10,9,8,7...1 Let’s start with the jog!  The music is blaring, heart rate begins to rise, beads of sweat are starting to form, then burpees, pushups, jump squats…legs are burning.  Pushups again? Arms are shaking, how many cycles? I’m tired, feel like quitting, but I won’t.  I can feel the energy in the room, everybody is tired, but they’re pushing through it.  It changes every time, it’s tough, it’s the last cycle, and I made it.  I was a badass again, I had to dig deep, but I made it, through the tough part…  the “first 15 minutes”, it pushes me to the brink every time, the trainers and other members all push each other to break through, to become more and why is it, and do more than I ever thought I could. And that’s the hurt that hurts so good?

Ilovekickboxing.com combines high intensity interval training, full body weight-bearing activities and stretching.  High intensity interval training or HIIT would be the warm-up or “first 15 minutes.”  It incorporates low to moderate intensity intervals (planks, pushups, and squats) with high intensity exercises like (jogging, burpees, plyometrics (jumping) & any other movements, which significantly increase heart rate.  HIIT being good for burning fat, increasing metabolism and sustaining caloric burn throughout the day, which recent research says is more effective than traditional cardio.  That’s only the first 15 minutes!

Join me next week as we glove up to train like a pro fighter & continue the discussion of why “it hurts so good.”

Reflecting over my 26-year life including childhood, calling myself a typical type A personality would be very accurate.  I was the straight A, perfect attendance; sit in the front row kind of girl.  I remember crying over a report card once because I had gotten a B+ and an A-.  In my mind then that meant I was certainly on the road to failure and certain doom with “those kinds of grades.”  To a point that type of behavior does serve a purpose; many tasks, goals, dreams can be accomplished but I wonder what’s the trade off?

            I observe those around me and I have always admired and begrudged the “Type B’s” of the world.  They appear so carefree, actually enjoying their hobbies and don’t seem all consumed with the world going on around them.  Is this true or is that just my high-strung impression? So where’s the balance? 

            The Type A and Type B are polarizing and of course everyone has some qualities of both.  I use it as an example because there are dichotomies everywhere.  Society promotes opposites, as a nation we want to be thin & healthy but over 60% of the population is obese/overweight, TV commercials are flooded with fast food & pharmaceutical advertisements, there is the beautiful and the ugly, the rich and the poor.  So where so where do we live in this chaos?

            In last couple of years, I have decided to actively work on managing my “Type A neurosis.”  There’s meditation, journaling, personal development, regular chiropractic care, and exercise, which includes Ilovekickboxing.com.  There is nothing better than being able to hit something which society views as acceptable.  At times I find it difficult to take time for personal growth, mental clarity and for fun while starting and operating two separate businesses. 

            New research is finally catching up with what exercise and chiropractic advocates have known for years.  Both are great for reducing stress, improving mood, reducing blood pressure and a myriad of other benefits.  The cavitations or “snap, cackle, pop” that comes with a traditional manual adjustment releases the feel good hormones called endorphins and activates proprioceptors in joints (including the spine) which facilitates muscle relaxation.  Exercise works similarly.  We have all heard of a runner’s high (caused by endorphin release), which can occur with any sort of exercise.  Not to mention picturing your irritations on a six foot heavy bag just waiting for you to pound them out. 

            Amidst deadlines, ringing phones, children, spouses and the laundry how do you keep your balance?  What are three ways or three things you do to help relieve stress?  I would love some comments!

Next time your stressed consider exercise and chiropractic care to help restore balance not only for your health but also for your life.

I was sitting in 6am spin class this morning, contemplating why I thought participating in a 100-mile biking event this summer would be a good idea.  I was tired, a little cranky and only had a half a cup of coffee.  I decide to tough it out and do the class.  Between songs of Billy Joel, Brittany and Justin, my mind wonders and I begin to visualize the day of the event.  A bright blue sky, teammates, even my outfit and it pushes me to work harder.  I could feel the sense of accomplishment, knowing that even on days where I would have preferred to sit on my couch and drink coffee, I stuck to the plan.  While driving home, I was listening to Tony Robbins.  Zig Ziglar called it “automobile university”.  Anyways, while listening to Tony a previous conversation I had, had with a former classmate of mine occurred to me.  Chiropractors love discussing chiropractic with each other and of course the subject of nerve interference. Nerve interference is caused by a misalignment or a subluxation of the spine.  When there is a misalignment of the spine, a vertebra moves out of juxtaposition to the one above or below it occludes the opening where the nerve exits the spine and impedes the nerve impulses.  Nerve interference is what ultimately causes much pain and discomfort and can affect your overall health. 

I completely subscribe to this; however the conversation I had with my colleague has more to do with removing the interference people have in their daily lives. Of course as a chiropractor I help remove nerve interference but what is causing the interference?  While I fill out fitness analysis forms with people interested in Ilovekickboxing.com, I’m beginning to see it.  I hear it when I spend time with patients.  How do you help to remove the interference of self-sabotage and self-loathing to move people in a healthy direction where their lives are lead by value and purpose?  How do I get others to envision what they want whether it be participating in a triathlon, fitting into skinny jeans or living an active healthy lifestyle free of pain and medication?  My suspicion is one spin class, one patient and one day at a time.  

When I was six years old, I watched my first karate movie.  I immediately fell in love.  For months, I pestered until I finally was able to start taking lessons. By the time I was in high school, I was practicing 2-3 hours/day, 4-5x/week.  I could hold kicks over my head, do standing splits and punch faster than most of my comtemporaries.  At about 16, I was becoming progressively plagued by severe back pain and debilitating headaches.  Back pain was daily, making it difficult for me to sit all day in school and the headaches re-occurring 3-4x/week, sometimes more.  Karate was becoming increasingly more difficulty to perform daily. 2000-3000 mg of Over-the-Counter Pain medication would not even touch the pain.  I went to my medical doctor and was told I can take stronger prescription pain medication or I can quit.  I did not take kindly to this advice.  Finally, my grandfather who is a retired Toledo Fire fighter had been seeing a chiropractor for more than 25 years.  He picked me up from high school and took me to see her.  At the time, I was very ignorant about the subject and I was very suspect of the whole ordeal.  Over the course of several months and much to my teenage chagrin, I started getting better.  My back pain had entirely remised and my headaches were down to once a month.  I had my life back and could physically do what I desired, along with a certain mental and emotional freedom when the body is no longer in constant pain.

Shortly after my treatment, I decided to change the course of my life and become a doctor of chiropractic.  10 years later, I graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in October of 2012.  I had an associate position before I even graduated.  As events unfold, so does life.  The martial arts led me to chiropractic and conversely chiropractic to the martial arts.