Exercise Posts

The 8 Most Important areas to focus on to maintain health through exercise

The 8 Most Important areas to focus on to maintain health through exercise Today on the blog, we are bringing you an interview with a special guest, Mr. Patrick Diver about all things health and wellness. We’re going to focus on exercise, we’re going to focus on being active, all these things that we’re advising patients to do. Patrick Diver is going to share what he does in his personal training studio and how you can apply some of those principles to get the most out of your health and exercise. Dr. Merrill: How long have you been doing what you’ve been doing and what is it that you do? Patrick Diver: I own a personal training studio called Strength Clinic. It’s on the West Side of College Park and I’ve owned the studio for 8 years.  My background is in Sports Medicine. Initially, I started off as a Certified Athletic Trainer,...

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Resolutions and Running Tips

We are a few weeks into 2020, and it’s a perfect time to check in on those New Year’s Resolutions. Did you make a resolution? How is that resolution going? If you are doing well with what you’re doing, that’s great. You’ve probably made some changes in your habits. Even if you’ve gotten off track, you can always start again. Now, today, forget that, throw away that resolution and start over and just say, “Hey, I’m going to make a change.” And running is a great place to start. My new year’s resolution was to run more. I have a love-hate relationship with running, so I absolutely hate it when I’m doing the act of running; it’s my least favorite time of the day. I am gasping, hating every second of it. But after I get done, I feel...

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Doing these 3 simple stretches? You should be!

Doing these 3 simple stretches? You should be! If you’re reading this article at your desk, be sure to stand up and stretch the minute you are done. You see, humans aren’t supposed to sit at a computer for 12 hours a day. We often joke with our chiropractic patients about wanting to create a “Paleolithic daily regiment” like the Paleolithic diet. Imagine a bunch of our early ancestors crouched over a fire. For at least part of the day it would look like a kindergarten classroom picking up a box of spilled crayons. Everyone would appear to be in a squat position. What would our day look like if we didn’t use chairs? Or better yet, what would your day feel like? Here are three stretches that isolate the muscles that take the worst punishment when you’ve been grinding it out on the computer. Iliopsoas/ Hip...

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Dr. Merrill’s Top 5 Fast Facts and Health Hacks

Dr. Merrill’s Top 5 Fast Facts and Health Hacks 1. Pain in the bottom of your heel? If you Google it, you’ll probably come up with plantar fasciitis, but chances are good that you actually have plantar fasciosis and can fix it yourself in about two weeks. All you need is a toe spacer. If you wear it 24/7 (except when in the shower) for two weeks, it will create better blood flow to your heel and may even save you a costly trip to the podiatrist. 2. Ankle pain when running? Have you heard of “lace-locking” your shoes? This will keep your heels snug and secure without crushing your toes. Don’t cinch down too tight though as your ankle needs some room to move while you run. 3. Looking for the perfect breakfast? For more than 100 years, the answer has been eggs. Two hard-boiled eggs have...

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Chiropractic Adjustment Before or After Exercise?

Chiropractic Adjustment Before or After Exercise? A common question we often get is if a patient should get a chiropractic adjustment before they work out or after. Although there are many different types of exercise and different concerns for each individual patient, certain concepts remain the same. What others say Most chiropractors will tell you that exercise after chiropractic adjustment is a better option.  The reason for this is many fold, BUT the simplest explanation is that your body MOVES better after an adjustment.   If you have been having pain then an adjustment can reduce that pain allowing you to perform better during exercise.  Decreased pain along with increased flexibility of the spine helps to decrease the time it takes you to warm up as well as allowing muscles to move through a full range of motion which is very important during exercise. Second, muscles...

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