Living A Healthy Life..In Spite of Myself.

Ever since I can remember, I have been cracking my bones.  I have chronic muscle aches and that was a way I could temporarily relieve the pain and pressure.  Whatever I can get to make a ‘cracking’ noise, I did; neck, back, fingers, wrists, you name it, I stretched and moved until I felt release.  Apparently being an adult and constantly cracking your back is not an attractive quality, because it started raising some eyebrows and seriously peeved my mom out.  A new ailment I found, on top of the muscle aches, was that my shoulders (both of them) would constantly come out of their socket.  I figured this was just a torn rotator cuff issue, despite not really doing anything that would facilitate a torn rotator cuff.  But again, I am stubborn and if it wasn’t completely broken, I wasn’t going to fix it.  [No offense to the doctors out there, but I am not a fan.]

So when my mother and I were walking around a local festival and saw a chiropractor stand, I was more than reluctant when she dragged me over to it.  In my defense, I have been to several chiropractors as an adolescent/throughout my college career, they just never worked for me.  However, having the mildly open mind I do, I went up to the doctors and decided to quickly talk to them and get a feel for their practice.

I was introduced to Dr. Adamo and Dr. Rob of Live Holistic. Dr. Adamo was the first person I spoke to, as it is his practice, and he noted my hesitance to their help.  It’s not that I was reluctant because they were doctors as much as I was reluctant because I just did not believe it would work for me.  Again, I am a stubborn soul . . . we all have our flaws.  After talking with him for several moments I agreed to set up an appointment for the next day.

We went over my X-Rays and a ‘plan of action’ which basically said I need to come in twice a week for 8 weeks.  I don’t know about everyone else, but I do not have that kind of free time, so I was a little off put to say the least.  But I said I would give it a try, and I am a person of my word, so as per doctor’s orders I went twice that week.  I am on week 3 now and every time I have been adjusted (that’s a chiropractor term for let them move your spine around and crack it) it was by Dr. Rob. 

Let me take a quick break to say how extremely friendly the office is!  It might be a little intimidating to come into an office and have it be a big open room with people lying on the tables getting adjusted, I know I was taken off guard, but the staff ensures comfort.  From the moment you walk in you are greeted by everyone in the office, and even the other patients are nice and interested in helping you figure out a new machine or exercise or whatever else you got going on. 

Now back onto the treatment.  I am not the easiest person to adjust; I never relax, like when I sleep it takes me forever because I am so tense, I have a teeth clenching issue, I have a high stress job, so I am very seldom placid.  That being the case, I am quite the challenge for Dr. Rob when he needs me to relax to adjust me.  I know he takes it personally, but I swear it isn’t him; I just don’t relax/let my guard down for anybody.  Whoops! Even with my guard issue he manages to perform the adjustments he needs to, and that is no easy feat with me, I am sure. Anyway, after the first 3 visits there I noticed I was not adjusting myself at all.  I still had some muscle aches (I also did not stop my workout plan so that could be it) but I notice it is tolerable and I am having a much better range of motion in my shoulders as well.  Three weeks in and I am noticing a lot of difference to the point that I actually look forward to my visits. 

All it took were about 5 visits and I am already seeing a great improvement in my health.  I feel better; I have more range of motion, and all in all that just gives me a sunnier disposition.  For all you skeptics out there (myself totally being one of them) I say if you are only going to try one chiropractor before you give up and condemn holistic practices as being ineffective, I would say go see Dr. Rob and Dr. Adamo at Live Holistic.  They not only changed my outlook on holistic medicine (which I admittedly deemed as ‘juju medicine’) but they also changed my health and quality of life for the better; and for that, I am forever grateful!


Editor Note: I get absolutely nothing by writing this review, I am simply offering insight as to something that worked for me.  Also, I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong, and since the treatment is working with Live Holistic . . . I can admit I was wrong to call all chiropractors 'witch doctors'.  Sorry, guys! It wasn't too personal! J

Single in the City

It is now a running joke in my inner circle (and some on the outside as well) that I go on some interesting [read: horrible] first dates.   I meet a lot of people on a weekly basis; I pretty much always have a story, even something as mundane as taking public transportation home, I have a story.  You would think the odds would be in my favor to meet ‘the one’ being as I meet so many people, but No.  Let me tell you why, when I say I meet a lot of people, that is true, however, I meet a lot of crazy people.

Now please do not read this as judging, that is not true at all.  I am in no way ‘normal,’ Morticia Adam’s says ‘what’s normal for the spider is chaos for the fly,’ and I strongly believe that.  But as I have stated in previous blogs, life is all about finding people who are your kind of crazy.  I know my kind of crazy isn’t everyone else’s cup of tea, and I am good with that.  We are all just looking for a person whose demons play well with ours  . . . or at least that is my mission. 

That being said, I do think I have a magnet that brings the crazies to me.  Either that or I am just too nice, which I know people who know me well are laughing at that, but I do think I am too nice.  Also, I do think there are certain rules (i.e. Social norms) that should be followed on a first encounter/date with someone.  For example, not only should you read social queues, but know where you are on the totem pole.  That doesn’t mean you should let someone treat you poorly or that you are ‘beneath’ someone.  What I mean by ‘totem pole’ is, know where you stand in your relationship with this person.  If you JUST met them, well then maybe you should know that your relationship with them is an acquaintance and not something intimate.  What do I mean by that, you ask?  Well, let me divulge. 

No matter what your relationship is with a person, you cannot cram a lifetime into the initial meet.  That means that you need to know if you are initially meeting the person, you are still strangers getting to know each other, you are not lifelong friends.  You may feel like you have a spiritual connection with this person like you’ve known them forever, but at the end of the day you do not and should act accordingly.

In a romantic sense, if you do not know the person, you should avoid all intimate gestures on a first date.  For whatever reason, I tend to go on a lot of first dates where people think it’s appropriate to hold hands.  I hope you’re making a face while reading that, dear reader, because I just cringed.  I have gone on first dates with strangers, people I’ve met in bars, people I know via mutual friends giving me a vague idea of who they are, and still, I think this is weird.  I am not a huge hand holder to begin with, but I think no matter what, a first encounter with someone, and certainly while sitting at a bar or coffee house, is no time to hold someone’s hand.  Maybe if you’re having a romantic night out and you are taking a stroll and the mood calls for it, sure, go for it; but if you’re just sitting at a bar having a casual conversation, maybe rethink your urge.  Furthermore, if the object of your affection removes their hand not once, not twice, but three times from your clutches, maybe it is time to stop trying to make the hand holding happen.  I am unsure if other people have those kinds of first dates, but I seem to be meeting all the hand holders.  Fellas, you’re all nice guys, but please, please, please, for the love of God, read social queues!  If my hands are folded on my lap or firmly grasping my drink on the bar, do not entangle them to creepishly lace your fingers with.  No, I am not interested, and no there will be no second date.

Yet, silver lining time.  To further prove how I constantly have a story, and also to leave this blog on a high note, I will let you in on another little piece of advice.  TAKE CHANCES!

Several weeks ago I was leaving work late so I jumped on a different train than I usually take.  I noticed halfway through my trip that there was a younger [than me] man standing in the middle of the car staring at me.  As I am the paranoid person I am, feeling he was staring, I would look over and exchange a ferociously fierce glance.  Every time our eyes met he would give me a smile, so I stopped being paranoid and continued staring off into the distance, drowning in my music and unwinding from my day.  When the two seats next to me opened up he ran to sit down, making sure to leave an empty seat as a buffer between us.  I saw him continuously looking at me from the corner of my eye (and the reflection in the window) but I had a long day and didn’t feel like bothering with people.  Finally when someone came to sit in between us he scooted over closer towards me, giving the new person the corner seat.  Any straphanger[1] knows that the corner seat is coveted; You do not give that up lightly!  As he scooted towards me he gently bumped into me and apologized, to which I reciprocated with a smile, as I did not want to take my headphones off.  Apparently this was not the response the young man wanted because he then made a more dramatic effort, slid all the way to the right then slid all the way to the left crashing into me.  I figured at that point I had no choice but to take my headphones off and talk to him.  It was a pleasant conversation, he was very nice, although it did not turn into anything more.

The point of that story is to let people know that they should take chances!  Any scenario is an opportunity to meet new people, and if you play your cards right, it might even bloom into something more.  While I did not ever see this person again, nor did I think we would be compatible in any way, shape or form, it was nice to see someone taking initiative and being so brazen.  Even if the object of your affection is not interested, you get some serious brownie points for making a move.  Hang in there, daters, for every bad story there has to be a good one . . . they can't all be bad!!

---

[1] Colloquialism for NYC subway rider

BOOK REVIEW: IF I STAY

I am not ashamed to say that I am a complete and utter nerd, and have been on quite the reading binge lately.  However, this book is set apart from the rest for many reasons.  I originally picked up If I Stay by Gayle Forman because it seemed like an interesting read and the movie is coming out soon, and I always like to read the story before I see it on the screen.

At first glance the storyline seems a little heavy, the protagonist, Mia, gets into a fatal car accident with her family, where she is left in a coma and with a grave decision to make.  While the car accident immediately kills her parents, and leaves the health of her brother undetermined, Mia must choose if she wants to stay on this earth and fight for her life, or succumb to her coma and leave with her family.  Once again, this is a heavy and emotional story, however the way Forman portrays the story is far from depressing.  I did get several tears in my eyes while reading, I am not a total robot, but I was not rendered into a crying child like I have been with previous depressing books. 

This is not the most cheerful read, but it is absolutely a ‘must read.’  The story is written brilliantly in which I could not put the book down.  Two hundred and fifty pages took me about 4 days to read; keeping in mind I only read about 1-2 hours a day.  This book was so captivating; from the very first sentence, I was hooked.  While this book was a sad read, I found it sweet.  Mia was hanging around in ‘limbo’ watching how her loved ones were reacting to the news.  She saw all the mayhem that ensued and all the influx of love that her people showered her with.  It made me really think about what is important in life, and it transported me into the story directly; Both I find to be important traits of a good book.

Check out the trailer, and if you think you can handle the story line, definitely pick up the book first.  There is a sequel to the book, which I immediately felt compelled to read once I finished the last sentence of If I Stay and was looking for more.  However, being as I did not have the book in front of me at the moment, this now being several days later, and me having 3 other books already in the queue on rotation, I will not be reading the second part any time soon.  I like the fact that it gives you the option if you want to just end the story in one book, or if you would like to know what else happens and see it from her beau, Adam’s, eyes.  If you are thinking about reading the second book, definitely buy them together; if you’re anything like me, you might lose steam [out of sight, out of mind].  But if you’re just looking for a quick read to entertain you for a few days, you definitely found it with If I Stay. 

My Latest Epiphany:Healthy Living

Yesterday I read this article and I feel like, while it is not entirely applicable to me, it does have a resonating message.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-fitzgerald/7-things-i-learned-during-my-year-without-alcohol_b_5291015.html

This article is the first hand testimonial of writer Kelly Fitzgerald on the benefits she realized whilst becoming sober.  I think becoming sober is a life choice, and a pretty tough commitment, but I have seen people go through it and it is a really beautiful thing.  While I think to completely abstain from alcohol is for people who have a problem managing their behavior or consumption, or as Kelly puts it ‘an addictive personality,’ I do see benefits in cutting down intake.

I am a social drinker, I would never classify myself as an avid or binge drinker, just someone who has drinks on social occasions. I never act in a way I would be embarrassed of later, nor do I do things I would regret, I just enjoy in a beverage while being at events.  However, being as I am in my mid-20s, there is never a week that goes by without some sort of social function.  I indulge in the occasional glass(es) of wine at dinner, but keep most drinking to the weekends (preferably Friday or Saturday).  Lately, though, I have found myself going to more work functions, dates, weddings, birthdays, and other social gatherings more frequently.  This means, not only has my little free time completely dissipated to non-existent, and you have to make plans with me weeks in advanced, but also that I am now skipping the gym to attend events.  This would not be such a huge deal if I did not 1) love my gym time and 2) wasn’t ingesting more calories than I was working off.

That being said, after reading Kelly’s article, I decided she had a point.  While I do not have a problem, I do feel it is better to wake up early on a weekend (although I already do) but feeling refreshed . . . and I probably should be going for weekend morning runs.  This article made me feel like I should get back to basics in my life a little bit.  Being as I like working out and I always feel better when I do, and the same goes for eating clean, I decided to clean up my act a little bit better (no pun intended).  So, I am going to institute a new set of healthy living rules for me to follow.

First, I will be cutting my coffee intake to once a day.  I always have a cup of coffee in the morning, but then when I get to work I would have another, and then even get coffee with coworkers, and all those coffees (and calories) add up.  Additionally, on the coffee train, I am going to drink it extremely dark, if with anything at all.  There is no need to have so much milk in your coffee, and I am realizing that I was a little too liberal with my milk pour . . . even if it is just skim.  Second, as far as alcohol goes, I would like to personally challenge myself to 40 days without, which honestly I do not think is a difficult feat.  However, with the several weddings/showers/bachelorette parties I have this month, I am thinking cutting it down to special occasions only will suffice.

Not only will these cutbacks help my body, but they will help my wallet as well!  You see, you do not need to cut back on things only when they’re destructive to you.  I would never say I was ‘addicted’ to chocolate or that eating a tub of Nutella ruined my relationships, but I cut it out of my life because it made me feel sluggish and sad about life (half joking).  That is the same with alcohol.  It does not affect my life in a negative way other than the fact that a drink adds enough calories to replace a meal, and quite frankly, I can have fun doing anything.  So as I am cutting people out of my life that do not bring happiness or productivity to my life in some way, shape or form, I am cutting out all activities that do not do the same either.  You don't need a diet to get fit, just a lot of determination, and making healthy choices.  The healthy choices I decided to make lately will not only help my body but also my mindset and lifestyle as a whole. So wish me luck, dearest reader, as I enter my journey into sweet, sweet Nirvana.