Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
On Fridays I like to share some of the experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant in some way. I like to share them in hopes that you might find value in them and have something resonate with you in your life.
What signs are there that you’re out of alignment? Pain is often the last symptom to appear so assessing your spinal alignment based solely on that can be difficult. Some other common signs that your spine may be out of place include restricted motion (can’t turn to 1 side as easily as the other for example), muscle tension that doesn’t go away (even after stretching or massage), aggravation while doing healthy activities such as yoga/exercise/etc., less ability to get or remain comfortable while sitting/standing/sleeping and sometimes irritability. This is not an all-encompassing list, but these are frequently mentioned by patients as signs they knew they needed to be adjusted.
What do I usually eat for breakfast? For whatever reason I get asked this all the time. About 10 years ago I read a book by Tim Ferris called the “4 Hour Body” and within the book he gave the recipe for a shake that can help to naturally elevate testosterone levels and speed recovery. I initially began doing his exact shake but have since modified it and more times than not, it is my breakfast of choice. What do I put in it? I start with 4-5 raw eggs (yes raw), a banana, celery, spinach, almond or peanut butter, some almonds and sometimes berries. It sounds weird and people expect me to get salmonella, but I never do. It tastes very good, gives me tons of energy and my older son often drinks them with me! It may sound weird but remember, Rocky drank raw eggs, and he became champion! Ha.
What should you do if you’re not holding an adjustment as long as you’d like? I get this often and the answer is to address the muscles more. If an adjustment helps but you find the same problem coming back sooner than you’d expect, working more on the muscles will be important. This could include stretches, strengthening exercises, weight bearing exercise, massage, physical therapy or the avoidance of aggravating activities such as poor postural positions, bad ergonomics or activities done with poor form. When patients that have not addressing their surrounding musculature begin doing so, the results are always improved.
A piece of exercise advice if you’re just beginning. In my experience as a trainer and chiropractor, the most common mistake I see from those beginning to exercise is trying to do too much too fast. If you’ve never worked out or are just coming back; your body is not conditioned to exercise. Therefore, whatever you start doing will be a huge change for your body. When people try to do too much too fast, they usually end up severely sore (not the good kind), can barely move and thus end up quickly discontinuing their exercise commitment.
If you’re just coming back, take a couple weeks to start out slow – focus on form, staying on your target schedule and worry less about the intensity. This will still be a HUGE change for your body, and you will begin seeing results feeling the positive effects regardless. Once your body begins to adjust, then you can start upping the intensity, amount of weight, frequency and/or other variables. As an example, when I train for a 100-mile race I start with shorter runs that initially feel like a solid challenge but by the end of my training feel like nothing. If my first runs out of the gate were 20-milers, I’d be injured and/or frustrated very soon.
Some quotes I love.
“If you’re searching for that one person that will change your life, take a look in the mirror.”
“Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.” – Calvin Coolidge
“If you feel the need to tone it down, dumb it down, shrink, or betray yourself in any way, you’re in the wrong room with the wrong people.” – Kate Eckman
“Hard work is not punishment. It is simply the price of admission for the opportunity to reach a standard of sustained excellence.” – Joe De Sena
Want more?
- Don’t forget to follow Dr. Kenney on Instagram @Coloradochiropractor
- To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com and go to “blog”
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