Unlike the commercial that states that “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!”—supposedly—RA, a disease that many equate with just the joints, doesn’t only impact the joints. Muscles, ligaments, tendons, eyes, lungs and heart can all be impacted by this systemic disease, and that’s before you add in the side-effects from those medications you may be taking.
My muscles are often quite tight and tender. Massage helps, but that adds up. Quickly. Learning to do what you can to keep yourself mobile is crucial to well-being, and to the well-being of your bank account.
Recently, while out shopping at Costco, the Miracle Ball Method caught my attention. I didn’t buy it, until after a subsequent trip. Something about those balls spoke to me. Suffice to say, they are appropriately named. According to the little instruction book that comes with it, it’s “an exercise where you do nothing”, which isn’t quite true. Some of the exercises do work muscles that may be seldom used, or used improperly.
The miracle part happened right after the first time I used them. I noticed a huge improvement in the freedom of movement I had in my hips. Just watch me sashay, now! LOL! It’s not just the hips that benefit from using these balls, though. In the instruction manual, Elaine provides exercises for the following areas: hips and legs, calves, head and neck, elbow, ribs and shoulders. Plus, she includes some very important breathing exercises.
Most evenings, I now devote time to gettin’ down…on the balls, to do some stretching. (Getting down on and up off the floor is a bit of a trial, but I have found a way to that works for me.) Not enough time? Well, I’ve watched t.v., read, and done my stress techniques, all while letting these balls work their miracle. Not all at once, of course! That would be taking multi-tasking a tad too far! 
I bought mine at Costco for about $12.00.
Please check with your healthcare professional to see if this is right for you.
Did you enter my wristlet giveaway? Are you wondering who will be brightening up their days with a pop of spring colour? The winner of my giveaway is … Jen C.!
