run out of excuses.

lets be honest, just when i feel like i’ve got a grip on this workout thing, motivation drops, life goes crazy and then POOF, an excuse appears. its like magic, really. just when i need a reason not to get that run in, life almost always throws me a bone and gives me a solid reason not to.

take last week for instance. in a normal week, we operate at the level of busy, which is manageable, but much easier when you are firing on all cylinders. but then the stomach flu hit me. i had no choice but to sit life out for a day and do my best to recover. losing a day out of your week is hard and then trying to make up for it while you still aren’t one-hundred percent is even harder. 

so with 2 weeks until the colfax half-marathon, this weekend was supposed to be my longest training run, the grand finale, final push of training, if you will. but i was dehydrated and weak from being sick. i didn’t want my last big run before the race to be horrible and possibly injure myself or even get sick while running (no one wants that!). so i didn’t do it. 

but then i started feeling bad. excuses are so easy. and while this was a pretty good one, nothing about training for a race is supposed to be “easy.” and while the stomach flu wasn’t a part of the training plan, excuses aren’t either.

20,000 steps before 8:00AM!

so i found a way. it involved waiting an extra day to know that nasty flu was behind me. it meant getting up at 5:15am and starting my run in the dark so i could be home to be with mason in time for dr. chris to head up to adjust his sunday morning patients. it wasn’t the easy way. or the way i wanted to do it. but the satisfaction i got from pushing myself beyond the excuses was more than worth it. it wasn’t the 11 miles i was supposed to do this weekend, but 9.5 miles felt far greater than doing none and letting the excuses win. 

i’m not saying this is how it goes every time i want to sit one out. but this is a great reminder for me that the easy way doesn’t feel so good. and when the calendar is full and it doesn’t seem like there’s time to squeeze that run in, take a second look. 

but i’m not gonna lie, the nap i’m about to take is going to feel pretty amazing too!

- kristen

Why I Workout.

I ran my first half marathon almost 2 years go. I’m not sure why I did it, other than a friend asked me if i wanted to. I said yes because I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no.

Little did I know when i said yes to that adventure, I was saying yes to a full-on lifestyle change. I’ve always considered myself an active person. I love the outdoors, hiking, going for walks, etc. but life didn’t always make an active life easy. Crazy full-time jobs. An energy-sucking pregnancy. Ambitious house renovations. I can admit that sometimes, even with the best intensions, the couch was more appealing at the end of a long day.

While life still doesn’t always make exercise a priority, I know its up to me to make sure it happens. Some of the reasons I workout are silly, some are more serious, but at the end of the day, I know there are a million good reasons I should be moving my body and I still can’t really think of a good enough reason to say no. This is why I workout:

1. “fomo” 

So I might be having a little bit of a “fear of missing out” moment when it comes to working out. I have some pretty amazing friends who go on some pretty amazing adventures. I want to be able to go and i want to be able to keep up. I want to be able to climb that 14er with everyone or make it to the hut without holding the group back. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have friends who push me to be the healthiest person i can and experience things others can only imagine. 

I run most of my races with two of my best friends from college. the last race we did was through a canyon in moab. what do most people do on girls weekends? spas? wine tasting? not us. we run 13.1 miles through the desert. staying in touch with your college friends years later is a gift, but having those friends to make you better, to laugh with when it hurts, is a blessing. I workout to be able to do the same thing for them.

2. I am a work in progress

I used to be so mean to myself when it came to running. no time was good enough, every distance was too short. but then i realized something: there are enough people out there to be mean to you. It's up to you to be your own biggest cheerleader. If you celebrate every time you go for a run, no matter how far, or every time you make it to barre class, it’s WAY more enjoyable. I firmly believe in the idea that you are lapping everyone sitting on a couch somewhere, even if you just go around the block. Celebrate that! 

Working out is still hard. Runs are still absolutely exhausting. But if I look back to where I was two years ago when I said yes to that race, I have come so far. I am so much stronger. And I am, and always will be, a work in progress.

3. it's ok to be selfish

Sometimes I feel selfish when it comes to making time to workout. I’ve always subscribed to the idea that saying yes to something means saying no to something else and I hate the feeling of putting my time ahead of anyone else’s. I’m extremely lucky to be married to someone who supports my work out time and he makes it possible. But If being selfish means making my health a priority, then I think more people should be selfish. 

One of the biggest lessons I learned having a child is that you have to take care of yourself to be able to take care of anyone else. It’s not a natural feeling, but if i want to keep up with Mason as he gets faster and faster and be able to hold him when he needs to snuggle, I have to work for that. If that means running and lifting weights to be there for my kiddo, i can’t think of a better reason. Also, every time he sees me lace up my running shoes he sees me choosing to be healthy. I can only hope he lives a healthy, active life, and I’m choosing to teach him by example. I always think of the phrase “little eyes are watching” and with this one, and I hope he is. 

I feel like the simple, “selfish”, act of choosing me, is me choosing everyone I care about.

4. my mental health depends on it

Mental health is something that a lot of people don’t feel comfortable talking about, yet most people have dealt with at some point or another. I’ve struggled with depression most of my life to varying degrees and now know that as much as working out is good for my body, it’s just as important to my mental health. Running is my time to clear my head, to get it all out and leave nothing behind. There’s something about the most exhausting part of your day being the most peaceful part. I get to know me again and I feel like clarity is restored. They say the person who starts the race is not the same person who finishes the race, and I find that true with every run, always for the better.

5. god gave me the ability.

If you’ve ever loved someone dealing with physical pain, who couldn’t run if their life depended on it, you know how hard it is to watch. God gave me a body that is able to push itself and do amazing things. I run because I can and I run for everyone who can’t. Health is a gift that i never want to take for granted. It’s a strange analogy, but I feel like every workout I do is an investment in my future. I want to always be active and enjoy life to the fullest and if that means saying yes to crazy races, then  I will every time.

- Kristen

We're Blogging!

Hi! So we've had this blog for a while now, but never really used it. So, with a new year, comes new goals and one of ours is to continue to find more ways to connect with our patients and the blog seemed like a perfect way to do just that.

While we are not perfect by any means, we try to live healthy lives. Often our patients ask us about food choices we make, how we choose to workout, questions about essential oils and more. Our blog is here to give you a peek into our lives and how we choose to do things. We'll be sharing example meal plans we make each week (because thats the only way to really stick to healthy eating, right?), great recipes we've tried, any interesting articles we've been finding, workout tips, a great oil blend we've been loving or even just something funny that happened around our house.

We'd love to talk to you about what works for you as well - we have a lot we can learn from each other and we hope this is a great place to do that!

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Thornton Chiropractor

We all can use a good chiropractic visit once in a while. Life is full of bumps and falls, and small things can get your spinal alignment out of whack and start causing problems that you aren’t aware of until later on when it begins to affect your health, or you begin to feel pain all the time. Especially in today’s more sedentary environment, improper posture can lead to problems that you would never even think of because you didn’t have an accident or get jolted in any way. A visit to our Thornton chiropractor here at Optimal Health Chiropractic is a great way to get any nagging worries about your spinal health off your mind. Our professional Thornton chiropractor knows just what to look for, and if you come because you are experiencing pain, you can rest assured that you will probably find relief here.

Our Thornton chiropractor uses a holistic approach to healthcare, so you don’t have to worry about potentially harmful medications and we only go to surgery as a last resort. We feel there are much more natural ways of working with the body to restore health without having to take drastic measures that often only treat the symptoms and do little to fix the actual problem.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Thornton Chiropractor

Everyone agrees that the best medicine is prevention and most people would agree, whether they actually do it or not, that a yearly trip to the doctor is a good idea and a key aspect to that prevention plan. However, often people don’t think about chiropractic care as an essential part of prevention and/or treatment for various maladies. Our Thornton chiropractor recommends coming to get checked here at Optimal Health Chiropractic every so often to help prevent issues from forming. And if you’re already experiencing joint pain, back or shoulder pain, frequent or constant headaches, or have been in a car accident or sustained a sports injury then all the more reason to take some time to see our Thornton chiropractor.

Our Thornton chiropractor also recommends bringing your kids in to get checked every once in a while. Often people think that because kids are young and resilient they will just bounce back on their own from minor injuries sustained during play time and for the most part they probably will. However, some of the normal activities of childhood like jumping and falling can lead to a misaligned spine and even nerve damage that can all be prevented with a quick trip to the chiropractor.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Thornton Chiropractor

Have life’s little aches and pains gotten you down recently? Many people in the Denver Metro area live with random aches and pains that plague them constantly, but don’t have to. There is a Thornton area chiropractor that can help you with all sorts of different aches and pains including, but not limited to, headaches, backaches, joint pain, and numbness in the arms or legs. Here at Optimal Health Chiropractic we have a whole arsenal of techniques and modalities with which we have had tremendous success. You will be surprised at how easy it can be to say goodbye to all those bothersome aches and pains that you thought you just had to live with. That is the power of the good chiropractic services that our Thornton area chiropractor can offer.

So why wait any longer? Living life pain free is just as simple as picking up the phone, scheduling an appointment and coming to see our Thornton chiropractor. Depending on the severity of your particular problem you may see lasting results rather quickly. For more severe issues you may have to make a few visits but we say the tradeoff is well worth it. Seriously, who wouldn't want to live pain free if it were possible?

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Chiropractor Thornton

Damaging your back and spine is very serious business and rehabilitation is difficult, but not impossible and the professionals at Optimal Health Chiropractic are able to help you facilitate and even speed the healing process. Our chiropractor in Thornton has a very natural approach to spinal rehabilitation. We help you strengthen the muscles around your spine through a variety of controlled repetitive movements that have been shown to help speed recovery or stabilize a chronic condition.

If more is necessary our chiropractor in Thornton has a variety of modalities that can be used to help with pain reduction, speed the healing process and even minimize scar tissue. A few of the modalities that our chiropractor in Thornton often uses include electronic muscle stimulation, Russian muscle stimulation, cold and moist heat therapy, and mechanical traction. Our experts will evaluate each case individually to determine the best course of treatment in your particular case. Unlike the way some doctors treat their patients we believe that there is no one size fits all approach to health care and we are very concerned with finding the right type of treatment and putting you back on the road to good health and a pain free life.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Thornton Chiropractor

Have life’s little aches and pains gotten you down recently? Many people in the Denver Metro area live with random aches and pains that plague them constantly, but don’t have to. There is a Thornton area chiropractor that can help you with all sorts of different aches and pains including, but not limited to, headaches, backaches, joint pain, and numbness in the arms or legs. Here at Optimal Health Chiropractic we have a whole arsenal of techniques and modalities with which we have had tremendous success. You will be surprised at how easy it can be to say goodbye to all those bothersome aches and pains that you thought you just had to live with. That is the power of the good chiropractic services that our Thornton area chiropractor can offer.

So why wait any longer? Living life pain free is just as simple as picking up the phone, scheduling an appointment and coming to see our Thornton chiropractor. Depending on the severity of your particular problem you may see lasting results rather quickly. For more severe issues you may have to make a few visits but we say the tradeoff is well worth it. Seriously, who wouldn't want to live pain free if it were possible?

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Chiropractor Thornton

Have you been in a car accident, either recently or years ago? The force that is exerted on the body during a car crash is quite strong, even at low speeds, and you may have injured yourself and not even necessarily be aware of it. Do you find that you have random back or neck pain? Maybe you suffer from constant headaches and when you start to think about it you realize that they began shortly after that bad car accident you were in. It’s time to come and see a not notch professional chiropractor in Thornton to find out what residual injuries you are carrying around and have them patched up. Our philosophy at Optimal Health Chiropractic is that people should be able to live pain free and every day we dedicate ourselves to making that happen.

You might think that visiting a chiropractor in Thornton will just be a waste of time and money. We encourage you to talk to some of our clients or any of your friends that have taken the time to see a good chiropractor in Thornton and see what they have to say about their experience. If you are skeptical we think you will be surprised by the positive feedback you undoubtedly will receive.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Thornton Chiropractor

Oftentimes as cold weather starts to settle in we feel some of our aches and pains a little more and we think that that’s just the way it is. We can’t get around it. Life has aches and pains and the cold makes them worse. Well, there is near Thornton a chiropractor that can help you ease or erase some of those aches and pains and you owe it to yourself to go and talk to him. Yes, some aches and pains are unavoidable, but some aren’t and Optimal Health Chiropractic is here to get rid of those that are avoidable and help you live the most pain free life that you can. That is our commitment to our clients.

Our Thornton chiropractor uses natural techniques as much as possible to work with the natural healing process of your body. We believe that is the most effective way to deal with physical issues. Plus we do our best to accommodate our clients as much as possible. If you are unable to come to our office during our regular business hours, please talk to us anyways. Sometimes we are able to schedule a visit with our Thornton chiropractor during off hours.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/index.html

Chiropractor Thornton

Maybe you were injured in a car accident and now you have various aches and pains, maybe rather minor issues or maybe rather debilitating life-altering problems. There is a chiropractor in Thornton that can help you with these problems. The professionals at Optimal Health Chiropractic are dedicated to helping people live pain free lives. Many times people are in car accidents but the effects don’t show up for some time, or it seems too minor to bother with, but we think that if you are able to get rid of it by a simple trip to the chiropractor in Thornton, then why not?

Our expert chiropractor in Thornton can also offer a few practical pieces of advice to help avoid injuries and lingering pain before being in a car accident. Make sure to adjust the car restraints and, most importantly, the headrest when getting into a car for the first time. Avoid smaller cars and make sure that your car is equipped with air bags. Also if you have a split second before impact to brace yourself try to push your entire body back into your seat, particularly your head and neck, looking straight forward and raising your shoulders to help prevent injury upon impact.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Thornton Chiropractor

We all have them. Minor aches and pains that are annoying but maybe don’t completely detract from your quality of life. Or maybe they do? There is an expert Thornton chiropractor that may be able to answer that question for you. At Optimal Health Chiropractic our philosophy is that people should live happy, pain-free lives and often the aches and pains that people experience daily are actually quite easy to fix. 

This Thornton chiropractor is also able to help with a myriad of other issues. Maybe you’ve been in a car accident or were injured in a sporting incident and are still experiencing lingering pains. Maybe you are pregnant. Did you know that this Thornton chiropractor can even help make a pregnancy more comfortable? Chiropractors can help with a variety of problems that most people brush off thinking that nothing can be done, or it’s too minor to worry about. But we don’t think that your health and/or your quality of life are minor things to worry about. We think that to enjoy life to the fullest you shouldn’t have to be ignoring a nagging pain in your shoulder, or your back, or your neck, or your wherever.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Chiropractor Thornton

Our bodies are constantly being used and eventually the wear and tear starts to build up and we can have small (or large) aches and pains that constantly plague us. When that happens it is time to start looking for a great Thornton area chiropractor. We, of course, recommend our office Optimal Health Chiropractic. We hold ourselves to a high standard and foster the belief that many of the body’s aches and pains can be handled naturally through chiropractic work instead of costly medicine or surgery. Chiropractic work is a great answer to pain caused by everything from sitting hunched at a computer all day to recovering from a significant car crash.

In Thornton, chiropractors are relatively easy to find, but we think that our philosophy and customer service raises us above the rest. We do have regular office hours but we realize that many people’s work or school schedules will conflict with our hours or otherwise make it impossible to visit our office so we go above and beyond. Please call this chiropractor in Thornton today and we will do everything that we can to accommodate your busy schedule, including making appointments outside of our regular office hours.

For more information about Optimal Health Chiropractic visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/

Thornton Chiropractor

If you are in need of a good, quality Thornton area chiropractor then you should check us out today. Optimal Health Chiropractic is highly concerned with taking care of everything from pesky pains that annoy you throughout the day all the way up to debilitating issues that seriously detract from your quality of life. We are trained in a variety of techniques and will evaluate each patient to determine which technique will provide the most benefit in each case. This Thornton chiropractor can help with a wide variety of issues including but not limited to back, neck, wrist and shoulder pain, chronic headaches, injuries incurred during a sports activity or car accident, arm or leg pain/numbness, or even simply make a pregnancy more comfortable. We are even able to help with some infant and childhood issues.

We are dedicated to offering quality care and keeping our prices reasonable so if you are dealing with chronic pain or having lingering pain after an injury you should check out this Thornton chiropractor. We will always perform a thorough evaluation and determine what type of treatment we think you require and then we will explain the process and answer any questions you have.

For more information visit our website at http://www.broomfieldchirocare.com/