How are you doing so far this year? Its almost time for a new year? Have you stuck to those big resolutions you thought about back in late December?  

Or maybe you’re not the resolution-making type.  Maybe you’ve tried and failed one too many times to think you can psyche yourself up for making big changes.

If you’ve already slid back into the old routine, or if you have just plain given up on ever making big changes to your life, or if you have a lurking sense that these New Year’s habits might not last much more than a few days, you’ve got good reason to feel “stuck in a rut.”  

I read recently that only 8% of people will keep their New Year’s Resolutions.  Most people, it seems, fail to make big changes in their life this way, and odds are, you’re one of them.  

But if you have the mental capacity to read these words right now, and if you’re able to self-reflect and consider how well you’re doing (or not doing), I have good news for you.  You can change.  Big time.  

Those people in the 8% are not just lucky, or more highly motivated, or more disciplined.  They just had a moment when they made a fundamental, deep in their bones decision to be different.  Not do different, but be different.  

If you’re stuck in a rut, you can’t just decide to get out of the rut.  You need a new rut.  You need a new normal.  

I recently met a woman who lost over a hundred pounds through healthy lifestyle changes.  You could tell her transformation had been very, very meaningful to her.  I asked her, “Can you tell me what made you decide to make the change?  What was the moment that made you decide to get healthy?”  She looked me right in the eye and said, “Yeah, I can tell you the day I decided to change.  It was the day that I got on an airplane, but I couldn’t get the seatbelt around me and I had to ask for a seat belt extender.  That was the day I decided to change.”  

Your moment doesn’t have to be that dramatic.  It could be as simple as sitting right where you are, reading these words, and deciding, right now, to get a new rut.  Set a new normal for yourself.  Be different.  Be the you that you are longing to be.  Then go carve you out a new rut in life.  Why not?

A Not-So-Great Use for Coca-Cola 

Fill in the blank: Coca-Cola settles your ______________.  

Say it together everybody: “STOMACH!”  

According to whom?  Well everyone’s grandmother of course!

But is it true?  (No offense, grandma!)

It’s amazing how powerful the messages we have inherited about what’s “good for us” are.  We read about the dangers of soda, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, but we still keep ordering cokes in this country like they’re going out of style.  And deep down, many of us, when we’re sick, will actually reach back into the deep part of our psyche and want a coke to “make us feel better.”  And of course, if you’re a caffeine addict and coke or diet coke or coke zero is your beverage of choice, well then you probably o feel worse when you’re not getting your regular injection of your drug of choice!  

Whether you’re ready to question “age old wisdom” yet or not, here’s something to consider before you walk up to that soda fountain next time.  

Fill in the blank: Coca-Cola weakens your ________________.  

Answer: “Bone density.”  That’s right.  That coke you just drank is weakening your bones.

I like to imagine those fizzy bubbles, which grandma thought were  so good for my stomach, bubbling up like air bubbles inside my bones and making them just a bit more brittle each time I have a coke.  It’s 
not scientifically how it works, but it helps me remember that I like my bones and want them around a while.  I’d much prefer a lifetime of strong bones than getting to belch after downing a soda.  

“Hey Grandma!  Guess what I just heard about Coca-Cola!”

“OUCH!  I tweaked my back!”  “Argh!  I can’t WAIT for this headache to go away.”  

Pain.  It happens.  Your back just won’t quit hurting.  You've got a nagging headache and can’t concentrate, but you've got a pile of work to do.  So what do you do?

If you’re like most Americans, you reach for your pain reliever of choice.  Most people have their trusted brand.  

Quick question though.  Does it cure the pain?  

Well, yes and no.  If you take enough of the right pills, sure, you probably won’t feel the pain.  But does it cure what is causing the pain?  

If you will take a moment and really let that last question sink in, you might just change and even save your life.  

Does Tylenol or Advil or Aleve really cure what causes your headache or backache or nagging pain of choice?  

The truth is, it does not.  It only tells your brain not to care or notice that pain.  And that’s a real shame.  

Because pain is your friend.  Pain is your body telling you something is wrong.  

What if you decided, rather than to shut up the pain by numbing it, you listened to it?  

Let’s say it’s stress, bad diet, lack of sleep, or any combination of these that’s causing your headache.  

Why do we take the pills?  So we can keep working right?  So we can continue pushing when our body is telling us it’s time to stop.  

Let’s say there’s really something wrong in your back that’s causing that lower back pain (or some lifestyle stresser that needs attention).  If you pop a few Advil and keep going, what do you think is actually happening in that site of pain?  Is it getting better or worse?

While we think the Advil is relieving the pain, in fact it is allowing us to do further damage and not feel the pain that would be shouting at us to stop, make adjustments and heal.  So what happens four to six hours later?  

You guessed it.  More pain.  

You’d think we would quit calling them pain relievers.  

So what are you going to do about your pain? Chiropractic Care can help without the use of pain killers, for a long term relief. 

The horrific mass shooting at Sandy Creek Elementary has rocked our nation and our consciences.  Our hearts have all been ripped apart by the stories we have heard.  And there is seemingly no end to the analysis of why this may have happened, and if it could have been prevented.  Of course people want to do all in their power to help stop such tragic things from happening.  

One area that once again is getting massive attention in the news media is mental illness.  Obviously, in the days and weeks to come more information will likely come out, and the last thing I want to do is 
make blanket statements which will not even apply as more information comes to light.  The easy path or many of us is to just read articles and blog posts and wonder about what might have been going on with the shooter and his mental health.  

But there’s a more difficult and perhaps more important question: How is your mental health?  Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re not utterly going off the deep end, but how many of us have wrestled with bouts of depression, panic attacks, at times crippling anxiety, or even suicidal thoughts?  All of this is quite common to the human experience, but the question is… what do we do about it?  

Increasingly in our culture, the quick answer is to go see a psychiatrist.  While some form of psychotherapy may be recommended, many are likely to be prescribed an anti-depressant to treat, say, suicidal thoughts that are persistent.  

But how is that working?  

In the past decade, the number of Americans taking anti-depressants has tripled.  Tripled.  

But are we any happier?  

Even more alarmingly, a recent study has shown that anti-depressant use among children, teens, and young adults can actually increase the likelihood the person will commit suicide.  

So what about you?  If you had to take one of those surveys to decide if you’re depressed, would you qualify?  Are you or is someone you know currently taking anti-depressants?  Are you getting the results you had hoped for?  

For a few weeks, maybe even longer, our culture and our media will be discussing mental heath.  Most of us have little control over the culture at large and how they deal with (or ignore) mental illness.  I’m sure we all wish there was a pill we could take that would undo the horrible damage done by mass killings like the one at Sandy Creek. 

But we are not powerless.  We cannot necessarily control the mental health problems of the world or determine that they be fixed.  But we can take steps to improve our own mental health.  In fact, that’s
the only way our world will become healthier, by each one of us taking small steps and sometimes big ones, each and every day.

Well if you’re like us your drive to work or school or the store has gotten a bit more colorful in the past few days.  Spring is upon us!  Most people love this time of year.  During winter the world sort of goes to sleep, many things die off, and then in spring we begin to see the grass turn green, the flowers bloom, and the world comes to live once again.  

While our bodies may not be on an “annual cycle” like so much of the trees and shrubs we drive past each day, did you know that your body is in a constant process of dying and recreating as well? 

A not-so-obvious question: How old are you? 

Before you give a quick answer, a few facts.  Most of your body is in a constant process of making new cells of all kinds: bone cells, skin cells, muscle tissue, and more.  We know our hair keeps growing, and I suppose we are aware that 90% of the dust we find in our homes is actually dead human skin!  (yep, that’s true).  But have you ever thought about how quickly your cells are replaced in different parts of your body? 

Most middle-aged adults have bodies that are only 7-10 years old. 
Most of the parts of your body renew themselves completely in ten years or less.  Your red blood cells typically last only 120 days, and you have an entirely new skin in just two weeks! 

Which leads to an important question:
What have you been putting into your body over the past two weeks, or over the past seven to ten years?  If your body is less than ten years old, then shouldn’t you expect to feel a bit younger than maybe you do? 

At Ranicki Chiropractic and Wellness, we are here to help you get the most life you can out of the cells you have, and we would love to see you feel younger and healthier in the months and years to come! 

As the world around us bursts into full bloom, let’s admit it – some yards will look better than others.  Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side, right? 

Wrong.  The grass is NOT greener on the other side.  The grass is greener where it is watered and cared for. The same is true of our bodies.

This spring, why not take some time to consider how well you are watering your own grass, how well you are taking care of the body you’ve got.  You may not be able to do much about what you have done for the past seven years, but if you start making different choices today… can you imagine how good you’ll feel seven years from now?  

The other day I saw one of those e-cards people constantly share online that said, “My bathing suit told me to go to the gym, but my sweat pants were like, ‘nah girl, you good.’”  It’s worth a laugh, and I’m sure we can all relate to wanting to lose a few… or maybe more than a few pounds, especially this time of year as summer is approaching.  

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel your best, and this time of year a LOT of bad information gets tossed around about how to lose weight FAST and that sort of thing, playing on our fears of what people will think of us if we do hit the pool or the beach. 

But maybe you are ready to get in shape or get back in shape.  Maybe you’ve found that dusty pair of running shoes from years gone by, and you’re ready to go for a jog or even sign up for a gym membership. 

Does chiropractic have anything to offer if you just want to get into shape? 

WAY more than you might expect!  You see, chiropractic is about far more than just making sure your back is aligned so you don’t injure yourself so severely when you do finally go for a jog or to the gym (thought it can definitely help with that).  Chiropractic actually helps your central nervous system, which communicates with all the systems of the body.  So it helps your skeletal system, your muscular system, your endocrine system, your digestive system, your respiratory system… ALL of which function together to determine how much weight you carry, how you feel throughout the day, how much energy you have, how susceptible you are to illness, and more. 

So maybe you stumbled onto this website because you are wanting to get in shape but you have a nagging injury or chronic pain that is keeping you from doing the kind of exercising and let’s be honest the kind of living you’d like to be doing.  Would you consider coming by for an evaluation and discovering how much more than just skeletal health chiropractic has to offer you? 

When you begin to get ALL of the systems of the body in alignment, you would be amazed at how your body can perform (like it was designed to!). 

Heck, you might even feel like a kid again.  

To set up a complimentary consultation, with Pooler Chiropractor, Dr. Steve Ranicki, please call 912-748-1506 or email frontdesk@ranickichiropractic.com or visit our you tube page at http//:www.youtube.com/ranickichiropractic.