Back Clinic Health Team. The level of functional and metabolic efficiency of a living organism. In humans, it is the ability of individuals or communities to adapt and self-manage when facing physical, mental, psychological, and social changes in an environment. Dr.Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T, a clinical pain doctor who uses cutting-edge therapies and rehabilitation procedures focused on total health, strength training, and complete conditioning. We take a global functional fitness treatment approach to regain complete functional health.
Dr. Jimenez presents articles both from his own experience and from a variety of sources that pertain to a healthy lifestyle or general health issues. I have spent over 30+ years researching and testing methods with thousands of patients and understand what truly works. We strive to create fitness and better the body through researched methods and total health programs.
These programs and methods are natural and use the body’s own ability to achieve improvement goals, rather than introducing harmful chemicals, controversial hormone replacement, surgery, or addictive drugs. As a result, individuals live a fulfilled life with more energy, a positive attitude, better sleep, less pain, proper body weight, and education on maintaining this way of life.
It�s not just you: Many people are turned off by the thought of exercise because they think it has to be intense or time-consuming. But the findings of a new study published in the journal BMC Public Health suggests that people could learn to enjoy being active simply by tweaking those beliefs and expectations.
So says the study�s lead author Michelle Segar, director of the University of Michigan�s Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center, who�s spent years researching what motivates people to get and stay physically fit. (She�s also author of No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness.) Too often, she says, people begin exercise programs to lose weight, and quit when they don�t shed pounds right away.
In her new study, she and her colleagues asked 40 women about what really makes them feel happy and successful. Then they analyzed how their views about working out either fostered or undermined those feelings. The diverse group of women were all between ages 22 and 49.
All of the women�whether they were regular exercisers or not�turned out to want the same things out of life: to have meaningful connections with others, to feel relaxed and free of pressure during their leisure time and to accomplish the goals they�d set for themselves, whether in their personal lives, their careers or simply their daily to-do lists.
The big difference, the researchers found, was that women who were inactive viewed exercise as counterproductive to those things. In order for exercise to be valid, they thought, it had to be seriously heart-pumping and sweat-inducing�the complete opposite of the �relaxing� feeling they wanted from their free time.
They also felt that following an exercise program took up too much time and put too much pressure on them, and that it was too difficult to commit to a schedule and meet expectations, leaving them feeling like failures.
But women in the study who were regularly active didn�t share these views. For them, exercise went hand-in-hand with their desires for social connectivity, relaxing leisure time and feeling accomplished.
That shift in mindset has to happen for women who aren�t currently active, says Segar. �These women feel alienated by exercise, or feel that they�ve failed when they tried it in the past,� she says. �They have a very narrow definition of what exercise should look like.�
Segar says that definition comes from decades of messaging from fitness companies and older scientific research that suggesting that high-intensity activity is the only way for exercise to be worthwhile. �That�s no longer true,� she says. �The new recommendations for physical activity really open the door for people to pretty much do anything that works for them.�
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that for �substantial health benefits,� adults should get 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking. It�s true that additional benefits can be gained from more (or more intense) exercise, but Segar says this is a good starting point for many Americans who currently lead sedentary lives.
Instead of thinking about exercise as an alternative to enjoying free time or socializing with friends, she recommends framing it as a way to make those things happen. �Women need to give themselves permission to use physical activity as a way to relax�to get together with friends or loved ones and take a leisurely stroll, simply because being active and outdoors boosts their mood and makes them feel good.�
While walking is an easy way to squeeze in more movement throughout the day, she also encourages people to get creative. �If you liked biking as a kid, rent a bike and see if it still feels good,� she says. �Play tag with your kids, take a dance class or even just climb the stairs a few extra times while you�re doing chores around the house.�
Most importantly, Segar says, people need to know that any physical activity is better than no physical activity. �You don�t have to do 30 minutes at a time, you don�t have to sweat and you don�t have to hate whatever it is you�re doing,� she says. �You just have to choose to move when you see opportunities.�
In addition to ramping up my mileage during my training for the Tokyo Marathon, I also focused on eating well. And experts say that’s a smart strategy. “Fueling your body for maximum performance starts long before your actual marathon,” says Annamarie Poluha, a nutritionist and the Wellness Coordination Manager at ASICS America. “The most critical component outside of training and nutrition is to ensure that your body is optimized.” In other words, you want your body chemistry to work for you, rather than sabotage you. So what is the right nutritional balance?
In a perfect world, Poluha recommends that marathoners-in-training work with a functional medicine doctor, who will run blood and other tests then prescribe micronutrients to enhance digestion and levels of absorption, as well as reduce inflammation. Going it alone? Just remember that “sustained energy is always achieved through a blood sugar-balanced and anti-inflammatory diet and consistent sleep,” she says.
Keep these 6 nutrition strategies in mind to avoid hitting the infamous wall and power through to the finish line:
Eat the BEST carbs
Carb-loading in the form of bagels and pasta is a thing of the past. The new thinking: Focus on the quality of carbohydrate. The ultimate carbohydrates to eat in the months, weeks, and days leading up the race are sweet potatoes, brown rice, and quinoa. These power picks are also easy to digest. During your race, your body burns between 150 to 300 carbohydrate calories an hour. One gram of carbohydrates yields four calories, so when you’re carbing up the night before the race, the ideal range is 38 to 75 grams, Poluha says.
Using high-quality fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado will ensure proper digestion, allowing your body to perform at its best. Avoiding fats altogether, on the other hand, will simply cause you to be hungry too soon. Too much fat will slow your digestion, which in turn will lower your energy and output.
Don’t forget protein
Egg whites and fish are easiest to digest, however chicken breast will ‘hold’ you a bit longer while red meat may slow down digestion.
Get the mix right
While training, aim for power meals and snacks with a ratio of 55-60% carbohydrates, 25-30% protein, and 10-20% fat.
They play a critical role in regulating your body’s water balance while exercising: Proper levels of these electrolytes allow your muscle cells to retain the appropriate amount of water. But you lose electrolytes when you sweat, which will impair your performance. Solution: Sip a sport drinks with sodium in it (an example is “Endurolytes Fizz” by Hammer Nutrition).
Fuel up throughout your run
Shoot for 6-10 ounces of fluid every 2 to 3 miles. If it’s a hot day, you’ll need to take in a bit more. You should start drinking early and not wait until you are thirsty or feel dehydrated (at that time it may already be too late). Recommended sources of fuel: Sport drinks, energy gels, and chews. One final tip from Paluha: “If you need or want to dilute your energy gels and chews, use water and not a sports drink—combined it will yield too much sugar for your digestive system to handle.” And who wants to run to the bathroom?
Ever find yourself going about your day, not even thinking about food, when all of a sudden your appetite kicks in, and you’re at the drive-thru or rummaging through your pantry, looking for whatever it is you crave?
That’s because feeling hungry often has little to do with whether your system really needs food and a lot more to do with some sneaky cues and behaviors you encounter without realizing it. These 6 are among the biggest offenders tricking you into thinking you’re hungry when you really aren’t.
Cooking Shows
There may be a downside to turning to TV for recipe inspiration. A new study found that people who cook from scratch based on recipes they got off a cooking show weighed 11 pounds more than those who watched these shows but didn�t cook very often. The authors of the study, from Cornell University�s Food and Brand Lab, think the extra pounds might have to do with how indulgent TV recipes are. When people make them at home and consume them, they think it’s okay to take in all the extra calories.
Orange and Red-Colored Foods
From a biological perspective, humans �tend to seek out vibrant colored foods, as these contain the most vitamins and minerals,� says Susan Albers, PsyD, clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic and author of 50 More Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food. �The response is subconscious�think about a time when you’ve walked through a grocery store and found yourself picking up a sack of oranges or bag of red peppers.� But that instinct works against you when you’re face to face with a plate of mac and cheese or gooey nachos. These dishes share a similar hue as oranges do, but they have way more fat and calories.
Food Packages on Kitchen Counter
You know the saying, out of sight is out of mind? That definitely applies to food as well, and it sums up the dangers of not putting your groceries away as soon as you come back from the supermarket or leaving out half-eaten boxes of takeout pizza. When you see these items, even in their containers, your appetite gets going, and it�s hard to resist consuming them.
�People tend to reach automatically for foods that are within arm�s reach,� Dr. Albers says. �If it�s there, you�re likely to eat it.� One study shows that people who keep soda and cereal on their counters weigh a startling 26 pounds more than those who opt to tuck them away in a pantry.
Other People Eating
You�re having drinks with friends when someone orders a round of apps. You weren�t hungry at all before the order was placed, so why did you dig in when the food arrived at the table? We automatically match the pace at which people around us eat and �mirror� their behavior, Dr. Albers explains, and that�s true even if they�re at another table and you don�t know them. You could also blame a little social anxiety. �We�re simply trying to fit in and make a situation more comfortable,� she adds.
Large Plates
If you�re served a heaping pile of food on a large plate, you�ll likely try to finish it, even after you�re already full. �We naturally eat more off of large plates and bowls,� says Dr. Albers. It�s a mean trick your eyes play on you. Larger plates cause us to think a serving of food is smaller than it actually appears. One study showed that people scarfed down 16% more cereal than usual when it was served to them in a bigger bowl.
A Happy Mood
You know about stress eating: tough day of work = pint of ice cream. But it’s not just negative emotions that lead us to dive into our kitchens. Positive emotions like joy, excitement, and even love can crank your appetite as well. It has to do with the fact that certain foods, like chocolate, trigger satisfying neurochemical responses in the brain. �We want to hold onto [those happy emotions], and another creamy bar of chocolate or crispy bag of chips promises to keep the good feelings rolling,� says Dr. Albers.
Also, when life is going well and you feel good, you�re more relaxed and less vigilant about your calorie intake. �People actually eat more when they�re in a happy relationship,� Dr. Albers notes.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: Whole Body Wellness
Maintaining overall health and wellness of the body can be achieved through a balanced nutrition, regular physical activity and/or exercise, as well as by getting plenty of rest. Along with these basic principles, its important to receive whole body maintenance, especially making sure the spine is properly aligned, ensuring the nervous system is functioning to its fullest capabilities. Chiropractic care is an alternative treatment option which focuses on musculoskeletal and nervous system conditions and injuries, helping to maintain spinal health.
The first sign was itchy skin. My thighs itched. My belly itched. Everything itched. I couldn’t see any rashes or dry skin, but after two months, the sensation got so bad that it distracted me at work.
I finally went to a dermatologist in December 2007. We considered potential explanations. Could it be eczema? Probably not; I showed none of the classic markers of the disorder. At the end of the appointment, I mentioned that I had a lump above my collarbone. It might be getting bigger, I told her, but I wasn’t sure.
She examined the bump and told me it was an enlarged lymph node, a gland that helps the body fight off infections. She advised me to see a general practitioner for a full checkup. She even called me a few times the following week to remind me.
So I went to a general physician to have blood work done and take a chest x-ray. Then came additional tests, including a tissue biopsy of the lump. That biopsy confirmed the last thing I expected: I had stage 2A Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a blood cancer that often strikes adults in their 20s and 30s. Itchy skin, it turns out, can be a symptom.
I collapsed into my mom’s arms when I got the diagnosis. “I just don’t want to die,” I told her. I was 23, and I had so much more life to live.
The battle begins
I started chemotherapy two weeks later in my doctor’s office, enduring 12 treatments over six months. I’d get the drugs every other Thursday and take off work the following Monday, when the steroids that were supposed to ease side effects like nausea and pain wore off. Apart from that—and the wig I wore to conceal my bald head—I kept my life normal. I went my job as a fundraising event planner and met friends for dinner.
By summer, I was in remission. Yet I wasn’t feeling like my old self, and I knew I wanted to get strong again. When two friends told me they were running the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco in my honor (fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), I was moved and motivated. With my doctor’s okay, I started to train for the Disney Half Marathon in Orlando in January 2009.
I admit it was a little crazy. I’d been a runner pre-cancer, but I had never attempted a race longer than 10K. Still, I did it—I ran the half in two hours and eight minutes. Victory, right? Not quite. The weekend of my half-marathon, I noticed a familiar feeling near my collarbone. Could the lump be coming back?
Returning to normal life in remission
I should mention that coincidentally, I’d recently started working in the fundraising department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), a top cancer hospital that my doctor was affiliated with. I wore my wig when I interviewed at Memorial in September 2008, but I didn’t mention that I had been diagnosed with cancer less than a year earlier. I wanted to be hired because I had the skills they were looking for, not my health history. Luckily, I got the job. But right after I ran my half in January, my doctor confirmed that my Hodgkin’s lymphoma was back.
Lauren vs. cancer: round two
My doctors told me that treatment would be more aggressive the second time around, and I had to be admitted into the hospital for most of it: two preconditioning chemotherapy treatments were followed by two weeks of radiation followed by four-day rounds of high-dose chemo. “Uncomfortable” doesn’t begin to describe the high fevers I struggled with and such severe throat pain that it hurt to eat.
I also underwent a stem cell transplant: a catheter transfers my own cells, collected by medical staffers weeks earlier, back into my body. The hope was that the newly transferred cells would prompt my system to produce healthy new blood cells. It’s a milestone; people in the medical world call the date of your stem cell transplant your second birthday. I celebrated my 25th birthday in the hospital on April 17. A week later, I had my ‘second birthday’ when I got my transplant.
A life dedicated to fitness
I left the hospital in May and focused my life on recovery and getting strong again. I’ve always loved trying new classes and getting better at old ones. After all I’d been through, working out felt even more rewarding. Nearly every Saturday for the next five years, I’d be at Core Fusion Barre class at Exhale or sweating it out at SoulCycle.
My teachers inspired me to develop a level of strength I didn’t know I had, and the thrill I felt when I realized I was getting better motivated me. With time, I made the decision to devote my life to inspiring others through fitness. In fall 2014, I signed up for barre teacher training with Exhale. Two hundred hours later, I was certified.
In January 2015, I left the security of a full-time job and founded Chi Chi Life. This is my way of pursuing fitness while keeping up my love for fundraising, event planning, and cancer advocacy. I teach barre at Exhale and Pilates and TRX classes at Flex Studios in New York City while also working with clients to plan philanthropic events.
For me, fitness is all about community and connection. I’ve run several half marathons since my cancer’s been in remission, raising more than $75,000 for causes I’m passionate about. I even ran the New York City Marathon, which took me past the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center building. I wish there were words to capture what it felt like to run past the place that saved my life—and helped me discover my life’s mission.
Meditation continues to become more and more popular, and for good reason. Research shows it can help with everything from getting a good night’s sleep to reducing stress to even easing pain.
However, many people are under the impression that in order to meditate properly, you need to be sitting still for an extended period of time in a perfectly zen setting. But that doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, you can meditate anywhere, says wellness expert and founder of BexLife, Rebekah Borucki. That could mean while you’re commuting, during your lunch break, right before bed, or in any other setting that works with your schedule and lifestyle.
However, if you can, it does help to find a place you where you feel comfortable, she says. This way, you can enter a state of mediation without feeling distracted by the position of your body.
There are also plenty of options for what to focus on during your meditation—positive affirmations, a peaceful visualization, or simply quieting all the commotion in your mind. In this video, Borucki guides us through a meditation for self-acceptance, which is meant to quiet your inner critic and ease self-doubt. To try out this meditation for yourself, play the video and get ready to focus on yourself for ten minutes. From here, all that’s left to do is to close your eyes, connect with yourself, check in with your body, tune in to your breathing, and do your best to keep all distractions at bay. Then, just pay attention to her calming words—you’ll be working towards a more kind, loving relationship with yourself in no time.
Sure, spin class feels killer, but outdoor cycling may require you to work even harder, according to a study in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Plus, “there’s something really nice about covering distance and being in the fresh air and sunshine,” says Jim Rutberg, a cycling expert for Carmichael Training Systems and Strava in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He created the 30-minute interval workout below. If you’re a beginner, try doing the workout in a loop first so you can log the distance without getting too far from home. Once you feel comfortable, turn it into an out-and-back ride and explore some new terrain.
• Six 30-second speed intervals separated by 30 seconds of easy recovery. Rev your cadence and power as you accelerate for 30 seconds, then pedal very lightly as you slow down for 30 seconds before starting the next effort. These aren’t really sprints so much as hard, seated accelerations.
• 3 1⁄2 minutes easy recovery
• 8-minute tempo interval. Effort should be a 6 on a rate of perceived exertion scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being as hard as you can go. Your breathing should be deep and controlled, nowhere near panting.
• Cool down with an easy pace for 5 minutes.
This workout burns approximately 285 calories (for a 30-minute ride at 12 to 14 mph for a 150-pound person).
Not sure how to tell if you’re biking at “easy” or “fast”? There are a lot of ways to gauge your intensity level, but you won’t always have a heart rate monitor handy. Instead, you can use a “talk test” to track your efforts.
• Talking casually: recovery pace/easy • 1 to 2 sentences at a time: endurance pace/moderate • 2 to 3 words at a time: labored breathing/hard
For timed intervals, look at a watch, or you can time the distance between landmarks, like phone poles, and use those as your markers.
In October of my junior year of high school, I was at the top of my cross-country game. I was running five to six days a week, knocking more and more time off my mile split, and gearing up for a big race that would finally prove I had what it took to hit varsity status. So when opportunities arose to run a few extra miles and push myself harder, I took them without a second thought.
Then came the day of the race. I’d been noticing some pain and throbbing in my shins for a few days, but assumed I just had shin splints—something I’d dealt with many times in the past. So before my event, I popped a couple of Ibuprofen and visualized myself totally dominating the race. Spoiler: That’s not what happened.
When the race started, I took off and headed to the front of the pack. I kept up my pace as I wove through the trail, adrenaline surging through my body. That is, until about mile 1, when my runner’s high was interrupted by an excruciating pain in my left shin.
I tried to ignore it, unwilling to give up just yet. But the pain only got worse, and soon I was limping. Girls passed me left and right, but I kept hobbling my way across the grassy path until I reached the finish line and collapsed.
Fast forward through two doctor’s visits, an X-ray, and a bone scan. The verdict was that I had seven small stress fractures in my left shin.
My case is certainly nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, ABPM-certified podiatrist Melissa Lockwood, DPM, says nearly one in five runners she sees is for a stress fracture. But why do young, healthy people end up with this injury? Here, she explains what causes stress fractures, and shares tips for preventing and treating them.
Stress fractures are characterized as “overuse injuries.” They occur when a bone experiences repeated, unusual force, says Dr. Lockwood, who’s based in Bloomington, Illinois: “For example, when runners increase their distance and speed—basically anything that changes the amount of pressure they’re putting on the body.”
Dr. Lockwood typically sees these injuries happen in the metatarsals, which are the small bones right behind your toes, and the lower leg (as in my case). According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, more than 50% occur in the lower leg.
While stress fractures are associated with running, “they can also be caused by regular force, if the bones are weakened by other problems, such as osteoporosis or another systematic problem like an eating disorder,” adds Dr. Lockwood. Research suggests women are more susceptible, possibly because they’re more prone to the above-mentioned conditions.
But really, stress fractures can affect anyone. Dr. Lockwood got one in her foot after walking around Disney World all day. (See her X-rays below.)
“The biggest thing is to watch for increased pain with increased activity,” says Dr. Lockwood. “Meaning it doesn’t hurt so badly first thing in the morning, but then the more you’re on it throughout the day, or after you go for a run, the pain gets worse, even excruciating.”
Unlike a strain or pull, the ache associated with stress fractures doesn’t tend to resolve itself after a couple of days, or go away with rest. So if you still feel a throbbing pain after sitting down, that’s also pretty good indicator.
But diagnosing a stress fracture can get a bit tricky: “Typically you can’t see a stress fracture on an X-ray until two weeks after the initial injury.” For that reason doctors often order other tests, like an MRI or bone scan, to identify the injury.
If a patient describes stress fracture symptoms, Dr. Lockwood always treats it as one, she says, unless she figures out an alternative explanation.
Once you’ve had one stress fracture, it puts you at greater risk for another, says Dr. Lockwood. [Insert un-amused emoji here] But luckily, there are a number of smart strategies you can use to keep your bones healthy.
For starters, invest in solid sneakers. If you’re a runner, head to a running store and find a pair that works optimally for your stride and foot type.
It’s also crucial to retire your shoes after a certain amount of use, Dr. Lockwood warns. Either toss them based on time (no more than 6 months) or miles (no more than 300).
And whether you’re an athlete or not, if you’ve suffered a stress fracture in the past, you may want to consider getting custom orthotics to make sure you’re moving with the right biomechanics, says Dr. Lockwood.
At the time of my own injury, I was stupidly wearing a pair of sneakers that were past their expiration date. So please, don’t make the same mistake, and actually pay attention to your shoes!
Don’t get discouraged
After my injury, I felt really down. I worried that my body wasn’t cut out for running, and that this was a sign I needed to throw in the towel.
But as Dr. Lockwood puts it, “having stress fractures does not mean your running career is over.” It may mean you need to change how you’re training, whether that’s adjusting the distance or frequency of your runs, or running on softer surfaces (think grass vs. concrete).
For me, getting back into running entailed everything Dr. Lockwood mentioned: scaling back my runs, paying better attention to my form, and regularly swapping out my shoes. Today running is still a huge part of my lifestyle. I even run-commute to work sometimes. But I’m much better about listening to my body now, and taking notice when it needs a break.
If you sense that something is off with your body, “don’t sit and wait to get it checked,” says Dr. Lockwood. “Or rather, don’t run and wait.”
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