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MANOUSH ZOMORODI, HOST:
Hey, it's Manoush, and this is a BODY ELECTRIC movement break. Time to take five minutes and get off your screen and get back into your body. This week, I am talking to listener Michelle Rozovics. So Michelle got in touch to tell us how she's managing her intense workload as a lawyer, working from home in Illinois and as someone with a disability.
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ZOMORODI: Michelle has not had an easy time over the last few years. A string of accidents left her with limited mobility and lots of lymphatic swelling. She uses a rolling walker to get around, but just standing up too often leaves her exhausted. However, after hearing Season 1 of BODY ELECTRIC, she became determined to put her own twist on movement breaks with the help of a special machine. I called her up to get her to tell us all about it.
MICHELLE ROZOVICS: What I fondly call my Shaky Shaky Machine but is actually properly called a oscillating vibration machine.
ZOMORODI: I am fascinated by this. So this is how you take your breaks. You turn on this machine. Can you describe it for us and where you keep it?
ROZOVICS: Sure. The best way for me to describe it because I am of a certain age - I'm generation X...
ZOMORODI: Me too.
ROZOVICS: ...Is, back in the day, we used to do step aerobics.
ZOMORODI: Yes.
ROZOVICS: It looks just like the old step aerobic platform. It obviously has an oscillating and a vibration component. And the oscillating component means that it goes not only side to side and front - it goes front to back. And it is meant to be stood on. It's not meant just for people like me who are disabled. It's also meant for people like you who are very mobile. And the reason why it goes side to side, front to back, is because, when you are standing on it, it engages your whole core.
ZOMORODI: OK, so you're getting shaky with it, but, like, what are you doing? Are you sitting at your desk with your feet on it?
ROZOVICS: Yes - because I do not have the physical capacity to stand on it. And the greatest part is, when I do it in the middle of the day and I finish a round of it, I almost inevitably, like, finish and just go (vocalizing) because you actually feel the stuff that's inside your legs, which I guess is the lymph, the blood - you feel it literally flowing. It's fabulous. I have learned a lot about my body and about my disability by doing this. And it's helped me make some progress. I mean, there's no question. I have a severe disability, you know? But my motto in life is progress, not perfection. So that's what I'm doing.
ZOMORODI: Like, how are you trying to - like, do you have a certain schedule you're sticking to? Are you more just trying to listen to your body and fit in breaks when you can?
ROZOVICS: I usually do the machine, frankly, when my body tells me it is time. It usually ends up being two to three times a day. Like, yesterday, I had a very long day, and so I ended up doing the machine probably five times during the course of the day because it was impossible for me to work that long and make all of my appointments without it.
ZOMORODI: What does your doctor say about your new approach?
ROZOVICS: They think it's fabulous. They think any amount of continuing exercise is good for me, particularly when it helps to move the lymph that is in my legs, which is my biggest struggle.
ZOMORODI: And what about your mental health, Michelle? Has it helped that at all?
ROZOVICS: That's a tough project, you know? I mean, I definitely have some PTSD from my issues. I think it helps me in the sense that I can see the progress. I just need a little bit of a push to keep me going. I'm never, ever going to be back to where I was before. I've accepted that. But I want to be better than I am today in everything I do.
ZOMORODI: I am in awe of you, and I'm so grateful to you for taking the time to explain how you're doing this and the effect it's had on you. I am sending you so many vibrating good vibes right now.
ROZOVICS: (Laughter) It's got to be the oscillating, vibrating good vibes.
ZOMORODI: (Laughter) You got it.
Love Michelle. OK, I hope you enjoyed this conversation and this chance to get your body moving, whatever that might look like for you. Email us your story at bodyelectric@npr.org. And if you haven't already, sign up for our newsletter to get all kinds of ideas and wisdom about living better with our technology - because we got to take care of ourselves. So just go to npr.org/bodyelectric. Next week, it's our grand finale of BODY ELECTRIC Season 2 and maybe our wackiest movement break yet. Don't miss it. Tell a friend. But most importantly, aim for progress, not perfection. We'll see you next week.
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