The power of rules and routine:
Freedom. Most people think freedom is 'doing whatever you want'.
I disagree. It is freedom FROM the nonsense that happens when you aren't being intentional about living.
Weeds show up on their own in the garden...you don't have to plant them, but you DO have to pull them, if you want growth from the seeds you've planted.
Distractions and the like pull attention away from the good, and thus, I call them evil.
It's been said "Through discipline lies freedom". I would agree. The power of the right routine can make profound difference in your productivity, focus, and effectiveness.
Did I mention it's a happier place to be, too?
Some things that I recommend putting in your routine:
1) Daily exercise. Just get started. 4 minutes of deep breathing and stretching is fine, if that's where you are at. Better to start small, and grow over time, than to over-commit, and crash later.
2) Daily prayer and/or meditation. If you've never done it, you'd be surprised at the results
3) Daily gratitude or reflective journal. Keep track of what you are realizing, what works, and what doesn't work. Then, you have a record of your life, and can refer to instances where you succeeded/failed before.
4) "Power Hour(s)" Schedule your most important work, at your highest energy times of the day. This will be different for everyone, but to the best of your ability, carve out that time, and seek to get one really important task done during that time. This adds up big time.
Here's to living free,
JG
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Dealing With Sciatica
To those with hip/low back/buttocks/leg issues, from the sciatic nerve:
I'm not a doctor, but this is what I've seen work:
Depending on the severity of the pain, and the contributing factors, will determine the course of action and correction.
For starters, chances are you spend a lot of time sitting, and/or you walk with a knee-dominant locomotion, instead of the glute-hamstring-calf action that originates in the hips.
What do I mean? You never learned how to walk properly. You sit down too much. You might be overweight. You are probably not very flexible.
That's okay, a lot of people fit into these categories.
Moving on: Massage would be a good place to start, as would seeing a legit chiropractor. You may have undue tightness in the piriformis, glutes, hamstrings, low back, and other areas, which cause your body to 'pull' unnecessarily, putting tension where it doesn't belong.
A stretching program is definitely in order. Start with the basics, be gentle, and do it regularly.
Learning to lift, walk, move, bend, sit, kneel, etc, by engaging your glutes and abs as the prime movers/stabilizers is also a necessity.
Check your diet. There's a good chance you've got some inflammation going on that is chronic, and not just localized.
There is always a solution, things can always be better, and you can do more with what you have, right now.
The work is definitely worth it.
There's a lot more to it, but that is enough for now. Dealing with sciatic pain probably doesn't require pain killers, shots, or medicine... At least not permanently.
Always focus on solving the problem, not on just masking the symptom.
For your best bet, see me in person:
All About Chiropractic
Madison, WI
To resolving your pain-in-the-butt,
JG
I'm not a doctor, but this is what I've seen work:
Depending on the severity of the pain, and the contributing factors, will determine the course of action and correction.
For starters, chances are you spend a lot of time sitting, and/or you walk with a knee-dominant locomotion, instead of the glute-hamstring-calf action that originates in the hips.
What do I mean? You never learned how to walk properly. You sit down too much. You might be overweight. You are probably not very flexible.
That's okay, a lot of people fit into these categories.
Moving on: Massage would be a good place to start, as would seeing a legit chiropractor. You may have undue tightness in the piriformis, glutes, hamstrings, low back, and other areas, which cause your body to 'pull' unnecessarily, putting tension where it doesn't belong.
A stretching program is definitely in order. Start with the basics, be gentle, and do it regularly.
Learning to lift, walk, move, bend, sit, kneel, etc, by engaging your glutes and abs as the prime movers/stabilizers is also a necessity.
Check your diet. There's a good chance you've got some inflammation going on that is chronic, and not just localized.
There is always a solution, things can always be better, and you can do more with what you have, right now.
The work is definitely worth it.
There's a lot more to it, but that is enough for now. Dealing with sciatic pain probably doesn't require pain killers, shots, or medicine... At least not permanently.
Always focus on solving the problem, not on just masking the symptom.
For your best bet, see me in person:
All About Chiropractic
Madison, WI
To resolving your pain-in-the-butt,
JG
Dealing With Shoulder Pain
To all those with shoulder-pain and shoulder immobility:
I feel your pain. Literally.
I've dealt with my own shoulder issues for the last few years.
In short: Flexibility is the key to air power (to borrow an Air Force saying).
You must stretch and strengthen the entire shoulder girdle, as well as the areas around the shoulder, such as the trap, neck, and thoracic spine regions.
Why? Because most pain stems from tightness, weakness, and/or things being out of place. These may be habitual, learned movement patterns, or, an acute condition because of an injury.
Either way, the approach to healing is similar.
I suggest seeing a chiropractor who knows his stuff, since shoulder function is directly linked to thoracic mobility.
If you aren't rolling out, start. It may be excruciatingly painful at first...that's usually a sign you are doing it right :)
Most people have forward head posture, which causes their shoulders to shrug up, making them chronically tight. Check your posture.
Stretch your lats, shoulders, neck, traps on a regular basis. Shoot for 3-5 minutes per hold, which will start the corrective stretch momentum.
Do it daily.
Start becoming mindful of your posture and bodily position.
It'll be easier to move around, and easier to maintain good posture whether you are laying, sitting, standing, walking, running, lifting, etc, when you are loose enough that your body isn't resisting itself.
Keep at it, and watch the progress unfold!
There is way more to talk about on this issue - but that's all for now.
Strength and Honor,
JG
I feel your pain. Literally.
I've dealt with my own shoulder issues for the last few years.
In short: Flexibility is the key to air power (to borrow an Air Force saying).
You must stretch and strengthen the entire shoulder girdle, as well as the areas around the shoulder, such as the trap, neck, and thoracic spine regions.
Why? Because most pain stems from tightness, weakness, and/or things being out of place. These may be habitual, learned movement patterns, or, an acute condition because of an injury.
Either way, the approach to healing is similar.
I suggest seeing a chiropractor who knows his stuff, since shoulder function is directly linked to thoracic mobility.
If you aren't rolling out, start. It may be excruciatingly painful at first...that's usually a sign you are doing it right :)
Most people have forward head posture, which causes their shoulders to shrug up, making them chronically tight. Check your posture.
Stretch your lats, shoulders, neck, traps on a regular basis. Shoot for 3-5 minutes per hold, which will start the corrective stretch momentum.
Do it daily.
Start becoming mindful of your posture and bodily position.
It'll be easier to move around, and easier to maintain good posture whether you are laying, sitting, standing, walking, running, lifting, etc, when you are loose enough that your body isn't resisting itself.
Keep at it, and watch the progress unfold!
There is way more to talk about on this issue - but that's all for now.
Strength and Honor,
JG
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
