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About 15 years ago when I was training for my 2nd marathon, I had my own little rule that I couldn't allow myself to run more than 3 consecutive days. My knees just couldn't handle it, they were too sore.  By day 4, I needed a rest day or at least a day to ride my bike or swim.  Recently, while training for marathon #9, my schedule has "made me" run 4 days in a row.  Not really by choice, but more so because of other things going on in my life, I've had to arrange it that way.  I've done this on several occasions and what I find is very cool .... my knees can handle it!  How can this be?  I'm now 15 years older, the knees have gone through that much more wear and tear, close to 15,000 miles of running in that time. I don't feel the pain or aches, and I'm that much stronger!

It is intriguing to me that my knees and body are actually getting stronger as I age. I can't tell you how many dozens of people I talk to, many of whom are my age or younger, and they complain about their body falling apart or not being able to handle things as much. Yes I can feel more general aches and it is more noticeable if and when I let myself get out of shape, however, my knees are no longer sore after three days of running.  I can go four days and even five straight days on two occasions. I feel healthy because I work hard at it, and I know it will help me now and in the future.

What do I attribute this to?  The most obvious answer to me would be regular chiropractic adjustments that have helped balance my pelvis and body, and reduce nerve interference so I can function at my best.  And when I say regular, I mean once a week or every other week at the very least. When I'm better aligned, there is less strain on my muscles and my body just works better.  I also started taking Juice Plus product about 9 years ago and know that has helped me stay healthy.

So as the days, weeks and years go by, we are all getting older and so I ask -- do you feel older? Are you getting better as you get older or not? Are you healthier now than you were years ago?  Do you think it's "too late?".  The only time it is too late is when you are 6-feet under, other than that, it is never too late to start getting healthy.

Get adjusted, take Juice Plus, let your body be strong.

Many people often ask or wonder if they need chiropractic care.  You can beging by asking yourself if you weigh equally?  Huh?  What does that mean?  Many spinal problems produce uneven weight distribution in your body.  Do you want to find out if that is you?

Let’s do a fun exercise to answer your question.  You will need two bathroom scales.  The scales should be placed side by side on level flooring.  Step onto the scales, one foot on one scale and the other on the other scale.  Stand in a comfortable neutral position and have someone write the scores down for each side.  Don't look down to do it yourself, as that can throw off your balance and cause uneven weight distribution. 

If there is a difference of 5lbs or more between both sides, this is very significant.  If this is the case with you, you should make an appointment today for a complete chiropractic assessment.

I read this article the other day and thought I’d share it with you.

Yesterday I saw a TV commercial for an anti-inflammatory and pain relieving medication. I usually have a problem with these ads, because of their misleading nature, but this one turned out to be totally true. The ad was about a man who was playing in a Father and Son baseball game. His son was upset because his Dad’s knee pain was preventing him from playing full out like the other dads.

Then he took some of the medicine and he was able to play at the level that made both him and his son happy. The commercial ended with the father saying, “It works like magic!”

As I said, I am not usually in agreement with drug ads, but this one spoke the truth in a way I had never heard it stated before – “It works like magic!”

You see, the word “magic” can be defined as either “fooling someone,” “fooling nature” or “controlling nature.” Drugs work in exactly this way. They can “fool people” into believing their bodies are functioning just fine. This causes them to lose their awareness of warning signals their bodies are giving them to avoid certain things.

They also work by “fooling nature.” That is, they fool the natural adapting and healing mechanisms of the body into thinking that everything is fine. And, they work by “controlling nature.” In other words, they completely bypass the natural systems our Creator (God) has set up in your body to continually adapt, heal and grow you toward the full expression of your purpose and potential in life and cause something else to occur instead.

Think carefully about this now – Is that what you really want to do? Is that the choice you want to make for your family – to “fool” yourselves into a false feeling of security and comfort?

Chiropractic is not “magic” at all. In fact, the last thing we want to do is to “fool or control” anything! We know that God has placed within you and everyone else a Divine Perfection that always knows what to be and do in every situation. We call this perfection your Innate Intelligence.

We know that when this Inner Wisdom can express itself fully through your nerve system, whatever needs to heal first, will in fact heal first. We also know that if your body needs to warn you about a certain movement, position or activity, you will get that warning so that further damage can be avoided and healing may continue.

Lastly, we know that as you continue through your care and as you continually express your Life Force at higher levels, you will be able to progressively become more aware of what your purpose in life is and work toward the actualization of that purpose.

You see Chiropractic is not magic – on the contrary, it is a miracle! The miracle is in the ability to express the God-given Perfection that was placed in you at birth. Once this happens, there will never be a need for magic ever again.

Dr. Anquonette

Last weekend I did my first triathlon in about two years, and one of the participants was 89-year old John Taylor.  Yes, you read that right….he is 89 years old and out there competing!  I came up upon John during the bike ride as I passed him while he was going up a steep hill.  OK yes, my first competitive thought was “how did he beat me in the swim?” … and then I learned that he was part of a team and he was doing the 18-mile bike.  I said words of encouragement as I went by him and was thinking how inspiring it was that he was out there.  I have seen him in races before and was happy to see him still out there racing.

During the awards ceremony (in which I placed third in my age group), they let John make a speech. He said how fulfilling it was for him to be able to race and he was doing this as a race with his two grandchildren.  He said that exercising was keeping him mentally and physically younger than people his own age, and he is certainly right. How many 89-year olds do you know who can bike 18 miles?

I think of the “tale of two grandparents” that I tell people during my wellness workshop.  My son has only two grandparents – my mother and my husband’s father.  One is 82 and runs or swims daily and is not on any medication, which is how he has lived his whole life.  The other is 81, has a hard time walking and is on many medications.  Yes that is my mom and unfortunately, she is just not as healthy as she could be.  Something tells me that a lifetime of exercise and no medications has kept my father-in-law in much better health than my mom, who is taking a bunch of drugs because she believes that is what is going to make her healthy.  Exercise has never been a part of her life and her body is paying for it now.

One of my long-term goals is to be able to do a triathlon in every decade of my life. I want to run at least one road race every year.  Most years I race at least 5-10 times (though I only did one last year), either a triathlon or running race and love just feeling fit and being in shape.  I KNOW that it will help me years down the road.

So where do you want to be when you are in your 80’s?  In a wheel chair, a hospital, a walker, running on the beach, playing tennis, swimming?  Do you want to be physically active?  If so, you must start now if you haven’t already.  Build a habit of exercise into your life on a daily basis.  Don’t rely on drugs to make you healthy, they only cover up symptoms and do not correct the problem.  That doesn’t work. True health comes from within and is your own responsibility.  No one but yourself is responsible for your health. If you want to be healthy the rest of your life, include regular exercise, weekly chiropractic adjustments, ideal nutrition every day and plenty of sleep into your life.  Be proactive and start now. Think of the inspirational John Taylor and what can do at age 89.  Very cool.

For those of you who slouch....If you can possibly stop slouching, you may be able to shred some of those unwanted pounds.  Experts have found that if you stand up straight when you walk, you'll burn more calories, flatten your belly and look thinner. 

You can teach yourself to do this naturally with one simple trick: Before going out for a fitness walk, place a belt around the thinnest part of your waist (not through any belt loops). Make it snug, but not too tight. As you move, pull your abs up and your shoulders back so that the belt begins to feel almost loose. Wear the belt every time you go walking and in about three weeks (the time it generally takes for something to become a habit) you'll automatically start tightening your abs. Soon you'll find yourself walking taller and looking leaner throughout your entire day.