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What is holding you back?
Fear of failure? Fear of rejection? . Fear of feeling humiliated? Fear of letting others down? Fear of the unknown? What if I told you that you could get out of pain without giving up your hobbies, even if you have “tried everything” already? You CAN achieve your goal without giving things up! So what’s stopping you? You CAN help yourself. You CAN get out of pain. You CAN build a great life. You CAN. And you MUST! You just have to start! Imperfect action is better than inaction! Get started today no matter what your goal is. Just move forward. Each step you take is another step towards your goal. Kaizen Health and Wellness PLLC can help you get there. You just have to start. Contact us today to get started! 515-339-2906
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I get this question a lot and while most people know that strength training (either with free weights, weight machines, or resistance bands) can help build and maintain muscle mass and strength, there’s also several other benefits that strength training camp provide. Let’s take a look at them:
. 1. Improved bone density = reduced risk for osteoporosis 2. Improved metabolism = helps with weight loss 3. Improved heart health = helps to lower blood pressure, decrease resting heart rate, and improve cholesterol 4. Improved confidence and mood = helps improve body image as well as reduce stress and anxiety. 5. Improved sleep = your body can’t repair itself and heal without proper rest and exercise has been proven to lead to better zzz’s 6. Improved brain function = releases endorphins and helps improve cognitive function. As you can see the benefits are amazing and it doesn’t require a big gym and fancy equipment (although there is nothing wrong with that). A lot of things can be done in your home with everyday items. What other questions do you have? Let me know below or send me an email @ bryan@kaizenhealthandwellness.com. I am here to help! I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating:
Want to know the key to success? CONSISTENCY! Rome wasn’t built in a day! And you're not going to get a back like that over night. . These things take time, patience, and most of all HARD WORK! . No matter what your goal is, you have to consistently show up and put the work in, especially on days that you don't want to. Put it in your planner or have a partner keep to you keep you accountable. Do whatever you have to do to make sure that you ACHIEVE your goals. If it is strength that you want to build, know that it takes 6-8 weeks to see measurable strength changes. My recommendation during the first three weeks is to perform higher reps with lighter weight on most days of the week. During this period your body is building that muscle memory and getting those synapses to fire - this takes CONSISTENT repetition. At about the four week mark your body starts adapting and making long term changes by building muscle. This is when you can start spreading out your strength training to every other day while increasing the weight and decreasing the reps. . Now with that said, the above recommendation is very general outline and is going to vary depending on what your specific goals are. Rehab vs power lifting vs body building, etc - all have different demands and require a different approach to get there. . But... what is the same is the CONSISTENT work that it requires. No excuses. Get out there and get some work done today! Q: What is it and what does it do?
A: The goal of trigger point dry needling is to reduce pain, muscle spasm and muscle tension by treating trigger points, or ‘knots’ in the muscle (the existence of trigger points is a debatable topic in the PT world but we will save that for another day). The needle, which is actually an acupuncture needle, causes a twitch response of the muscle that leads to neurologic and hormonal change, helping to relieve pain and relax the muscles. Q: It sounds painful, does it hurt? A: There are definitely some areas of the body that are more sensitive than others but for the most part people are surprised by how little they actually feel the needle. The needles are very small, much smaller than a needle you would get an injection with. Q: Sounds great, what does it help with and is it right for me? A: While dry needling is great, it isn’t for everyone. However, we have found that it can be very helpful for many conditions including: headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, tennis/golfers elbow, low back pain, hip pain / piriformis syndrome, knee pain / runner’s knee, calf pain, achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and many more! Sounds great, right?!?! I have treated hundreds of patients in the past with trigger point dry needling and they would agree! This can absolutely be a great adjunct to your physical therapy regimen. . Have you ever had this treatment done? What did you think? A common question that I get almost daily “how long will this take to heal.” And truth is, it depends. There are several factors that play into tissue healing but the basic stages are the same whether it was from some sort of injury or if it was surgery. They are the one and the same to your body. .
After injury/surgery you body is going to go through three stages to heal and repair the damaged tissue. These stages each have distinct features. . This is the recovery process and each stage’s features: 1. Inflammation: Pain, swelling, redness, and heat draws healing chemicals to the injured area. 2. Proliferation: Damaged tissues are removed; new blood supply and temporary tissue is built. 3. Remodeling: Stronger, more permanent tissue replaces temporary tissue. As I said before there are several factors that play into this process such as age, comorbidities (other injuries/disease processes), alcohol/tobacco use, nutrition, and exercise history. Things that you can easily control to help aid this process along are: 1. Get sleep! See my previous post on the benefits of sleep 2. Eat proper nutrition: More whole foods, less processed 3. Exercise at least 60 minutes per day. While injured this doesn’t mean the exercise has to be strenuous, Just move! 4. Limit alcohol intake 5. Don’t smoke! Was this helpful? Want to see more posts like this? Let me know if you have any questions! “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t - you’re right.” - Henry Ford
The power of the mind is incredible! The human brain is so powerful and our daily thoughts and mindset have huge implications for so many things! Changing your mindset to be positive and have an optimistic outlook can pay huge dividends when it comes to reaching our goals. . Here are just a couple of things I recommend to get yourself in the right frame of mind: Gratitude - start a daily journal and write down three things daily that you are grateful for. Doing this daily will help you to see all that great things that you have in your life already! Positivity - turn all negative situations into a positive. Any time you have a negative thought, flip it around and make it positive. Over time this gets easier and easier and has huge effects on your mood and how you interact with others. Celebrate wins - take time to appreciate meeting your goals, no matter how big or small they might be. Show appreciation - Go out of your way to tell people how much you appreciate them and the things that they have done. You can also send a text, email etc. Tell others how great they are and how much you care for them!. Frame of mind - nervous before a presentation or meeting? Or maybe dreading an interaction with someone? Ask yourself, “what do I appreciate about so-and-so?” This will not only help with any anxiety and nervousness but will also hep you to feel more connected and in turn help you to build a better relationship with that person. Like I said the power of the mind is amazing! Take time to strengthen your mental health along with your muscular strength and I promise you will start being more productive and achieve your goals in a way you never have before! Don’t forget to take time for yourself and give your brain a rest as well. Turn off the screens/shut off the lights, get outside and go for a walk or just sit and relax. Today’s world is so busy and its easy to overlook this but IT. IS. SO. IMPORTANT! Change your mindset and accelerate to the top! An often overlooked component of training in rehab has to be sleep! Without proper rest your body has no way to recover and build the new muscle.
Most people require approximately 6-8 hours of sleep per night (this can vary from person to person). So how do you know you are getting enough sleep? There are many ways that your body will tell you that you need more rest, including but not limited to: 1. Your mind is foggy 2. You’re unhappy 3. You’re getting sick a lot 4. You’re struggling with your weight 5. Your workouts feel too hard How can we get better sleep? 1. Wake at the right time - try using a sleep tracker on your phone to wake at the proper sleep stage 2. Be awakened by light - this naturally raises cortisol levels and helps you feel alert and relaxed 3. Limit caffeine intake after 12pm and limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks per night as these can interfere with quality sleep 4. Exercise regularly - optimize your hormone levels - your body and mind will thank you 5. Limit fluids before bed - this will help to make sure you are not getting up in the middle of the night 6. Clear your mind - write your thoughts on paper and help your brain relax 7. Go to bed - get on a schedule and stick to it! 8. Sleep at 6-8 hours - your body and mind need rest! 9. Turn off your electronics - the effects of blue light have been well documented and the stimulation doesn’t allow our brains to shut off 10. De-stress - meditate, go for a walk, take a warm bath, etc 11. Create a relaxing sleeping area - keep the temperature cooler, and the room dark, avoid excess lights (turn down your alarm clock) and use a sound machine to block outside noise Maximize your recovery by adopting these simple tips and I guarantee you will be more productive and efficient throughout your day! . Shoutout to @precisionnutrition for the information and inspiration for this post. Thank you! CONSISTENCY!
Rome wasn’t built in a day! And you're not going to get a back like that over night. . These things take time, patience, and most of all HARD WORK! . No matter what your goal is, you have to consistently show up and put the work in, especially on days that you don't want to. Put it in your planner or have a partner keep to you keep you accountable. Do whatever you have to do to make sure that you ACHIEVE your goals. If it is strength that you want to build, know that it takes 6-8 weeks to see measurable strength changes. My recommendation during the first three weeks is to perform higher reps with lighter weight on most days of the week. During this period your body is building that muscle memory and getting those synapses to fire - this takes CONSISTENT repetition. At about the four week mark your body starts adapting and making long term changes by building muscle. This is when you can start spreading out your strength training to every other day while increasing the weight and decreasing the reps. . Now with that said, the above recommendation is very general outline and is going to vary depending on what your specific goals are. Rehab vs power lifting vs body building, etc - all have different demands and require a different approach to get there. . But... what is the same is the CONSISTENT work that it requires. No excuses. Get out there and get some work done today. It's still early in the year and never to late to reach your goals! Here’s a follow up to my last blog post. If you missed that one, you can check it out here.
Great News! Not only is imaging not indicative of pain, one study showed that lumbar disc herniations will spontaneously self-resorb in about 2/3 of cases! This means that physical therapy should be the first line of treatment for these issues! Of course there is a lot that goes into whether or not someone needs surgery but unless you are having muscle weakness or bowel/bladder issues, physical therapy is a perfectly safe and reasonable first line treatment and can be very helpful in getting people back to their prior level. I have seen hundreds of these cases over the years and people do great when they #choosePTfirst Remember, X-rays and MRIs are only one picture at one point in time, with you laying on your back and perfectly still. This isn’t how we function every day and isn’t a great representation of what is going on in our bodies. These “changes” are perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. We are made to move! #movementismedicine  Scary words, right? Have you had an MRI or x-ray that showed these things? A lot of people have, but what do they swords mean and more importantly what do they mean to you? Are they a death sentence? Does this mean you can't lift weights or play with your kids?
Let's take a look at what the research shows in regards to how common these things are and if we should be worried: - 40% of individuals under the age of 30 and 90% of individuals between 50-55 have imaging that shows lumbar disc degeneration - One study showed that 48% of young healthy adults between the ages of 20-22 had at least one degenerated disc while 25% had a bulging disc. As you can see, these things are VERY common and nothing to fear. In fact, it is strongly discouraged to use imaging for low back pain as NO LINK has been found between degenerative changes seen on x-rays or MRIs and patients pain experiences. If you've already had imaging that shows these things it is important to remember that they are extremely common and NORMAL changes that happen from the age of 20 onwards. This IS something that can be treated with physical therapy. Movement is medicine and even during acute flares in pain, we can take care of you and show you what you can do to get back to the things that you love the most! If you've got low back pain or you are experiencing any of these issues, don't wait any longer. Let's get you back to moving like you were made to move! |
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Ph: (515) 339-2906
Fax: 712-208-8460
Located Inside CrossFit 8035 West
Get Directions: 3301 SE Destination Dr, Grimes, IA 50111
Copyright © 2021 Kaizen Health and Wellness, PLLC.
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
Ph: (515) 339-2906
Fax: 712-208-8460
Located Inside CrossFit 8035 West
Get Directions: 3301 SE Destination Dr, Grimes, IA 50111
Copyright © 2021 Kaizen Health and Wellness, PLLC.
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy