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
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