Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
I interact with hundreds of patients each week (under normal circumstances, though less during the crisis obviously) and get asked a lot of questions. On Fridays I like to share some of the answers I give and hope it has value for you.
Form of exercise I’ve been enjoying? My 21-month-old son is a spirited young boy to say the least. I’ve tried in the past to push him in a jogging stroller and he basically reacted like I was trying to give him an appendectomy without anesthesia. About a month ago, I decided to tempt fate and try and push him in it again and now he loves it. He and I have covered dozens of miles together over the past few weeks and it’s one of my favorite activities we share. He points out airplanes, loves to look back and talk to me and seems to really enjoy sitting back and relaxing as I push him. It’s great exercise and bonding time at the same time!
A piece of workout advice? Most people assume because I compete in such long events that my workouts must take hours a day. In fact, the opposite is true. Other than my long runs, most of my workouts are 15-20 minutes of quick but intense activity. My advice is to remember that it’s much more about the quality of your workout than the quantity. Not only can you accomplish a great deal within a shorter amount of time, but it is far less daunting when trying to carve out such a small amount of time to do so.
Something to consider about COVID-19? I’m running into a lot of people that are terrified to re-open our country. I’ve heard people say schools should never re-open, restaurants shouldn’t be allowed to have dine-in service and so many other things. Now, I know the news cycle can be crazy but what I encourage people to do is consider the numbers. Our country as of 2019 had 328 million people. As of this writing, we’ve had just over 55,000 deaths from coronavirus. That equates to .01%. Am I suggesting those deaths are insignificant or that people have not suffered? Not in any way I assure you. What I am merely suggesting is that these numbers are often very different than people may suspect. People can use these numbers (or other numbers from cities, counties, etc.) to put things in perspective for themselves without any news-related bias.
A piece of advice I think is important right now? Years ago, my girlfriend (now wife) explained to me the concept of “seasons.” Just like it’s not always winter or summer, our lives go through seasons as well. In some we are riding high and loving life. Others may be more challenging and complicated. Regardless, we must remember that in the end there will be ups and downs. What we are going through now is merely a season and it will pass.
Some quotes I love? “A right that can be taken away depending on the situation is not a right, it is a permission.”
“It’s not what a man has or accomplishes, it’s what it takes to discourage him that counts.”
“Ignore your health and it will go away.”
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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