways, here are the links:

https://www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com/cerebral-palsy/associated-disorders/sleep-issues/

https://www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com/2016/12/20/living-cerebral-palsy-sleep-not-sleep/

http://www.aota.org/about-occupational-therapy/professionals/hw/sleep.aspx

Sleeping Quiz

Hibernation Continues.  It's so dark. All. The. Time.

How healthy are you really?  I have done a play leisure/quiz and a time management quiz. Have you ever wondered if you are treating yourself right by getting appropriate amounts of sleep? Score yourself and I will be proud if you do well.

1. I go to bed at the same time every night.
a.  Always......I cancel plans and kick people out of my house if necessary
b. Most of the time.......occasionally there is a night where I stay up to watch a show or socialize
c. Some of the time...I really catch up on the weekends
d. Never.....sleep is for wimps

2. I wake up at the same time everyday
a. Yes, of course! Haven't you seen this is a habit of highly successful people
b. Unfortunately, most of the time....I have young kids, I sleep when I can
c. Some of the time...I really catch up on the weekends
d. Never...sleep is for wimps

3. When it comes to electronics.
a. Everything with screens and the majority of fake light is off at dusk
b. I watch some TV or check social media/email after dinner for less than 2 hours
c. I have a TV in my bedroom for favorite shows, this is how I relax. And my phone is an alarm clock, so it stays on in my bedroom all night,
d. I leave my phone on under my pillow, what if I miss something?

4. I require medications or other substances to get a good nights sleep.
a. No way!
b. Some of the time for chronic pain or stressful phases of life
c. Most of the time
d. Always. Laying down to sleep is stressful.

5. I am interrupted by kids, pets, partner, phone or chronic pain
a. Never
b. 1-2 nights a week
c. 3-4 nights a week
d. every night

6. On average I get about
a. 7-9 hours of sleep
b. 4-6 hours of sleep
c. it ranges; could be 9-12 hours on the weekends; 4-6 on week days
d. I'm lucky if I get 4-6 hours a night

7. I make attempts to get a restful night sleep in a comfortable area
a. I've never had to try...it comes naturally
b. It's good to put forth effort, it's part of being healthy
c. I try suggestions but things that are recommended don't seem to work
d. Sleep is for wimps.
     

Who needs sleep?!?

We all do! This is not a trick question.


Work hard...play harder....sleep well.

If we are all sleeping poorly how are we going to be able to fit everything in?  How are we going to be able to chase and teach our youth, shuffle bureaucracies, expand our knowledge or fulfill or dreams?

I decided to really think about sleeping patterns right now because it's dark and cold all the time and bears are doing it, so we should be too.  Let's hibernate!

I do realize that there are times when we can't help a conflicted sleep pattern. Caring for babies, getting sick, and feeling like we are missing out on certain life events by going to bed on time. But the majority of us begin to take on the attitude that we are able to do it all, so sleep gets pushed aside. Getting a good nights sleep on a regular basis is truly underestimated and almost frowned upon. However, so many of us are spending money on expensive beds, essential oils, pillows and medications just to sleep.  When and how did this become a barrier?  This seems like this should be our easiest task throughout our life span.  If it was an easy task think about all of the benefits! Better concentration, weight loss, stronger immune systems, along with so many other benefits.

I'll admit, sleeping well for me has been tricky throughout my adult life. Any type of stress (good or bad) causes emotional reactions which effects my sleep.  I also have sore muscles and struggle with muscle spasms which also effects my sleep. The past couple of years have been the most peaceful time in my adult life however I still wake up at about 4am sometimes and my mind will just race about the most irrational things for awhile.  I don't go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. Even though I don't have a TV in my bedroom I still will fall asleep on the couch to the TV or be checking Facebook right before I fall asleep. I will also say I have used a memory foam pillow for 15 years. This week I have been working on replacing my 6 year old expensive pillow.  I found a $123 pillow for $52 (the 2nd attempt on a new pillow) and I woke up with a sore neck.  Apparently I like things a little worn down and broken in.

I do know that massages, yoga and less drama in my life have caused me to have better sleeping patterns than I did in my twenties.

Are you a good sleeper?  What are your tricks to have healthy sleep patterns?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4pqqzFWedc

The Skill that's keeping me employed.

If I can do it.....so can you!

This is a total switch from adventure and hobbies.....but it's about the balance!!!

Work hard.......and of course, play harder!

This school year the holiday season has also meant IEP season. Once Halloween struck so did the heavy amounts of work.  November was full of anticipation, as in how will I get this all done? Like everyone else it also meant anticipation for making gifts, preparing for visiting extra with friends and family. Snow days are wonderful and I refuse to see them in any other way. However, they do change a routine to a very disorganized world as it is.

After Thanksgiving I knew I had to stick with filling out paperwork for 1 IEP or writing 1 report each day.  I wrote this down as a plan. This is actually virtually impossible. I stuck to it as close to possible as I could and did not back down. This works. As for snow days, kids service times are low, meetings are cancelled and need to be rescheduled. But when I was about 4 or 5 days behind on my personal schedule, I used this time to the best of my ability. I required Netfilx and chocolate and Pajamas. But after about 10 hours on Sunday/Monday last Tuesday I entered the week "caught up." Tuesday-Friday caused me to get 1-2 days behind again but this next week I have only scheduled filing for myself.  This way I can have everything I need to get done by this Wednesday afternoon for the week of January 9th. That week is a week of 8 meetings with 3-4 reports wrapped up in the mix.

My one and only plan prior to January 9th is not to think about my job for 2.5 weeks. The best Christmas gift to myself.

I'm learning if has to be done........do it. We're all wasting too much energy thinking, pondering, procrastination.

My happiness is to important and time is moving too fast for my "to do" list to go beyond a list of 10 things to do.

A Presentation: Holistic Approach. Productive Results.

Problem Area: Working adults try to do it "all." Manage families, relationships, health, recreation/hobbies, finances and their jobs. During the 40 hour work week there are several distractions which decreases productivity in the work place. This is especially true for adults with disabilities who are apart of the workforce.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/13/485261651/workplaces-can-be-particularly-stressful-for-disabled-americans-poll-finds

https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/psychological/workplacestress.php

https://www.adaa.org/managing-stress-anxiety-in-workplace/anxiety-disorders-in-workplace

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2838717/

https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/community/cerebral-palsy-in-adults/


Solution: Encourage or require mindfulness for several minutes throughout the work day. This will increase health and well being and productivity. Employees will be more apt to work well in groups together for problem solving if their stress level is reduced.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/want-to-practice-mindfulness-start-at-work_us_578523c2e4b0e05f05238780

http://www.curejoy.com/content/10-ways-to-care-for-yourself-when-you-feel-burnt-out/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19021918

A Woman of Substance Continued...

I don't know where all of this is headed but since Wednesday I feel like my life line is on a uphill climb. It's been kind of a straight homeostatic pace for a long time so when a small little annoyance was occurring, I was taking a dip down and some not so happy inner thoughts were occuring.  Luckily I'd come back up to the steady line I was at.  I've been kind of quiet, drinking Pespi and watching Netflix after work knowing there's really no sense in making a lot of social plans because I have seen this scene and the outcome before.

But I am more than ready to have a reason to wake up in the morning and light some fuel under my behind. I want to stretch my boundaries.  A steady life.....to me...is a boring life. I feel like I teenager stuck in a boring high school class. It's been uncomfortable because I am doing what I was told would make me happy.

I'd prefer a long project that would allow my creativity and brain to come alive. Where do I find that?

In August I went on an online date and when I left...the first thought that entered my mind...well at least it only took 60 minutes of my time.  Work feels similar.  MSU games, going to movies or any type of beer tent almost feels equal to this.  I'm so bored.

Going on a vacation, facing a fear and sharing it in my words and pictures and then learning I inspired a friend on facebook to cross The Mighty MAC, opened up a path for me that I am ready to start walking down.  It was much more exciting than that match.com encounter. I know.....it's weird. But sometimes we have to trust these unexpected feelings and just - go for it!

There are other thoughts and ideas full of substance.  The name and motto for a business.  The attempt to create my own webpage.  Late nights of googling things like the "4 Hour Work Week" and reading articles about investing appropriately and wondering if I am on the right track to go above and beyond filling out dittos for the next 25 years.

Another facebook connection sent me a link to a life coach's website.  First off, she is doing things that interest me. Discussing topics with women that I would love to discuss, think about and get paid for.  So I saw what she was doing, I thought, how do I do that? Then, after my 12 week respite, I began the next 9 months of going somewhere that has given me lots of fulfillment and stability but I find myself growing out of what it has to offer.  And before I have felt happy and excited about these feelings, negative feelings have arose.

So, I took action! I contacted this life coach.  I emailed her and said I have this idea for starting my own business but it seems impossible. Like always, I am trusting my gut rather than staying where I am currently at.  Despite my feelings of comfort and security and despite advice from others.  This is only the beginning of making decisions about this path I am headed down.

Like a good coach or teacher on Wednesday this week this coach reminded me of the first email I sent her in late September.  I wrote down "It seems impossible."  I think for me, that's the allure. Bring it on! As a life coach she has easily given me deadlines and gentle guidance that is only sending me down the path I was hoping to go. She has given me mini assignments and I have produced results that I was only imagining.  For whatever reason I needed this! More than a prince charming, a vacation or a drunken night out.

In 2 months I have created a business vision and I am starting to pitch my ideas to professionals in the community. I'm still brainstorming a lot! But I'm brainstorming for a trademark for my company? Really!

I'm excited to see where all of this substance takes me!

A Woman of Substance...The Reason Why I am Grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Of course I am grateful for the food on the table, parents that are still healthy and with me today! A new sister in law on the way, cats sitting next to me on the couch this morning as I relax. Friends in 5 (+) states and across the world who I am able to keep in touch with. And of course a stable job, home, nice car.  There's a lot of physical and external things that have given me a great life.

But the past couple of years I've learned that there is so much more! This fall has given me the chance to fully experience that.  Who am I, really? What do I really need to live the best life that I can? What makes me happy?

I've been able to give myself the opportunities to answer these questions and that makes me grateful! Unlike 5 years ago, I like having time alone so I can hear my inner thoughts. I really like myself and where I am headed. I know this will make me a better family member, friend, employee to be around!

I have learned that happiness, fulfillment and love comes without a rule book (despite other bloggers and authors in our society). These 3 things are like our hand prints they look different for everyone! All of our stories look different and therefore it is okay if our reaction towards certain situations are different.

Even though I say these things, I am still learning to always trust my inner intuition. I am still learning that my time is valuable and I only get one chance to make this life what I want it to be. My story and path is turning out differently than other women around me. When I was 18 and 21, the only thing I wanted was to be like everyone else. I'm grateful this has changed! I am grateful I want extra forks in the road and I am willing to stretch my boundaries. My story will not be boring when I am in the nursing home. I am a woman of substance!

 Remember to show gratitude for the qualities that you offer to every situation. Whether it's pure logic and rule following during meetings, or a totally awesome sense of humor when people need to lighten up, will power to work out every morning at 5am, or a caring and patient heart when parenting and nurturing America's youth....as an individual you have something to bring to the table. Own it and be grateful for these qualities!

Gratuity.....So long overdue!!!



Oh my....do I need at week about writing about everything gratuity.  I think we all do! Take a Siesta or 2 or 3 this week and process what gratuity means to you! I will do the same!

It is the month of Giving Thanks, even though I feel we should all experience Gratitude more than 30 days a year. November and Thanksgiving is a great place to start!

In years past I have posted daily on Facebook about one thing a day that I am grateful for. One fall I was keeping a journal next to my bed so every night I could write about what I was grateful for. I will say that I believe writing it down for myself gave me a chance to get my deeper personal thoughts out there about my gratuity towards people or situations. And this did change my perspective at a time when I was healing. As I have practiced gratuity and thought about the meaning of the word and concept, I've grown, changed and learned lessons. What I am now able to write and share regarding my gratuity towards this life I have been given is much less superficial than what it initially was 7 years ago when I did this for the first time.

Maybe that I means I can be grateful for becoming a woman of substance.

I know all of you have been loving my quizzes the past several months.  So :)

What are you grateful for?
Do you write these things down?
Do you recite them in the back of your mind when you are having a bad day?
Do you say these things out loud to your loved ones, at your place of worship, in the mirror while looking at yourself?
How does your perspective change towards your current life situation?  

Learning About Vision Therapy

I recently attended a conference about vision therapy. I summarized the following information for a presentation I am giving to my OT colleague's this week.  I hope you find this information useful and interesting.

VISION THERAPY CONFERENCE

Interesting Facts:

The goal of vision therapy: clear (20/20) vision, comfortable, single binocular (no double and both eyes seeing the same thing)

Ways to fix lazy eye: patching, surgery, vision therapy and atrophy therapy which doesn’t help encourage binocular vision

Ocular Alignment:

• Exophoria - eye goes out at resting point
• Esophoria - eye goes in at resting point

Infant C = 6-12 month sensorimotor exam for free; 9 months is the best

7 out of 10 juvenile delinquents have vision problems which are affecting performance in the classroom - California Department of Youth Authority

American Optometric Association:

• 1 out of 4 children have an undiagnosed vision problem that interferes with their ability to read and learn
• 60% of children with learning disabilities have undiagnosed vision problems

Components of Vision:

• Oculomotor
• Pursuits = smooth eye movements
• Saccades = eyes are jumping while moving
• Function = reading, sports (tracking a ball)
• Treatment = word finds, mazes, dot-to-dots, tracing, hidden pictures, letter cancellation, Mardsen Ball
• Binocularity
• Eye teaming
• Supression (shutting 1 eye down)
• Double vision (both eyes working and moving differently)
• Function = navigating unlevel ground or stairs; scanning the environment; writing; pouring
• Treatment = Near/Far GTVT Charts, Red/Green Bar Readers, Red/Green TV Filters, Marsden Ball
• Accommodation
• The automatic adjustment of the eye seeing at different distances
• Amplitude - getting it clear (a problem for farsighted individuals who usually pass the Snellen chart)
• Sustenance - keeping it clear (print comes into & out of focus, especially with fatigue
• Facility - changing focus from one distance to another
• Function: ability to take notes in school shifting from whiteboard to notebook; shifting focus from speedometer in the car to traffic signs; ability to read directions on recipe and then setting the time/temperature on oven
• Treatment = Near/Far Hart Charts
• Vergence Skills
• Convergence
• Required for near work; common to have difficulty with both accommodation and near work
• Function - sewing; reading a pill bottle; dialing a phone
• Divergence
• More strenuous/harder than convergence
• Changing alignment at change in distance; affects how quickly we can change our viewing distance
• Function - playing board games; measuring ingredients; reading labels at the grocery store
• Treatment = Flashlight Mazes, Brock String, Aperture Rule
• Depth Perception
• Binocular
• Stereopsis or 3rd degree function
• Requires 2 eyes working together
• Brain uses retinal disparity to compare information from 2 different points of view
• Lack of stereopsis leads to difficulty with coordination
• Function - driving; stairs; getting into bathtub; pouring liquids
• Peripheral vision
• Important in moving about, speeds performance
• Many times amblyopic (lazy) eye maybe better at peripheral awareness
• Visual fields overlap
• Symptoms
• May look like an eye movement disorder (doesn’t track in certain quadrants)
• Bumping into things
• Decreased night vision
• Spatial insecurity
• Decreased body image
• Dry eye & low blink rate
• Function - riding a bike; sports (balance, awareness of other player while playing sports)
• Visual Fields
• Visual field deficit - a partial or complete loss of vision in the central or peripheral range of vision
• Homonymous hemianopsia
• Homonymous quadratanopsia
• Visual neglect - a more severe form of visual inattention, often paired with a visual field deficit
• Function - walking, driving, riding bike, cooking, shopping, writing
• Treatment = putting items in the ignored/lost visual field (including people that are talking to them, use activities with a wide field of view
• Visual Midline Shift Syndrome
• A neurological event that often corresponds with hemiplegia & hemiparesis
• The ambient visual process attempts to create a balance by expanding a concept of space of the unaffected side and compressing the concept of space on the other side
• The individual will lean or tilt their head away from the neurologically affected side
• Yoked prisms can move the image to midline
• Visual Perception and Processing
• Visual information and processing speed
• Figure ground perception
• Visual closure
• Form constancy
• Size and shape discrimination
• Visual memory
• Treatment = beading tasks, pick up sticks, yard games, interactive video games, pattern play, hidden pictures, mazes, dot-to-dots, word searches, cutting tasks
• Things to look for when there maybe a vision issue:
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Double vision
• Fatigue
• Difficulty reading (errors, decreased speed, loss of place)
• Red, sore, itchy eyes
• Jerky eye movement, one eye moves in or out more than the other
• Head tilt or covering one eye when reading
• Avoiding near work
• Low self esteem
• Temper flare ups/aggression/irritability
• Vertigo

Siesta Hut Vision

Where will the Siesta Hut be in 5 years?
WHO: Young Elementary Aged Children.  Their number one occupation should be play.  Through play they will learn how to socialize, problem solve, regulate their emotions and create imaginations. Children at this age should not be required to pass academic tests.  If they are being tested, it's only one tiny piece of the puzzle.  Education for parents, teachers and caregivers is necessary to encourage imaginary play, show and tell, hanging upside down from monkey bars, snack time and a mat with a child's favorite secure item (blanket/stuffed animal).  In this scenario sensory processing issues, attention difficulties and other hidden disabilities for this age group may decrease. In the wild if an animal has a damaged vestibular system many times their mother's will kill them because in intact vestibular system is necessary for survival.  Humans are currently growing up with vestibular systems that are impaired because of the lack of play.

Tweens/Teens:  Parents and teachers seem to provide lots of structure and expectations at this age.  It is important that children at this age can begin to identify their strengths and weaknesses.  It is also important children at this age still continue to learn how to entertain themselves without an adult or electronic present.  Performing well on tests, participating in sports and socializing in the public school setting (whether it's good or bad) is only a portion of the foundation children at this age need.  Can they express their needs to adults/peers?  If they are struggling in public schools, what are their strengths (there are some).  If they are not college bound, what is their path?  If they are college bound and currently have an IEP, what is their path? Developing a sense of self and focusing on self esteem is crucial at this age.  What is our society/community doing to help this age group? Begin developing strategies to manage stress and discussing appropriate study habits.  Students should be aware what type of learner they are (auditory, kinestic, visual, etc.).  Stress management and mindfulness should be introduced. How they played as a child should give us lots of answers of where they are headed (and these qualities should never be ignored).

College Students: What are the social norms for study times?  Working while attending school? Are students using accommodations to the maximum potential?  Is stress management, study habits, work style(s) being used to maximum potential?

Parents: Need to give themselves a round of applause, a pat on the back and a big self hug. Parents will do absolutely anything to make sure their kids have a better life than they did when they were younger. Parents are constantly learning what selflessness truly is. Parenthood is the hardest, most time consuming role someone will ever have but also allows more personal growth and sense of love and accomplishment than any other role in life.  Are parents feeling overwhelmed? Lost? Where do they get answers when their child has a problem medically or at school? Are friendships and relationships with others struggling? Do parents have a sense of guilt because life seems to be hard for their child? It is important for parents to remember, without their health and maintaining a balance in their lives, their families (children) will also struggle.  Put your life mask on before you put someone else's on.

Working adults: Most parents are also working adults. They have been taught they can have it all. Technology also allows them to have it all.  Access to emails from colleagues when they have a child at home with a fever.  A video text of their baby taking his/her first steps while they are at work paying off student loans.  Our society hasn't left us with many different options.  This is when prioritizing becomes important.  When are adults going to admit we really don't want it all? We want to live a life full of passion. We want our families and loved ones to be healthy and we want to all live with secure incomes.  We are all unique individuals with different strengths and weaknesses which means that we will all have different goals, passions and aspirations for ourselves. Having a balance in our lives and time to take a Siesta often will allow us to get to know ourselves from the inside out.  When things are quite and calm where does your mind wander?  What makes you happiest when you are daydreaming?  Are you listening to your inner voice and intuition? By doing so you will enjoy the things that life has to offer.

I believe in offering services to people with all abilities.  My services will encourage inclusion into the community with the belief that everyone has something to offer.  It also needs to be understood that all of us are going to benefit from rehabilitation services at point throughout our lifespan.  Whether it is an acute injury, a child with severe medical needs or taking preventative measures to maintain our physical and emotional health, The Siesta Hut has a place for everyone.

WHAT:  Expand online as a more professional blog, e-books/book that is published.  Perhaps work on researching or writing grants in these areas that I am describing. I will be a consultant that is willing to meet one on one or give presentations to people of all abilities.  Long term goal: have a facility that is literally the Siesta Hut.  A place to receive my consultation services, along with other courses and services available.  This is an atmosphere to learn how to relax and to learn how to listen to your intuition and use it.  A place to learn that it is okay to accept resources from the community to live life to your fullest potential. The facility will have neutral earthy paint colors, natural lighting or dim lights.  I will hire a yoga instructor, massage therapist, OT/PT, educational advocates to help expand a holistic life to as many different individuals as possible.

WHERE: Online. Consulting in person by meeting at work places, schools or other public places. (The first 5-10 years)

WHEN:  The first 5-10 years around my current job at Eaton RESA. Nights, weekends, summer and other breaks from the school year.

WHY: I love Occupational Therapy and other concepts of rehabilitation. Without using certain techniques and following the advice of several rehabilitation professionals throughout my lifespan I would not be as successful as I am today. I also believe that my cerebral palsy has been a gift to me in terms of creating a career that is willing to show off all these amazing qualities of these professions.  My CP has allowed me to slow down and savor every challenge/barrier/accomplishment as I have encountered it.  I may move slowly and at times process things slowly but along with that comes conscientious and methodical approaches to the life I am living.  I would love to share that with others and watch them discover new things about themselves! The majority of workplaces appreciate and hope for individuals who produce an outcome often and the ability to be conscientious and methodical is often overlooked.  Especially in the rehab world (ironically enough).  And of course I want to be in a position where I am earning money to be around people and taking care of my body at the same time. These may seem like very personal reasons but that is the root of a passion!