Spinal Health
Submitted by David Weaver on Fri, 05/07/2010 - 9:14am
Spinal alignment is very important to your health, strength, flexibility and mobility. Let me first start out by saying that I USED to be very skeptical of chiropractic care. How could "cracking or popping" my back and neck possibly help anything? As I found out, it can help alot and does work! But just like anything else, you get out what you put into it.
Your spine is an extremely important part of your body. It has many, many nerves running through it that send signals all throughout your body. Bone degeneration or subluxations can both cause problems which can inhibit nerves from properly doing their job. These types of problems can be caused by a vast assortment of reasons, but some common ones are car accidents and especially poor posture. So if nerves are not able to send signals they need to, your health is being compromised.
When your spine does not have appropriate lordotic and kyphotic (shown above) curves it can also limit your body's ability to move through its full range of motion safely and efficiently. Doing normal things such as picking things up, putting things overhead and twisting may be putting unneccesary stress on your back.
So what does this have to do with getting stronger and getting better at CrossFit? It just so happens that the way your spine is designed to be strongest is with those curves as shown in the picture above. So a healthy curved spine will make you stronger in your overhead squat, deadlift, over head press and much, much more! Not to mention it will greatly reduce your risk of injury so that you can continue to train with one less thing holding you back from reaching your full potential.
I've always thought I am a healthy person with no real back pain or major symptoms. But an x-ray would show a high potential for problems down the road. So I decided to go for it and get some chiropractic care. I must say that I am very impressed with the change I have seen. My back has never felt better and I'm getting closer and closer to a huge milestone in my back squat.
It does matter WHO you go see though. I've been to good and bad. I fully recommend Dr. Flynn. I am not given any kickbacks or anything for saying this. I've been to see him, he's professionally and specifically addressed the changes specific for me and I am very pleased with the results. Continue pursuing your health in all areas and get your spine checked!
Recipes
Coconut Pecan Crusted Mahi Mahi
Recipe for two 4 oz filets
Marinate Mahi Mahi in 1 cup of Coconut milk for a couple hours then rub with your choice of spices...I chose
Dry Mustard
Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt
Then in a food processor combine
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut
Coat the filets with the chopped up mixture
Drizzle Coconut oil over the top of the filets! YUMMY
Cook at 400 for 10-12 min!
Health Tips
Buy Organic
Foods that were once thought to be very good for your health, are still good for your health. BUT, many of them also have added problems and dangers associated with them that they never had before.
There are some more commonly known problems such as the use of pesticides, toxins and other dangerous chemicals that now exist in non-organic foods. These can lead to various health problems and conditions. Just do a search for "side effects of pesticides" and see what you come up with.
But aside from these issues, there is a very big problem even worse than pesticides; Genetically Modified Foods. The US does NOT require labeling of GMO foods. Fruits and vegetables are some of the most commonly modified foods. They are created in labs and then patented as something the said company owns. There are no laws about the safety of these foods being put into distribution. They are only required to have a patent. Some foods that are VERY likely genetically modified are soy, corn and it's products (canola oil, high fructose corn syrup, etc.) and wheat.
So just by eating the way our pre-agricultural ancestors ate, we can avoid some of our present day dangers all together. We already know that grainfed animals are the "protein equivilant of cardboard." We also now know that there are some potentially dangerous effects of the other foods we are eating as well. So if we are trying to live as healthy and disease-free as possible, let's think more carefully about what we put in our bodies. Buying organic, grassfed, local products is good for the local community, good for your health, and good for future generations.
"A plant, fruit, or animal grown without the administration of artificial pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or growth hormones (in the case of animal products), most closely replicates wild or untampered-with growing conditions" - Mark Sisson
“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” ~ Thomas Edison
Dr. Flynn is the bomb
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/07/2010 - 9:25am.