Living in the Houston area for almost 48 years, I've seen the summer weather pattern a more than a few times and am quite familiar with it. Typically, June is the wettest of the summer months here, and if it's dry in June, we're likely in for a hot dry summer.
What does that have to do with wellness? Good question of course! Have you ever noticed that when it's dry outside, when we water our grass, it does liven up a bit, and won't die off. However, when a good rain comes through, it seems the grass does even better than an equal amount of watering from our sprinklers. Why would that be? Let's look at that.
First, the innate diet of grass if you will, is rainwater. Rain, from the sky. Not water from a faucet or sprinkler. Plain old water from the clouds. The water in the pipes that feeds our grass is a bit "processed" so to speak. It contains things like chlorine among other possible contaminants (look up water contents and see what you find). So while it does feed our grass and keep it alive, it doesn't do as good of a job as the innate diet of grass. It keeps it alive, but it doesn't thrive.
So what does that have to do with us? We can choose to eat our innate diet or not. If we choose to not eat innately, then we may be choosing to stay alive, and not thrive. If we DO eat innately, then we have a better chance of thriving, and being as healthy as possible ie, living well.
The same goes for all of our lifestyle choices. How well we eat, move, think and rest affects whether or not we'll thrive or just stay alive. Which do you want?
Until next time, BE WELL!
Dr. Bruce
Monday, June 10, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Every Minute.... Every Second....Counts...
....in life.
I sit here typing these thoughts down, with my heart hurting, not for me, but for people I know that are hurting from loss. It's a reminder that, as I spoke with my pastor yesterday about, we don't know what's right around the corner in our lives. One minute I was speaking with a young lady about her coming to work at our office today, and within an hour she's dealing with a significant loss in her life.
It made me look seriously at my family life. In many ways, I feel like I am pretty good as Dad, husband, friend, chiropractor, and Christian. In many ways, I fail miserably in those roles (regularly), usually because of selfish reasons, usually when life is all about me. I guess I feel like I can "make it up" whenever I screw up and don't perform at the levels I know I should. "I'll do better next time" and "I've got to get better at that" are two common thoughts I have when I've performed below standards. Those are not inherently bad thoughts, but they assume a lot, maybe too much.
I said my normal goodbye to my wife this morning. I said my usual goodbye to my son as I dropped him off at high school. In a little while I'll say my routine goodbye to my daughter when I drop her off at middle school. Not to think darkly, but my world could be a lot different by the end of this day. I'm not guaranteed my next breath. None are.
Right now I want to apologize for the heaviness of this post. But I think it's vital to think this way on occasion, to gain some perspective, and to appreciate, really appreciate what we have. I believe that living a wellness lifestyle involves healthy relationships with those we love the most, with our co-workers, our friends, and those we serve through our respective careers. And it shouldn't be something we put off til tomorrow. It should start today. It should start now. Immediately.
I start every day with an affirmation with our team at the office that says "today I have another opportunity to fulfill our promise to our patients". What a profound way to live, if we lived with that attitude in all that we do. What if I said that affirmation daily, and lived it, in regards to how I treat my wife? My kids? My friends? What if we as a nation, we as a global community began looking at life that way? What kind of difference would it make? What if we took on that attitude in all our roles? I'm writing this on a Monday morning, and so many people complain about Mondays. But what would Mondays feel like if we lived out that one simple statement?
I'm not going to presume to preach to or at anyone about this. My thoughts are my thoughts as they apply to me right here, right now, on Monday morning. I hope I can take these thoughts and apply them today, tomorrow, and remember them even when I'm not feeling my best, when I'm tired, when I don't even really feel like it.
Because every minute...every second...counts.
Until next time...Be Well.
Dr. Bruce
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Armed And Dangerous...Now You Know What I Know
So I had a virtual conversation with someone online this past week. More accurately, it was an online disagreement. I was reading a story about a chiropractor who broke the law and was punished with jail time, when in the comments section, someone went off about the "pseudo-science" (his/her words) chiropractic. I had to laugh as I read their take. It was sadly amusing to read their often repeated mantra of unsubstantiated rumor and how they don't "believe" in it. Of course, when someone tells me they don't "believe" in it, I have two thoughts: 1. It's not a religion, and 2. I am so glad it doesn't take their belief for it to help the millions of people that benefit from it. I mean, saying "I don't believe in it" would be the same as me saying, I don't believe in engineering, or the real estate business, or whatever. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of fact, it's a matter of a science that has been wrongfully vilified, yet still survives. It's about a form of health care that the AMA was found guilty of trying to "contain and eliminate" (their own words.... see Wilk Vs. AMA), but still thrives and serves.
It's a little frustrating (I admit it) to have years and years of success in a profession, and years and years of scientific proof, but still have the uneducated, or those people with ulterior motives, continue to spread their lies, half-truths, and rumors. It's even more frustrating to have people, educated or not, buy into them so easily. It will take years to overcome that. I am actually ok with it at this point in my life. I have no issue speaking with those who have an issue with my chosen profession and showing them the light. It is, of course, their choice to truly see the light or ignore it (which some inexplicably do). I've always had a rather pacifist approach to it. Let people say with they may, and keep on doing what I do to the best of my ability. Now my thought processes have changed.
I'm armed and dangerous. Armed with studies. Armed with experience. Armed with a passion. And very tired of hearing our profession besmirched, and the medical model of health care looked at as the gold standard, when in so many ways the opposite should be true. And tired of having patients with back or neck pain so poorly managed, to the detriment of their health. This post will have some serious science backing it, so hold on tight, here comes truth.
Let's start back in the early 90's with the "Manga Report". Pran Manga was commissioned by the Ontario government to evaluate all treatments, mainstream and otherwise, for low back pain. He gathered the information, and I'll share a few snippets of what he found. "On the evidence, particularly the scientifically valid studies, spinal manipulation applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than alternative treatments for low back pain. Many medical modalities are of questionable validity, or are clearly inadequate. Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain". None of the researchers had anything to do with chiropractic, all were non-biased participants, doing a review of literature and treatment modalities. It goes on to state that spinal manipulation performed by non-chiropractors is much less safe. To me, that's enough right there, but for some, that's "only one study". Ok, I get that, let's move on.
How about the 2004 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine? It states "Systematic access to chiropractic care may not only be clinically beneficial, but may also reduce overall health costs". Then there's the 2011 study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that had several interesting quotes such as "cases treated by chiropractors had less surgeries and less use of opiods" and "In addition, people who were mostly treated by chiropractors had, on average, less expensive medical services and shorter initial periods of disability than cases treated by physiotherapists and medical physicians." Is that good or is that great??
Need more? Ok fine, there's plenty more to share, but I'll end with a study published in Spine, the premier medical journal for spinal health. In 2011, there was a study titled "Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy For Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long Term Outcome?". In other words, does regular spinal adjusting really impact long term results when done on a maintenance or wellness level? The results are impressive. "Only the third group that was given spinal manipulations during the follow up period showed more improvement in pain and disability scores at the 10 month evaluation." In the non-maintenance-treated group, "..pain and disability scores returned back to near their pre-treatment levels". What does that mean? Those with regular wellness or maintenance care continued doing better long term, as compared to those that did not receive maintenance care, and in fact the non-maintained group had pain and disability ratings very close to where they were before treatment. A case for wellness oriented chiropractic adjustments? You bet.
There's so much more out there to support chiropractic, but it seems only the most powerful voices are heard the most. And for so long, we've put those voices on a pedestal, thinking they know all when it comes to health care when it's far from true. The next post will show some of the shortcomings of their approach to health with regards to low back pain in particular. When you're done reading both of these posts, you should have no doubt that chiropractors are the ones who know what's best for your spine!
I'm armed and dangerous, and you are now too.
Until Next Time....Be Well!
Dr. Bruce
It's a little frustrating (I admit it) to have years and years of success in a profession, and years and years of scientific proof, but still have the uneducated, or those people with ulterior motives, continue to spread their lies, half-truths, and rumors. It's even more frustrating to have people, educated or not, buy into them so easily. It will take years to overcome that. I am actually ok with it at this point in my life. I have no issue speaking with those who have an issue with my chosen profession and showing them the light. It is, of course, their choice to truly see the light or ignore it (which some inexplicably do). I've always had a rather pacifist approach to it. Let people say with they may, and keep on doing what I do to the best of my ability. Now my thought processes have changed.
I'm armed and dangerous. Armed with studies. Armed with experience. Armed with a passion. And very tired of hearing our profession besmirched, and the medical model of health care looked at as the gold standard, when in so many ways the opposite should be true. And tired of having patients with back or neck pain so poorly managed, to the detriment of their health. This post will have some serious science backing it, so hold on tight, here comes truth.
Let's start back in the early 90's with the "Manga Report". Pran Manga was commissioned by the Ontario government to evaluate all treatments, mainstream and otherwise, for low back pain. He gathered the information, and I'll share a few snippets of what he found. "On the evidence, particularly the scientifically valid studies, spinal manipulation applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than alternative treatments for low back pain. Many medical modalities are of questionable validity, or are clearly inadequate. Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain". None of the researchers had anything to do with chiropractic, all were non-biased participants, doing a review of literature and treatment modalities. It goes on to state that spinal manipulation performed by non-chiropractors is much less safe. To me, that's enough right there, but for some, that's "only one study". Ok, I get that, let's move on.
How about the 2004 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine? It states "Systematic access to chiropractic care may not only be clinically beneficial, but may also reduce overall health costs". Then there's the 2011 study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that had several interesting quotes such as "cases treated by chiropractors had less surgeries and less use of opiods" and "In addition, people who were mostly treated by chiropractors had, on average, less expensive medical services and shorter initial periods of disability than cases treated by physiotherapists and medical physicians." Is that good or is that great??
Need more? Ok fine, there's plenty more to share, but I'll end with a study published in Spine, the premier medical journal for spinal health. In 2011, there was a study titled "Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy For Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long Term Outcome?". In other words, does regular spinal adjusting really impact long term results when done on a maintenance or wellness level? The results are impressive. "Only the third group that was given spinal manipulations during the follow up period showed more improvement in pain and disability scores at the 10 month evaluation." In the non-maintenance-treated group, "..pain and disability scores returned back to near their pre-treatment levels". What does that mean? Those with regular wellness or maintenance care continued doing better long term, as compared to those that did not receive maintenance care, and in fact the non-maintained group had pain and disability ratings very close to where they were before treatment. A case for wellness oriented chiropractic adjustments? You bet.
There's so much more out there to support chiropractic, but it seems only the most powerful voices are heard the most. And for so long, we've put those voices on a pedestal, thinking they know all when it comes to health care when it's far from true. The next post will show some of the shortcomings of their approach to health with regards to low back pain in particular. When you're done reading both of these posts, you should have no doubt that chiropractors are the ones who know what's best for your spine!
I'm armed and dangerous, and you are now too.
Until Next Time....Be Well!
Dr. Bruce
Friday, April 5, 2013
What's The Weekend For?
Sounds like a dumb question doesn't it? I'd agree except that for many people, the weekend means different things. For many, it's a time used living in a way that we don't normally live. Higher alcohol consumption, more dinners out, more junk food, no exercise, lots of sitting around watching sports and more. And in moderation, that may be ok in our wellness quest. Maybe.
I've found when I watch my weight throughout the week, I'll consistently lose weight Monday through Friday. But when I weigh back in on the following Monday, I'll be back up by the same amount of weight I had lost over the previous 5 days if I am not careful. I understand that weight is not the "be all, end all" in evaluating the status of our health and well being. But it certainly is ONE of the markers, and right or wrong, most likely the MOST used marker. My point is in speaking about this though is that it only takes 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) to UNDO a whole lot of good work in our lives. I find that particularly true as I get older. (old-ER, not old)
So what's a person to do? Aren't weekends meant for down time? Aren't they meant for renewal? Don't you, Dr. Guillory, preach the importance of resting well? Yes, I do preach that. What I don't preach is overindulgence. I think Mae West was quoted once as saying "too much of a good thing is MAAAAHVELOUS", but that's just a cute quote. I have no issue with going out to eat a big meal. I have no issue with watching some sports on TV Saturday afternoon. I often do both of those. But I think the issue is that many people totally bankrupt themselves on the weekend when it comes to health; there's NO exercise, there's way too much junk food and alcohol consumed, and entire afternoons spent on the couch. Are you guilty of that? (honestly, there are times when I am too).
So I think, the answer lies in one word: Plan. Just as I preach often, "Failing to plan is planning to fail", we need to focus that applying that to our weekends. Realize that there will be opportunities for indulging. But plan for a great healthy meal, replacing a meal with juicing and/or some healthy vegetables and fruit. Plan on trying a new healthy recipe since you'll have more time to cook it up. Plan some time outdoors with your family walking, playing tennis, or if the weather is inclement, going to the gym together. Listen to your body, and plan a nap if you feel worn down. The key is to plan it all. If we leave it to chance, chances are poor decisions will be made.
So, here it is, Friday afternoon, what are your plans for the weekend? None? Time to PLAN it! I just created this acrostic for PLAN: Prepare it, Live it, Analyze it, and NEXT! Prepare is the planning, Live is doing it, Analyze is seeing if it worked, and NEXT means to work on the next plan. Just something to think about!
Until next time...Be Well!!
Dr. Bruce
Friday, March 29, 2013
There's No Excuse....
....for not exercising. Well, there are very few legit excuses anyway. Today was a perfect example of why anyone can do a workout, without a gym membership, and with little to no equipment needed. And yes, in 30 minutes or less, you can get your heart rate up, and tone the whole body pretty darn well.
This morning, my wife and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to do for exercise. We have a gym membership at a place 5 minutes away which offers everything we could want/need. But today I talked her into doing my "30 Minute At Home Exercise Plan". For her, there was no equipment needed. For me, I used a jump rope and a 30 pound kettle bell. Oh and we used a free app called Gym Boss Interval Timer.
Our warm up included her doing jumping jax, and me doing jump rope. I have a timed program on my Gym Boss App that has us do 10 seconds of activity, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Then 20 seconds of activity, 20 seconds rest, 30 seconds of activity, 30 of rest, then 20 and 20, then 10 and 10. We then start over and go through the cycle again 2 more times. It takes about 9 minutes total and warms up the whole body, gets the heart rate going a bit, and gets you ready for more intense exercise.
The next thing we did was a combination of two exercises back to back, with downward pyramiding reps. She did lunges and crunches I did kettle bell swings and mountain climbers. I started with 10 of each, then 9, then 8, then 7 (well you get the drift) with no rest in between exercises or sets. She did her's starting with 8 reps and working her way down. So it looked like this for her: 8 lunges on each leg, immediately dropping down and doing 8 crunches, then back up to do 7 lunges, then 7 crunches etc til we both got to 1. This program, particularly if you do large muscle groups, gets your heart rate really going!
We then did what I call my finisher. Again we used the Gym Boss App. It was set to do 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. We had two exercises to use. One was what I call a skater's jump. You start on one leg and jump to the side, landing on the other leg, and not letting the original leg touch. Then you jump back the other way, back and forth. It looks almost like an ice skater on a long stretch where their body moves back and forth, except they're gliding and we're jumping. I pretend I am jumping over something so I get some height, and distance to the side. After 20 seconds of that, there's 10 seconds of rest. Then we assume the plank position on our forearms, and when the timer beeps, we go up to a pushup position, then back down to the plank position, back and forth til the timer beeps again (20 seconds). Then there's rest and we go back to the skaters jumps. This program is 4 minutes long, and includes 4 sets of the two exercises.
That was it. We were done. I had gotten my heart rate up, I had worked the entire body for the most part, and it didn't require getting ready to drive to a gym and then coming back home. You can modify your reps, timing, exercises etc to make it work for you. Anyone can do this (with rare exceptions, please consult your physician if you're not a regular exerciser and want to get started). It's a great way to get some variety of exercises, in a short, compact time, that is very efficient!
Until next time...Be Well!!
Dr. Bruce
This morning, my wife and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to do for exercise. We have a gym membership at a place 5 minutes away which offers everything we could want/need. But today I talked her into doing my "30 Minute At Home Exercise Plan". For her, there was no equipment needed. For me, I used a jump rope and a 30 pound kettle bell. Oh and we used a free app called Gym Boss Interval Timer.
Our warm up included her doing jumping jax, and me doing jump rope. I have a timed program on my Gym Boss App that has us do 10 seconds of activity, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Then 20 seconds of activity, 20 seconds rest, 30 seconds of activity, 30 of rest, then 20 and 20, then 10 and 10. We then start over and go through the cycle again 2 more times. It takes about 9 minutes total and warms up the whole body, gets the heart rate going a bit, and gets you ready for more intense exercise.
The next thing we did was a combination of two exercises back to back, with downward pyramiding reps. She did lunges and crunches I did kettle bell swings and mountain climbers. I started with 10 of each, then 9, then 8, then 7 (well you get the drift) with no rest in between exercises or sets. She did her's starting with 8 reps and working her way down. So it looked like this for her: 8 lunges on each leg, immediately dropping down and doing 8 crunches, then back up to do 7 lunges, then 7 crunches etc til we both got to 1. This program, particularly if you do large muscle groups, gets your heart rate really going!
We then did what I call my finisher. Again we used the Gym Boss App. It was set to do 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. We had two exercises to use. One was what I call a skater's jump. You start on one leg and jump to the side, landing on the other leg, and not letting the original leg touch. Then you jump back the other way, back and forth. It looks almost like an ice skater on a long stretch where their body moves back and forth, except they're gliding and we're jumping. I pretend I am jumping over something so I get some height, and distance to the side. After 20 seconds of that, there's 10 seconds of rest. Then we assume the plank position on our forearms, and when the timer beeps, we go up to a pushup position, then back down to the plank position, back and forth til the timer beeps again (20 seconds). Then there's rest and we go back to the skaters jumps. This program is 4 minutes long, and includes 4 sets of the two exercises.
That was it. We were done. I had gotten my heart rate up, I had worked the entire body for the most part, and it didn't require getting ready to drive to a gym and then coming back home. You can modify your reps, timing, exercises etc to make it work for you. Anyone can do this (with rare exceptions, please consult your physician if you're not a regular exerciser and want to get started). It's a great way to get some variety of exercises, in a short, compact time, that is very efficient!
Until next time...Be Well!!
Dr. Bruce
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Sleep Vs. Rest
There's a difference between sleep and rest. You can have a night where you sleep, even sleep in, and not feel rested. You could have a night where you sleep lest, yet wake up feeling refreshed and ready. And it's very important to be aware of the difference.
It's vital to our body that we get regular rest. For us to be living a wellness lifestyle, rest is a MUST. Your body will not function well without proper rest. What are some of the effects of poor rest? The list is long but includes reducing stress, improving your immune response, reducing inflammation and more. Rest is when your body repairs the damages done to it with every day living. To me, the whole act of getting sleeping is a perfect example of the innate intelligence of the body. That sensation of sleepiness comes on telling us it's time to power down, time to make repairs. And, when we're sick with an infection or the flu, our body's natural response is to want to sleep more. Pretty cool the way the body works isn't it?
It's important that we develop a good routine for rest, particularly as we get a little older. Our body's work best in a routine. This routine should start before bedtime, when we do things like turn down the lights, turn off anything that may be too stimulating, maybe put some soft music on and spend time relaxing. That way when we hit the bed, we're already on our way to powering down. Keep your room as dark as possible. Most experts agree that having a TV in the bedroom is not conducive to good rest. Maybe have some white noise in the background to drown out random sounds (I keep a floor fan running, even in the winter). Avoid caffeine after 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I know, people say "I can fall asleep even after a pot of coffee". I get that, but remember that sleep and rest are two different things, and it is scientifically proven that caffeine reduces your chances of reaching the deepest levels of sleep, REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement), which is where real rest and repair occur.
Here's a couple of important notes for those that have trouble sleeping/resting. Don't lay in bed tossing and turning. Get out of bed and go read something boring (like some of my blog posts???) until you get sleepy. Staying in the bed when you're not able to sleep starts to develop a neuro-association in your mind of "bed = sleep problems". Don't bring your work to bed with you, ie laptop, iPad, paperwork etc. Once again, a bad neuro-association can occur. The bed is for rest, and sex.
If you are a teen, or have teens, be wary of starting the habit of texting with friends laying in bed. That can go on for hours and interfere with rest. Even adults that are chained to work via their smart phones need to be wary of this habit as well.
Remember, resting well is part 4 of our wellness formula: Eat well, move well, think well and rest well.
Until next time...Be Well!
Dr. Bruce
It's vital to our body that we get regular rest. For us to be living a wellness lifestyle, rest is a MUST. Your body will not function well without proper rest. What are some of the effects of poor rest? The list is long but includes reducing stress, improving your immune response, reducing inflammation and more. Rest is when your body repairs the damages done to it with every day living. To me, the whole act of getting sleeping is a perfect example of the innate intelligence of the body. That sensation of sleepiness comes on telling us it's time to power down, time to make repairs. And, when we're sick with an infection or the flu, our body's natural response is to want to sleep more. Pretty cool the way the body works isn't it?
It's important that we develop a good routine for rest, particularly as we get a little older. Our body's work best in a routine. This routine should start before bedtime, when we do things like turn down the lights, turn off anything that may be too stimulating, maybe put some soft music on and spend time relaxing. That way when we hit the bed, we're already on our way to powering down. Keep your room as dark as possible. Most experts agree that having a TV in the bedroom is not conducive to good rest. Maybe have some white noise in the background to drown out random sounds (I keep a floor fan running, even in the winter). Avoid caffeine after 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I know, people say "I can fall asleep even after a pot of coffee". I get that, but remember that sleep and rest are two different things, and it is scientifically proven that caffeine reduces your chances of reaching the deepest levels of sleep, REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement), which is where real rest and repair occur.
Here's a couple of important notes for those that have trouble sleeping/resting. Don't lay in bed tossing and turning. Get out of bed and go read something boring (like some of my blog posts???) until you get sleepy. Staying in the bed when you're not able to sleep starts to develop a neuro-association in your mind of "bed = sleep problems". Don't bring your work to bed with you, ie laptop, iPad, paperwork etc. Once again, a bad neuro-association can occur. The bed is for rest, and sex.
If you are a teen, or have teens, be wary of starting the habit of texting with friends laying in bed. That can go on for hours and interfere with rest. Even adults that are chained to work via their smart phones need to be wary of this habit as well.
Remember, resting well is part 4 of our wellness formula: Eat well, move well, think well and rest well.
Until next time...Be Well!
Dr. Bruce
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Let's Get Serious
I was at the gym the other day, and lately I've done a few treadmill workouts instead of my normal HIIT workouts on a bike at the gym. No real reason, sometimes it was because "my" bikes at the gym were being used, sometimes it was to spend more time with my wife while she did her treadmill workout, sometimes it was just for variety. When I am on the treadmill, my workouts are never as intense, though I do my best to make them more than just going for a walk. Because they are less intense, I get the chance to watch others around me working out. This is a good thing.
It's good because it encourages me. I love seeing people out there going for it. I especially love watching the folks running on treadmills especially, partly because it's cool to see them working hard and seeing how some run with such ease. The other reason is jealousy that I can't run (knee issues) sometimes. (just being honest). It's also good because I see people that are seriously trying to get in shape and become healthier. I see some of the less healthy and overweight people doing their best to move well. Sometimes my initial reaction is to think about the very overweight that are there negatively. My wife, in her infinite wisdom, brought up the point once that when we see an obese person, we never know if they've lost 30 pounds already, and are headed in the right direction. So true, and so humbling to think of it that way.
Some of what I see at the gym though seems like people wasting their time. I see them walking on a treadmill, and able to carry on conversations with their friend next to them without ever losing their breath. Now I understand, as I try to see it from the other side, that they are still exercising, still burning calories, and enjoying the benefits of social relationships (which are part of a wellness lifestyle). However, some of these same people that I know, wonder why they're not getting anywhere with their exercise. When they come to me and ask why they're struggling with losing weight, I encourage them to get a bit more serious. I encourage them to not just casually walk on the treadmill, but make it tougher. To get anything out of cardio work, you have to have times where you're working hard enough that you can't carry on a conversation with someone. You can do that by increasing the incline. That's what I do. I bump up the incline for "x" amount of time, then bring it back down for recovery. This way you create intervals that increase your cardio output and then recover actively. It's the simplest way to make your cardio workouts tough enough to make a difference. It just takes getting a little more serious about how you spend your time in the gym.
So, if you're struggling with losing weight, take a look at the intensity of your cardio workouts. Increase the intensity (with the approval of your health care provider if needed) to a level that makes you work hard enough to be unable to carry on conversations. Do it in intervals and watch how your cardiovascular capacity improves, and how you burn more calories and melt some inches off!
Until next time....Be Well!
Dr. Bruce
It's good because it encourages me. I love seeing people out there going for it. I especially love watching the folks running on treadmills especially, partly because it's cool to see them working hard and seeing how some run with such ease. The other reason is jealousy that I can't run (knee issues) sometimes. (just being honest). It's also good because I see people that are seriously trying to get in shape and become healthier. I see some of the less healthy and overweight people doing their best to move well. Sometimes my initial reaction is to think about the very overweight that are there negatively. My wife, in her infinite wisdom, brought up the point once that when we see an obese person, we never know if they've lost 30 pounds already, and are headed in the right direction. So true, and so humbling to think of it that way.
Some of what I see at the gym though seems like people wasting their time. I see them walking on a treadmill, and able to carry on conversations with their friend next to them without ever losing their breath. Now I understand, as I try to see it from the other side, that they are still exercising, still burning calories, and enjoying the benefits of social relationships (which are part of a wellness lifestyle). However, some of these same people that I know, wonder why they're not getting anywhere with their exercise. When they come to me and ask why they're struggling with losing weight, I encourage them to get a bit more serious. I encourage them to not just casually walk on the treadmill, but make it tougher. To get anything out of cardio work, you have to have times where you're working hard enough that you can't carry on a conversation with someone. You can do that by increasing the incline. That's what I do. I bump up the incline for "x" amount of time, then bring it back down for recovery. This way you create intervals that increase your cardio output and then recover actively. It's the simplest way to make your cardio workouts tough enough to make a difference. It just takes getting a little more serious about how you spend your time in the gym.
So, if you're struggling with losing weight, take a look at the intensity of your cardio workouts. Increase the intensity (with the approval of your health care provider if needed) to a level that makes you work hard enough to be unable to carry on conversations. Do it in intervals and watch how your cardiovascular capacity improves, and how you burn more calories and melt some inches off!
Until next time....Be Well!
Dr. Bruce
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