Thursday’s Thoughts: Death is here to help with Life.

Hey all, I hope to find everyone well and enjoying the great weather.

We were away on vacation last week. Sorry about not getting a “thought” out last thursday. This week’s thought is something a little different than our normal health and wellness blog. The subject matter is one that all of us will eventually come to. Our time here is very limited and precious. What I mean is we all will eventually pass away. Here are some of my thoughts about Death to understand the meaning of Life. I don’t want this to be something morbid or sad, I just want you to understand the meaning that I have for life and try to understand why we all have to go through Death.

1. Natural- Death is a natural part of Life’s cycle of development. ” There is a certain limit to the appropriate length of time in this world. Just as fruits and veggies are limited by the seasons of the year, everything should have its beginning , its life, and it’s ending, after which it should pass away. Wise people willingly submit to this order”. –  Marcus Tullius Cicero

2. Wholeness– The paradox is that death makes life whole. ” What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. -Richard Bach

3. Surrender and Acceptance– Surrendering to nature, and accept that you won’t get around to some things. “Never postpone a good deed which you do now, because death does not choose whether you have or haven’t done the things you should have done. Death waits for nobody and nothing’. – American Indian wisdom.

4. Just visiting– You are just a visitor on earth. ” Remember, you don’t live in the world, you only pass through it”. – Leo Tolstoy

5.  Length- A certain amount of life has already passed, and you don’t know how much longer you will get. ” Remember how long you’ve been putting this off, how many extensions the gods gave you, and you didn’t use them. At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned to you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself you will be gone and will never return.” – Marcus Aurelius.

6. Depth– Due to the unknown length, your best bet is to live deeply and fully. ” What is important is not the length , but the depth of life. What is most important is not to make life longer, but to take your soul out of time, as every sublime act does. Only does life become fulfilled.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 7. Purpose– Living deeply and fully could simply be called living purposely. ” Your life may be cut short at any time; therefore, your life should have a deep purpose, a significance that will not depend on whether it is short or long”. – Leo Tolstoy

8. Know yourself– Have awareness of your essence and know yourself. “#1 Regret of the dying: I wish i’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” – Bronnie Ware

9. Art of living– Awaken the art of living to understand the art of dying ( and vice versa)  “One learns the art of dying by learning the art of living: how to become master of the present moment” – S.N. Goenka

10. Today– A single day is a fractional  version of a lifetime. ” Each night , when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.” -Mahatma Gandhi

11. Unbusyness– Busyness is one of the biggest distractions from living. “I worry that i;; face my death and realize that my life got lost in this frantic flotsam of daily stuff”. Brigid Schulte

12. Presence– Life only exists in the present moment. ” The longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they can give up, since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose”. – Marcus Aurelius.

13. Final revelations– Know that some things won’t be revealed until the verge of death. ” In our final moments we all realize that relationships are what life’s all about. Wisdom is learning the truth sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until you’re on your deathbed to figure out that nothing matters more’. – Rick Warren.

14. Beyond Death– Contemplate what may happen after death.  ” The gift we receive on the inner journey is the knowledge that death finally comes to everything- and yet death does not have the final word. By allowing something to die when its time is due, we create the conditions under which new life can emerge”. – Parker Palmer

15. Overcoming fear– It is possible to truly overcome the fear of death while you are alive. ” Remembering that i’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what’s truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose”.  – Steve Jobs 

I want everyone to live the best life you can. Hug and kiss your partner, love your children with your whole heart. Smile more and love your pets. LIve while we still have time. 

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts: Do this one thing to improve your health.

Good Thursday, my friends and family! I hope to find everyone healthy and happier than the last time we talked. Sometimes keeping positive in this world is tough. We have to keep going forward. Maybe a turn here and there but keep going forward. 

This week’s topic is the most underrated exercise you can do for free! There are so many benefits and, to my knowledge, no downsides. It’s something that you can do by yourself, with your partner, or your pet. You can get a book or your favorite music. You can call someone you haven’t connected with in a while. All you need is 20 minutes a day. You know it’s Walking. Not to belittle it, but it’s a thing most of us can do anytime and anywhere!A single activity that we as humans do every day. We are the only creatures in nature that walk upright. Yes, some birds walk upright but have a counterbalance with their spine. What I’m trying to get across is “JUST DO IT” and reap the benefits. Here are just a few Benefits of walking 20 mins a day:

  1. Cardio Health: Increase heart strength and endurance. Increase your blood flow to bring all the nutrients and vital supplies to your body.
  2. Metabolic Health: Help reduce insulin resistance. It helps with increasing the way you metabolize your food into energy. 
  3. Muscle and skeletal system: Aids in reducing muscle loss, increases bone density, and overall strength and endurance. 
  4. Balance: Balance is provided by proper gait on uneven surfaces. Remember, you don’t hop around; you walk on one foot at a time. Proprioception has increased. Vestibular stability will increase.
  5. Healthy Weight Maintenance: Increasing calories burned will aid your weight loss program. An additional benefit for you is an increase in weight due to the build-up of muscle mass while increasing your walking programs to a more strenuous pace.
  6. Better Sleep: Walking in the morning directly improves your circadian rhythm. 
  7. Increased Immune System: Regular walking can benefit your immune system by helping immune cells perform effectively – increasing blood flow, reducing stress and inflammation, and strengthening antibodies.
  8. Brain Health: Increases cognitive performance and decreases the chance of Dementia. 
  9. Mental Health: Decreases stress and anxiety and increases mood and well-being.

All you need is 20 mins per day at a comfortable pace. Down the road, you can increase your pace and move to more challenging terrain, hills, and uneven surfaces. The point of this is, Please get out and try it! t’s a great way to get healthier and reduce stress. 
Please feel free to share this with a friend or send me their email and I will add them to our weekly email. Have the greatest day of your lives today!
Ben

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts: Lumbar Stabilization.

Lumbar instability – is a significant decrease in the capacity of the stabilizing system of the spine to maintain the intervertebral neutral zones within the physiological limits so that there is no neurological dysfunction, no major deformity, and no incapacitating pain. Patients with lumbar instability show loss of spinal motion segment stiffness in which normal external loads may cause pain, spinal deformity or damage to the neurological structures.

Stabilization exercises have been used successfully to treat patients with segmental instability and chronic pain. Evidence suggests that the lack of muscle strength can itself contribute to low back pain even in the absence of degeneration.

Therapy for lumbar instability must address not only the lumbar region but also the surrounding anatomical structures such as the muscles of the abdomen and lower extremities. The kind of exercises depends on the status of the patient. Not all patients show a loss of the feedforward mechanism but in those where the mechanism is not working well, the patients will have more pain.© Primal Pictures

Low back pain (LBP) is the fifth most common reason for physician visits and affects nearly 60-80% of people throughout their lifetime. Some studies have shown that up to 23% of the world’s adults suffer from chronic low back pain. This population has also shown a one-year recurrence rate of 24% to 80%. Some estimates of lifetime prevalence are as high as 84% in the adult population. A systematic review demonstrated an annual rate of adolescents suffering from back pain of 11.8% to 33%, 11-12% of the population being disabled by low back pain. 

There are different definitions of low back pain depending on the source. According to the European Guidelines for prevention of low back pain, low back pain is defined as “pain and discomfort, localized below the costal margin and above the inferior gluteal folds, with or without leg pain”.  The most common form of low back pain is the one that is called “non-specific low back pain” and is defined as “low back pain not attributed to recognizable, known specific pathology”.  

Low back pain is usually categorized in 3 subtypes: acute, sub-acute and chronic low back pain. This subdivision is based on the duration of the back pain. Acute low back pain is an episode of low back pain for less than 6 weeks, sub-acute low back pain between 6 and 12 weeks and chronic low back pain for 12 weeks or more.

Low back pain that has been present for longer than three months is considered chronic. More than 80% of all health care costs can be attributed to chronic LBP. Nearly a third of people seeking treatment for low back pain will have persistent moderate pain for one year after an acute episode. It is estimated that seven million adults in the United States have activity limitations as a result of chronic low back pain. 

I have three go to lumbar spine exercises and stretches if performed daily can make a significant differences in pain and healing: 

  1. Windshield Wipers: This exercise is performed on the floor on your back with both knees in the bent position. 90 degree of flexion with both arms out to the side and your palms facing towards the ceiling. While in the supine position the truck will rotate in the lumbar spine side to side.  keeping your arms on the floor at all times. Areas of movement will be lumbar spine, abdominal obliques, and shoulders. You will also feel mid thoracic and hip movement. 
  2. “Open the door” stretch: this movement will require you to lie on the floor on either side as you will perform it bilaterally.  While side lying is required, tuck both of your knees into the fetal position, both arms are extended and overlapping. This position is considered “closed”. To open the movement, keep your knees and feet together and rotate the top arm and thoracic spine to the opposite side. Hold this movement for 3 seconds for the first 2 x’s, then on your last “open door” hold for 10 sec. Repeat to the other side. Areas of movement are bilateral lumbar spine, hips. Abdominal obliques, shoulders and mid thoracic region.
  3. Torso Twist: this movement requires you to sit on a bench or a chair. While sitting upright you are required to sit at the end of the bench and lean back so that you have the feeling of “leaning” too far. Keeping your arms across your chest and head forward, start rotating your upper body side to side. If this movement is too easy you can raise both legs up and cross ankle to counter balance your upper torso. Areas of movement are bilateral hip flexors, lumbar spine, and abdominal obliques.  

Video of the form is linked below.https://youtu.be/NNMt6K2Uku8

/0 Comments/by