Your monthly dose – September 2019
What a summer - definitely full with two kids, but we made the most of our holidays. With fall around the corner I am looking forward to steady work and a regular routine. I am bit back upped on writing ideas but today is a start - more to come in the fall.
Wellness / Grub: another article sent to me by one of my brothers (I think they know I take issue with “wellness”). My favourite line from this article is when her new dietitian takes a radically different approach. “What a gift,” she said, appreciatively, “to love food. It’s one of the greatest pleasures in life. Can you think of your appetite as a gift?” Like many things in life, exercise, work, or relationships, changing how we perceive food is one of the best things we can do. Give the article a read, its a good one.
Something I am trying: sitting on the ground to read. I read most mornings before the kids are up (see why I do this here). My old habit was to sit on one of our bar stools To break this habit and get better at sitting on the ground I now start my day by reading on the floor. It won’t solve all of my problems but it’s another way to move differently and keep the body and mind challenged.
Exercise I am loving: the pistol squat. I have had a nagging pain in knee (it clicks and pops and gets a little sore - probably a meniscal tear on MRI) but I took my own advice and kept my activity high but changed how I was doing it. A daily dose of pistol squats seems to have gotten me over the hump. I never think there is just one way out of problem but this daily routine has made a big difference to my confidence on the court and has coincided with a significant reduction discomfort. Often the movement we have the most difficulty with is the one we must use to get out of a problem. Check out my short video below.
Medical knowledge: Good medicine evolves as we learn more, albeit sometimes slower than it should. I came across a good article highlighting areas in which our evidence has changed over but has been slow to change practice. Many medical practices once supported and promoted have been shown to be wrong with more rigorous studies. This article discusses ten areas in which former advice is now outdated.
As always thanks for reading. I hope the start to September has been a good one.
Dave Carter
The pistol squat - it definitely helped me but as always each case might need something a little different.
Book list
1. We finished two audio books since my last email: Little Fires Everywhere. It started slow but the writing was great and the characters definitely captured us by the end. We just finished the Rosie Project - light and hilarious. A good Aussie Romantic Comedy - similar in many ways to Eleanor Oliphant.
2. How to hide an Empire: A history of the Greater United States. A highly enjoyable read for anyone interested in learning a more American History. The book takes you through the history of Americas territories (colonies) - the good and the bad. It is very much a hidden part of their history.
3. I finished Todd Hargroves new book - Playing with Movement. It is written for the general population but is worthwhile for anyone working in physical health. It gave me good ideas on how to integrate practice and play into my work and further ideas on developing resilience.
4. Red Notice by Bill Browder was awesome. Great recommendation. It was a fast read from the library as it was waitlisted but it wasn't hard to get through. An interesting dive into the economics and politics and post Soviet Russia.
Recent Blog Posts
1. Summary from the Nutrition Challenge
2. My thoughts on improving flexibility for your sport
3. Do you need core training for squash
4. Acupuncture in physiotherapy