Holiday INSANITY

Well, judging by the high amount of sick out calls from our clients the past few weeks the holidays must be upon us. Stress, s*&%#ty food, poor sleep, exposure to germs, strange weather (80 here yesterday while the rest of the country is frozen). This all takes a toll on the body. For some reason most folks just stop.......exercising, supplements, water, sleep etc. during the holidays. Is there a law I missed that says it's OK to fall off the proverbial wagon. And of course these are the same people that drag their butts back in after new years and wonder why they feel and look do bad. Year after year the same pattern, but expecting a different result. That sounds like insanity, doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Do your body and immune system a favor, walk the line! Keep stretching, walking, exercising. Keep taking your supplements to give your poor overworked immune system a boost ( I am referring to JUICE PLUS, vitamin C, and fish oil. Remember that just 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise in the morning will do wonders to keep you in line and to allow a little splurge here and there. Also, do not forget the benefit of a good nap.

Painfully Responsible

As adults, we are supposed to be intelligent enough to understand that if we have pain, or an injury, and we have been taught how to manage that pain than deal with it. To just sit around in pain and ignore what you need to do to lessen the pain just baffles me. Now, I understand pain, it makes you forget things, it makes you angry, it changes you! but that does not absolve you from a few simple stretches, ice, massage etc. to help deal with the symptoms. To have a client come in and say that it is just getting worse never ceases to amaze me. The pain will not just go away by it's self, it is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong, take the time to listen.

Responsibility

It NEVER ceases to amaze me that people do not take responsibility for their pain. You are a smart person, educated and have been active most of your life. Along the way you have learned a lot of things. But, as soon as PAIN sets in all of that intelligence is gone. i can not tell you how many times I have educated patients and clients on managing their symptoms. if your shoulder is sore ice and stretch it, maybe use an anti-inflammatory, get a massage. Pain will change how you think, and the second you experience pain the psyche changes and you do all the incorrect stuff. Heat generally makes it worse, no one remembers to stretch or self massage. But we all immediately run to the doctor or just sit there miserable.
Take responsibility for your pain, be proactive. ICE before you heat, stretch, use a tennis ball to self massage or go see a massage therapist.......be responsible.

Couch Potatoes unite

It's football season again, and for most that means hours sinking deeper and deeper into the couch. Has anyone ever equated how they feel monday morning to their activities ( or lack their of) over the weekend. Would a walk in the A.M. and some light stretching during the game be so bad (yes you must put down your beer to stretch). If you have bought the book you have realized that TV time is perfect for the foam roller, pain anyone?. Sarcasm asside, we all complain about how we feel monday but who is to blame. Simple exercises done randomly at home are easy to do and continue your advancement on the path toward freedom from back pain. Now get up and go for a walk.

Just Move

While I was working on the ambulance this weekend (in between calls) I was catching up on my journals, you know, an idle mind..... I came across a study on back pain sufferers and their recovery from their injury, none had any surgical intervention. Of all the people surveyed, and it was a good amount of participants over a longer period of time, they all had one thing in common. They all continued to exercise, stretch and eat well. The study clearly showed that those that just stayed active (yard work, house work, walking etc.) all had almost no recurrence from their pain. I guess you can say they took responsibility for their pain.