You are Awesome!

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

As the weather outside is getting warmer, the flowers are starting to peak out in my garden, and the days are getting longer, I just can’t help but smile and love life.  

Today I want to pass on some positivity and gratitude.

I want to take a minute today and say thank you to all of my readers, clients, patients and friends who make this community amazing.

It’s so cool to see you stepping up to the challenge of getting healthier, getting past your injuries, setting goals for your fitness, your health and your life.

You are awesome!!

Keep up the great work.  One small step at a time, you really can accomplish great things…whether for your health, your fitness, your sport, your career…your life.

I will continue to be here for you with tidbits that I hope you are finding helpful as you negotiate your way on your path to happier and healthier.

Please feel free to comment below or post a comment on my Facebook wall to let me know what you would like to see or learn more about.

If you are working toward a goal in health, fitness, nutrition or weight loss and if you are looking for some support along the way, come over and join the amazing group of people in the 21 Day Challenge Facebook Group.

You will find a fantastic bunch of people from all walks of life and in all stages of health and wellness who are doing a great job keeping each other motivated and supporting each other in their goals!

Have an amazing day, and remember this…

You are Awesome!

Live Well,

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Jazz Up Your Water With Essential Oils

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

In my last post, I promised that I would share some ways to jazz up your water so that you will be more likely to drink more water every day.

Remember that it is important to get 8 glasses of water into your body everyday.  And since that is a bit vague in terms of an actual amount, take your body weight in pounds and divide it by 2.  That number is the number of ounces of water you should be drinking each day.

So if you weigh 160 pounds, you should be drinking 80 ounces of water each day.

The tips I outline in the video will also allow you to cut back on unhealthy, sugary soda pop and juices while making sure that you are getting the appropriate amount of water.

The first tip to jazz up your water is to add some fruit to your water:

Adding lemon, lime, orange or even a berry mix to your water will give it some sweetness, and flavor.

The second tip is to use Young Living Essential Oils in your water to get some great flavor but also some amazing health benefits.

Peppermint essential oil will perk you up during the mid afternoon drowsies and will help your digestive system.  It also tastes delicious!

Lemon essential oil also tastes delicious and has antioxidant and detoxifying characteristics.

There are many other Young Living Essential Oils that will jazz up your water and give you great health benefits.

The third tip to jazz up your water and decrease your soda pop intake is to drink bubbly mineral water with a splash of juice:

The mineral water doesn’t have the phosphoric acid, sugar, aspartame or other chemicals associated with drinking soda pop but will still give you the ‘fizzy’ feeling that is part of the experience of drinking soda.

This trick helped me to give up my love of Cola and I’m much healthier for it!

These are 3 simple and great ways to jazz up your water.

If you have more questions about Young Living Essential Oils, check out this link or leave a comment below.

Cheers to more and tastier water.

Until next time….

Live Well,

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Drink More Water. It is Good For Your Health!

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

Dear Optimist, Pessimist, and Realist. While you guys were arguing about the glass of water. I drank it.- The Opportunist.

Why is Water so important?

Believe it or not, our bodies are mostly water.  The human body is made up of up to 60-70% water.  As a result, you can see how important it is for us to keep putting this amazing liquid into our bodies in order to stay hydrated but also to maintain good health.

Water helps to increase energy, decrease appetite, flush toxins out of our bodies and keep your gastrointestinal system moving in the way it should.

How Much Water Should I drink every day?

There is some debate as to what is the appropriate amount of water to drink each day.

Most people have heard you should drink 8 glasses per day.  

Well, what exactly is a ‘glass’?

Should it be a big glass or a small glass?  What about people of different shapes and sizes?  Should they be drinking out of bigger or smaller glasses?  What about people that have very physical jobs who are sweating a lot or people who are sweating because of exercise?

Instead of following this very ambiguous 8 glass per day rule, I recommend that people should take their body weight in pounds and divide it by 2.  The number that they come up with is the amount of water in ounces that they should drink daily.

For example:

If you weigh 160 pounds, divide that number by 2 to get 80.

You should be aiming to drink 80 ounces of water daily.

If you have a physical job or you are sweating a lot because of exercise you should increase that amount!

What if I don’t feel thirsty?

Your body is extremely efficient.  If you go for hours and hours and days and days and years and years and don’t give your body the water it needs, your body will learn to function as well as it can off of less. 

You may see the effects as dry skin, constipation, fatigue, increased appetite, headaches, premature aging and other effects of toxicity and dehydration.

If you follow the water intake guidelines I have laid out above, at first you will have to pee a lot.  As your body gets used to having more water, your system will adapt and even with more water going in, your body will use the water instead of getting rid of it right away.

You will find that the more water you drink, you will actually begin to feel thirsty and you will start to enjoy the taste and experience of a nice glass of water!

Here’s another cool fact about water which is especially relevant for those people who are looking to lose some weight.  By drinking water, you will be avoiding the calories in the drinks you are replacing and…It is a very effective appetite suppressant! Often, when you think you are hungry, you are actually just thirsty.

If you drink an 8-ounce glass of water when you first start feeling hungry, you will find that it suppresses your appetite in nearly every case. If you just drink a full glass and have the discipline to wait 10 minutes, you will find that your appetite is either completely gone or dramatically reduced.

Does it have to be water?  What about Coffee, Tea, Milk, Juice or Pop?

Here is where many many people get into trouble.  None of these things (with perhaps the exception of soda pop) are bad for you in moderation…

But…there are lots of people out there, who drink no water at all! 

Instead of drinking water, they drink gallons of pop or juice.

They say that they don’t like water. They don’t like the way it tastes!

Herbal caffeine-free teas, or milk are ok and you can count the ounces of these toward your daily total.

Coffee or caffeinated tea are not terrible but when you drink a lot of these beverages, you start to dehydrate because caffeine is a diuretic and will make you pee.

Keep in mind too, that the more fruits and vegetables you eat every day (which you should be), you will be getting water content from them as well…another good reason to eat your veggies 

Dangers of Too Much Fruit Juice or Pop

People are often surprised when I tell them to cut back on fruit juice intake.  They assume that because it’s out of a fruit that it must be good for you!

Well, a little juice occasionally is not bad but when you squeeze the juice out of the fruit, you leave the good fibre of the fruit behind.  The fibre in the fruit prevents a quick blood sugar spike by helping to slow down the uptake of sugar into your blood stream which keeps your blood sugar levels more steady.

When you remove this important role of the fibre in the fruit and just drink the juice, you are essentially drinking sugar….which we all know is not good for us for many reasons. 

Ingesting sugar or high glycemic foods or drinks causes a repeated spiking of glucose and then insulin which can then lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome and increased inflammation in your arteries which contributes to heart disease.

On top of all of that, the increased sugar intake makes your body a very acidic environment which is a perfect place for bacteria and viruses to grow….which make you sick….and the other thing that thrives in an acidic environment is cancer.

While we are on the subject of sugar…let’s talk about soda pop!

If you drink the full sugar variety, you will be getting the same sugar spike we mentioned above that can lead to problems with your glucose insulin system the same problems that we mentioned above.

You will also usually be ingesting sugar in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup which, along with the problems associated with sugar I have already mentioned, can play havoc with the health of your liver.

So then people say to me…well what about Diet Pop?

In my opinion, this is even worse!

Aspartame is a neurotoxin that is not safe in any amount and should never be ingested by anyone ever!  In many countries it is illegal for this very reason.

If you choose to drink the occasional soda….drink the full sugar variety as even with the health risks associated….it is still safer than diet soda.

Avoid drinking any beverages that have artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose (splenda) in them.  

If these things weren’t bad enough, pop (both the full sugar and diet varieties) is served in plastic bottles or cans that are lined with BPA (Bis-Phenol A) which has been shown to cause ill health effects.

And…If that wasn’t enough, the phosphoric acid in soda pop (both the full sugar and diet varieties) will leech the calcium from your bones and contribute to osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Water is still the best choice.

If you are currently not drinking any water, or you aren’t drinking enough water, start today and get more of it into you!

If you are like many people and you have a habit of drinking a lot of coffee or soda pop instead of water….start today and add a little more water and drink a little less soda or coffee.  

Make it a goal to drink soda pop as only an occasional indulgence instead of an everyday thing.

Is there anything else I can drink?

Stay tuned, because in Thursday’s post, I’m going to give you a couple of great ideas that will help you jazz up your water and make you more likely to drink it!!

Until next time, go have a glass of water and…

Live Well.

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Stay Injury Free by Avoiding the Terrible Toos

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

If you have small children you may have a different idea of what the Terrible Toos means.

To me it means Too Much, Too Fast, Too Soon.

These ‘Terribles’ are the number one reason that I see athletes in my practice with injuries.

They are especially relevant for beginner athletes and those who are coming back to their sport after an injury.

Avoiding the Terrible Toos is also important for anyone who has been sitting on the couch all winter who then jumps up and runs out to work in the garden.

Here are some tips to help you avoid these Terrible Toos:

1)Warm Up:  Sadly, as we get older, our muscles and connective tissues become less pliable and flexible which makes us more susceptible to injury.  By doing a 5-10 minute warm up where you get blood flowing to the big muscles of the body by getting them moving, you will be much less likely to get injured.

2)Start Low and Go Slow: Follow the 10 percent rule.  Never add more than 10 percent to any weeks mileage or to any one workout.  Adding a little activity at a time allows your body to adapt and you will be less likely to get injured.

3)Include Cross Training: By including varied activities in your exercise program, you will be using different muscles in different ways, and you will be less likely to be injured.

4)Recovery is Important:  Follow the 48 hour rule. It is normal to experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) for up to 48 hours following a bout of activity or exercise.  If you are feeling pain that is not improving after 48 hours, don’t assume it will go away!  Get some help.  See a body worker like a Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, Massage Therapist to get some relief.

Also, make sure to wait 48 hours in between your hard workouts to prevent injuries.

So, get outside and play and get your body moving but make sure to avoid the Terrible Toos to stay injury free.

Live Well,

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Why We Love Sugar and a Healthy Recipe for Chocolate Brownies

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

Ok.  Now who doesn’t love a sweet treat on occasion?

I want to share a healthier version of a lovely chocolate treat but first let’s talk about why we love sugar so much and why it’s making us sick.

Our hunter gatherer ancestors didn’t come across sweet things very often and when then did…

(Like finding berries or other sweetness in nature…)

…They would eat as much as possible because it was so rare to find it.

Our ancestors consumed a low amount of calories but a HUGE amount of nutrition.  On top on this, they moved their bodies regularly as they worked to find food and survive.

Fast forward many many generations and now we live in a world where we sit still in a chair for much of our lives and we have access to MASSIVE amounts of calories but sadly, the calories we consume have very little nutrition.

And because our hunter gatherer ancestors bodies were designed to eat as much sweetness as possible….because it was so rare….we now can’t help ourselves.

If I taste something sweet….my taste buds, my nervous system, my brain are all yelling YES YES YES…give me more.

Remember that sugar to your body is not just sweets and desserts…it’s also breads and cereals and crackers and pasta and juices.  It’s also hidden sugar in fast food and processed everything.

With this explanation you can see why we are a culture that is struggling with obesity, diabetes and other preventable degenerative diseases.

Our bodies are just not designed to handle so much sugar.

We could talk for many blog posts about the evils of sugar….but why don’t we move on to the sweet treat I mentioned that has…believe it or not….very little sugar.

This recipe uses coconut flour, coconut crystals, coconut oil and ground chia seeds.  There are amazing nutritional benefits to all of these ingredients which I’ll go over briefly in a minute….but first…the recipe.

Super Energy Chia Double Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

¾ cup coconut flour

4-5 tbsp chia seeds (crushed in a coffee grinder or blender)

¼ tsp baking soda

½ cup coconut crystals or 1/3 cup coconut nectar

½ cup coconut oil

2 tbsp water

1 1/2 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan (I used coconut oil and a glass baking dish)

2. In a small bowl, mix together coconut flour, chia seeds and baking soda.

3. In a small sauce pan, combine coconut nectar, coconut oil and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove immediately from heat.

4. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips and vanilla extract until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

5. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Cool completely.

6. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time, beat well after each addition.  Gradually stir in flour and chia mixture until smooth.

7. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and nuts into batter.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

8. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely.  Cut into squares.

Check out www.naturalhealthychoices.weebly.com for more yummy recipes.

As you can see from the picture I took above, they look delicious…and they taste delicious too.

And…the coolest part is the only sugar in this recipe is the sugar in the chocolate chips…if you use bittersweet chocolate chips, there will be even less.

How does this recipe get away with this?

Coconut Crystals

Well, The Coconut Crystals are used for sweetness in this recipe.  When the coconut tree is tapped, it produces a nutrient-rich “sap” that exudes from coconut blossoms.  This sap is very low glycemic (GI of only 35), diabetic friendly, is an abundant source of minerals, 17 amino acids, vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins.  

Coconut crystals are a welcome choice for anyone seeking an alternative to refined sugar.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is a great alternative to other flours.  It has as much protein as wheat flour but it has no gluten, a huge advantage for gluten allergies and wheat sensitivities.   

Coconut Flour is very high in fiber… as in 38.5% fiber. This is the highest percentage of dietary fiber found in ANY flour. Coconut flour is another excellent way to increase your daily fiber intake. 

Coconut Flour is gluten-free and is ideal for those who follow a low carb or gluten free eating plan. It works well as part of a weight loss program because it's high fiber content helps provide a feeling of satiety. (fullness)

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has many health benefits.  

Coconut oil has been found to help normalize blood lipids and protect against damage to the liver by alcohol and other toxins, can play a role in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases, and is associated with improved blood sugar and insulin control and therefore the prevention and management of diabetes. 

In addition, coconut oil has been shown to have antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. On a more superficial level, meanwhile, coconut oil is thought to help strengthen mineral absorption, which is important for healthy teeth and bones, and can also help improve the condition and appearance of the scalp, hair and skin when ingested or topically applied.

It is rich in the “healthy fats” that we have talked about in previous posts.

It is a great substitute for butter or other oils in baking and cooking.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are one of nature’s most nutritious foods. They are a tiny edible seed that’s easily digested. 

They are high in protein (they are a complete protein

source providing all of the essential amino acids in an appropriate balance), vitamins, minerals and enzymes and the outer hull of this seed is an excellent source of fiber. Chia seeds are also a good source of essential oils since it contains almost a third of its mass as omega-3 and omega-6 oils.

Chia seeds, which are black or white in color, are covered with a highly absorbent hull. The hull can absorb over seven times its weight in water, producing a gelatin-like substance as the seeds are soaked. The gel-like substance acts as a barrier to slow the release of carbohydrates and thus, enabling a slower conversion into glucose (blood sugar) as the seed is digested.

Since the seeds absorb significant amounts of water, the lower calorie and nutritious chia gel gives you a “filled up” feeling. For many, this means eating smaller quantities and ingesting fewer calories. The regular consumption of chia seeds has been a successful weight-loss strategy for many.

I hope that you have learned a little bit today about why we love sugar so much and I hope that you have also learned that with a creativity, it is possible to create a sweet treat with very little sugar…and with lots of amazing nutrition!

Until next time,

Enjoy the brownies and…

Live Well,

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Oprah’s Life Class and the Power of Forgiveness

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Oprah’s Life Class in Toronto and be a part of an 8500 person audience to watch Oprah and her Lifeclass Teachers sharing life changing information.

Many thanks to Pat Mussieux of Wealthy Women Leaders who held a contest for the ticket which I won!  

The theme of last week’s Lifeclass was Forgiveness and it was so amazing to hear from Deepak Chopra, Inyala Vanzant, Tony Robbins and Bishop T.D. Jakes on this subject.

There were many take home moments for me and I wanted to share a few of them with you today because anger and resentment are holding many of us back from reaching our true potential in all areas of life….including health and wellness.

At the beginning of the live broadcast of the Life Class show that aired on OWN in North America and around the world, Oprah did a Twitter Poll asking the question:

“Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive?”

The results of the poll showed that 73% of people answered YES to this question.  How about you?  Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive?

If you are like the majority of people watching Oprah’s Lifeclass last week, the answer is YES.

The reason why this is so important to your life, your success and your health is that holding onto resentment and anger is only hurting you….and it’s making you sick.

The first speaker of the night was the amazing Deepak Chopra.  Whenever he speaks, I feel like I’m meditating.  He is so good.

The saying that spoke loudly to me that he shared that night was this:

"Holding on to resentment is like holding your breath – you will suffocate" – Deepak Chopra

He also pointed out that physiologically, systems in your body begin to function differently.  You will release more stress hormones causing a host of health and wellness problems. Cells are more likely to mutate causing cancer.  Your immune system will function differently, creating an environment for sickness.

Without forgiveness, you are making yourself sick….literally.

Deepak also said that holding onto resentment and anger will cause you to become spiritually constipated.  The relief comes with forgiveness.

The next speaker was the incredibly energetic Inyala Vanzant.  My takeaway from her talk was this:

“Until you learn to heal the wounds of your past, you will continue to bleed into your future” –Inyala Vanzant

Once again, the message here was that by leaving old wounds and resentments unchecked and unhealed, you are hurting your chances for the successful and happy future that you deserve.

In many cases, the person that you have to forgive is yourself…for something you did, for the way you reacted, for holding onto anger for so long, for not knowing any better in the time and place you were in.  

She also stated that:

“Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different” –Inyala Vanzant

When you let go of the burden that has been weighing you down, you can then move forward into the happy successful life that is waiting for you.

Forgiveness is the medicine that allows you to be free.  Forgiveness is letting go of the past.

The incredibly energetic Tony Robbins was the next speaker and he talked about how most people don’t succeed because they come up with a story of how “It’s not my fault”

People blame circumstances or other people for the things that happened to them and they hold onto anger and resentment for years.

He said that if we can get past the limitations of our stories…we can break through and change our lives.

One way that you can change your story: Give yourself the gift of forgiveness.

“Forgiveness is something you give yourself…you are not giving it to someone else” –Tony Robbins

Many people are looking for revenge, or an apology and that anger is blocking them….is holding them back.

Tony told a story about working with a family who lost their child to a murderer.  They thought that they would feel closure once the murderer was killed through the death penalty.

He said that the saddest thing was that his death didn’t make them feel any better.  True peace and freedom happened only with forgiveness.

If there is something that you are still holding on to….you need to let it go.  Staying in that place of anger and resentment is hurting you much more than who ever it is that you are angry with.

Give yourself the gift of forgiveness.

The fourth speaker was Bishop T.D. Jakes.

He said:

“Unforgiveness unchecked becomes a cancer of the soul” –T.D. Jakes

He said that by holding onto anger and resentment, we are empowering our history which prevents the manifestation of your destiny.

When T.D. Jakes said this, Oprah had some great insight with the following statement:

“I am not going to allow what you did to me to negatively impact how I am living today." -Oprah

The exciting part about this is that we have the power to change our lives – when we change our thinking, we change our beliefs and therefore change our performance. 

The key to your happy and successful future is within your own power.

When we forgive someone, we free ourselves to live a more successful, healthy and satisfying life.

I found Oprah’s Life Class to be an amazing experience that has changed me for the better and has given me some more tools to use on my journey toward healthier and happier.

I hope that you found a nugget of wisdom in these words too.

Until next time,

Live Well.

Peggy

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More exciting news this week!

I had the great opportunity to work with MMA fighter Chris Clements to get him tuned up as he prepared for his UFC debut in Atlanta this past weekend at UFC 145.

He won in an exciting match against Keith Wisniewski!

Congrats Chris!!

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Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

The Boston Marathon and Shin Splints

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

Last week, several of my patients were into my office to get their final pre-race tune up as they packed up and headed down to Boston to prepare for the annual marathon that is happening today.

Today is a day that many marathoners dream about, talk about, prepare years for and aspire to in a way that is unique to the sport of running.

Today is the day that upwards of 25 000 people will be propelling their bodies, one foot in front of the other, for 26 miles 385 yards (42.195km) in what is arguably one of the world’s most prestigious road racing events.

This third Monday in April (Patriot’s Day in the United States) is the day that for the last 115 years has hosted the Boston Marathon.  It is the oldest annual marathon in the entire world.

Even as I prepared for my first marathon and experienced my first tentative lessons about what was required in mental and physical stamina to make it to the finish line of this endeavour, I heard whispers about ‘Boston’.

In almost every conversation that I have had about marathon running, The Boston Marathon is mentioned and discussed.  It is a race that once qualified for and completed brings prestige and pride to a runner like no other running endeavor. 

When other runners see an athlete wearing Boston Marathon Finisher paraphernalia, it becomes whisper and awe worthy.

To hundreds of thousands of recreational runners, qualifying for the Boston Marathon has become the Holy Grail of running. 

I want to share the experience of one of my readers who will be running in a charity spot in today’s Boston Marathon who, up until a couple of months ago, was suffering with terrible shin splints.

I shared a few tips for the treatment of shin splints with him back in February when he was part way into his training for the race in Boston today and he recently sent me the following message:

“I want to send you a quick email to Thank You for all your help !!! I had sent you an email about 6 to 8 weeks ago in regards to my shin splint issue and you were kind enough to reply and give me some great advice. I took your advice very literally and put a plan together and within about 30 days I became officially shin splint free. I am running the Boston Marathon in 11 days (my 1st marathon) and I can't tell you what peace of mind I now have knowing the pain I was running through prior will not be apart of that day.”

If you are suffering with Shin Splints and are looking for some relief, check out some of my articles with some tips to get you back running again.

You can also check out my Free Shin Splints Report or my Shin Splint Solutions EBook, which is 73 pages of great information on Shin Splints and how to get rid of them to get back to pain free running.

I also wanted to share a cool bit of history about the Boston Marathon that I recently came across. It really shows how far the sport of running and the Boston Marathon has come.

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston marathon. After realizing that a woman was running, race organizer Jock Semple went after Switzer shouting, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.” However, Switzer’s boyfriend and other male runners provided a protective shield during the entire marathon.  The photographs taken of the incident made world headlines, and Kathrine later won the NYC marathon with a time of 3:07:29.

For all you ladies who are heading to the start line today, give a shout out to this courageous woman who helped to pave the way for your Boston experience!

I wish the best of luck to those athletes running the Boston Marathon today, especially those who will head to the start line there for the first time. You are truly taking fabulous running steps into the history books of sport.

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Get Your Body Moving. Move it or Lose it!

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

We have discussed the benefits of exercise and how important it is to get your body moving in previous posts.

The human body is designed to move.  We are designed to run and jump and hunt and gather.

Instead of using our bodies in the way that they were designed, we have adapted as a society to sit still in a chair for hours on end…and it’s making us sick.

In fact, there is compelling evidence that shows that sitting can kill you.  

What?! Really?  That seems extreme doesn’t it?

Well all things being equal, the person who sits the most will be more at risk of dying than the person who sits the least.

Hence, sitting can kill you.

So, it’s extremely important to find ways to get your body moving every day.  It’s also really important to recognize that moving is more than just exercising.  

Adding movement throughout your day and breaking up the very common sustained seated posture will help to decrease pain and injury and will increase all measures of health.

On my Blog Talk Radio Show “Wellness Wednesdays With Dr. Peggy” this week, I reviewed all of these ‘Get your body moving’ concepts.

You can check out the replay here.

You can also review previous posts with more information on how Sitting can Kill you and the benefits of exercise.

Now go get your body moving!

Live Well,

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome Foam Roller Stretch

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

Last week, we discussed Iliotibial band syndrome.  We learned what causes it, how to prevent it and how to get some relief if you are suffering with this common running injury.

Also known as Runner’s Knee, Iliotibial band syndrome causes intense lateral knee pain and takes many runners out of their training and away from their goals of the finish line on race day.

In the following video, I demonstrate how to use a foam roller to stretch out the quadriceps and the iliotibial band to get some relief.

The perfect time to do this stretch on the foam roller is just after exercise or a shower while your muscles are warm.

Start with the anterior thighs or quadriceps muscles.  Working the quadriceps first will bring blood to the upper legs and warm up the area before putting pressure into the iliotibial band directly.

With your thighs on the foam roller and much of your body weight in your hands, roll slowly back and forth 20 times from just above your knees to just below your hips.

Then bend your knees which will increase tension on your quadriceps muscles and repeat the back and forth motion another 20 times.

Then tip to the lateral (outside) part of your quadriceps muscle where it meets the iliotibial band and slowly roll back and forth 20 times.

This may be uncomfortable or even painful if you are in a current Iliotibial Band Syndrome crisis.  If it is causing you a lot of pain, take your top leg and bring it forward to the floor and put some weight into it which will take some pressure off the area that you are rolling along the foam roller.

The final back and forth should be directly on the lateral side of your thigh right on the iliotibial band. Again, if it is too much as you get started, put some weight into the top leg on the floor.

If you do this foam roller stretch/roll every day, the pain will decrease and you will start to feel much better.

It’s not a bad idea to include this stretch in your regular post-run (or post-exercise) routine to prevent the pain of Iliotibial band syndrome from returning.

Remember to also include gluteal strengthening exercises and hip flexor stretches if you are in a Runner's Knee crisis.

Here’s to pain free running and the end of Iliotibial Band Syndrome!

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.

Relief for Iliotibial Band Syndrome

By: Dr. Peggy Malone

What is Iliotibial Band Syndrome?

Also known as Runner’s Knee, Iliotibial Band Syndrome is a painful affliction most often suffered by runners.  

In fact it is one of the most common repetitive strain injuries in runners.  I have experienced it myself and I see it in my office almost every day.

The first symptoms that people usually feel are pain and swelling and sometimes clicking on the lateral (outer) side of their knee.  These symptoms fool people into thinking that they have a knee injury, when really the culprit is further up the anatomy train.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome is often treated with NSAIDS (over the counter medications), ice, stretching, massage and sometimes cortisone injections.  

This approach may give temporary relief but the true cause of this often debilitating injury lies in the biomechanics, strength and function of the hips and pelvis so until these factors are addressed, it is difficult to get true healing.

The Iliotibial band is a fibrous band that runs from the hip to the shin or from Tensor Fascia Latae muscle attached to the Ilium (part of the pelvis) all the way down the side of the thigh to the lateral side of the tibia (shin bone).

The Iliotibial band’s job is to help the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles to abduct and stabilize the hip and pelvis.

Wait a minute, this sounds familiar…we have discussed the dysfunction of the gluteal muscles in relation to Shin Splints and other running injuries too!

Weakness and dysfunction in the hips and glutes is extremely common in runners and contributes to every repetitive running injury from the floor to the core including:

Plantar Fasciitis

Achilles Tendinitis or Dysfunction

Shin Splints

Knee Pain

Patellofemoral Syndrome

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Chronic Hamstring Strain

Hip Pain

Piriformis Syndrome

Back Pain

That is quite the list and the common denominator that I always come back to when working with athletes in my practice….the glutes.

Let’s talk about Iliotibial band syndrome specifically for a minute.

As we have learned in previous posts, the massive amount of sitting that we all do in our day to day lives puts us at a huge disadvantage when we then stand up and go to run.

The sustained sitting posture creates a biomechanical and neurological situation where the hip flexor muscles are extremely shortened and tight and the gluteal musculature goes ‘On Holidays’ and signs over its work to other muscles such as the quadriceps, hamstrings and low back extensors.

When you lose the function of your gluteus medius and minimus muscles, you lose your major pelvic stabilizers every running step you take.

As a result, you get wobbly hips which means your poor TFL (tensor fascia latae) and ITB (Iliotibial band) are stressed with more force than they are designed for with each running step.

This creates the repetitive strain injury that we are all here for today known as Iliotibial Band Syndrome.

So, the true relief for this problem lies in strengthening and (more importantly) increasing function in the hips and glutes.

I have outlined 5 great exercises to help you do this in a previous post.

Ok, so it takes awhile to get stronger…  

What can you do for relief in the meantime?

Use Ice: Every Hour for 10 minutes.

Rest: It’s ok to take some time away from running as you get healthy.

Crosstrain:  Other activities such as cycling and swimming may be less aggravating and will keep your cardiovascular fitness rocking.

Run on a flat surface: When you do go back to running, avoid the country side road runs with the angled shoulders that bring patients to my office in droves every year with ITB symptoms.

Stretch: And don’t just stretch your ITB. Stretch your hip flexors because by opening the front of the pelvis, you will increase the likelihood that your glutes will wake up from their slumber and actually do their job.

Also, use a foam roller to stretch out and open up the quadriceps and the Iliotibial band.

Check out the video where I demonstrate how to do this:

When you are running, there are a couple of things that you can do to give you relief in the moment if the symptom at the knee starts to ‘say hello’.

If it is your right knee, focus on activating your gluteal musculature on the right side every time your right foot hits the ground. (you can increase the likelihood of contraction in the correct muscle by placing your hand on your gluteus medius muscle)

This really works!

Also, if you are on a hill (going up or down) and the pain is bad…shuffle sideways.  

This really works too!

Both of these techniques should be used for race day pain only.  If you are in pain during training, it’s better to stop and focus on recovery before you head back out again.

It really is possible to get past the awful pain of Iliotibial Band Syndrome and get back to the running that I know you love 

Live Well and Happy Running,

Peggy

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. Her weekly Television Series 'Living Well" inspires people from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.