Sports Chiropractors - keeping things working smoothly!

It's been a while since my last visit to the sports chiropractor. I used to be a regular there with my string of random injuries, ranging from shin splints, to light plantar fasciitis, to strained calf muscles, and hips being out of place.

I used to attribute my injuries to the fact that I have minor scoliosis, and one leg longer than the other. While I do think that it plays a role, I must admit that low heart rate training has been eye opening, and has helped me realize that I was just pushing myself way too hard.

Sports chiropractors are awesome, and I always make sure the ones I see are skilled in ART. Active Release Technique. This technique can be painful at times, but I think it's very effective at breaking down scar tissues, and bringing more blood flow back into the area. I love it, and I think it really increases healing times. I also like that sports chiropractors can analyze your entire body, and find the root of the problem. For instance, your foot injury might be stemming from a tight muscle in your hip that might need some work on. There have been many times where the injury stemmed from somewhere much higher up on my leg that I had no idea was so tight.

My doc is Dr. Dade Donovan in San Mateo. I had previously gone to a different sports chiropractor in the city but wanted to find one closer to me since I had moved. Luckily Yelp steered me in the right direction, and due to his shining reviews, I decided to go see him. After a couple of visits, I realized that not only is he a great doc but he has the same subtle sarcastic humor that I have and we get along swimmingly. He's quickly become one of my all-time-favorite docs.

I am comfortable telling him that no, I didn't do your stretches you told me to, and yes, I did this really stupid run that probably broke me. In return, he's rarely surprised, and kind of tailors his treatments to my schedule and personality. Despite what it seems, I do take his advice, and have a high respect for what he has to tell me.

It had been several months since I last saw him due to the new diet and heart rate training, but I was still sheepish to admit that I'd taken such drastic measures. I had assumed that he'd be disappointed with me falling into diet trends, although I really felt like I did a lot of solid research before diving into this one.

When I confessed about what I've been up to, it surprised me that it was right on target with what he was going to tell me to do! He seemed kind of shocked, and had told me he expected my legs to be in much worse condition. He explained that my new diet was precisely what I need, and would keep the inflammation in my body down. Basically, I had been doing everything right! Once I opened up, it was like a flood of information coming out. I couldn't stop talking (anyone that knows me, knows that me talking non-stop is a RARE occurrence), and I wanted to tell him about every detail. It really has been life changing.

I just wanted to share that. I was really excited to get his stamp of approval, and it just encouraged me and made me a bit more confident in my approach to this 50 miler. :D I think the only nutritional tweaks I want to do is maybe cut down on my dairy and red meat, due to how it raises inflammation. I say this, but also steak is on the menu tonight. :| And I am also posting a picture of some provolone cheese chips I made. THEY ARE SO EASY AND SO GOOD. All you have to do literally is put the oven to 350, tear up pieces of provolone...any shape is fine, and slap those suckers on some parchment paper laid on a cookie sheet. I think a lot of cheeses will work, but I was really surprised with how good the provolone came out. But yes, going to try my best to ease off all the cheese, haha.

provolone chips with some pepperoni slices. 

OH! And this soup is SO GOOD. You all know how much I LOVE the crockpot, I think this is going to be one of my new favorites! I made it with spinach because we didn't have kale on board, but the kale would have been even tastier. Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale soup! You might start to notice that a lot of the recipes I find are Paleo. Don't be afraid of Paleo. It's a wonderful thing, and probably one of the most nutritious and sane diets out there. If it makes you think of Crossfit, and you hate crossfit...you should get over the hate, because everyone I know that does crossfit has a six pack, so they must be doing something right. :|

 Ok, that's it! Fer real! I'm out!