Have you ever thought about what gives you energy?
We are very complex and diverse beings that generate energy entirely from within ourselves. It is said that the average person’s energy consumption would require the burning of over 15,000 pounds of coal a year! That equates to about 19kgs of coal a day!
Unlike mechanical machines that require a single power source, we need a multitude of factors to keep our energy levels high. When it comes to longevity, humans need the basics to survive. Just like pot plants, we all need to get enough sunlight, water, rest and nutrition to adapt and grow. Where we differ from plants is our daily need for a clear mindset and healthy body movement to calm our mind and stimulate our nerve system.
The biggest enemy to our energy is stress, which can take on many forms. It’s crucial to evaluate, reflect upon and work out how much stress and energy is being used up unnecessarily in your week. The biggest energy waster we see in practice is sympathetic dominance or prolonged adrenaline response. In modern society we have more invisible stressors than physical. We are no longer racing from a tiger or lion but are getting chronically stressed about deadlines, finances, work, family and so on.
The other massive energy waster is poor structural posture. If your brain isn’t communicating freely with your body’s nerve system, a whole lot of processes slow down and require more energy, resulting in more stress. Roger Sperry, a Nobel prize winner in neurology found that about 90% of the body’s total energy is used to maintain your body upright against gravity.
At Coast Chiropractic we care about how much stress you are under and how much energy potential you have. We do a variety of scans and tests to work out how much vital energy your body is wasting.
The first test we do is heart rate variability (HRV). This part is responsible for your autonomic functions like breathing, digestion, balance and sometimes, all at the same time! With this information we can see if you are stuck in a fight or flight pattern of stress which can inhibit your body’s ability to heal leading to exhaustion and fatigue. On this graph, a score in the green box represents a healthy nerve system that can better adapt and bounce back from stress.
The second scan we do is called the Surface EMG, which is a fancy name for testing muscle activity. This allows the chiropractor to see which spinal muscles are working too hard and which are switched off or being lazy. If certain muscles are out of balance this can also affect how much energy you have in your day.
And lastly, we do the thermography scan which measures heat given off by the spine and tells the chiropractor what’s happening to the nerve supply of your internal organs. Are they under stress or tension? This gives us an insight to a person’s level of immunity. An immune system under threat uses more energy to fight disease. Most of the time, this energy is being spent to fight diseases without you even being aware of it!
So be mindful of your energy, look after yourself as regularly as a pot plant, exercise, eat and get regularly adjusted to stay energised.
Reflect on your week and ask yourself – do I need to do this or am I choosing to do this?
Does this fit within my values and energy?
Is this a good investment of my energy?
And will this investment help me to thrive and grow?
Dr. Joe
