All posts tagged: neck pain

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – April 9th

April 9, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

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.

An analogy I think works. As parents we teach our children to respect their things. Treat your things with care so they don’t break or get lost. It’s simple but important – if you take care of it, it’ll remain in good condition and last a long time. As simple as this lesson is, as a doctor I see people each day that don’t follow this principle with their own bodies or health. We should put far more emphasis on caring for ourselves than we do on protecting inanimate objects. Not caring for our possessions can cost us money and aggravation but ignoring our bodies and health will cost far more in the long term. Ultimately, the best advice is to treat your own body like you care about it!

An exercise mistake I see often. As someone that has been working out since my teens, a former trainer and now a chiropractor; I see horrible form on leg exercises all the time. Most commonly, I see people overloading their knees on squats and/or lunges very often.

The way to tell if you’re doing this is to glance down at your knees – if they are forward of your toes on a squat or lunge then your form is not good. The reason this usually happens is that people tend to put too much pressure into their toes and front part of their feet which brings the knees forward. Instead, keep the weight toward the mid and back portion of the feet which will take pressure off and make it less likely you’ll start leaning forward and loading pressure onto the knees. I had a patient a couple months ago that mentioned knee pain during a couple of visits and then mentioned that he squatted every day. I asked him to demonstrate his form and it was a mess. I corrected that form with him, and the knee pain quickly went away.

A concept I believe in. A couple nights ago I was reading a book and relaxing on the couch as my son played with his superheroes. After a bit he came over and wanted me to play with him. I was tired and it was getting late (for me anyway!) and I almost told him to just go ahead and keep playing on his own. Instead, I put down the book and we played for about 30 minutes with his toys. He was extremely happy, and it was a simple yet great time for me as well.

This is an example of something I like to call an “effort moment.” These are times when we have plenty of justification for just being done but decide to go a little further. I’ve found this effective with my care of patients, during exercise, while running races and in personal life in situations like I just described. You just give a little bit more at the times when you feel least like doing so. The best part is that those few extra minutes of effort and dedication almost always produce some of the best moments and memories.

Question of the week. I’m not sure where I stumbled across this, but I saw somewhere recently the question of “what is your brand?” Meaning, if you were to ask all the people you interact with most, what would they say you are known for? Your personal brand will encompass how you treat others, the things people know are important to you, your values, habits and more. As a personal exercise, ask yourself what you think your brand is. If you’re happy with the answer, keep going. If not, start making a few changes. No brand will be (or should be) universally loved but you want to be proud of the one you’re putting forth!

Some quotes I love.

“Be careful in assuming anyone who praises you is your friend and anyone who criticizes you is your enemy.” – Ryan Michler

“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” – John Dryden

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – April 2nd

April 2, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Which stone are you? I listened to a podcast last week and the guest Marcus Luttrell said something I found fascinating. He remarked that every person was 1 of 3 types of stones – sharp, dull, or smooth.

Sharp stones keep others improving, motivated, focused and make them better. Smooth stones keep things as they are – not necessarily worse or not better, kind of the comfort zone basically. Finally, dull stones bring down your sharpness, so they would be the detractors. I think we all can fit into one of these categories. I would put myself as a sharp stone now, but I can say with certainty that I’ve been all three at some point. What type of stone would you say you are? What would others say you are?

An analogy I think works. I had a small plumbing issue at my house this week. In full disclosure, I am not the handiest homeowner in the world. I’m more of a “write the check” guy than the guy that takes on projects but this time, it was on me to fix it. I was kind of embarrassed as I watched YouTube videos and then went to Home Depot trying to get the right tools and supplies for the job. It was intimidating for me and I expected my whole house to end up underwater. In the end though, I was able to get it done and was proud.

The reason I bring this up, is that whenever we have something we want to get into – exercise, nutrition, a new field, a new hobby, a new sport, etc. we can feel small and like everyone else is so far ahead of us. That daunting feeling is often what prevents us from moving forward. What we all need to remember though is that we all are gifted in different ways and there is nothing wrong with being a beginner. If you’re new to exercise for example, don’t worry about what shape you’re in, what happened before or any of that; learn as much as you can and start a new chapter. We all begin as the guy watching YouTube videos with no clue at Home Depot but if we stick with something, we can all get better!

A source of inspiration. Many of you have probably heard the stories of Dick and Rick Hoyt (from my home state of Massachusetts!). Rick was born with cerebral palsy in the 70’s and his parents were told to put him in a home and forget about him. Instead, they had a computer built for him through which he was able to communicate once his parents taught him the alphabet, etc. In his teen years, he asked his father Dick if he’d push him in a local 5k race. His father hadn’t run or been in shape for years but agreed and they finished 2^nd from last. However, Rick smiled the entire race and told his dad it made him feel alive more than anything else ever had. This began a lifetime of Dick pushing his son in some of toughest marathons and triathlons the world has to offer. Recently, Dick passed away at the age of 80 and I began to go back and watch a lot of the content created about these two remarkable men over the years. I cry every time, but they have inspired me with their bond as father and son and strength of the human spirit and cannot imagine how many thousands or millions they motivated over the years with their story. If you don’t know of these two, get on YouTube and look them up!

Do I like k-tape? I love it. K-tape is an abbreviation for kinesio-tape which is an elastic sports tape that can provide support and pain relief for muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It works well because it provides “bracing” without having to wear a big brace. I’ve used it many times for tennis elbow (I get it once a year or so from adjusting) and always use it when I do my 100 mile runs to provide support for my knees and keep the wheels from falling off as fast. K-tape is inexpensive and easy to use. If you have a condition you’d like to try it on, simply Google your condition and “k-tape” and inevitably there will be a 1–2-minute video showing you how to apply it. It’ll stay on your skin easily for a couple of days and can really help a variety of ailments.

Some quotes I love.

“Conformity is doing what everyone else is doing, regardless of what is right. Morality is doing what is right regardless of what everyone else is doing.”

“When you get criticized for doing the right thing, it’s still the right thing.”

“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius

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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 26th

March 26, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

A workout I enjoyed. Last weekend I wanted to come up with a new challenge for my sons, so I took them on a hike during which we all had to carry weight to make it more difficult. I wore a 40-pound weight vest while carrying 25-pound weights in each hand, my oldest son carried a 15-pound weight in each hand and my middle son pushed my youngest son in a jogging stroller with a 10-pound weight in the stroller as well. We went up a large hill for 1 ½ miles and then came back down. Even better, the boys wanted to get Chick Fil-a breakfast afterwards which ends at 10:30am so they had to hustle the whole time!

It was a challenging workout for all of us, but we loved it. I do these types of things with my kids to develop camaraderie while also teaching them that doing hard things is not something to be feared but should be embraced. Anytime we do something like this they always finish and are so proud they got through it. The workouts we’ve done that were the toughest on them (and me) are usually remembered the most fondly actually.

Do you do anything to help with feet or ankles? Yes! I’ve been able to help hundreds of patients over the years by addressing the alignment of certain bones in the feet and ankles. Often, they’ll have a misdiagnosis or a history of ineffective treatments for something involving the foot and ankle and after examining it, I will detect improper motion of certain joints. Most commonly, I will see misalignments of the talus bone (square bone that sits between the two lower leg bones) and/or the calcaneus (heel bone). When these bones are misaligned, the normal biomechanics of the foot and ankle go out the window causing pain, lack or mobility and over-compensation of the muscles and ligaments. There is often no specific inciting event to cause this, it just happens gradually. Re-aligning these bones restores function to the joints and allows them to quickly heel. This is not a cure-all for all foot or ankle pain, but thankfully I am very often able to help.

An interesting interaction and analogy. Last week I had a mom come in with her teenager. The mom mentioned to me that her daughter was having some pain and that based on her age it wasn’t “normal.” I had seen the teenager once previously about a year ago for her only chiropractic visit ever and so I asked both mom and daughter some follow up questions to better understand the situation. As it turns out the teenager does almost no physical activity (no sports, nothing at home) and sits most of the day on devices. The mom acknowledged that this wasn’t good but seemed to think that because the teen had been adjusted once and was young, that pain should never be an issue.

The analogy I used to explain the faulty logic in these assumptions was this – if a teenager had one dentist appointment in their lifetime and did no brushing or flossing on their own, would we expect the teeth to be healthy? Of course not. The spine is no different. Regardless of age, if you’re not physically active and having at least some form of care for your spine, it won’t be healthy and a sign of that is likely to be pain. Poor habits lead to poor results at any age.

“How do you handle it when patients don’t listen to your recommendations?” I got this one from a young doctor this week. My answer was that when I give a recommendation – for a course of care, type of adjustment, a supplement to take, a question to ask their doctor, a referral to another type of provider, etc. I do so with pure intentions. These are suggestions I’m giving based upon my experience and concern for the patient. It is never based on finances or any motive that doesn’t directly serve the patient’s best interest. Therefore, if my recommendations are not followed it does not bother me or hurt my feelings or pride. I will never know the reasons a patient does or does not do something, and many will have nothing to do with me. I try to do what I think will help them and if they follow it, great. If not, I know I tried to do right by them and that’s ultimately all I can do.

Some quotes I love.

“You are what you do, not what you’ll say you do.”

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” – Socrates

“It doesn’t take many words to tell the truth.” – Sitting Bull

“The sign of a good doctor should be how many patients he can get OFF medications, not how many people he puts ON medications.” – Dr. Jeff Barke, MD

“Cutting corners, shortcuts, and taking the “easy road” is disrespectful to all of those that believe in you. When you cheat yourself, you cheat them also.” – Lennox Lewis

“Fear is a force that sharpens your senses.” – Marcus Luttrell

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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 19th

March 19, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something I was told that meant the world to me. Last week my ex-wife shared with me a text she’d gotten about our 11-year-old son. It was from the mom of another boy in his 5^th grade class. As it turns out, the boy is autistic, has not made many friends and for him, school has been very tough. Apparently however, my son has partnered often with him in class, has been kind to him and talks with him a lot. His mom explained that as bad as school has been for him, he lights up when he speaks of being around my son and this has been a big bright spot for him. She mentioned that she wanted to share this because too often all we hear about are the negative things.

This made me so proud, and I told my son this. I told him that hearing what I did meant more to me than any athletic or academic success ever could because it spoke to his character. In addition, I told him how powerful it can be to have even one person befriend or believe in us, especially when we are going through a tough time in life.

A concept I strongly believe in. I have a saying I learned years ago from a colleague that I use to this day – “don’t make people wrong.” This means that when you’re in a situation where someone is sharing some of their thoughts with you in a benign manner, the last thing you want or need to do is hammer them and make them feel stupid or bad.

For example, as a chiropractor I hear from patients, family, and friends every single day that are making health choices I wouldn’t or have beliefs contrary to mine. Do I get in their face and try to make them feel stupid? No, I accept them where they’re at. If they ask for an opinion or information, I am more than happy to provide it, but it’s not my job to jump all over them. Not making people wrong is not about backing down or hiding your feelings, it’s knowing when the right time is to make your voice heard and when is a good time to just let certain things slide. Believe it or not, people will trust and respect you more if they know you are not waiting to jump down their throat at the slightest statement.

A good way to help your neck. When it comes to your lower back, there are a million exercises you could do to improve it. When it comes to your neck, exercises can help but far it is more important to avoid what aggravates it. Specifically, poor ergonomics while on your devices/computer and poor sleeping position tend to both the neck most. I’ve had patients with painful necks that historically required lots of chiropractic pain relief for their neck/upper back make changes in these areas, improve quickly and require less care. To keep the advice simple – your neck muscles should always feel relaxed and if they’re in a neutral position they will be. If you’re looking down into a screen this won’t be the case and if you’re sleeping with your neck too low or too high (or sleeping on your stomach) this will also not be the case. Try to make some positive changes in these simple areas and trust me, it’ll help.

Simple medical advice I recommend everyone follow. In my experience, most people will take more time to research and read reviews before they buy a $20 toaster from Amazon than they will on researching something they will put into or have done to their body. When it comes to your body and health, take nothing for granted, there are no sacred cows when it comes to your own personal health. Read up on ingredients, potential side effects or adverse reactions, expected protocols, etc. Never feel badly about going against a doctor’s advice or wishes if you do not agree with it yourself. If you follow this simple advice, you’ll either feel even better about what you’re doing or will feel great that you didn’t do it. It’s a win-win.

Some quotes I love.

“Lions never forget who poked them through the cage.” – Ray “Cash” Care

” The fears we don’t face become our limits.” – Robin Sharma

“Don’t sleep like you’re rich. Work like you’re broke.”

“Some people’s idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that’s an outrage.” – Sir Winston Churchill

“The man that masters himself through self-discipline can never be mastered by others.” – Napoleon Hill

“To do better, focus on what you aren’t doing well, aren’t doing at all, or don’t know how to do or don’t want to do. That’s how to reach your potential.” – Ben Altadonna

“We are all something, but none of us is everything.” – Blaise Pascal

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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 12th

March 12, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something I’ve learned from coaching I think applies to life. In a couple of weeks, I’ll get to start coaching football again. It’s one of my favorite things to do and it provides many lessons time and again. One of the best lessons that it has taught me is to coach the player and the action differently. My assistant and I always ask for a maximum effort on each play because we know that aspect can be controlled. What is variable though is the outcome. Things often don’t go to plan and thus what we want to have happen, sometimes does not. When this occurs, we want to help the player by giving feedback to help them the next time. We do NOT want them to feel like they’re being personally attacked or a failure. Therefore, we coach the action of tackling, throwing, etc. and do not yell and scream at them (which breaks their spirit). In addition, we provide positive reinforcement to the player when they do well. This always gives us a team of young men that work extremely hard and are not afraid to make mistakes and learn.

I think this applies in life because sometimes when we try something and don’t succeed, we feel like a failure. There is a difference between failing at something and being a failure ourselves. Failing at something is an event, not a personality trait. Focusing on the actions we took/are taking instead of beating ourselves up personally over the outcome can then turn those failures into future successes. This leads to personal confidence and a willingness to try different things/ways of doing things.

An observation I continue to find interesting. Over the years I’ve cared for thousands of parents and their children. What always fascinates me is how children so often mirror the behavior of their mom and dad. For example, when I have parents that are chill and relaxed, their kids will jump right up on my table, ask great questions, and get adjusted like it’s no big deal. The uptight parents tend to have kids that are stressed out to even walk into my office. I could go on and on with examples, but the point is that the habits and behaviors of the parents are usually easily seen in their kids. None of us are perfect but focusing on what our actions say about us is far more constructive (and important) than just what we say.

When is a good time to start kids on exercise? A parent asked me some questions this week about when a good time is to get kids working out and my answer was as soon as possible. Exercise is like investing, the earlier you start the greater the long-term rewards and the easier it is.

For my kids I initially just let them try physical activities they seemed curious about or interested in. They might want to “run” with me, and they’d go a block or two or would do burpees with me, things like that. As they get older, I make exercise more of a regular event for them but still try to keep it fun. We’d do relay races, competitions, and things where they’d stay active but still enjoy it. As we tried different things, they’d begin to have favorites and we’d make those our staples. The goal is not to make it overly intense or boring, just to give them an appreciation of how much better they feel when they are in motion and planting the seed of why that should be a lifelong habit.

What is your favorite part of the day? I was interviewed by a businesswoman earlier this week and one of the questions she asked was what my favorite part of the day was. My answer was that I didn’t have a specific time but rather it was my routine that I liked most. I explained to her that by having my routine, I can remain in the moment with whatever I’m doing and thus enjoy it more. This structure allows me to have time to enjoy my kids and wife, exercise, work and “me time.” This also prevents me from becoming stressed or frazzled, helps me stay focused and I don’t feel as though one thing is taking time from another.

Some quotes I love.

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good for the great.” – Steve Prefontaine

“The truest measure of a man is what he can do without.” – Dean Karnazes

“You never, on your deathbed, are thrilled that you listened to everybody else.” – Gary Vaynerchuck

“The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” – William Pollard

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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 5th

March 5, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something I believe is important when dealing with people. We are living in an age now where people can and will freak out over even the slightest thing. I find myself less interested in having certain conversations but in those that do matter to me, I like to use the concept of “converse not confront.”

When you “converse” with someone you are trying to calmly listen to them, ask questions and respond with words that you choose carefully (and not in a way that insults them). This is meant to make both parties feel comfortable and is often a great way to proceed toward common ground. “Confronting” is when you let your emotions go, don’t choose words carefully and often ignore who is/is not around to hear it. This has its place but is something to be reserved for rare occasions. When someone is being unkind, malicious or is out of control, that’s when I am personally willing to switch into that mode. Of the two forms of communicating, confrontation can sometimes make you feel better in the moment, but conversing will usually get you a whole lot further.

An important observation. As most of you know, I have 4 children and the first 3 are boys. We are an extremely active family but, on days where we are less active (due to weather for example) I notice that their behavior becomes different. The older boys will get “chippy” with each other and the youngest will get upset over things that usually wouldn’t bother him. When this happens, either my wife or I will immediately get them doing something physical and without fail, they instantly feel better and act like themselves again. I bring this up because this same thing happens to adults as well. If we don’t burn off a certain amount of energy each day physically, that energy can turn to aggravation, annoyance, anxiety, stress and/or any number of other negative things. If this is you, try getting more physically active and watch how quickly you begin feeling better, handling stress more easily and becoming more productive. Make your energy work for you, not against you!

Do you like inversion tables? I am asked this almost daily and the answer is yes, in fact I have one of my own. Due to all the sitting most of us do, we are constantly compressing our spines. An inversion table is a simple way of using gravity to our advantage to alleviate pressure on our spines. As the spine is gently stretched it allows for pressure to be removed from the discs, vertebrae, nerves, and muscles which accelerates the healing process and helps with mobility and pain relief/maintenance. Some are wary of inversion tables because of too much blood rushing to the head while fully inverted however to get the benefits of an inversion table you do not need to fully invert (there are settings for less than 180 degrees). Even 2-3 minutes per day of inversion can make a tremendous difference to your spine and overall health.

A common nutrition mistake I often see after exercise. After a workout, your body needs the right nutrition to start rebuilding and repairing itself so that you can maximize the benefits of the activity. Ideally, you want to have protein within 45-60 minutes after exercise and carbs and fats as well, though they are not quite as important. When I used to train clients many years ago, I would often see this mistake being made and once we corrected it the results were always significant. As far as the type of protein you consume, that could come from eggs, meat, shakes, yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, beans, or various other sources. Make sure you’re getting enough protein after a workout and you’ll notice how much it helps.

Some quotes I love.

“I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Comfort is where your growth goes to die.” – Eric Basek

“You will lose a lot of friends when you get serious about your goals. That’s why a Lamborghini has 2 seats, and a bus has 30.”

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Zig Ziglar

“The world is not full of a-holes, but they are strategically placed so that you’ll come across one every day.” – James Yeager

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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 26th

February 26, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 19th

February 19, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

A workout I enjoyed this week. My wife put me onto a nice little exercise challenge last weekend that I’d like to share. The workout requires you to do 20 air squats (get low!), 20 pushups, 20 burpees and a 1-minute plank. These 4 exercises make up 1 round and the goal is to go through 5 times and record your time. My wife got 33 minutes, I got 20 and we both found it to be a nice challenge. If you’re looking for a great workout without equipment to test your fitness, you’ll dig this!

A great lesson I learned years ago. When I was early in my career back east, we had a patient in my office that was just miserable. He interacted with every person in the office and he was equally as horrible to everyone, he was not nice at all. What has always stuck with me was the other doctor in the office (my mentor) after interacting with him said to us “that’s not us, he brings that everywhere he goes.” I found this to be a memorable sentiment – some people are just not nice enough to be worth your time. Rather than taking it personally, just accept it and move on. I’ve encountered patients (and other people) like that over the years and remembering those words from years ago has always helped me deal with them without letting it affect me.

A cool concept. I listened to a podcast the other day and the guest talked about “not giving your pain a voice.” His view was that we all go through low points – physically and mentally but when we start to talk about it, it’s like giving oxygen to a fire and it grows. Once this happens, we begin to lose hope and motivation and we start looking to take the easy way out, make excuses and/or quit. I’ve certainly experienced this in some of my more grueling races and believe it to be true. If I start thinking about how much further I must go, the pain I’m in or any negative thoughts, stuff goes downhill quickly. The trick is just to keep moving forward and keep your mind focused on what is working, rather than what isn’t. If you can be disciplined enough to do this, you’ll find that some of the things not going so well will quickly come around.

Something a patient shared with me that I loved. I had a new patient this week that is a big runner like me. She was very excited to pick my brain about training and I enjoyed listening to her experiences and input. Something she mentioned that I love is her concept of “banking.” Essentially, she sets goals for each run and has a weekly total she wants to reach. If she’s supposed to run 5 on Monday but decides to do 7, then she’s banked 2 extra. She then uses these extra miles to make longer runs shorter if she’d like, take an extra day off, etc. I love this concept because it’s all about earning something. You incentivize yourself to go beyond your limits and when you do, you earn something you’re proud of and can use productively. She uses this concept for running but it can be applied to exercise, business, nutrition or just about anything you can imagine.

Some quotes I love.

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“When mediocre becomes the accepted standard because excellence is too much to ask for, expect less than mediocre results because, at some point, even mediocre will become too much to ask for.” – Lennox Lewis

“You only stop learning when you quit.” – Ruud Gullit

“Truth is like poetry, and most people f’n hate poetry.” – Eddie Gallagher

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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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 12th

February 12, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

How did your run go? As most of you are aware, last Thursday on what would have been my brother in law’s 33^rd birthday, I ran his ashes 33 miles to the football field where we coached together and then spread them there. It was an emotional but great run that culminated with my family, my in-laws and I having a mini ceremony for Sam at the fields. I heard a lot of wonderful things from people before, during and after the run which made it even more special. I had not been training for long distance running so it probably wasn’t my prettiest run ever, but it was one of the most special regardless. I felt like I honored my friend in a way that mattered to me and in a fashion that would have made him happy (but probably embarrassed!).

Something that inspired me during my run. Obviously, there were many personal things I reflected on during the run but there was a movie scene that kept popping into my head that I felt related nicely. The last scenes in the movie Gladiator show Maximus’ death. As his body lies there, a Senator asks, “who will help me carry him?” and those he battled beside immediately lift him and carry him off. Then, in the final scene, a fellow slave that fought beside him and won freedom, buries two small figurines that Maximus carried to represent his wife and son and says “I will see you again, but not yet. Not yet.”

This was powerful to me. The last picture I ever saw of my brother-in-law was of him on his “honor walk” – being wheeled in to have all his organs donated. In that picture, he had a Captain America shield on his chest. I was not able to be there for that so when I received his ashes, I wanted to do something special with them. In the end, I wrapped his ashes in a note from the hospital detailing all the lives saved from those organs and put a small Captain America shield in the bag with them as well. Just like the movie, I wanted to “carry” my friend to a place where we shared many great times together. There I spread his ashes, buried that small Captain America shield, and told my friend I would see him again soon.

Something I really identified with. As I was prepping food for the super bowl Sunday morning, my wife had on our church’s service on a live feed. The pastor was talking about being in his 50’s and taking more and more onto his plate. He recounted a story of someone asking him if he should slow down and he said, “I want to arrive in Heaven coasting on no gas with the engine smoking and shot.” I loved this because it’s how I choose to live as well. I believe in treating my health and body with respect yet pushing its limits to the max. Never would I want to look back and wish I’d pushed harder or attempted something I’d really wanted to. I take great pride in pushing my limits and believe having a body with scars from the process of seeking its true potential is a beautiful thing!

A lesson I was reminded of. Over the course of several interactions with a group of people over the last week, I was reminded of a good lesson. What I saw firsthand was that most people can be divided into one of two groups: those that make excuses and those that don’t.

In the first group there tends to be a lack of accountability. There is always bad luck, someone else at fault, the circumstances aren’t great, there is no responsibility, and this is repeated time and again. In the second group what I find responsibility and accountability for all actions. They believe they are the cause of what is happening or not happening in their lives. I see hard work, dedication, resilience, and perseverance. The lesson I took from these interactions is that ultimately, we have the power to decide which of these groups we fall into. One path can lead to amazing things, the other is likely to lead to frustration. Choose wisely.

Some quotes I love.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius

“Little hinges swing big doors.” – W. Clement Stone

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan

“It’s amazing how much panic one honest man can spread among a multitude of hypocrites.” – Thomas Sowell

“Believe in yourself right now even though it may be hard.” – Les Brown

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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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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 5th

February 5, 2021 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

An analogy I think works. With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, I want you to think about how difficult it would be for either the Chiefs or Bucs to win the game if they played ONLY defense, no offense at all. Obviously, that would be an extremely tall order and you certainly wouldn’t bet on a team that did so.

Well, a year onto COVID and that is the basic approach we are all being asked to take. All the mainstream recommendations are for defensive measures – don’t touch your face, don’t leave the house, don’t get together in groups, cover your face, cover it with 2 layers, etc. Regardless of what you think of those, none would be considered an offensive measure – something you can do naturally to make yourself stronger and thus less vulnerable. Examples would include taking certain vitamins (C and D, zinc, etc.), exercising, managing your weight, getting more sunlight and more. Defense is part of any game but don’t forget the importance of offense. It’s a big deal in football but far more important when it comes to your health.

Something I’m looking forward to. On Thursday February 4th, my brother-in-law would have turned 33 years old. Rather than sit around and feel sad about his birthday, I will run 33 miles in his honor from my house in Highlands Ranch along a winding route that will end me in Castle Rock on the fields where we coached football together and became so close. There I will spread some of his ashes and say some words with my in-laws, younger kids, and older boys (who will run with me near the end) to remember him. I bring this up to you because we are all likely to face tragedy in our lives. How we deal with it is up to us, however. For me, a 33-mile run with him in my thoughts is a positive way to deal with a sad day. In your case it’s likely to be different but the point is to seek to choose a positive path forward no matter what.

A good reminder for me. After I picked my kids up from school on Friday, we decided we’d get some takeout. I pulled over into a neighborhood and off to the side of a road to do an online order and as I did so someone came behind me and beeped their horn. I put my hazard lights on to have them pull around me, but they pulled up next to me instead. They began to roll down the window to say something to me. I have been in many confrontations in my life so my immediate reaction to this is to get amped up. I quickly rolled down my window and…it was a nice older couple asking me if I needed help. Ha. This reminded me that sometimes we carry baggage with us and go into situations in a manner we shouldn’t. I was reading this situation in a way I did not need to be because of past experiences, insecurities, bravado, etc. This is a small, random instance but I’m sure there are examples of this type of experience in all our lives. I said thank you to those nice people and shared these exact thoughts with my sons who were in the car with me to try and teach them a lesson that I am evidently still learning!

Something I found important. On Friday’s, my in-laws watch my two younger kids for us. Each Friday as we pick them up, my 2-year-old son takes a random toy from grandma’s huge pile and wants to bring it home. I always try to get him not to, but my mother-in-law told me this past week, “let him take it, he’s excited about it now and a week from now he may never want to play with it again.”

This concept hit home for me because often in life we feel like things will last forever and thus we neglect to appreciate them enough in the short term. In fact, we often rush them out of our lives because they seem to be a burden in some way. In my son’s case, he won’t be into dinosaurs and monster trucks forever so I should just enjoy it. A big challenge in life is to truly be present in what is going on so that we can appreciate it and not look too far ahead.

Some quotes I love.

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men and women.” – Frederick Douglass

“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of ‘crackpot’ than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.” – Thomas J. Watson

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

“There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.”

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”
Check us out on Facebook under New Body Chiropractic

All posts tagged: neck pain

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – April 9th

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 26th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 19th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 12th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – March 5th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 26th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 19th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 12th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – February 5th

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