The Body Blog
I Work Out All the Time – Why Can’t I Lose Weight?
Six Reasons Women Struggle to Lose Weight You hit the gym or do a workout at least four times a week and still you are not seeing the results you want. Many women struggle with this exact problem. But working out does not automatically equal weight loss. There are many factors that determine weight loss, like changing hormones and lifestyle habits, such as sleep, that have a lot to do with that number on the scale going up or down. Six Reasons Women Struggle to Lose Weight There are six main reasons I see women struggle to lose weight, [...]
Don’t Ignore “Growing Pains” in Young Athletes
When my kids were little and acting strange or cranky, my husband and I would look at each other and joke, “Growth spurt.” And while it would be a cover-all when we did not have an answer for the change in behavior, we were not far off. From birth through puberty the human body goes through massive growth and changes – more than any other time in life. That rapid growth puts strain and pressure on joints, ligaments, bones and muscle to all grow and develop, and most times, they don’t all grow at the same rate. This can [...]
Do Detox Cleanses Actually Work?
Do detox cleanses work? I get this question a lot and it seems there is a new fad cleanse every week. The point of a detox is to clean out the junk in your body, but they only work if you don’t bring it back in. A detox works as a kick-start to clear toxins, but if you go back to old habits, you will go right back to where you were, or possibly be worse off. Detoxes should be the start of a new behavior and lifestyle change. There are detoxes that are limited and designed to give [...]
Triathlon Training – Train Smarter, Not Harder
Triathlon competitors like a challenge. Some have run in several marathons and are ready to push their body in different ways, or have competed before and want to beat a personal record. Some are first-timers and have set a bucket list or health goal to compete in a triathlon. Regardless of the level of experience, you want to train smarter, not harder when it comes to getting ready to compete in a triathlon. Common Training Mistakes The biggest training mistake I see with first-time competitors is they go out too hard and too fast. They are excited and want [...]
The 5 Things I Would Tell My Younger Self Now That My Daughter is Going to College
Hindsight. It gives us great perspective once we can step out of the thick of a situation and reexamine. Now that my oldest daughter, Hanna, is heading off to college in the fall, I can reflect on what I would have told my younger self when my daughter was still playing with Barbies and taking naps: You don’t have to do it all right now. When I was in my late 30s and my girls were little, I was stressed and the definition of “wired and tired”. I was doing too much and really burning myself out. I was [...]
Get the Right Amount of Physical Therapy for Your Injury
Step right up, folks! We can get you better in six visits or less! Step right up! If this sounds absurd to you, it should. But it is the constraint many of our patients face from insurance limitations. Insurance companies are not medical professionals, and it is up to you and your physical therapist what your treatment plan should be. Sometimes you may have a minor injury and see significant improvement in four visits, but more often than not, physical therapy is a long game and we cannot always get the full results we want in six visits. By [...]
Diastasis Recti and Pelvic Floor Recovery after Childbirth
Giving birth is traumatic for a woman’s body; even when there are no complications. That’s why, regardless of a natural birth or a c-section, I recommend for all new moms to come in for an evaluation six to eight weeks after giving birth to create a plan for their postpartum healing. The two most common conditions we treat after childbirth are pelvic floor issues and diastasis recti. Pelvic floor issues range from painful intercourse to incontinence. After giving birth women can present with either a “tight” pelvic floor or “weak” pelvic floor. Diastasis recti is when the midline of [...]
From Benched to Collegiate Level Running
How Partnership Between Coaches and Physical Therapists Gets the Best Results for Youth Athletes At Battle Born Health, we specialize in working with youth athletes to help them recover from injury or get to the top of their game. The most ideal scenario is when we, as physical therapists, can partner with the patient’s coach - and that is exactly what happened in this success story. Josh* loves to run. He is passionate about track and was very excited to join the cross-country team as a freshman at his high school. But then he started noticing dramatic pain in [...]
Your Spring Allergies May be a Symptom of a Larger Problem
Spring is here in Northern Nevada and often spring is accompanied by seasonal allergies, or what we think are seasonal allergies. True allergies will usually occur at the same time every year and make you feel slightly run down or give you cold-like symptoms for a few days or up to two weeks. However, as a functional medicine coach, I see many women who blame feeling crappy on “seasonal allergies” that have been going on for months. Sinus infections and respiratory issues are common signals there is something else going on in the body to cause these chronic symptoms [...]
My Health Journey to Finding Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine saved my life. Before I found functional medicine, I spent years feeling tired, boated, cranky, and just plain crappy. As a physical therapist, I have been really healthy and active my whole life, but when I hit my late 30s something changed. I was stressed and the definition of “wired and tired”. I was doing too much and really burning myself out. I over-exercised and ended up gaining weight instead of losing or maintaining; my gut was a bloated mess no matter what I ate; I was anxious; and I was in some sort of pain constantly. At [...]
