family chiropractor – Page 5 – We Only Get One Chance

WHERE IS THE KALE?!?!?!

I walked into a local grocery establishment last night in search of two things…kale and organic lemons. I have been disappointed in this grocery establishment for quite a while now but every time I really need something, I think to myself “well maybe it has changed and it is better now”. No such luck.

I walked in the front door and right into their shrinking produce section. It is pretty much the only section I go to in a grocery store since I do my best to eat as much live food as possible, mainly consisting of fruits and vegetables, and when

I say vegetables, I mean HEAVY, DARK GREEN vegetables. It sounds absolutely silly, I know, but it seems they have shrunk down the produce section to make more room for the “Value” section which includes loads of canned and boxed junk that you can get for a really cheap price and take home to feed to your family. There is something seriously wrong with this equation.

In a country plagued with illness, sickness and disease, there should be a expanding produce section, not a shrinking produce section. The subset of the produce section “the organic produce” section is also shrinking in proportion to the overall diminish-ment of the section. It is sad and it upsets me. As I wander though this section, and the entire store for that matter, I find myself shaking my head in disappointment. It is unbelievable that a community like Fenton, that seems to be growing and prospering, cannot get better food than this.

Have you ever heard that “you should only shop the perimeter of the grocery store”? Do you know why? The perimeter is the area where fresh food is located…hence the need for refrigeration and such. Check in with yourself and see how many aisles you go down on a regular basis? Pasta, rice and beans are located in the aisles that make up the middle of the store however not much else going on in that area that has much nutritional value, but it all has one INCREDIBLE shelf-life and much larger profit margins for the stores. You can be sure that this area is filled with artificial colors, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and some of the “food” stuff isn’t even food at all!!!

It is really scary…it scares the crap out of me!

So my original reason for entering the grocery was in search of kale since it is one of the most nutrient-dense greens and I really wanted a green smoothie for dinner. I would prefer organic but I would have gone with any kale that was fresh, because I have accepted the fact that living in Fenton is a limitation at times and organic is unfortunately luck of the draw. I walk up to the shelf where it is supposed to be and it is empty. I can feel my physiology shift to massive disappointment instantaneously. Then I had a thought, “Maybe, just maybe, earlier in the day this shelf was overstocked with so much beautiful kale that everyone that walked by just had to stop and grab some to take it home with them to make green smoothies for dinner for their families. I just got there too late in the day to get some”.

Yeah, that’s it.

CATCHING THE SUNRISE

7am my alarm goes off. I hit snooze and and take 1 minute to check my email while my brain wakes up. I have laid my workout clothes out so I can literally just step into them when I stand up. The night before, I have packed my bag with work clothes for the day. I attempt to wrangle my hair into some sort of presentable fashion, throw on my shoes and a warmer layer and head downstairs. I steer clear of caffeine as I get tons of energy from eating real food (fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc). I usually cut up an apple, throw some raw almonds and a Lara bar in a container, grab my water and put it all in my Jeep. I run back inside to make sure the dog gets a chance to do his business, get him some food and water and head out the door. I jump into my car, put it in reverse and back out of my garage, closing the garage door behind me. This entire process takes roughly 8 minutes…and I have become very aware that if it happens any other way, it’s not happening at all. It sounds strict and regimented but how many excuses do you have for not going to the gym in the morning? I have them too.

So I usually have Sirius XM Coffee House on the radio that slowly eases me into the day. I drive down my road, head on US-23 north and I am off. On the highway, the speed of my Jeep picks up as well as the pace of life. I get off just a few exits from where I got on, take a right and it is the most magnificent part of the morning…the SUNRISE!!! I am new to this working-out-in-the-morning thing (I don’t go into work until 10am so it just makes good sense, however it took me 7 solid years to figure it out)…so I am new to meeting the sunrise on a regular basis. I began my working-out-in-the-morning adventure at the end of spring and its as already light by my 7am alarm. Because I would prefer to be outside for workouts (when it is warm enough outside that is where you will find me) it has only been about 3 weeks since I started back at the gym and hence driving this route.

After that right turn, my path to the gym takes me directly towards the sunrise for half a mile, a jaunt north for 1 mile and then about 5 miles into the sunrise…it has become a really special part of the day. It seems as though I have only gone to the gym on mornings without rain. There has always been a few clouds in the sky, but I am grateful for those clouds because it gives shape, texture and dimension to this beautiful canvas spread out in front of me. I love the first sun rays for their reddish-pinkish tones. It illuminates the sky in a very soft and friendly way. In the past few weeks the trees that line my route are also beautiful as they approach peak color season. And as you can see from the picture, whatever is happening in the sky, is also reflected off the hood of my Jeep.

The other beautiful part of this time of the morning is knowing that there is an entire day ahead and though I have to fit within parameters with time, scheduling and obligations (like work), I get to choose what kind of day I want to have. I get to pick the message I want to send to the world that day. I get to choose who I am going to hang out with, what I am going to eat, how I am going to approach people and what kind of attitude I am going to meet the day with. Imagine being greeted by a beautiful sunrise that seems to be inviting me to have a great day, then going to move my body (which includes swimming and you all know how I feel about swimming I LOVE SWIMMING ) getting ready for work interacting with other people and heading in to serve “The Exceptional Chiropractic Experience” at the Cafe of LIFE. I will argue with you until I am blue in the face…life doesn’t get better than that.

I am blessed beyond measure and if you are reading this, I count you as one of my blessings. I am grateful for everything that is this life and it brings me so much joy to share with people. I hear from so many of my readers in private messages over email, Facebook, text message and in person…however I want to encourage you to take one simple action step here…I want to know how you start your days? How do you ensure you are off on the best foot to maximize the potential of your day? How do you begin? Share in the comments below…you never know how far reaching your words will travel. Maybe you will inspire others with your morning ritual. Or maybe you are like me and really enjoy catching the sunrise.

DELIBERATE ACTION

“Hey Erica! There is a sloth right outside our window!” comes from the bedroom of the bungalow I was staying at in Costa Rica. In that particular instance, the girlfriend I was sharing a room with happened to look out the window. It was that particular instance she spotted him, however I am thinking that it is quite possible that she could have looked out at any point that entire morning, and maybe that entire day, and that sloth would have still been there. The

y do not move fast.

I saw a cartoon a few weeks back that this guy had gone to the doctor to ask why he was turning green. The doctor said something like “I would suggest you start an exercise program. You are growing moss!” The sloth is the same way. You cannot see it from this angle however the fur on his back was green, literally growing moss because he moved so slow! The picture you see is taken with my iPhone and though my arm is extended as far as it will go, the picture itself is not zoomed in. This sloth didn’t have a care in the world. We opened our window and then our screen and talked to him, made fake sloth noises (whatever those are), took tons of pictures, made a movie (its a sloth movie and incredibly boring or I would post it) and it is really true, you cannot scare a sloth!

So I sat and watched him. He just hung there, would reach out to grab a branch or a leaf in what looked like a slow-motion movie. I watched him sniff a couple leaves, then open his mouth and bite down on one, then let go of that branch and go back to chewing and hanging around. We had plans that morning which interrupted our sloth-viewing session or I would have stayed and watched for a while. They move so slowly and so deliberately, or so it seems. Their moves seem so well thought out, every millimeter planned and executed with precision. We later learned that they only go to the bathroom once a week and to do that they come down from the trees.

They are interesting creatures and have a rather mysterious feeling about them. I would say there is a real sense of the present-time consciousness when it comes to the activ

ities during their days. There didn’t seem to be much wasted energy on stuff that didn’t matter. It reminds me of moments when I find myself really present. Its that “work smarter, not harder” idea. Be deliberate with your time and energy. Many people walk around in life almost asleep. Have you ever driven your car and arrived at your destination without even knowing what route you took to get there or what you saw along the way? Have you ever finished dinner without even knowing what the food tasted like? Have you ever logged into Facebook, turned on a video game, or sat down in front of the TV and gotten up hours later wondering how 4 hours passed without you noticing?

This sloth reminded me of being present, making conscious decisions, and taking deliberate action. It is the idea of the “herd mentality” and taking a different path then the rest of the pack. I was standing in line and waiting to bathroom before a 5k this past weekend. I was 3rd in line for what appeared to be a full 3 stall bathroom…or full because the doors were shut. After waiting for the rotation of stalls to clear, I began to notice that the 3rd stall was skipping the rotation. Breaking free from the “herd” to deliberately walk up and check to see if the door was locked revealed a free stall. Who knows how long it had been free, however the line could have moved 33% faster if we were being a little more awake, aware and deliberate. Take the next 24 hours and check in with yourself during all the activities you participate in and make sure you are awake and really living life…maybe be a little more “sloth-like” and deliberate. We only get one chance…

SUPER HERO CHRISTMAS

Last night I bought a wimpy Christmas tree. I say wimpy because it is only an 7 foot tree and looks so small. Over the last few years, I have been used to my 20+ foot ceilings and I would get 10+ foot trees because I had just the perfect spot. This year I am back to standard

8 foot ceilings and that is very limiting outside of cutting a hole in the ceiling. One of our favorite couples came into the Cafe this morning and I got laughing so hard as I was reminded me of a Christmas tree incident that happened last year. It goes something like this…

I cannot remember exactly what the evening consisted of, however I know that there was some sort of drama involved that left me feeling a little “run over”. I remember pulling into my garage after midnight with a distressed feeling and ready to go to bed and start the next day new. I walked into my house, set my keys down, kicked off my shoes and was heading upstairs when I noticed that my 12 foot Christmas tree had taken a tumble and many ornaments were smashed on the floor. “Where is that dog?!?!” …oh, right, he is still in his kennel being a good boy. There weren’t any earthquakes so the only one I could blame it on was the little physics wizard inside of me that was on vacation when I put it into the tree stand…apparently off balance. Then my inner comedian chimed in with “If a 12 foot Christmas tree falls in a living room and no one is around, does it make a sound?”

I quickly accepted the destruction and decided since it was already after midnight and nobody is around to help…this is the PERFECT time to remedy the situation. So with one big heave, I was able to get it mostly upright…well upright as long as I was holding it there…but if I was holding it, who is going to re-do the screws in the tree stand so that it won’t tip over again????? BRILLIANT ERICA!!!! Your SUPERWOMAN complex is really getting you into trouble this time around!!! So next decision to make was… 1. Let the tree fall again and go out on a limb and ask for help tomorrow, or… 2. Be grateful for long arms and find some of that SUPERHERO strength and somehow make it happen. Let’s put it this way…you all know which one I chose (I mean really, if you have been following this blog at all, you know me quite well), I dove in waist deep in pine needles, it was a dumb idea, and I was sore for days!!! …and if you do know me, I am sure you can get the visual and have probably let out a chuckle and the ridiculous-ness.

Moral of the story…if you are one person, don’t try to do a two-person job! Learn to ask for help when it is appropriate because helping others is human nature and if you ask, I can guarantee someone will step in and be glad to. Running my chiropractic office, I have people coming in all the time because they tried to do a two-person job on their own. Learn from my mistakes…or just buy smaller Christmas trees!!! ‘Tis the Season!!!

THE ANTI-FAN

I attended a football game at Michigan State University this past Saturday “GO SPARTANS!!!”. I love going to the campus, I love being in the stadium and I just love everything about a day of college football. It was the most beautiful day for a football game and we sat in some really great seats…well, great seats to watch the game, not so great seats for one particular fan, or “anti-fan”, that sat behind us. The entire game, this anti-fan shouted out the meanest things. He was a MSU fan and I am pretty sure one that has been attending games for years and years. He was loud, angry, negative and down-right mean. They would do something great and he would be sarcastic with his support. They would do something bad and he would shout something like “WELL WE HAVE GROWN TO EXPECT THAT FROM YOU GUYS!!!” They would start moving the ball down the field and he would act shocked, they would have a turnover and he would go back to his “of-course-that-just-happened” attitude. It was unbelievable that someone would pay money to come to a college football game and knock their team so much…to top it off, he was not quiet about it. His wife was with him and a younger woman sat on his other side…both of them were ultra-quiet…and it went on the entire game.

There are two things I learned from that…1. I am really glad I do not have anyone in my life that is that negative and 2. if you are a fan, BE A FAN!!! There is a saying “You get more bees with honey than vinegar”. If you are looking for positive results, it is important to have a positive attitude. Now some would ask, how much effect could one guy in the stands have on a team that is down on the field? and, does it really matter if one guy is being negative in a crowd of positivity? Have you ever heard the saying “One bad apple spoils a bushel”? I was not letting him effect me on a conscious level, but who knows what he was doing on a subconscious level to my energy, much less everyone else around him. More than anything, if a guy is that pissed off and negative at a wonderful college sporting event, I can only imagine what he is like in a stressful situation. If someone like that is the patriarch of a family, I would wager his negativity infiltrates his family members…and I know for a fact that it is effecting his health.

It isn’t always easy to keep a positive attitude, especially when life seems to be throwing you lemons…but what about that saying “When life throws you lemons, make lemonade”. By writing about this, I am by no means complaining about him. I am hoping to increase the awareness around attitude. When someone asks “How are you?” let’s run through 2 possible answers. “Not bad.” is one possible answer…but “Not bad.” leans towards negative energy. What if when asked how you are, you answer “I am good.” or “I am really great!”. Even just saying those two answers, as compared to the first, really changes the energy of how you are feeling…and in essence changes the energy in and around your body.

How are you spending your life? Where are you focusing your energy? What small changes can you make to shift your perspective in a more positive direction? Let’s start today…we only get one chance to make this the best life possible!

TIPS

Last night I had the privilege of being 1 of around 2,000 people listening to Deepak Chopra right up in Flint! The CRIM Foundation brought him in, we had to register early but we got in free and they paid for all the parking downtown so that was free too. AMAZING!!! I need to review my notes and I will write a little more at a later time about the actual lecture, however on each seat there was a brochure with some “Things you can do to become a healthier you” that I wanted to share with you. I think the brochure originated from CRIM and Deepak Chopra and this is word for word right from it.

“Things you can do to become a healthier you:

1. Work out regularly! Do something for your cardiovascular health, your flexibility and your strength at least 4 times per week. Walk, run, swim, bicycle, skate, play tennis…Do Whatever Moves You! You’ll feel better, look better and have more physical and mental stamina.

2. Eat to live, don’t live to eat.

3. Have an empowering social network. Invest your time with those who are inspired by life and have a greater purpose to fulfill – you’ll find that you are more inspired as well.

4. Control the chaos; make your home a sanctuary. Be selective about what you bring into your home – not just in terms of physical things but also the computers, music, television, and other forms of electronic entertainment that compete for attention.

5. Start a daily meditation/prayer/quiet-time practice. This can be as little as 10-20 minutes but research has proven the stress-relieving and health benefits. Not to mention, it’s been proven to extend your life.

Personal Commitment Statement:

Starting today, I commit to working toward a healthier me and to helping my family be healthier. I know that by doing so, I am also contributing to a healthier community – physically, socially, and economically.”

Good stuff, huh? Simple too! Health is a choice that we have to make every single morning when we wake up. We may as well choose to be healthy since we only get one chance…

RADICAL FORGIVENESS

I know I have mentioned it before, however one of the greatest parts of every other week is the Cafe of LIFE Book Club meeting. This club began almost a year ago and we have a wonderful group of committed individuals that show up and share each meeting. We have read so many wonderful books so far and each seems to be adding to the last. Our new book, and our meetings begin tomorrow, is “Radical Forgiveness” by Colin Tipping. We took the month of December, well besides our celebration during the first week, because we figured it was a strange time to begin a new book. Now that 2009 is rolling, we begin our new journey with it. It is the greatest part of my every other week, it really is. And if you ever want to know more about how to get involved, please feel free to ask!

A NEW BOOK IN THE NEW YEAR

As many of you know, I am one of the organizers of the Cafe of LIFE Book Club. We have a phenomenal group of women who sit down every other week together and study books that add to our lives. We have done a number of books with titles such as “Eat, Pray, Love”, “A New Earth”, and “Loving What Is”. We ended our year with a celebration of the year and it was amazing to look back on what we had accomplished together as a group in one short year! Years are short anymore. Time just goes by really fast! Anyways with the New Year here now, we are beginning a new book starting Thursday January 8th. Our new title is “Radical Forgiveness” by Colin Tipping. Sounds like an amazing title and I’m sure the book will be equally as amazing. We have a few new people who plan on joining us this time around and we welcome anyone who would like to add studying with a book club to their life. Let me put it this way, I guarantee this will become on of the greatest and most looked forward to hour and a half of your week. Come join us! If you have any questions, direct them my way and WELCOME TO 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year to all of you. 2009 is destined to bring a lot of changes, good or bad is to be determined still. It is wonderful to celebrate and bring in the new year and even better that it is a chance to start off with a clean slate. It is a wonderful time to check back in with yourself and your life and see what things are serving you and what aren’t and take a moment to express gratitude for all that you have. I had a wonderful celebration with some friends down in Atlanta, Georgia where I spent the week. Choco and I drove down there on Saturday December 27th and just got home yesterday. It was a nice change in scenery and I do have to say that having a dog in warmer temperatures was a treat. Anytime we go for a walk here in Michigan, I have to be so layered and bundled up to even be able to step outside. Down there it was nice to throw on sneakers and a t-shirt or light sweatshirt and hit the sidewalk. Choco loved the urban lifestyle and I wanted to share a picture of him enjoying the champagne toast at midnight on New Years. It’s time to get 2009 started!

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday. It is as good as Christmas though I think better because there aren’t presents distracting us from family. Time with family, great food, great wine or festive drinks, sitting around the fire in slippers and telling stories of years past. It doesn’t get better. The greatest part of the whole day is that it is all about giving thanks. There is so much to be grateful for and this is the day to let people know that. And for those you cannot tell for one reason or another, it is a day to hold a space of gratitude for them and all they have brought to life. Gratitude is a powerful driver and you can use it to create amazing things for yourself and your life. Remember to have gratitude…not just today, but use it and express it everyday! If you are reading this, know that I count you as one of my blessings.