Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
On Fridays I like to share experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant. I share these in the hope that you might find value in them and have something that resonates with you in your life.
Something that helps me. I work out early each morning in my home gym. Prior to beginning, I devise a plan of what I’m going to do. During that time, I am well-rested and relaxed, so the design of the workout often ends up being far more ambitious and intense than it seems while sitting with my coffee. As a result, when I start working out, I often immediately feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. That is when my mind tells me to decrease weight, eliminate exercises, reduce intensity, etc. That mental struggle helps me as much as the actual physical aspect does.
Whenever I want to wimp out in a workout, it becomes a contest to keep going. When I keep going and refuse to amend what I set out to do, something that seemed too daunting and difficult begins to feel manageable. Eventually, the workout ends, and I feel a sense of accomplishment for not allowing my mind to convince me to do less than I was capable of. This same premise is always at play in our lives. If we can manage to hang in when we are the most scared, tired, or anxious and keep battling; the results can be amazing. We become more confident, resilient, and able to face whatever life throws at us much better than we could have previously.
An important concept. Most people know me as someone with considerable knowledge about nutrition and how what we eat affects performance. That journey began midway through my sophomore year in college with a minor step. I knew nothing about healthy eating and used to drink soda daily, often at breakfast in fact. One day, I decided I would try not drinking soda for one week, just to see how I felt. Instantly, my workouts were better, I had more energy, and my body felt cleaner. I never went back to soda again (except during 100-mile runs), and that single change prompted me to continue to learn and implement better habits. This illustrates a simple, yet powerful lesson.
Sometimes, subtracting something is exactly what is required to unlock your potential. One thing can be all it takes to hold you down or prevent you from living up to your potential. This can be a habit, person, relationship, limiting belief, or any number of things. Rather than adding things around that issue, getting rid of it is far more effective. Once the bad is out, the good (and great) can thrive. Eliminating Coca-Cola for seven days was enough to begin a journey that impacts my health and wellness to this day. What can you subtract that could help your life?
Something I believe. There is a saying that I have used for years, “nothing great ever finds you on the couch.” My point is that we often make the error of believing if we wish or hope enough, wonderful things will simply happen. However, the reality is that regardless of what we desire, it will take hustle and hard work, neither of which occurs when we’re sitting around doing nothing.
There is a positive momentum created when we start acting. Even if we don’t have all the answers immediately, simply beginning to try goes a long way. Twice in chiropractic, I’ve begun with zero patients and built highly successful and large followings. Many days, I wouldn’t see a single patient but would remain diligent about writing blogs, creating content, networking, and trying different methods to grow a business. Though many weren’t effective, I always found that when I put in effort of any kind, the phone somehow always rang more, and opportunities began to open. Whatever your goal is, start directing time and energy toward it. You won’t have all the answers and mistakes will certainly be made. Over time, however, this will be the fuel that powers progress and shows you how to proceed.
Something chiropractic has taught me. A brilliant doctor I once heard speak said there are only two diseases a human must worry about, too much or too little. In other words, an excessive surplus or lack of anything can significantly damage the body. An example of this would be insulin where either end of the spectrum is dangerous. As it pertains to the condition of the physical body, I can tell you as a chiropractor, people suffer far more from doing too little.
Our bodies are meant to be moved and utilized regularly. When they are not, they lose the impetus to remain strong, and the body begins to weaken. Some of the worst and most damaged spines I see are not in those that place high demands on their bodies but rather in sedentary people. Much like a car that sits in a garage for years won’t start right up and run well, your body suffers greatly when not moving consistently and with purpose. Doing too much physical activity is a problem many worry about, but extremely few suffer from. I can tell you from treating millions of spines over 19 years, too little physical exertion is a fundamental problem for many. However, this can be prevented just by moving and challenging the body consistently.
Some quotes I Love.
“A great man is hard on himself; a weak man is hard on others.”
“The most disciplined people used to be reckless. The most confident people used to be full of doubt. Tough times trigger the most growth. Keep going.” – Jeff Moore