Ta- Dah!

Wow, wow, wow.........happy days are here again!

I am actually pain-free again in my back! My chiropractor, Dr. Scott Stevenson, is a bloody genius. I know he is "just doing his job", but, man I couldn't even stand or walk more than 20 steps two weeks ago. I was on holidays this past week, driving, sleeping on couches, in hotel beds etc... and my back is fine.

Today I actually worked out to start getting ready for hockey season and....... I was fine.

The moral is that if you get injured and you then get treatment, and treatment advice.....DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!! You really have to develop some OCD while you are hurt if you really want to get better. Scott asked me to stretch and strengthen AND ice FIVE TIMES per day. I followed his advice to the letter and Ta- Dah! I'm better.

For the record, I had a sprained facet joint in the lumbar region which caused a disc to bulge. It also caused the muscles in my hip to become extremely tight, causing more pain at the top of my butt and causing my leg to become numb. The treatment for this was to stretch the hip flexor and to perform pelvic tilts several times per day. I also used a sort of "wedge" to help stretch the muscles around the coccyx.

In the end, it worked. Thank you Dr. Stevenson.

As Seen on TV

Well.... Sheila and I had a chance to do live television for an hour today. We were guests of the On The Line show on CTS, the Crossroads Television Service. It was really fun. What an amazing studio that they have in Burlington! Very impressive.

For an hour, we discussed fitness myths and misconceptions. We then got to take calls and it is really amazing that we still get the same types of questions, like, "Will Green Tea help me to lose weight?" Incredible.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record............. The answer is Synergy! Build and maintain muscle, eat supportively and perform aerobic exercise in moderate amounts. That's it. End of story.

(btw: Green Tea is very heathy and you should drink it, but, it won't help you lose weight).

Reaching Beyond Your "Threshold"

Much has been said and written (including by me) about getting past fitness training "plateaus". The concept of the plateau assumes that at one time, you were actually moving in a positive direction and that you are now......."stuck". It is frustrating beyond belief if you are putting in a real effort.

But what about all those people that never hit a plateau because they never actually get moving! You won't run out of gas if you never drive your car!...............you'll also never see anything or enjoy your car either if you never drive it.

Health and fitness, along with diet and exercise, comes naturally to some and is very, very alien to others. If it all seems scary and unnerving to you to even make an attempt, then I would suggest that you have set your sights too high and you have passed your "threshold" for risk. Once you pass your threshold, you literally shut down and close yourself off even to the possibility that you can do something. Then the excuses and rationalizing start! Sound familiar?

I was a professional athlete and have remained in good health and have a high fitness level since retiring from football. I am active with mountain biking, hockey, running, weight training etc... In other words, I can do a lot! BUT if you approached me with the idea of completing a marathon (which many of my friends have done), I would be overwhelmed and would shut down. Based on my lifestyle, previous injuries and my expectations, it is simply beyond my threshold. I wouldn't do it. If you approached me with the idea of completing a mini run-bike- run duathlon..... I would create a plan and start moving. It is well within my physical and mental capacity to accept training and competing in a mini- duathlon. I would rock it and even try to win my age and weight category! It would be challenging enough, but, not outside of my threshold.

What could YOU accomplish if your mind and body were aligned to accept a challenge and you started to move in the direction of a dream-goal? A race? A tournament? A hiking trip in the Rockies? A bathing suit on the beach? A new relationship?.....

Think about it. There is overwhelm and frustration and then there is challenge and success.

Getting there....

Well my back stopped getting worse! Big deal, eh? Today, though it actually felt "slightly" better. There was a bit more sharp pain, but, more mobility and less numbness in my shin. I am super-obsessive about icing and treatment, so I tend to heal faster than most people. I will do what I have to do (more lying around with ice bags watching football) and get on with it.

A couple of nights ago, I simply could not get comfortable and couldn't sleep at all. It got me thinking about people living with chronic pain and insomnia. It actually got me thinking about Michael Jackson and his addictions. One night of pain and no sleep sucked. I could absolutely see how someone becomes a drug addict if they are constantly hurting and lacking in rest.

Maybe the world shouldn't be so quick to judge.