When someone makes the comment, “Know Your Limits” it typically is in reference to the idea of NOT going too far. NOT to push so hard as you may endanger yourself, etc. I am not a fan of hurting myself or risking dear things in my life, but I also feel it is just as dangerous to NOT “know your limits”.

The danger in that statement is this…If you have never truly tested your limits…How do you know how far you can go??? Most people stop WAY too soon! They stop when things start to get difficult. What they don’t realize is they are capable of way more than what they think they are capable of. This is when it is so important to have a coach whether that be a fitness coach, a business coach or mentor, a spouse, a pastor, a good friend that knows you and can help push you to those levels to help you find your limits of what you are capable of. The other important issue is here is that our personal limits are constantly changing if you are challenging them. They will increase. The opposite is also true when you don’t push yourself…Your personal abilities and limits decrease.

Life throws us challenges and trials from time to time. I think most of you would agree with me on that. Truly “knowing your limits” (because you’ve pushed those limits before) can give you confidence when one of those challenges hits you again, because it will.

We often get to play this out in a physical sense much more than we do in other scenarios. We can regularly test our limits of our physical and mental capabilities through the fitness regimen we put ourselves through. This is why I love CrossFit so much as each week we test and measure our limits so that we can regularly and systematically push those limits to greater and greater degrees. There is confidence in knowing what your body and mind are capable of when faced with new and seemingly daunting challenges.

The beauty of knowing your limits in a physical sense can also be translated to other challenges in life. You get to practice this “limit challenge” in each workout. You are training your brain and your resilience/heart with each session. In coaching water polo we encourage our athletes to take with them the knowledge of what they have achieved and to never forget it. We encourage them to fuel their success in the academic and business arenas of life by knowing they’ve tested and pushed their physical and mental limits to great degrees. If they can conquer one of the most physically demanding sports in the world like water polo, well we hope they can have confidence to know they conquer any challenge thrown at them. We help them find limits they never knew they could reach. How valuable is that to a young person?

To know your limits, you often must force yourself to explore your limits. Sometimes it means you take it failure. Pain and discomfort may occur. Sometimes this is under your control, sometimes it is not.

Either way get to “Know Your Limits”. Comfort isn’t always such a good thing.

Thanks for following the blog. Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

P.S. Same disclaimer as usual. Check with your doc before you begin really testing those limits! Make sure the car is ready to drive if you know what I mean. Be smart.

Most consider the term “Athlete” to mean someone who competes in a competition of some kind. As I began to become “athletic” again in my personal life I relayed that outlook to my patients as well. I began looking at every one of our patients as “athletes” of their own personal domain. Whether we are working with a top high school football player, motorcycle racer or we are working with a 75 year retiree, the goals are the same. You must prepare yourself to best handle whatever task is set before you. Again whether that task is to establish enough speed to beat your opponent in a sprint or it is developing enough strength to walk to the mailbox each day, looking at yourself as an “athlete” is an important concept for all to hold regardless of whether they compete with others or not.

We are all competing against the aging process, cardiovascular disease, joint arthritis, immune deficiencies, etc. As a Monterey Chiropractor I regularly hear patients focus and define their measure of health or fitness upon a couple of things (typically promulgated by their medical doctor) as blood pressure, cholesterol, body weight. The amount of blood pressure and cholesterol medications we see patients taking is astounding! These measures are “targets” designed to give parameters of what is normal, what is unhealthy, and possibly dangerous. There is nothing wrong with informing those at risk of where they stand so that they may be better able to address those concerns. The problem is that when someone is given a diagnosis of being “at risk” in these domains they are rarely given proper tools to attack the problem (if the person is even motivated to change and address these things).

They are typically told to eat a low fat diet, get 20-30 mins. of low intensity cardiovascular exercise. They are typically warned that if they do not attain enough change in their risk factors then they will be prescribed medications to lower that blood pressure and cholesterol.

I see the following scenario thus played out on a regular basis…

Patient gets given diagnosis of at risk pathology (high blood pressure, cholesterol, and overweight). Patient begins the task of trying to control their diet according to their doctor’s recommendations. Patient reads Cheerios box that says, “drop your cholesterol by 10 points if you eat Cheerios daily” and buys a case of the stuff from Costco, buys low fat cream cheese for their bagels, diet sodas, fat free pretzels, gets a calorie counting app for their iPhone, etc. They think they’ve got the diet thing down. “Doc says low fat, less calories”.

The unhealthy individual then joins the gym…They are on a mission, which is good. The gym is so cool they think, really clean, has lots of really new looking high tech machines that are bound to make them look better, if they sign up for a year it’s only $39.99/month with 6 free sessions with a personal trainer. For a few months on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they wander around the gym and pick machines at random that don’t seem too intimidating (i.e. treadmill, elliptical trainer, leg extension machine, lat pulldowns, etc.). They get a little sweaty and they feel pretty good about themselves and they should. They have attempted to tackle their problem through fitness. It is a huge accomplishment for many to get to this point. Some exercise is better than none. Unfortunately I see the above played out like this with patients under my care and after a few months of this pattern they head back for the next check up with their doc. Maybe they’ve made some changes, maybe not. Typically small changes are seen if any at all so more meds are prescribed and the cycle is rarely broken. Motivation is typically diminished because their attempt to get healthy wasn’t enough so they resolve to let the meds will do the job now. All is ok in their mind as those risk factors are now “controlled” (as I often hear). “I have high blood pressure, but it’s under control with medication”. I can’t even count how many times I hear this over the span of a few months!!

So, what does this scenario have to do with the term “Athlete”? I would suggest that much of the above problem comes from improper mindset and focus. Again, health is now determined by looks, weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, etc. Instead, I would suggest an approach that each should look at themselves as an “Athlete”. An athlete is on a mission to improve his or her “Function”. Typically this means they must focus on certain elements of the improvement in such categories as speed, strength, power, cardiovascular endurance, stamina, flexibility, balance, agility, and accuracy. I suggest that we all use this same focus. Be an athlete again! Get faster, stronger, more flexible, quicker, and more agile.

I contend that if you are daily focusing on these things rather blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, weight, etc. you will in turn have more success becoming more healthy. Your medical doctor will be impressed by your new found statistics, but more importantly you will look at life as an “athletic event” because you are now and SHOULD always consider yourself an “Athlete”. The 75 year old retiree will find new found freedoms of more walking and independence that will be allowed with an increase in function by focusing on strength, endurance, flexibility, etc. The 50 year old heart attack waiting to happen will get healthy and stay healthy because he’s now focusing on progress in things that will naturally lead to a decrease in those risk factors rather than focusing on the risk factors themselves. As you have seen with previous posts, this Monterey Chiropractor has found nothing else that incorporates this mindset/philosophy and puts it in action better than CrossFit. If you are a patient, talk to me about this. Let’s set some goals. Let’s get “your head” right. If you are a blog follower, I encourage you to do the same with your physician and then check out your local CrossFit gym. If you’re local to the Monterey area, check out www.crossfitmonterey.com to get started.

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

Disclaimer: Please consult with your physician before altering any medications or beginning a new exercise program. This piece is merely discussion and should not be interpreted as medical advice as each condition presents different challenges. Be smart.

A great quote comes to mind, “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do”

I’m not sure who said it, but it is so true in most everything in life. Great accomplishments and success come at high sacrifice, high commitment, and high effort. Easy shortcuts typically do not work and if they do they are typically short lived.

In my life and career, hard work, dedication, commitment, and sacrifice have been the mantra. I was drawn to CrossFit for this very reason. I feel that innate desire to work hard, to push myself, challenge myself because I’ve seen the rewards in my life for many years. The same goes for your health. I am suspicious of anything that is “easy” anymore. Is easy right or better? Typically NO. It’s always a battle, but I don’t know any other way anymore.

I encourage you to look at every situation you are faced with and analyze it. It is important to think accurately by analyzing it carefully, but know that most great things in life come at a cost. Those that are willing to put it in the work, sacrifice, and commit, are the ones that are regularly accomplishing incredible feats in their lives. It’s a journey. One that I now am beginning to learn to enjoy as I realize it is more a way of life rather than a reaching of a destination. CrossFit models this in physical form. You challenge those limits every day in the gym. It hurts so good. This quick video on CrossFit describes this mindset pefectly. Take a minute to watch it. Get inspired. Challenge your limits. Always be reaching.

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

P.S. Consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Yesterday evening I had a wicked CrossFit workout. The workout consisted of a bunch of great things, but the meat of the workout was overhead shoulder presses (120 lbs., very light for most but I’m getting there), broad jumps! When was the last time you hopped like a frog as far as you possibly can?? See me in the picture above. Then 4 x 400 meter sprints topped it off. I pushed those 400′s as hard as I could and 1:25/1:26/1:28 and then actually dropped my split time on the last one to 1:22. Anyways, I digress…Following this challenging workout of only 1 hour I then went to the Monterey Sports Center to watch my daughter Ella rock it at swim lessons. She loves the water! As my grandfather who was a collegiate swimmer used to tell me, “it’s in the genes boy”. For years I thought he meant “jeans”. That’s another story, sorry back to fitness. As we are leaving the Sports Center we pass the windows and saw approximately 50 people droning away on treadmills, ellipticals, stairsteppers, watching and reading the subtitles of the news shown on the TV’s ahead. As we walk by, Ella says to me, “Daddy, what are those people doing?” It was a simple question, but it was genius. Do people really enjoy that? Exercise of any kind is better than nothing, but how consistent do people really stay with exercise when doing something so horribly boring??? I’m not knocking those that go to the gym and workout hard and actually like doing this stuff. It’s great, get off the couch and do something. I guess I’ve just had my eyes opened since beginning CrossFit. Challenging your heart, muscles, joints, brain in varied and intense ways everyday is what CrossFit is all about. Once you taste the CrossFit “Kool Aid” as they joke, it’s true you won’t look at your workouts or exercise in general the same way. I may get hate mail from the Monterey Sports Center, but if you feel like boredom and lack of results due to your exercise routine are getting in the way of you truly making some great strides with your fitness…maybe just maybe think of trying something new. Something that will help you reach those weight loss and fitness goals, something that keeps you excited and motivated to exercise, something that makes you feel young again. www.crossfitmonterey.com – I encourage you try their Free Community Class at 10 am on Saturdays and see what you think.

One little bit of science to back my little soapbox speech here.
In the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, based on their recent findings, “Very vigorous, high-intensity exercise is also the type that can help your body increase production of human growth hormone (HGH). HGH is naturally produced by your body in sufficient quantities until you reach the age of 21. After this, production starts to drop. HGH is the master hormone controlling growth. It helps build muscles, bones, organs and the basic links between the cells. Lower levels of HGH also make it more difficult to lose weight — HGH increases your metabolism, which helps to burn more fat.”

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

P.S. I do have to always make my little disclaimer. Please consult your Doctor of Chiropractic or Medical Doctor to make sure you’re healthy enough to begin a routine like CrossFit.

Well I had to miss a few days due to vacation to SoCal with the fam. It was a great trip, but was filled with sitting around and eating junk food. I could really tell the difference having missed some workouts. I was anxious to get back the CrossFit “Box” (a CrossFit gym is often called a “box”. They typically are simply a box like warehouse which makes exercise that much more intense and visceral in my opinion).

I was greeted back to CrossFit on Friday with sets of heavy squats (heavy for me at least) and a 4 round series of a 400 meter run with kipping pullups in between each run. Let’s just say I had a hard time walking the rest of the weekend. Love that hurt though. As a chiropractor here in Monterey, we often tell our patients after a first adjustment that there may be some soreness that follows. It’s a similar phenomenon experienced after new or intense exercise. Challenging the body beyond it’s “normal” often produces some soreness as the body adapts. We like this.

One of the most refreshing things I’ve found with CrossFit is the “community” that this form of fitness is based around. The worldwide spread of this fitness practice and philosophy was catapulted with the focus on the posting results of the WOD (“workout of the day”) to the main website at www.crossfit.com. Athletes could see how they measured up to others around the world doing the same workout. This online comraderie even more palpable in the gym itself. When I used to go to the gym. I typically would plug in my iPod and tune out. The typical workout would entail no conversation with anyone. At first I liked this as it kept me focused on getting a good workout in a short period of time, but what is found was that isolationism can often lead to mediocrity, boredom, and a lack of change.

One of the first things you will notice when you go to a CrossFit gym is that people will talk to you and remember you. In fact you are often encouraged during a workout by your fellow athletes or coaches. Sometimes that involves yelling to motivate and inspire. I consider myself a pretty good self-motivator but it does not compare to a coach screaming at you to push harder. It’s great! Most of these athletes see each other 4-7 times/week and often compete together in different events. Weekends often involve a potluck following a grueling workout.

If you are interested, try the FREE community class on Saturday at 10 am. Get a taste of this community and I think you’ll see what I’m talking about. www.crossfitmonterey.com

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

1) The new A NEW AMAZON KINDLE!! (I’m jealous! I don’t even have one of these yet)
2) A Free 1 Hour Massage with the amazing Tracey! (Best massage I’ve ever had )
3) A copy of one of my favorite new books called “The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf. This book will make losing weight a breeze!!! (and it’s not a DIET!!)
4) 2 Chiro-Flow Water filled cervical pillows (I have used one of these and can attest to how great they are)

So there you go. It makes for an extremely busy week for us, but we love every minute of it!

We are so thankful for all our wonderful patients and the trust and confidence you have placed in us over the years. This is just our small way of saying thank you.

So remember, call for free adjustment on Thursday May 5th. And if you have a friend, loved one, co-worker, etc. that wants to have their spine checked, have them call quick to schedule a slot on May 10th for a FREE XRAY and EXAM. 831-657-0191

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C. and the staff

Week 1 down and 5 months/3 weeks to go on my pursuit to define for myself what it means to be truly “FIT”. The week consisted of workouts that took me to full exhaustion each day. To be honest, my goal of 5 days/week of CrossFit for 6 months may be pretty lofty. There are workouts that are so intense that I may have to break from that regimen for recovery. That really is the whole idea though…Force the body to break it’s barriers, let it recover and grow to new levels. We’ll see how this body of mine holds up.

Why CrossFit?

Well, it may be common sense because it is quite apparent when you just take a quick look at our sedentary society, but few people adopt a fitness routine that comes anywhere near the diversity and intensity that CrossFit produces. They get slower, fatter, lazier with every year that passes. A once prolific athlete just a few years removed from competition now gets sore and tired from playing catch with his son in the backyard or considers 20 minutes on the treadmill an accomplishment of greatness and challenge.

In the given week of CrossFit programming your body and mind will be challenged to grow in Power, Speed, Stamina, Endurance, Strength, Balance, Flexibility, among others. I love this. I want to be able to accomplish tasks in my life that require any or all of those I just described.

I hear it week after week with patients in our office. Typically it comes after we’ve reduced or removed their lower back pain or headaches. When I ask a patient what they do for exercise, so often patients/people defend what they choose to do and almost try to prove to me why it’s right for them or why they like it. For example, “Dr. Gaily, I go to the gym 3-5 times a week…I workout with a personal trainer…I do pilates, yoga, etc.” is a common retort I hear. This is rarely coming from someone that has just a few pounds to drop, but typically from someone that is well over 50 pounds above where they should be. I typically ask what routine they are following and it’s typically a litany of the usual “I do cardio on the elliptical, use the weight machines, take a yoga class sometimes, etc.” Is it working??? I think it is easy to gather what the correct answer is to that question.

I just had a birthday the other day. I won’t say how old haha, I’m gonna keep you all guessing! As we age our “fast twitch” muscle fibers are converted to “slow twitch” (endurance like) muscle fibers. This happens naturally in all of us, but happens that much more rapidly if all you do is either sit around or do the same treadmill/elliptical workout day in and day out. CrossFit challenges your body in so many different directions that your anatomy and physiology are forced to “stay awake” and adapt. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be slow, achy, lazy, overweight. More importantly I don’t want to be someone that makes excuses. Nothing is gained without change, challenge, or risk.

This Monterey Chiropractor is likin’ this CrossFit thing so far. More importantly I think I’m going to like the results I will see in my life due to this new experience.

It is my goal to inspire my readers and patients to question themselves, question their choices, and challenge themselves. If you feel like I just pointed a finger at you in this post…well GOOD! It’s only because I care. The people I consider mentors and my good friends, challenge me to be a better person. Sometimes it is simply their example or their actions, and sometimes it’s their words. Either way I am thankful I have had people in my life question my thoughts and goals and challenge me to be better.

Please call our office at 831-657-0191 if you would like to determine how we may be able to help you be better in life. Low back pain, migraines, sciatica are all just obstacles that need to be challenged in order to overcome them. Don’t keep covering it up! Chiropractic, exercise, massage, nutrition are great tools to naturally overcome those obstacles. Thanks for reading. Would love to hear your comments so post below.

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

Well, the doc gets in “ruts” himself sometimes. I need that proverbial “kick in the butt” too from time to time. Well, Dr. Gaily is about to get his booty kicked and I invite you to follow along. I will no doubt need encouragement and motivation in this endeavor. – Chiropractor Monterey

On Monday April 11th just 5 days before my 34th birthday, I will embark on 6 months of challenge to my body and mind that I am sure will push me to my maximum limits. I am beginning 6 months of CrossFit (description and video below). I will be chronicling this process and my attempt to perform a minimum of 5 CrossFit workouts each week for a period of 6 months. I encourage you to join me at CrossFit Monterey, www.crossfitmonterey.com (ask for Ryan or Jacob) or cheer me on from the comfort of your own home. Regardless of fitness level, I do believe this form of fitness (when done properly) offers the most diverse and effective approach to physical fitness and defines what it means to be truly “fit”. I am excited and of course apprehensive for this challenge. I hope my journey and struggles will provide some motivation and encouragement for my readers, patients and friends. And maybe a little entertainment too Either way, thank you for reading.

What is CrossFit? This form of fitness and philosophy was created by Coach Greg Glassman in Santa Cruz in 1995. I was introduced to it in 2005 by a patient of mine who was a Navy Seal. At that time there were only a handful of CrossFit establishments with the nearest to me being Santa Cruz, which is the original headquarters. Santa Cruz was too far to drive for a workout, but now we have affiliate CrossFit “boxes” as they are called in Monterey and Salinas. CrossFit now boasts over 2500 affiliate gyms worldwide! It is truly one of the most amazing “grassroots” spreads of an idea in the modern internet era. Chiropractor Monterey

(Definition from Wikipedia) “CrossFit says that proficiency is required in each of ten fitness domains: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy. It defines fitness as increased work capacity across all these domains and says its program achieves this by provoking neurologic and hormonal adaptations across all metabolic pathways.
CrossFit athletes run, row, jump rope, climb rope and carry odd objects. They frequently move large loads quickly over short distances, and use powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting techniques. CrossFit athletes also use dumbbells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars, kettlebells, and many bodyweight exercises. CrossFit is used in nearly 2,500 gyms worldwide and by many fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and military organizations including the Canadian Forces, and the Royal Danish Life Guards.”

Join me!

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

I do agree with the contention that some organic foods are rip-offs, when their conventional counterparts are already grown using low amounts of pesticides and the food in question must be peeled anyway, such as bananas.

The Environmental Working Group is a reliable source when trying to decide on what to buy organic. According to their latest 2010 pesticide review, the following 12 foods rank as the most pesticide-free produce, even when conventionally-grown, so you can save a few bucks by opting for the conventionally-grown version of these: – Chiropractor Monterey

Onions Avocados Frozen sweet corn
Pineapple Mango Frozen sweet peas
Asparagus Kiwi Cabbage
Eggplant Cantaloupe Watermelon
The foods you want to splurge on by buying organic are foods that have permeable or edible skins, and/or that are conventionally grown with higher amounts of pesticides. Based on the EWG’s report, the top 12 foods to buy organic include:

Grapes Potatoes Kale / Collard greens
Cherries Spinach Sweet bell peppers
Nectarines Blueberries Apples
Strawberries Peaches Celery

Hope this helps. Thanks to all our blog, facebook and twitter followers for reading and commenting.

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,

Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com

Your Monterey Chiropractor – Watching Your Back,
Dr. Aaron Gaily, D.C.
www.chiropractorsmonterey.com