I’ve been told that I look young for my age. I’m not sure if that’s the case or if people are just being nice to me. I do know that I feel great and am fortunate to be more active than most people my age. In addition, I do get my seven to eight hours of sleep a night and eat properly. But being active and overall healthy doesn’t mean I’m immune to the effects of aging, illness or, injury.

Chronic pain is the most common cause of long-term disability in the United States. I sustained a hip injury from a car accident many years ago, so I have some sense of what this is like. Luckily my injury wasn’t that severe, but at times it did wake me up in the middle of the night. I’m convinced that my aches and pains would be more pronounced if I hadn’t started taking and teaching Essentrics™ workouts by Miranda Esmonde-White. As many of my readers know, Miranda Esmonde-White is the NY Times bestseller author of Aging Backwards and the host of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) show, Classical Stretch. She has spent years working with clients ranging from everyday people to professional athletes, to help them become pain-free.

Her latest book is called Forever Painless and it deals with the issue of chronic pain and how to mitigate its effects. The new book is broken into two parts. The first one is called, When the Pain Doesn’t Go Away, and it provides background on the causes of pain and how our bodies deal with it. The second part is called The Forever Painless Program, and it contains detailed descriptions and photographs of exercises that target specific areas of the body, that if done properly will help to eliminate chronic pain.

I received my copy of the book last week. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m enjoying it and would encourage anybody who is dealing with chronic pain to take a look at it. I would also encourage you to attend an Essentrics™ class at the studio to ensure your technique is correct and you are getting the full benefits of the workout. I recently attended a Forever Painless workshop for Essentrics™ instructors and will be doing even more training at an Essentrics™ Instructor Symposium in December. I’m in the process now of including these new techniques into my classes.

I’m also looking forward to watching Miranda Esmonde-White’s new PBS show called Forever Painless, which will begin airing the end of this month. Check your local PBS station schedule for dates and times. To get a feel for the show, view the trailer.

Please let me know what you think of the book and/or PBS show. I’d love to discuss it with you online or in person.