WITH OVER TWO YEARS OF PAIN AND TWO METAL CAGES IN MY NECK MY BODY FACED A CHALLENGE Life was good, I had a well paid job, a lovely wife of just seven weeks and a new home with a big garden which we both looked forward to enjoying. But then fate was to deal us a massive blow, or rather the driver of another car decided to. Fortunately only I was in the car at the time doing my surgical reps job, but the whiplash injury I received proved to have a most devasting effect on our lives. Only minutes after the accident I felt a numbness in my neck, a numbness that over the next few days was to give way to pain, a pain which was to get worse and worse over the next two and a half years. After x-rays and an MRI scan I was informed by a specialist that, as a result of the whiplash injury, two discs in my neck had virtually disintegrated and that there was nothing they could do and now, at fifty five I would never work again. Life had become unbearably painful, my wife had to cut my food up for me, help me get dressed, wash my hair and generally look after me. But what I didn't know was that during all this time, another surgeon who had looked at my case, had been working with surgeons in Europe, replacing damaged discs in patients spines with titanium cages. Wow, he informed me that he felt that by replacing the two damaged discs in my neck with two titanium cages, he could relieve me of all my pain and, with a 95% success rate, would I like him to do it. My hero! For me there was only one answer. Four months later I was admitted into the hospital and the operation was performed. The day following the operation the surgeon came to see me and asked me to raise my arms above my head. Brilliant, no problem, a first in over two years, and without pain. Great. Now to get on with the job of getting my strength, posture and life back. The two and a half years of virtually no upper body exercise had taken their toll. I had been able to do my leg exercises but that was all and even then, towards the end, I couldn't be bothered to do them because of the pain I was in. Due to the lack of exercise and muscle wastage my shoulders had drooped, my chest was flat and my back was weak. All in all I was looking in very poor shape. Whilst still in hospital, on the third day after my operation I started doing my special isometric and isotonic exercises. The same ones I had learned forty years ago, inspired by the likes of Charles Atlas, George F Jowett and Alexander Zass (The Amazing Samson). Exercises that build your body naturally, as resistance training builds strength of muscles, bones and surrounding soft tissue as well as burning calories and fighting the ageing process in both men and women. Exercises I have done routinely throughout my whole life. I knew they would do the job, they always do no matter what your age. These proven techniques are truly amazing and, in just twelve weeks (having to start off gently), I was back to my full strength and feeling on top of the world. Since then I have gone on to refurbish four houses and even plastered the beamed ceiling in our own home, and that was only last year at the age of sixty seven. These are the only exercises I have ever felt the need to do except on one occasion when I was forty. I accompanied a friend to a gym and did some weight training. I gave it up after about three months, I guess it just wasn't for me. I started getting problems with my knees so went back to my "ISO" exercises. The knee problems went away, plus I now had more time to myself again as the "ISO" programme I do takes less than fifteen minutes to complete. You can also do it anywhere, as you don't need any equipment, and so it is ideal for people on the move as I was. I have put the ISO-MICRO-GYM programme into a durable flipchart which fits into your pocket, this way it can be referred to and keep you fit wherever you go. No doubt I will go on doing these exercises for as long as I am able. They really do make a difference as to how you feel and look, and all done in just a few minutes a day, wherever you choose. They can be done as gentle or as dynamic as your body will allow, working to reclaim your lost energy and looking younger day by day as you burn off your stored fat and build solid, lean muscle, and as the exercise progamme is in the form of a flip chart you can use it as a guide and do the exercises throughout the day as time and energy allows. For people who go to the gym because they really enjoy it, this is a great tool to have for those occasions when you can't make it. Helping you to keep improving on your strength and performance and feeling the extra benefit of the programme when you are able to get back to your usual routine.
All in all this is an exercise programme that can be used anywhere, anytime and by anybody.
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