5 Month Journey to 40 pound weight loss

5 months ago I started a journey to get healthier. Since that time I have lost 40 pounds (with a goal of 90 by Christmas, 2012).  I signed up for a Warrior Dash (which is next weekend), and planning for all sorts of other fun and exciting activities (5K, Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, and maybe half marathon next year) I have learned alot about my self over this time.  Here are a few thoughts:

1.  No matter what, you can do it. I really hated getting up at 4:45 am to go workout the first few weeks, but it was the best time for me to do it.  Otherwise I had too much going on (really just excuses why I wasn't working out).  The first time I tried to do a (insert any exercise here, but I will use pushup) I could barely do 3 and that was off of my knees.  I started off doing exercise for 15 seconds with 30 second breaks and literally felt as if I was going to die after about 3-4 exercises.  Now I can do 45-60 second exercises with 10-15 second breaks for 35-40 minutes. Yes, it is difficult but, I'm starting to 'like' it.

2.  Food is your best friend and worst enemy    I have learned that smaller portions and increasing protein has made a huge difference in my diet.  I started just before Christmas and this was tough, but you know what, if you don't start sometime, you never will.  Smaller portions were difficult at first.  I have now grown accustomed to this and really have no difficulty with it.   I also needed to eat more frequently, which is tough to get through your brain.  Starve yourself and the body will shutdown, and try and hold onto everything.  Eat light and more frequent, keeps the metabolism going.   I was stuck at a weight for about 3 weeks.  Realized that my eating was problem.  Portion sizes were getting bigger and didn't know it.  I use a calorie counter and found out my calorie consumption had increased.   When you write it down, you are accountable  for it.   Find an app for you phone, they work great.  Also don't tell your brain you cannot have something.  Everything must be in moderation, even a bite or two or ice cream is okay.  If you tell yourself  "I can't have this", I truly believe you will get it and overdo it.

3.  There will be ups and downs along the way.  Find a coach/friends/family/etc to support you along the way.   You need support system. I would feel like I let the people down that I'm working out with, if I'm not there.  I have gotten to point where I workout 1-2 times a day, 4-5 days per week because I now have 2 workout groups, morning and lunch.  Now that I do it 2x a day, I feel great.  My strength, endurance and flexibility are all greatly improved.  I can even run a mile without stopping.  I could barely walk a mile before.  My support team has been helpful to point I probably owe them a lot of the credit.

4.  Set realistic goals along the way.  These are important to help keep you focused on the big picture.  My goal is to lose 90 pounds in 12 months.  A very realistic goal of 1-2 pounds per week.   Anything quicker than this, and it probably wont work.  Along the way there are goals too.   Be able to run a mile without stopping, (done), Start signing up for challenges (Warrior Dash), be able to do real pushups (done).   These have all been accomplished.  My ongoing goals are to be able to do a pull up, do 30 consecutive Burpees without stopping, run an entire 5K without stopping, and by Christmas, lose 90 pounds, do 300 Burpees in a day, and run a 30 min 5K.    

I haven't felt this good in years. I realized just the other day, my 11 year old son has never seen me at my current weight.  Has there been pain along the way?   No doubt about it.  Around Christmas, I could barely get up from the couch, I was so sore.   There have been rug burns on the arms, knee pain, shin splints, post exercise muscle soreness for days, and just pure suffering through some of the workouts.   There have been days where I just don't feel it, but push through and get something accomplished, knowing there was a reason for being there and seeing the big picture.  It's really easy to talk yourself out of doing a workout, and that turns into a few days, a week and a month.   Most of it is mental.  Tell yourself, "Keep going, push through. Get up, keep moving forward"  


Warrior Dash photos and discussion will be next!!!!

I will post a starting picture and current picture soon!
Aaron

Complaining about your doctor running behind

I read a blog that is written by physicians.   There is a lot of really good information on this site KevinMD    One of the more recent guest posts was about physicians running behind for their appointments.   It is a great read and something that everyone should take into consideration when they go to see their physician.

You can read the article here.
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/10/doctor-time-care.html

Meet our new physical therapist

Scott Ringle PT, DPT


Scott is our new physical therapist.  He graduated from Ohio Northern University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology while having a minor in Psychology with a pre-physical therapy emphasis. He worked two years as a rehab technician in Kenton before returning to graduate school. While in graduate school he continued to work part-time in this position. Scott graduated from the University of Findlay in 2011 with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. He has completed clinical rotations in a variety of settings including acute care, neurological rehabilitation, as well as outpatient orthopedics. Scott has worked with a wide range of patients in regards to age (adolescent through geriatric) and condition (sports injury, post-stroke, back pain, post-surgery, and many others). He has special interest in the areas of sports injuries, orthopedic surgery, and spine care.  Scott is focused on delivering evidence based care in order to provide each patient with optimal outcomes including injury prevention, improved mobility and motion, reduction in pain, and overall restoration of function.


Welcome Scott, we are so happy to have you here.  

Really, your kid is having back pain?

I just finished reading a few posts about kids and back pain.   Jeff Cubos writes that children should not have back pain.  He gives 3 reason why he thinks kids have back pain now.  Facebooking, skinny jeans and inactivity.  No surprises here.

Facebooking or sitting at computer, video game, or watching TV:

Prolonged sitting is one of the most deleterious activities most people engage in. After only 3 minutes of full flexion of the spine ligamentous creep or laxity occurs which persists even after 30 minutes of rest!

What this means is, after sitting for 3 minutes the ligaments that support the spine continue to stretch.   This is why bending over to pick something up after sitting leads to low back pain.   Also, watch how your kids sit with the big hunchback of their upper spine and their head forward.   (C posture)   If you look from the side they look like a C.  How do you think they spend most of their day?  Sitting in classes, standing hunched over, head down walking and texting, playing video games, and sitting at a computer.  They spend most of their day in this position. This is the posture we typically associate with being old.   Remind your kids that is what they look like now.   Take a picture of them and show them how they look.  What do you think it will look like in 5, 10, 20 years?

Skinny Jeans or baggy jeans that are too low:
Why does this affect back pain?

Typically, when a client compensates we see a dysfunction at the joint either below or above the joint that is painful (remember, a symptom is nothing more than a presentation of a problem. It tells us something is wrong but it does not tell us what is wrong)….When one presents with low-back pain…an evaluation of the hip (for both strength deficits and mobility restrictions) should also be performed.”

If the hips cannot move, something has to compensate for that lack of movement, usually that is the spine.  This is why with so many of our low back patients we look at the hip and work on moving and strengthening the hips as much as we work on the spine itself.

Inactivity:
This really is self explanatory, but Jeff chalks it up like this:

For one reason or another, kids just don’t move these days. Maybe its because of “facebooking” or maybe its because their jeans are so tight, but for whatever reason, kids are inactive. Can’t blame school. School has been around for a long time. But after school? If you’re child is complaining to you of low back pain, simply take a picture of them while they tell you it hurts. More often than not their speaking to you in this position:

Make it a point to get your kids active.   Even better, go out and get active with them.

Back to School

Well, it is that time of year again.   The school year is starting.   It seems like wonderful time for parents as they get the house back again.   The kids are not quite so happy, as they have to return to school.  As you return your children to school they will be looking to get a nice new back pack.   Make sure not to overload them.  Improper backpack use can cause injury, especially to children with young, growing muscles and joints. A study found that 55 percent of the children surveyed carried backpack loads heavier than 15 percent of their body weight,the maximum safe weight for children recommended by most experts.  Mke sure they use both of the shoulder straps

Recommendations from the American Physical Therapy Association include:

Wear both straps. Using only one strap, even with backpacks that have one strap that runs across the body, causes one shoulder to bear the weight of the bag. By wearing both shoulder straps, the weight of the pack is better distributed, and a symmetrical posture is promoted. A backpack that has padded, contoured shoulder straps will also help reduce pressure on the chest and shoulders.

Make sure the backpack fits. It is important to pay close attention to the way a backpack is positioned on the back, and the size of the backpack should match the size of the child. Shoulder straps should fit comfortably on the shoulder and under the arms, so that the arms can move freely. The bottom of the pack should rest in the contour of the lower back. The pack should "sit" evenly in the middle of the back, not "sag down" toward the buttocks.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe return to school this year.  

Gardening in the near future?

Well, with all the rain we have had, I'm not sure many people have been able to get their gardens started.  It seems like it has rained everyday since April 1.  (I did read that it rained 25 of 30 days in April).  Anyway, if you are anxious to get started with your gardening, remember that all this rain may take its toll on you.  By not properly warming up and being ready to peform gardening activities, you may injure yourself if you are not ready.  Here are a few tips I wrote a few years ago.  Always good to refer back to these.

Warm Up: You wouldn't play sports or work out without warming up, so it makes sense to warm up before doing something as physical as gardening. A quick walk and some gentle stretching can work wonders before hunkering down to the flower bed.

Change Position Frequently: Prolonged static positions can be damaging. When doing a lengthy task, change positions frequently. If you're working close to the ground, as in weeding, you can sit, kneel, half-kneel, and get on all fours. Vary your position to give your back a break.

Shift Tasks or Take Breaks: Rotate through your tasks so you're not doing any one thing for too long. Weed for 10 minutes then switch to raking, then to clipping, then back to weeding, etc. If you've only got one job to do, then just make sure you take a stretch break and/or change position every 10-15 minutes.

Use Good Body Mechanics: Always make sure to avoid bending in your back, especially when lifting. Keep your back straight, tighten your abdominal muscles, and bend at the hips and knees. Don't lift too much at once. Break large loads up into several smaller loads. Use a smaller spade when digging. And move your feet to avoid unnecessary twisting in your back.

Use Ergonomic Tools: Lighter-weight tools ease the load on your back, and tools that allow you to stand instead of bend over are back savers as well. A quick search can find websites that sell ergonomic gardening tools, like Gardeners.com.

Happy Gardening

Early Physical therapy for back pain. Yes it really helps!!!!

Well, not that I needed more literature to bring to you about PT and back pain, but here is another article that supports early physical therapy for back pain really helps.
This was a thesis project that was completed in Sweden, so the terms may be a little different, but the results speak loudly.   Her thesis was written to look at immediate treatment by a physiotherapist (PT) with or without referral from a physician compared to being on a waiting list for 4 weeks. 

"We saw that both groups improved after the treatment ended. The group that had been given early access to an examination and individualised treatment maintained their improvement after six months, while the group that had been held on a waiting list were more likely to suffer with recurring back pain," says Nordeman, who draws the conclusion that early examination and treatment by a physiotherapist as soon as a patient asks for care could be important for reducing low back pain in the long term.

Early treatment for low back pain is important as this can help alleviate pain sooner and for a longer duration of time.   Low back pain affects 80% or more of the population.  Many time low back pain is recurrent and this typically stems from multiple injuries to the same area.  

Even though this was a thesis study, the results are similar to what physical therapists have been saying for a long time.   Back pain is a common problem in society.  Check with us to see if you need to see your physician prior to coming to therapy.   Ohio law does not require a prescription to be evaluated by a physical therapist, but your insurance company may.  Let us check for you.  See a physical therapist to help with your back pain!