All posts tagged: pediatric chiropractor

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – June 24th

June 24, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

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 like to share them in hopes that you might find value in them and have something resonate with you in your life.

A good reminder. On Saturday I decided to go on a 4-mile run and it went terribly. My legs felt heavy, I was moving slower than I wanted, and I just couldn’t seem to get going the way I wanted. I’m known for running extremely long races so people are often surprised when I tell them I sometimes struggle on easier runs. So how do I manage experiences like this?

First, I try to think through what I could have done differently either physically, nutritionally, or mentally. Usually, I will think of something to try differently the next time. This changes a “failure” into a valuable learning experience and provides future benefits.

Second, I never allow a substandard performance to fester. I get back out there again and try to do better. I don’t dwell on it because I know that success is never a linear process. In this instance, I got up early on Sunday and did a much tougher and longer run that went much better. By the time that run was over, the terrible run from the previous day was gone from my memory. These two steps not only help me physically but serve me just as well in business and life.

An interesting interaction. I was talking to someone recently about their business. They are in a service industry and were complaining to me that they weren’t getting the amount of business they desired. As a business owner myself in a service industry, they asked me for advice.

I asked questions and eventually found the problem. As it turns out, this person says they will be available for a whole bunch of hours but often fills those hours with activities outside their business. For example, they might not have anyone on their schedule, so they’ll leave their business and go for a hike. Then, when someone does want to come in on short notice, they are engaged in something unrelated to their business and cannot accept the appointment.

This person wants their business to grow without putting in the work to build it. Nothing is going to be handed to us. The only way to succeed in anything is to apply effort, learn from mistakes, and then make corrections. It can be a challenging process but one that can only happen if you are suiting up and showing up!

Something important. In life, we all face challenges that stress us out. These can be personal, health related, business, financial, you name it. These challenges cause us to worry about what we’ll need to do in a week, a month, a year from now, even longer. In my experience, this way of thinking often makes us forget about the most crucial step, what we need to do immediately.

When we are stressed about something, the best thing we can do is focus on what we can do over the next 24 hours and then start doing it. This takes even the largest of goals and breaks it down into something more manageable. It will lessen your stress because you are becoming productive and taking control of what you can. Once you get through that day, simply repeat the process and before long, things become easier and less daunting.

A type of workout I recommend (occasionally). Sometimes I find myself in a rut with certain workouts. These can be weight, running, or cardio but the issue often becomes that I feel like I’m dreading doing a certain workout. This is often when I will break out what I call the “double up.”

Quite simply, whatever the workout is I double it. So, if it’s a 5-mile run, I’ll make it ten. If it’s one hundred burpees I’ll do two hundred, and if it’s a weight workout with a certain number of sets then I will do twice as much. The reason I do this is to “reset my normal.”

By doubling the workout, it helps me mentally reset what I see as difficult. When I return to my normal routine the next time, I can push myself more and it seems easy by comparison. I use this workout to remind myself that things can always get tougher, and it helps me get stronger mentally and physically.

Some quotes I love.

“Become the example the little you needed.” – Brandi McDonald

“Warriors are not the ones who always win but they are the ones who always fight.”

“If you cannot bring peace to your household, how dare you try to rule a city.” – Jordan Peterson

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – June 17th

June 17, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something important. “I just haven’t felt like it.” I hear this all the time when it comes to exercising, eating well, trying to grow a business, and more. The question that usually follows is “what should I do about it?”

My answer is to remind people that if we only did what we wanted to do, no one would ever go to school, work, the gym, you name it. Something is either important or it isn’t, the feelings you have toward it will not change that. If you need money, you need to go to work. If you want to be healthier you need to exercise and eat better. When it comes to leisure activities, do what you feel like. For everything else, ignore your feelings and do what needs to be done.

A good reminder. We had a mom sign up for our SAM Designer Health Program a couple of months ago. She is married with two children, and no one in the household had good exercise or nutritional habits. As she began to make positive changes and see impressive results, her family began to make these same changes as well. Within a couple of months, everyone is now making consistent progress in their health. This woman became a catalyst for her family.

This is a reminder to us all how we can affect those around us. When we do positive things and begin to progress in our goals, we show others that it can be achieved. We make it a little easier for someone to have the courage to begin an endeavor. Consider the people closest to you. Is there something you feel would benefit them if you were to begin doing it? If so, begin it yourself and you may find they soon start to follow.

A lesson I learned through my races. When I run my longest races (100 miles, 50 miles, etc.) things never go perfectly. Inevitably, there is a point when things become incredibly tough. This occurs when my body starts to wear down and my mind begins to talk loudly at me. “If I hurts like this now, how can I go another 60 miles?” “Maybe I just don’t have it today.” “No one would care if I stopped right now.”

When this happens, I am at the most critical junction. What I have learned through experience is that how I allow myself to think in the few minutes after things get tough will either make or break me. If I allow myself to begin having doubts, it will snowball, and I will fail.

Instead, what I do is begin to fuel myself with a combination of positive self-talk and short-term goals. I try to get my mind focusing on something positive while breaking up the larger goal into something smaller. I’ll tell myself something like no one in the race can be tougher than me and all I need to do is make it to the next aid station and I’ll be fine. It doesn’t even matter if it’s true. What matters is that when my mind begins having the most significant doubts, I steer it back toward something positive. This has kept me going for hundreds more hours in my races and more importantly, in life.

Something I love. I love figuring out the best process of doing anything. This can be something small like the most efficient way to do a household task to something larger like running a business or prepping for a major race. I enjoy eliminating methods that don’t work, finding what does, and refining everything possible.

Once these processes are implemented, things begin to get much easier for me. I know what to do, how and when to do it, and so on. This helps me minimize wasted time, reduce stress, and perform maximally in whatever I am doing. If you are working toward a goal, pay close attention to your processes because they can help you get there faster if you utilize them correctly.

Some quotes I love.

“One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is shut their eyes to facts.” – C.S. Lewis

“If you constantly feed fear by thinking about the could-haves, the should-haves, the would-haves, and the cant’s, then the fear wolf wins.” – Mark Devine

“Never let a bad day make you feel like you have a bad life.”

“Aim to be the person at your father’s funeral that everyone, in their grief and misery, can rely on.” – Jordan Peterson

Want more?

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To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com
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Interested in weight loss, more energy, enhanced performance and more? Respond to this email and we can add you to Dr. Kenney’s email list for SAM Designer Health, his nutrition and exercise business!

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – June 10th

June 10, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

A question I get all the time. At least once or twice every week, I am asked by a patient if I can teach them how to give their spouse an adjustment and/or have someone adjust them. This is always an odd request because I am certain they would not leave a dental appointment, haircut, or meeting with their accountant asking a similar question.

Like anything, it takes thousands of repetitions to get good (at a minimum) at being a chiropractor and performing adjustments. When you get great at it, it will begin to look easy, but it’s not unless you have done it thousands (or millions) of times. At least once every week, I have a patient that is coming to me in pain because they let a friend try to do something to their spine. Schooling and experience accounts for a lot, so when it comes to something that affects your body or health, go to someone that knows what they’re doing and save the do-it-yourself stuff for other areas.

A recent lesson. The football team I coach won their first title this past weekend. These young men have played together for years and are very supportive of one another. This particular team was highly competitive and enjoyed seeing one another succeed. What struck me most, was that they were never concerned with who got the credit, only how they did as a team.

The lesson this reinforced, for me, when you have a group of committed people striving toward a goal that are unconcerned about who gets the credit, you can achieve amazing things. Interestingly, when this attitude is adopted, individual performances become stronger, which makes the others want to raise their level of effort. As this occurs, the sum of all the parts becomes stronger and a group of people become a highly functioning team with immeasurable potential.

A recent interaction. My wife and I had a Zoom call with a young man that is doing the Men’s Challenge I’m hosting for my SAM Designer Health business. I asked him questions about his goals, current habits, and experiences to get an idea of his starting point. As we ended the call, I told my wife I would bet my house that he will attain amazing results.

The reason I said this, is not because he’s a super athlete or genetic marvel, it was simply based on his attitude. Everything he said expressed to me that he was willing to learn, hungry to achieve results, and excited for the process. He was not looking to achieve a goal overnight or argue any piece of advice we gave to him. In my experience, people such as this always succeed in fitness, business, or any endeavor. That is because they are open minded, willing to work, and able to get out of their own way.

Something I believe. I get advice all the time – on parenting, running, training, business, the list goes on. Sometimes the people that give this advice really know their stuff. Other times, they have absolutely no clue but still feel they’re an expert. I believe that experience is the best teacher and sharing the experiences you’ve had with someone is far more valuable than giving them your advice or opinion.

When someone is interested, I love to share with them things that have or have not worked well for me. It’s like I am giving advice, but in a way that spares their feelings and lets them understand how I reacted in a similar instance. I also enjoy when people share experiences they have had in their life with me, because I think of it as a way to hopefully use what has worked and avoid what hasn’t. Sharing your experience with someone makes you more credible and that information is far more valuable than just giving an opinion.

Some quotes I love.

“If you don’t stand your ground, then all that happens is people push you backwards.” – Jordan Peterson

“If you’re going to quit anything, quit being lazy, quit making excuses, and quit waiting for the right time.” – Joe Duncan

“Fear is normal. Every person feels fear at some point. Step aggressively towards your fear – that is the step into bravery.” – Jocko Willink

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – June 3rd

June 3, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something I notice often. Whether it’s dealing with patients, nutrition/exercise clients, or people in my personal life; I encounter what I call “easy way-out researchers.” These are people that will spend hours looking for articles that provide justifications for poor behavior. For example, they’ll search high and low for a blurb that exercising too often is bad, vegetables aren’t great, it’s alright to eat unhealthy food, and so on. In other words, they find reasons for avoiding something that would undoubtedly help them. Worse, people like this spend no time looking into how their existing poor habits may be harming them.

I believe deep down; you know whether something is to your benefit or not. If it’s not, seek to change it. Don’t waste time trying to justify it with some poorly sourced article online. Self-education is great but spend your research time on acquiring knowledge that makes you a better person physically and mentally. Be honest with yourself on what you could use help on and then start looking to acquire that knowledge.

A question I’ve been getting. After dealing with a recent tragedy, I’ve been asked by so many how my habits have changed. The implication being that dealing with grief would cause me to eat differently, stop exercising, sleep more, adopt a different attitude, etc. This is common for some in these circumstances, so I understand why they’re asking.

Everyone that knows me, understands I am someone that is extremely positive, high energy, driven, and willing to push through even the most difficult of situations. If that were to change due to grief or any other reason, I feel as though I would be a fraud. I will not allow myself to be a person who preaches something and then does another when times get tough. How you act when things get tough is all that matters in my opinion.

I have trained myself to get comfortable being uncomfortable in every physical and mental way you can imagine. Going through a challenging time now, I refuse to forget those lessons and give up. It is precisely now that those experiences matter most, serve me well, and are put to their best use.

Something I loved. As most of you know and have seen on my social media, I run with the American flag on Memorial Day, July 4^th, and September 11^th. It makes me proud to pay tribute to our country and I always feel like I am promoting something positive in my small corner of the community.

After posting about my Memorial Day flag run, I heard from an old high school friend. He reached out to me, to tell me that I inspired him to go out and run with the flag, something he’d never thought to do before. The experience he had and shared with me was amazing – people saluting, honking horns, cheering, etc. This has always been the case for me too, so I wasn’t surprised, but I was beyond thrilled to hear him explain it to me. He thanked me for the inspiration, and I told him how happy I was that he started a new tradition and had such a memorable experience doing so!

An observation. Through my business and personal interactions, people often tell me about their goals. These can be personal, business, financial, athletic, you name it. What I have found through experience is that these people will fall into one of two distinct groups.

Group one often has the most detailed plans. They tell me lots of specifics, research what they’re doing, vision boards they’re creating, and all sorts of wonderful things they have planned. However, often when I speak to these same people months later, they have done nothing. No progress has been made, and nothing has been set into motion. These people will usually produce an even more detailed plan on to how to proceed from there, and then the process repeats itself. Great ideas with zero implementation.

Group two usually have an idea of what they want to accomplish and then get started. They don’t have every detail ironed out, often make lots of mistakes, and then learn as they go. This is the group that usually attains the best results.

I believe that we can often get “paralysis by analysis” where we gather so much information that we psych ourselves out of going after our goals. Having an idea of what you want to achieve is vital, but nothing ever goes as planned, so I feel it’s best to just get things underway. Accept that you will make mistakes, but those mistakes will lead to a form of growth that you cannot get any other way. Acquire the basics you need to start, and then actually get started!

Some quotes I love.

“A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” – Muhammad Ali

“Effort and consistency will get you more results than a perfectly crafted plan that’s still waiting to be executed.” – Bedros Keuilian

“The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.” – Dale Carnegie

“The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.” – Marcus Aurelius

“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – May 27th

May 27, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something interesting. I often run early in the morning while pushing my daughter in a jogging stroller. On many of these runs, I see this older man walking and waving a stick in the air in a circular motion and talking aloud. A couple weekends ago, my wife, the kiddos and I were out walking, and he was out doing his thing. I made a comment to my wife like “that guy is crazy” after he’d walked by us.

My wife heard him speaking and told me “Matt he’s praying. He’s asking that the people around him be protected.” I felt bad for misjudging him and then immediately felt respect for him. What I judged as crazy was just him looking out for myself and the other people in our neighborhood. Now when I see him during my runs, I make sure to give him a salute, a high five or a thumbs up and say “thank you” to him. Anybody that cares about people other than themselves is cool with me!

Something disappointing. As you know, my sister died a couple of weeks ago at age 43 without warning. I got the news at 5am on a Tuesday morning and was on a plane to see her within hours. I missed three days of work and was back seeing patients that Friday which was challenging.

Eighty percent of the patients I spoke with were extremely kind, loving, and empathetic. Though you may not expect it however, twenty percent were not. I listened to people complain (often passive aggressively) about how they were inconvenienced by me not being available due to a tragedy. When I would point out that I was only out three of the five days that week, most would explain that they had commitments that made it “inconvenient” for them to come in on the days I was actually in the office. I literally held my sister until her last breath and then left to fly home and begin seeing patients hours later. This was not enough for some people as it turns out, they wanted to be seen on a day I was not there. The lack of empathy and kindness was surprising and as someone that puts all I have into helping my patients, disappointing.

I could have handled this unkindness in a variety of ways. I could have yelled at them, kicked them out, or refused to ever see them again. In the end, I chose to let it go. I took the good vibes and kind words of the patients that cared and let that fuel me. The unkind words I heard, I ignored. In life, we cannot control much of what happens to us and around us, but we do have the power to control how we react to it.

An important concept. “Listen to your body” is a phrase we’ve all heard. It is important to do so to avoid injuries, recover faster, and perform at your peak. However, based upon my experience, I would add a caveat to it.

Listening to your body does not mean resting every day, quitting when it gets hard, becoming less disciplined, and/or skipping the things that test you. Often, I interact with people that tell me they are listening to their body, only to have them explain to me why they are being lazy and avoiding even the slightest bit of discomfort or challenge.

We all get sore, tired, bored, etc. but we must persevere. Observe the feedback your body provides and learn from it. Listening to your body most often involves making small adjustments rather than simply foregoing activity or challenges. If you are constantly taking an easy way out, you are not actually listening to your body, you are listening to the voice telling you to quit.

A recent experience. I called up someone important to me recently and apologized to them. I didn’t do anything horribly wrong, but I felt I could have done better. In other words, my actions did not live up to my standards. Rather than make excuses, I called that person up, told them I screwed up, and was sorry. I asked nothing in return but made it clear I felt I could have done better. The person thanked me for my apology, told me that they had not been mad, and that it was fine.

We must hold ourselves accountable in life. When we do something in error, fall short, or behave in a way we regret; the best remedy is to simply admit it, do what we can to fix it, and then move on. Making excuses or lying to ourselves only makes it worse.

Some quotes I love.
“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” – Ernest Hemingway

“It’s not over when you lose, it’s over when you quit.”

“They don’t make statues of critics.”

“Deep down inside you know if you’re doing the work or not.” – Joe De Sena

“You have to meet people where they are. And sometimes you have to leave them there.”

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – May 20th (Memorial Edition)

May 20, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

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. Unfortunately, over the past week I’ve had to deal with the tragic death of my sister at the age of 43. She was extremely healthy and had just run her first marathon in December. She and I were very close, and she leaves behind a husband and two young children. Today, I’d like to share some thoughts I’ve had from that tragedy that hopefully you will find meaning in.

Something that inspired me. About twenty years ago, I talked to a friend of mine about why he became a chiropractor. He told me that he had been spinning his wheels in life until he went to the funeral of a friend of a friend. At the end of the funeral, everyone stood up and gave the man a standing ovation. My friend told me that it occurred to him if someone could be celebrated like that in death, then he should be doing so much more in his life. It became the turning point in his life.

My sister was an organ donor, and in being in such great shape, those organs will be put to good use. At the hospital, they do an “honor walk” when someone donates their organs. This is where people can line up and watch as the body is brought to the operating room where the organs will be removed and then sent out to save lives.

My sister was accompanied by family as she was brought on her honor walk which is common. What was not common however, lining the halls on both sides were over 300 people, all of which were family and friends that made trips from all over the country to be there. The doctors and nurses said that they had never seen an honor walk attended by so many people. Just like that story I had heard years ago; my sister ended her life with a standing ovation. It inspires me to do even more with my own life and the gifts I’ve been given.

Something my sister taught me. As I mentioned, my sister had people immediately come to be near her when they heard what had happened. Few of these people were local and most made long trips to get there. What stood out to me most, was that these people were from every part of her life. Childhood, old dance friends, college friends, law school friends, work friends, old neighbors, and more.

It occurred to me that to keep that close with so many people from her past must have required a lot of effort. To be honest, I am excellent at pushing myself to the limit physically and mentally but have often failed to make effort in reaching out to people.

What my sister taught me was to go the extra mile. Pick up the phone and make another call, reach out to someone you haven’t heard from recently, go the extra step for the people important to you. My sister did that, and as more and more people showed up to see her, I realized I need to as well.

How am I doing? Many people have reached out to me to show their support and ask how I’m doing. Having lost my brother-in-law (and best friend) less than two years ago at the age of 32, people know I am no stranger to these tragedies, and many have expressed worry for me.

I believe in times of crisis; you will fall back to the level of your training. While nothing can fill the hole of my sister’s loss (for me or others), I have spent the last 10 years or more teaching myself to overcome adversity in any form. Though I am deeply saddened, I will continue to move forward with faith, focus, ferocity, positivity, and more. I would never allow this tragedy to serve as an excuse to fall apart. I will continue to become a stronger leader and look to help my family and my sister’s family in every way possible. As I did when my brother-in-law passed, I will live my life in a manner that honors them. This means that I will give the very best I can of myself until one day, it is my time to go.

Something I loved. As most of you know, I coach 11–12-year-old boys in football. Most I have coached since age 7 and they have become like sons to me. On Saturday, I returned to coaching after being in Texas with my sister and family. Before our game, one of my players came up to me with a sealed envelope and gave me a hug. He told me to open it when I got home.

Inside the envelope was a handwritten card with two meaningful Bible verses and a note that told me he had been thinking of me, praying for me, and that he loved me. I cried as I read it, but in 46 years of life, it was the most touching card I’ve ever received. That young man gave me a boost of strength with his words, and I truly appreciated it.

In life, the people that pick us up when we are down are not always those you’d expect. That 11-year old’s card picked me up in a big way and reminded me of some important things. He gave me extra strength when I needed it and it meant the world to me. At some point, you may be that person to someone you would not think and someone you might not expect may be that person for you.

Some quotes my sister loved.

“Be that kind soul that makes everybody feel like a somebody.”

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” – Fred Rogers

“Those we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch.” – Jack Thorne

“How you deal with the hardest days defines who you truly are.”

Want more?

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To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com
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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – May 13th

May 13, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something that bothered me. The football team I coach is comprised of 11- and 12-year old’s, most of whom I have coached since age 7. We’ve always been good, but this season we have been dominant. The boys all work hard, know our system well, and have played together for so long which has made an enormous difference. After a recent win, I was contacted by the league. They told me that parents of the opposing teams had complained about us doing so well and asked for proof of my players’ ages. They felt that because of our performance, we must have boys that were too old for the league on our team. In other words, they accused us of cheating.

I was disappointed to hear this for two main reasons. First, as anyone that knows me would tell you, I do not cut corners or cheat on anything. My moral code would never allow it and being accused of doing so, crossed a line for me, and made me mad.

Second, too many people have forgotten how to take a loss. I’ve played or coached in games where I’ve left the field embarrassed by how poorly I/we did. That feeling is horrible but it’s a powerful tool. It can be used to identify weaknesses and implement processes and actions that lead to improvement. When you make excuses and blame others for your own inferior performance, those losses become wasted and lead to nothing constructive. Worse, it creates a mindset that you are entitled to win and if you don’t, you were treated unfairly. Not a great life lesson. Always try to win, but if you don’t; handle it with class and learn from it.

Something I have found useful. I pride myself on pushing the envelope physically through my training to strengthen myself mentally. When my body wants to quit, I am forced to rely upon my mind to get me through. Over the years, I have found diverse ways to accomplish this but today I’ll share one I use often.

When I am alone, exhausted, and would like nothing more than to be done with what I’m doing; I picture my family, friends, people I care for most, those that look up to me, etc. These people care about me so when I compete or train, I like to feel that I do so in their name too. No matter what, I can control the effort I put in. If I give my absolute best than I honor those people, anything less I view as disrespectful to them (and me). This mindset has helped me out of some painful and dark situations by making me feel less alone and more motivated to persevere.

A question I get all the time. “Can Dr. Kenney fix this?” We get calls to our office daily from new patients asking if I can resolve a certain condition for them. Often, these people have tried other things without success and are looking for a guarantee that I can fix it for them before they invest any time and money. I bring this up to illustrate a key point. No one can ever give you guarantees about your health because every person and situation are unique.

When people look for assurances, all I can offer them is the experience I have/do not have treating certain conditions. I also make sure they understand until I examine and/or treat them, any expectations of outcomes I might have, would only be theoretical. I have helped people with back pain millions of times, but if someone asked me if I could fix their back pain, I would still say “I don’t know.” What if they show up with a metal rod in their back? What if they have something that only a surgery could fix? I would not be able to help those things and would have given them false hope. When it comes to your health remember there are no guarantees. It is your responsibility to research which avenues may potentially help you and then pursue and try those you feel most confident with.

Something important. My wife had a woman referred to her for the metabolic testing service we offer. My wife reached out to her as promised and the woman was rude, complained, and behaved like a child, all over scheduling a 10-minute test that she’d requested. Worse, this woman owns her own business and I’m sure would never enjoy people behaving that way toward her. This reminded me of two important things.

First, I believe that how you treat anyone is how you treat everyone. If I see someone treating someone poorly, talking down to them, or behaving badly toward them; I lose all trust in them. I don’t care if they’d make me money or help me in some way, I will not associate with them. I am certain at some point, I would become the recipient of such behavior and am saving myself the headache.

Second, reputation is everything. When you treat people well, word gets around and if you treat them poorly, it spreads like wildfire. People you might think are not observing your behavior are. Down the line, how you behaved when you thought no one was looking, may come back to you in either a positive or negative fashion. None of us are perfect, but consistent, good behavior is necessary in building a solid reputation.

Some quotes I love.

“If you think tough men are dangerous, wait until you see what weak men are capable of.” – Jordan Peterson

“Entitlement = Hardly showing up and expecting results in the short term. Hustle = Showing up consistently and expecting results in the long term.” – Brandi McDonald

“The words you talk, better be the words you walk.” – Eddie Gallagher

“Sometimes the hell in front of you can be so dark and painful that it is incomprehensible, but we still must fight. It is in those moments when everyone else wants to quit that you must step up and be that one warrior.” – David Goggins

“Stay away from people who act like a victim in a problem they created.” – Rick Lopp

Want more?

Don’t forget to follow Dr. Kenney on Instagram @Coloradochiropractor
To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com
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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – May 6th

May 6, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

A recent experience. My wife and I consulted with a woman recently about her nutrition. She went into detail about how she had slow digestion, and her doctor insisted that everything she eat have high amounts of fiber. The way things were explained to us, she had some exceedingly rare and unique digestive issues and so we asked her to fill out a food log for us to evaluate. Upon reviewing the log, I saw no foods high in fiber but did see candy, fast food, and a lot of alcohol.

I do not mention this as a criticism of this person, because it’s not. She is a nice lady that just needed the right help. The point I’m making is that we often look for complicated answers to simple questions. In this case, this woman did not actually have a complex issue, she had simply been eating terrible foods that her body could not process efficiently.

To correct this, we recommended replacing some of the bad foods she was consuming with better, more nutritious options. Immediately, she began to improve (in multiple aspects). To correct any issue, the best way to begin is by addressing the simplest issues and then moving on to more complex ones only if necessary. Don’t over-think it!

A good reminder. On Easter Sunday, I was informed that someone had spray painted my office sign as well as those of some of my neighbors. This bummed me out but, in the end, was a good reminder to me of how best to manage problems when they arise.

First, don’t feel sorry for yourself, just accept that it happened and move on. Second, get to work on a solution. In this instance, I researched what might remove spray paint from that surface and went and bought what I needed. Once I’m on to step two, I already feel better because I’m pursuing something constructive and feel more in control.

Third, fix the issue. For simple matters like this, it can happen instantly, but more complex ones may take time. Regardless, get to work correcting them as soon as possible. Finally, understand that things will go wrong from time to time, often through no fault of your own. These issues may not be pleasant, but they tend to make you stronger in knowledge and/or resilience if managed properly.

Something important. Being coachable is one of the greatest assets a person can have in my opinion. This allows the ego to move to the side, so added information can be taken in and used to make improvements. Conversely, when someone is not coachable, they tend to remain in a pattern, one that is usually not beneficial to them.

When my wife and I help people in our fitness and nutrition business, I can tell instantly whether they are coachable. If they are, they will succeed and if they are not, they won’t. It’s that simple.

The signs that some will allow themselves to be coached, are a willingness to accept criticism, take recommendations, try alternatives, ask questions, and more. On the other hand, if someone cannot be coached, they will tell you they don’t like to listen to other people, are unwilling to change what they’re doing (even if it’s bringing horrible results), will blame others, and will often seek other opinions only to not follow those as well. Be coachable, it will make a tremendous difference in the results you can obtain in life.

Something to remember. One of our clients in our SAM Program was told by her doctor that because she was 40 years old, she would never be able to lose any weight. Anyone with any experience in this field would understand this is not true but it brings up two important points.

First, never allow one person to ruin a dream or goal for you. There are many haters out there and usually the most adamant ones are the least knowledgeable. Find people that can help you attain the goals you want. In this instance, this woman was easily able to lose weight with basic advice that we provided.

Second, age is only a number. Your body does not quit when it reaches a round number such as 30, 40, or 50. As a chiropractor, I constantly hear people blame their age when they’re in pain (even in their twenty’s!). I promise you; your body does not wait until you hit a certain number and then begin failing on you. What tends to happen is that someone reaches an age where they stop giving proper effort toward their health. We certainly have less leeway with our health as we age so lack of effort becomes noticeable quickly. Do not give up on yourself simply because you reached another birthday, keep battling!

Some quotes I love.

“You have to change your life if you’re not happy and wake up if things aren’t going the way you want.” – Keanu Reeves

“No matter how hard you work, someone else is working harder.” – Elon Musk

“Do what is easy and your life will be hard. Do what is hard and your life will become easy.” – Les Brown

“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” – W. Clement Stone

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Don’t forget to follow Dr. Kenney on Instagram @Coloradochiropractor
To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com
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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – April 29th

April 29, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something I notice. My wife and I own a fitness and nutrition business and help people of all ability and experience levels. For us to help our clients, we need to know their habits and routines. Often, people are embarrassed when seeking our help and they withhold information as a result. Other times, people are brutally honest, and we get the complete story warts and all. Of these two, the people who are honest always get remarkable results.

For someone to be helped, they must first start by being honest with themselves and identify areas that need improvement. If that step does not happen, it will not matter what comes after because in my experience it will not work. Whether it’s the need to get in better shape physically, financially, in business, or anything else; having the courage to assess yourself and admit you need help is step one. Then, through an honest assessment of your history, habits, and routine you can begin to develop methods that lead to lasting changes in these areas. As I say to my wife all the time “I don’t care how bad it is, if someone is honest then we can help them.”

An interesting interaction. I had a conversation with a gentleman recently that is typical of one I have often. This man is a nice person but went on and on about how I should start slowing down with my exercise, running, etc. that I write about in these posts. He’s 20 years older than me and barely active himself, but kept going on about how because of my age this was important (I’m 46) in his opinion.

Too often, we are encouraged to simply give up once we reach a certain age or milestone. I do not believe in that. Our bodies are meant to be used and our lives to be lived. Does the way I train, my intensity, and the races I do put pressure on my body? Of course, but it would be far worse to sit on my couch eating all day and doing nothing.

My choice is to try to utilize my mind and body to their fullest potential. This involves challenging myself to do things that are hard and to repeat that process again and again. If my body is a vehicle, I hope when I die, I roll in with the tank well past empty, four flat tires and smoke coming out of the engine. My desire is to have a well-worn body with plenty of scars that tell stories. Giving up on challenging myself because I’m “too old” or out of fear of getting hurt is not in the cards for me. I’m never careless with my health or body but I intend to push myself as hard as I can for as long as possible.

An important question. I talk to dozens of patients each day. As a result, they tell me things that they love all the time. These can be certain foods, types of exercise, activities, ways of doing things, you name it. A question I often ask when they tell me these things is “does it love you back?”

Just like a relationship needs two loving and willing partners to succeed, the things you love should love you back by providing benefit to you. Anything that makes you healthier mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually I would say loves you back. Conversely, things that damage you in these areas are not showing you love in return even if you continue to do them. Do yourself a favor and examine your most common habits, routines, and actions by asking yourself “does it love me back?” If it does, keep it rolling but if it does not, make a change.

Something I think of daily. There is a saying often attributed to Native American cultures (among others) that I ran across 6-7 years ago that states “Today is a good day to die.” The meaning of this phrase is not that you hope to die but that if you were to, that you would have no regrets.

From the second I saw this statement; it became important to me. My goal is to behave and live my life in such a manner that if I were to pass away, I would be content with how things stood. Specifically, I want my relationships with those important to me to be in good standing, my actions to be honest and well-intentioned, and my efforts in all I do to be as high as possible. I often repeat this phrase to myself at times in the morning as a reminder to behave in this manner. We never know when we’ll go but I believe it’s good practice to try and live so that if today were the day, that we’d be proud of where we left off.

Some quotes I love.

“Most of us aren’t defeated in one decisive battle. We are defeated one tiny, seemingly insignificant surrender at a time that chips away at who we should really be.” – Jocko Willink

“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Every bite of food you eat is a short-term investment in how you feel, a mid-term investment in how you look, and a long-term investment in your freedom from disease.” – Joe De Sena

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius

“Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.” – Jordan Peterson

Want more?

Don’t forget to follow Dr. Kenney on Instagram @Coloradochiropractor
To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com
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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – April 22nd

April 22, 2022 Matt Kenney Friday 5 Spot No comments

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot

Something important. Have you ever argued passionately about a subject with someone only to discover you were wrong? How did you handle it? Did you admit you were not right and move on? Or did you double down on what you said knowing you were dead wrong?

It is never fun to be incorrect, but it happens to all of us. When we’re mistaken, the pro-level move is to say we are wrong, make whatever amends/changes that are necessary, and then move on. Far too often in our society, government, and individual interactions; however, we double down on mistakes out of ego and an unwillingness to admit fault. In these instances, we compound the issue by continuing to fight even when we know we’re wrong. That is the amateur move.

If you’re wrong, you don’t have to celebrate it. However, saying “my bad” and trying to correct your mistakes will earn you far more respect (including self-respect), than continuing to battle when you know you’re in the wrong.

Something I learned about. Parkinson’s Law is a concept that whatever amount of time we assign to a task is what we tend to use to complete it. As an example, if you tell yourself that you need three days to clean your basement, it will take three days to finish it, but might have only required one. If you think you’ll need 12 weeks to get ready for a half marathon, Parkinson’s Law says that you will use 12, even if 8 would suffice or be better.

I believe Parkinson’s Law to be accurate but whenever possible, I try to go against it. If we trim wasted time, sub-maximal effort, etc. from our approach, we can often do what is expected to take a long while, in a fraction of that time. For example, I used to take 45 minutes to an hour to complete my weight workouts when I was younger. Now, I have condensed that to 20-25 minutes by removing wasted time and increasing my intensity. I use less time and get better results this way.

I recently heard someone say that when it comes to goals, decide how long you think it will take to achieve, then cut that time in half. Making your timeframe’s tighter leads you to improve procedures, increase focus, waste less time, and up the intensity. This leads to greater and faster progress.

Something I liked. I was at a wedding recently and the officiant marrying the couple said many wonderful things. One thing that stood out to me was some advice he gave the couple, “Pay attention to the little things because little things are the big things.”

I find that statement to be true in relationships, business, athletics, coaching, and so much more. When you pay attention and attend to the details others may not, you become far more invested and connected to the endeavor, person, and/or interaction involved. Paying attention to the little things takes effort, but that effort can pay enormous dividends for anything and everything in life that you can imagine.

Something I related to. My wife and I have been watching “Tournament of Champions,” a cooking competition on Food Network. One of my favorite competitors has been a chef that is incredibly intense. When introduced to the crowd, he walks out more like it’s a fight then time to cook. He is incredibly intense, doesn’t joke around, and performs to an elevated level. Once it’s over, he accepts either victory or defeat with class and shows profound respect to his opponent.

To some, they might think it odd to be that intense about cooking food. I do not agree. To me, it is never just about food, coaching, running, business, or anything else. If I take the time to compete or get involved in something, than I am playing for keeps. I will give it absolutely everything I have and am often far more intense than those around me. My main opponent is always myself and the goal is to maximize my performance; nothing more. Once it’s over, I can return to my normal, happy self but in the moment, I can’t help but be intense. When you care, give it all you have because anything less is an insult.

Some quotes I love.

“What separates the elite is not their rise, but their response. Never crown a king, team, or organization until the have been battle tested.” – Inky Johnson

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” – Margaret Mead

“Keep chasing your goals whether you are alone, broke, tired, or scared. Keep going.”

“The challenges you face introduce you to your strengths.” – Epictetus

“The greatest compliment I could ever receive as a father of my children is that they’re coachable. That’s the single greatest skill set I could teach them – to listen, learn, and apply.” – Ryan Michler

Want more?

Don’t forget to follow Dr. Kenney on Instagram @Coloradochiropractor
To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com
Check us out on Facebook under New Body Chiropractic

All posts tagged: pediatric chiropractor

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – May 20th (Memorial Edition)

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Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – April 29th

Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot – April 22nd

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