The other day a family friend’s legs buckled underneath him after walking only five metres. When I asked him what was wrong, he explained that his legs are so weak now that he can’t walk.
He has recently had to undergo an official business audit which had to be completed within six weeks, and so was exceptionally stressful. He risked losing his license to practise as an Estate Agent in France if it was not completed on time or to the required standard. His accountant worked alongside him, and together they managed to submit the audit on time.
Immediately, my friend took to his bed and stayed there for five days, exhausted and unable to move. When I saw him he seemed convinced that he would never be able to walk properly again. "I’m 67 years old, I’m overweight, I have diabetes. This is it, I know I will be spending more and more time in bed."
We stopped, and I asked him to hold the wall beside him and lift one leg in order to rotate the ankle. I did it too, and showed him. He lifted his leg while telling me he would "keel over". He didn’t. He told me his ankle was "too old to rotate". It wasn’t. We did the same thing on the other side. I asked him to do that 3-5 times a day. He told me he was old and his knees couldn’t stand it and he would be in his bed tomorrow.
The next day I received an email:
"Oh Mags oh Mags, I went for a WALK this morning, amazing how much better my legs feel.’"
Now my friend knows he can effect positive change in his body. To celebrate his success, I went for a 24km hike up into the mountains. The view was breathtaking. It seems even the smallest exercise makes a difference to how we feel, and what I am increasingly amazed by is that what we think and believe has a part to play in our general health too.
Such a beautiful view... definitely worth the hike!