It's All About the Timing!

We should all know by now that regular exercise is a crucial component of keeping us healthy...right? But when should we exercise can be a much more difficult question to answer.

I see a lot of information that says that exercising in the late afternoon or early evening is the best time physiologically for your body. Your body temperature is higher, muscles and joints may be more flexible, it helps you unwind after a stressful day, etc. But, there can be some downsides to trying to exercise later in the day. I want to share my recent, personal experience on the subject.

If you are like me (I am by no stretch of the imagination a morning person...yet), then the thought of getting out of bed a little earlier to exercise seems to be out of the question. So, I always PLANNED to exercise when I got home from the office. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned! I would get home a little late, or it took longer to get the kids to bed, or I was just a bit too tired to get myself to my basement where I exercise. Before I knew it, my exercise was becoming less consistent and the effects where starting to take a toll on my body. Stress levels increased, I put on a few pounds and had to loosen up the belt a little bit. So the theory that the evening is a better time for my body to exercise became irrelevant when I was barely doing it at all.

So, I decided to "suck it up" and drag my grumpy morning self out a bed earlier, get my workout clothes on and crawl to the basement to exercise. And guess what is happening...

I am exercising consistently over the last 4 weeks. I find my energy level is better throughout the day even without my previous overindulgence of and addiction to coffee (but that's another story). I am losing the weight that crept back on me when I was barely exercising as PLANNED in the evening. I even got to tighten the belt back up a notch. So for me exercising first thing in the morning has been a good thing. There are much fewer distractions and excuses to keep me from doing it!

I guess I really can't answer the original question of "When is the best time to exercise?"  because the answer is different for all of us. The important thing is to find the time that is right for YOU and maybe my personal experience will help you get on track with regular exercise. Of course to be really healthy, it is going to take more than just exercise. It is also important to eat a healthy diet, get proper rest and stay well hydrated. And, of course, as a chiropractor, I know that proper spinal care is a vital component in reaching optimal health!

Image: zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Chiropractic Wall of Fame

Ok...Admittedly it has been a long time since I have done a blog post! I guess reading some inspiring blogs from other chiropractors and other bloggers I know that are striving to live a healthier lifestyle, I started thinking more about it. So, tonight when I was leaving the office, I glanced over at our recently implemented "Wall of Fame" and the motivation hit me. The "Wall of Fame" displays patient success stories with chiropractic care. Enough about that...now back to the topic at hand.

When I looked at the "Wall of Fame" I started thinking about why are those stories up there and what do these people have in common? All  of these people entered our office with varying complaints such as chronic back pain, headaches, postural strains, auto injuries, etc. They all have had wonderful results with chiropractic, but why are their results so good and sometimes people have very limited results. As I look back on those cases, some things certainly stand out.

As a chiropractor, I have a job to do. That job is to find out what is causing the problem and figure out what I can do to assist in restoring a persons health, but it doesn't end there. The patient has a job to do as well. Sorry if that disappoints you, but YOU have to work at restoring your own health. I can lay out a plan, I can adjust your spine to reduce nerve stress and give you advice and home care instructions but you have to do your part.

The patients that have had the greatest improvement in health rarely, if ever, cancel or reschedule appointments. They make dietary changes when recommended. They avoid repetitive stresses, such as sitting at their desk all day without taking a break. They do their home exercises (and yes, we can tell when you have been doing those). In short...THEY STICK TO THE GAME PLAN!!!

If you have been living in pain and poor health, I want to help you, but you are going to have to put in some work too. With teamwork, before you know it, you could land yourself on our Chiropractic "Wall of Fame"!

Come See Us at the "Lynchburg Women's Show"

We are getting ready for the "Lynchburg Women's Show" on Saturday, March 13th. It will be held at the Schilling Center on the campus of Liberty University. There will be many great vendors providing information about health, beauty, fashion, food and much more! There will be tons of giveaways and prizes.

We will be offering participants information about what we do and why we do it. If you have ever wondered if chiropractic could help you, then this is a good opportunity to talk to the doctor and get your questions answered. You will be able to get a free spinal stress screening (it is painless and only takes a few minutes). We will also have free chair massages during part of the event.

If you have been suffering with back pain, headaches, pinched nerves, muscle tension (okay I won't try to list everything we can help), then don't you owe it to yourself to find out if you could be leading a happier, healthier life?

We hope to see you at the show!

Here is a brief video about our spinal stress screenings:

Is Sleeping A Pain In Your Neck?

I recently had the chance to talk with Tab O'Neal on ABC 13/WSET's "Living in the Heart of Virginia" about the importance of sleeping posture in getting the rest and recovery needed when sleeping. Here's the video: