The more time that passes working in the health field the more I see the same 5 training mistakes that cause people’s fitness routines to fail.

No one plans to fail, but that doesn’t negate the cold hard fact that most people do not achieve the results they’re searching for.

You want to lose body fat but you’re not.

You want to get stronger but you’re not.

You want your clothes to fit better but they don’t.

You’d love to have more energy but are more tired than ever!

You wish you felt better but you’re still in pain.

Reality exists and the sooner you accept that this is where you are the sooner you can start figuring out what the heck is going wrong and begin the process of getting it fixed.

MISTAKE #1 | WALKING JUST ISN’T ENOUGH

When I ask our practice members about what they do to keep in shape, they often reply “I walk”.

Now, don’t get me wrong… walking regularly at a brisk pace for an extended time does have some health benefits such as reducing your chance of dying from anything (all-cause-mortality) by around 10%.

While I’ll take the 10%, walking doesn’t have the dramatic health benefits including strength development, increased metabolism, and efficient fat loss that other forms of training have.

Walking is a good start or “extra” activity but it shouldn’t form the foundation of your fitness routine.

MISTAKE #2 | NO STRENGTH TRAINING

It may sound like I’m beating a dead horse.

Learning why you should and how to train for strength is a central component of Life By Design.

However, there’s a reason it needs to be discussed regularly… that’s because very few people are actually doing it!

Strength development is THE central piece to attaining most of the goals you’re attempting to achieve. If you’re exercising at home, in a gym by yourself or even trying some bootcamps there’s a good chance you’re not training for strength.

In fact, a very big misconception is that if you’re using “weights” you must be strength training and that’s simply just not true.

MISTAKE #3 | YOU’RE NOT EATING ENOUGH

Yes, I said “not enough”. You did read that correctly.

Every time someone has a goal that includes losing body fat, the natural inclination is to eat less. When I review the results of a food log from someone “not getting results” it’s almost always a case of 1. Not enough food. 2. Not enough fat. 3. Not enough protein.

How can you let go of body fat if you don’t have enough nutrition to support your body’s optimal function? You can’t and you won’t. Your body is smart enough to know when it’s time to just survive and when it’s time to thrive.

Take away calories and nutrients, it’s survival mode for you. Good luck losing any body fat until you get this fixed.

MISTAKE #4 | LOW OR NO INTENSITY

This mistake is an extension of #2 but common enough to make it a separate conversation.

Do you know what high intensity means? It doesn’t mean working hard. It means working at a higher percentage of your maximum.

Now anyone who’s done this knows it’s challenging but you could also do 100 arm curls which will definitely make you sweat and breathe harder, but it won’t give you the results you’re looking for (unless those results are sweet beach biceps!)

To develop strength & build a body that uses energy (aka fat) to sustain itself all day long, you need use resistance near your peak capacity. This means if you can squat 100 pounds 1x, you’re best to use 80-90 pounds and squat that weight 2-5 times for 3-5 sets.

MISTAKE #5 | YOU HAVE NO PROGRESSION

I saved the best for last.

Even IF you had some of this figured out such as the diet & training for strength…make this last mistake and you’ll be stuck where you are forever.

The difference between a fitness routine and a training program that will get you the results you’ve been dreaming of is the principle of progression.

Most are doing the exact same thing they’ve always done. Walking, treadmill, elliptical, a few circuits on the machines, or a class.

Without a strategically planned program with detailed progressions built into it, how can you expect to see any change in your outcomes?

You can’t simply repeat the same exercises, at the same difficulty level, in the same order as you’ve continued to do every time you follow your fitness routine.

If you want results like strength, flexibility, fat loss, less pain, and more energy, it won’t be easy but if you know what you’re doing or have experts who do, it’s also not rocket science.

Dr. Steven Gall has been offering exceptional chiropractic care to infants, children and adults for over 25 years. He has spent his life learning, and improving his knowledge, skills and ability to provide his care. As a public speaker and health coach he strives to assist people in seeing and attaining a life of extraordinary health. Contact the office to join others who have started the same journey.

The kids are screaming, you’ve had less than 4 hours of sleep, your work deadline is approaching fast and you haven’t had time for yourself in weeks! To add insult to injury, now you have a raging headache blasting away at your skull like a jackhammer…how are you going to make it through the day?

It’s time to pull the trigger on your pre-set plan to stop this headache dead in its tracks and get back to feeling human again. You need the Headache Survival Guide!

WHAT IS A HEADACHE?

Headaches are one of the MOST common types of pain experienced by the population with 90% experiencing a headache at some point in their lives, 13% in the past year, and 3% suffering from chronic and debilitating headaches.

A headache is defined as pain arising from the structures and tissues that surround the upper neck, brain, and skull.

Types of headaches include migraines, cluster, tension, and 14 other classifications, while the pain can be throbbing, sharp, dull, aching, constant, intense, or mild.

Regardless of type or character, one thing remains true… HEADACHES SUCK!

YOUR HEADACHE SURVIVAL GUIDE

Here are five things you can start doing right away to reduce your headache pain and stop the suffering. Let the healing begin!

Drink Water

This sounds too good to be true. “I can get rid of this throbbing headache by just drinking some water?”

Yes.

In fact, one CBS news report claims up to 75% of the American population could be chronically dehydrated.

When you experience a loss of fluid, the brain itself can shrink and pull away from the skull causing irritation to the structures and pain in your head.

Once re-hydrated, the brain returns to normal and the headache disappears.

Take a Nap

In addition to all of the other benefits of napping, like more energy, better moods, and enhanced memory, participants in some studies have noted that going to sleep was the MOST effective strategy for reducing or resolving a headache.

Get Your Spine Checked

A cerviocogenic headache is characterized by pain perceived in the head but from a source in the tissues of the neck. Those sources could include the discs, ligaments, soft tissues, and blood vessels.

Distortion in the spinal column can exist for years affecting all of these components without presenting any symptoms…much like a cavity can deteriorate a tooth without causing pain.

The best way to determine if a structural problem could be contributing to your headaches is via a detailed analysis by a Life By Design Chiropractor.

Break a Sweat

It’s a common myth that you shouldn’t exercise when you have a headache.

Truthfully, I think it gets perpetuated as more of an excuse than anything else as running around and lifting weights are probably not high on the list when you feel like garbage.

However, if you can muster up the will power, exercise releases endorphins which are the body’s natural painkillers. They can help you reduce the severity of most headaches and impact the frequency of your future episodes.

Eat Well

It’s not new to attempt to reduce headaches by removing food “triggers”, however, it makes more sense to approach nutrition with respect to headaches from a different perspective.

Eating By Design naturally leads to a lower inflammatory response which means less irritation in the brain and an increased capacity for the body to self-repair.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Start with any or all of these five steps as a guide to survive your headaches and better yet, maybe even get rid of them for good.

Dr. Steven Gall has been offering exceptional chiropractic care to infants, children and adults for over 25 years. He has spent his life learning, and improving his knowledge, skills and ability to provide his care. As a public speaker and health coach he strives to assist people in seeing and attaining a life of extraordinary health. Contact the office to join others who have started the same journey.

As if there wasn’t enough to worry about during pregnancy, experiencing back pain can feel like adding insult to injury. If you’re a mom searching for quality information, solutions, and would love to avoid wasting time sifting through miracle cures and magic bullets, these guidelines will give you everything you need to know about low back pain during pregnancy.

What does the data tell us about low back pain during pregnancy?

Dr. Steven Gall has been offering exceptional chiropractic care to infants, children and adults for over 25 years. He has spent his life learning, and improving his knowledge, skills and ability to provide his care. As a public speaker and health coach he strives to assist people in seeing and attaining a life of extraordinary health. Contact the office to join others who have started the same journey.

Given that The World Health Organization estimates the lifetime prevalence of non-specific back pain at 60-70%, it just makes sense that you understand what could be causing it and how to start solving your problem once and for all!

 Here are 9 possible reasons you have back pain.

1. Sciatica

Sciatica is technically not a diagnosis but a description of a grouping of symptoms.

Any condition that increases pressure on the lumbar nerves or directly to the sciatic nerve can cause debilitating pain. 

2. Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis can be a byproduct of aging but also a side effect of injury and immobility.

As the cartilage between discs and joints becomes damaged, normal movement can become difficult and painful.

3. Soft Tissues

Strain and sprain injuries to the muscles and ligaments around the spine can be a common source of pain.

This type of pain can be more diffuse and spread further into the muscles along the spine.

4. Disc Degeneration

The deterioration of intervertebral discs can occur with the normal wear and tear of aging or can be accelerated with abnormal forces placed on the spine.

While disc degeneration is not always a cause of back pain, there is a higher incidence of chronic low back pain in those with severe disc degeneration.

5. Herniated Disk

If the spinal discs reach a point where the disc ruptures, increased pressure may be placed directly on the nerve roots or the walls of the disc can become irritated… both causing back pain.

6. Stress

It is common to assume that pain in the back also means there’s a physical problem in that area… research continues to say “not necessarily”.

Stress can affect our levels of back pain and improved management of stress can aid in the recovery process.

7. Smoking

Believe it or not, puffing away on a cigarette can make your back hurt even more.

Whether it is increased joint inflammation or altered blood supply, the chemicals found in cigarettes increase the chance you’ll suffer from back pain.

8. Hypermobility and Weakness

One of the most often missed culprits causing lower back pain is too much movement, especially in the lumbar spine. This is one of the reasons creating more movement in an already mobile lumbar spine could be detrimental.

Strengthening tissues around the spine with compound exercises such as deadlifts (yes I said deadlifts) can be integral to the healing process.

9. Other

Of course, let’s not forget there can be many other causes of back pain.

The source of pain could be postural distortion, indigestion, a urinary tract infection, a fracture or not to scare you… even cancer.

Well, it’s complicated.

If you’ve ever wondered why some people will have success with one intervention while others with back pain are still suffering… now you know.

The most likely scenario is because there’s a mixture of different factors at work.

Try Something Different

With back pain being one of the top reasons for visits to physicians, days off work, and disability, it seems to make sense we approach back pain from a different and multi-factorial perspective.

The shortlist includes:

1. Strength Training, Conditioning and Proper Mobility / Stability
2. Dietary Improvements
3. Bio-Structural Testing and Correction (Corrective Chiropractic)
4. Stress Management

Which of these have you tried?

What worked for you?

Dr. Steven Gall has been offering exceptional chiropractic care to infants, children and adults for over 25 years. He has spent his life learning, and improving his knowledge, skills and ability to provide his care. As a public speaker and health coach he strives to assist people in seeing and attaining a life of extraordinary health. Contact the office to join others who have started the same journey.