Journey With My Nano

Around October 2006 I had an attack of sciatica down my left leg, a common byproduct of sitting at a desk for 10-12 hours a day. For anyone unfamiliar, it’s usually caused by a pinched or inflamed nerve that can get so bad it gives you pain 24 hours a day. For whatever reason, my pain was in my left hip radiating down my thigh. Readjusting my postion sometimes helped for a while but that was working less and less. I even had pain when I was driving.

So rather than getting hooked on Vicodin or Ibuprofen, I started walking 2 miles every other morning. I live in a hilly neighborhood with quiet tree-lined streets, a really pleasant place to walk. Not only is it a nice environment with no traffic, but it is uphill all the way to the half way point which is perfect for my purposes. I get a pretty good workout if I push myself to do it in 30 minutes and I suffer no ill effects at all. So after a couple of weeks, the pain was gone and hasn’t come back and I’m sure the walking has improved my general health.

The thing that really makes it work for me is my iPod. First I timed exactly how long it took to get to the half way point and then back home. Then I selected songs that had a good tempo that would push me on the uphill portion. The trick was to select the songs so that I would arrive at the top of the hill just when a particular song was starting. On my walk it is a place where you turn the corner and are facing east just as the sun is rising; it’s a kind of spiritual point for me.

So, for that next song I chose The Prayer, sung by Cantor Alisa Pomerantz and David Propis. There is something very personl about that particular rendition of “The Prayer.” I like the ones by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli or Josh Groban but I guess it is the Hebrew in this one that makes me think of my daughter Amy – it makes coming to the top of the hill and walking toward the sunrise a very special moment in my day.

So get yourself an iPod, load some songs into it and set up a playlist that motivates you to get off your butt and enjoy some fresh air. Believe me, it is not only good for the body but it is like a form of meditation – it fuels the soul too.