Ease into exercise slowly with caution after injury

Of the patients suffering from neck pain, back pain and other injuries, I would say that at least 50% of them ask, “what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?” This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this post.

To begin with, neck pain and back pain are great motivators.

When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretches or exercises that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest. I indicated that this is unfortunate because when injuries are new, motivation for proactive behavior such as exercising is high - later on, when the pain has decreased, so does the motivation.

Over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions a major set back. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when you are out of the acute stage of pain.

My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain in the future.

After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance, repetitions or time to your workouts, allowing you to build confidence and strength at the same time.

You have to remember to incorporate a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advise of a health care professional. Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability.

I have always tried to help the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic office with their neck pain and back by encouraging stretches and exercises. The combination of chiropractic care with stretches and exercise allows for quicker, more complete healing with decreased chances of pain in the future.

Dr. Steve Jones is a practicing chiropractor in San Diego California. He was licensed in 1991 and received his degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic - West. Dr. Jones has focused on the study and implimentation of ergonomics in the work place and holds a certification as a specialist in health ergonomics. Dr. Jones can be contacted through his websites at http://www.JonesPainRelief.com and http://www.ErgoNav.com

One of the worst feelings you can have on your program is over-sleeping. You wake up and realize that you don’t have enough time to workout before work. You feel empty and dejected. You have a jam-packed day with meetings in the evening.

What can you do?

You can chalk it up to a missed day or you can get creative.

This scenario happened to me recently and instead of blowing off my workout all together, I did something about it. I was able to carve out 25 minutes at work to get away and do a cardio session. It wasn’t the best exercise ever, but it was much better than doing nothing.

How creative can you be? If you work at an office, maybe you can run up and down the stairs for 15-20 minutes. You can go for an extended walk at lunch. If you really want to jack up your heart rate you can do a quick circuit of 10 Push-ups followed by 15 Body Squats. Do 3 circuits of those and your blood will be pumping, I can guarantee that. These are just a few things you can do.

The bottom line is you can give in to waking up late or you can do something about it. You can continue to believe your excuses or not make them.

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” - Jim Rohn

So, if you wake up late one day, don’t panic. Get in a resourceful state and figure out what else you can do. Better yet, you can PLAN BEFORE this happens. Have a few “make-up” workouts at your disposal, so if you find yourself in this position you can do something about it. Don’t fall victim.

Take control.

-Tim

Two week update:
Lost 6 pounds
Lost 1 inch off my chest
Lost 1/2 inch off belly
Lost 1/4 inch off waist

Getting up and going to the gym is getting easier, I look forward to it more, because I can already see results.

My clothes are fitting better and my energy is increasing daily. I am in a “healthy” routine and am enjoying the progress day by day. The great thing about a routine is, after it is established, it is automatic! You don’t have to think about it.

I know it is important to keep track of what I am eating and what kind of workouts I am doing, so this week I started a Twitter account to track all of my meals and workouts. This has increased the accountability (again) and at the same time has created a network of supportive people. So, not only am I using it to track my progress, but I am also getting support. Support is an important vehicle as you continue on your mission for fat-loss.

In 2 short weeks I have improved my body and created a network of like minded individuals. I am ready for the weeks to come!

There are many ways to create incentives to reach your specific Goals, in weight loss as well as any area of your life.

One of my favorites is to wear a Goal Band. A Goal Band is a colored wristband you wear and do not take off until you achieve your Goal. It serves as a constant reminder to you and the people around you that you are striving towards a desired result.

Tim is harnessing the power of a Goal Band, but he has taken creative incentives a step further with his ‘weight loss beard.’

Tim does not want a beard. He doesn’t like it.

So to give himself a little extra incentive, he made a personal (and very public) commitment:

“I will not shave my beard or get a haircut until I am under 220 pounds.”

He created something that is uncomfortable and made it fun. When he reaches one of his smaller Goals of weighing under 220, he gets to celebrate by shaving off the beard as a reward!

It is important to recognize the smaller Goals and victories, that when accumulated, add up to the ultimate vision you are trying to achieve.

What creative incentives can you come up with to motivate yourself?

Let us know!

Jill and Tim

These jump start tips give you a strategy for quick weight loss which will have a positive impact on your overall success. After successfully following these recommendations for two weeks your body and mind will be better prepared to reach your goal.

1. Limit carbohydrate intake after lunch. This means that your afternoon snack and evening meal will not include a carbohydrate or starchy vegetable. For instance avoid breads, pasta, corn, potatoes, cereal, rice and grains after lunch.

2. Stop eating 3 hours before bed. A great way to maximize fast weight loss is by not eating at night when your body has less of a chance of using the calories.

3. Eat unlimited non-starchy vegetables. You do not want to get too hungry while working toward weight loss so your best food type to fill up on is non-starchy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onions, mushrooms and other vegetables that are low in calories and high in natural water content. Eat these high-fiber foods in large quantities to stay satisfied and avoid cravings.

4. Drink extra water. One of the easiest ways to jump start your weight loss is to consume 8 or more glasses of water a day. This helps flush out toxins, aids your body’s ability to metabolize fat and helps you feel full. Whenever you can take in water.

5. Avoid refined carbohydrates and alcohol. These food types cause havoc to a good diet and in order to jump start your weight loss you will want to avoid refined foods such as pretzels, chips, candy, sweets, cookies, baked goods and any form of alcohol for the next 14 days.

If fast weight loss is your goal then follow these 5 tips and you will move rapidly toward your goal: limit your carbs later in the day, stop eating before bed, eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables, drink a lot of water and avoid junk foods and alcohol. Quick weight loss is possible when you follow the right tips.

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Many researches have been done to analyze the effects of having breakfast. The researches prove skipping breakfast has a direct effect on your mood and on cognitive performance. when you skip breakfast, you get easily exhausted and the performance of your brain and body is severely affected.

Your breakfast should contain fiber and proteins. While you can get proteins from eggs, meats, and dairy products, you can get fiber from whole vegetables, grains, and fruits. For example, you can include an orange for fiber, a hard boiled egg for protein, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk.

Avoid having sugary cereals, pastries, and white breads in your breakfast as they get easily digested and you may feel hungry in a short while. Your hunger will be satisfied with proteins and fiber until you have your lunch.

Start your day by eating a healthy breakfast and you will remain active all through the day.
Jenny R. Smith is a