Sluggish

We had a client come in a few weeks ago, who was visiting her family in the area. She lives in Europe with her two small children and husband. She was in town for two weeks, seeing old friends and grandparents and enjoying being in Idaho. She had also planned on running a half marathon while here, which is why she came to see us. The flights and strange beds had gotten to her a little. Anyway, she came in again on Monday after the big race.

“How did it go?”

“I didn’t finish.”

“What happened?”

“I got 5 miles in and felt so sluggish that I just bagged it.”

“You must be disappointed.”

“Yes. I trained faithfully for months and was ready. I’m not sure what happened. But I think it is my diet. I eat pretty clean in Europe, but it is so much easier to eat there. So much fresh stuff. And they don’t have so much junk in the food supply. My kids (they are little) haven’t slept well and seem sluggish too.”

This made me wince.

Just guessing but maybe most of us feel sluggish most of the time and have come to believe this is normal. We don’t even notice. Like with a wedding ring, we don’t notice it or feel it after a while. We become habituated.

We do live in a time and place where we have access to and tend to consume plenty of our daily calories in these processed foods. The shelves of our grocery stores are 90% of this stuff. I’m not sure why the manufactures insist on calling these made-up products “food.” They are just calories and chemicals. Not nutrients. They are truly empty calories.

And calories supply energy. But real food supplies calories and nutrients. Nutrients are what cause your body to regulate, repair, grow, thrive. You really want to base your diet on how many nutrients you can cram into yourself. You will naturally eat fewer calories if you eat enough nutrient dense foods. Interestingly nutrient dense foods do not typically require a label telling us what is in them. Have you ever seen a label on an apple? A steak? An egg?

No explanation required. Nutrient dense.

Contrast that to a box of Chicken-in-a-Biscuit crackers.  Read the label sometime.  Enough said. (I do wish broccoli tasted like those crackers though!)  All calories and no nutrition.  “Food” like this typically requires some level of detoxification.

If you feel that you may have become accustomed to feeling sluggish and need to get on track, Abbey just wrote a terrific blog on detoxification. I highly recommend you read it, assess your status, and act. A lot can be done in a short amount of time.

We are here to help.

Cover Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay.

Reprinted with permission by Swaim Chiropractic. 

Dr. Ken Swaim

Dr. Swaim attended Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward, California. After obtaining his Doctor of Chiropractic license in 2001, he practiced and interned in a high-volume clinic in Spokane, Washington, before returning to Nampa, Idaho in 2002 to open his own practice.

In 2007, the practice transitioned to the Activator Methods® of chiropractic diagnostics and adjusting. Each year, Dr. Swaim continues to earn his Advanced Proficiency Certification, consistently growing in both confidence and expertise. He has a deep interest in nutrition and is committed to ongoing education in this area, fully embracing the importance of pairing chiropractic care with whole food nutritional support. The clinic is also expanding its expertise in shockwave therapy, soft tissue healing, and custom orthotics.

Outside the clinic, Dr. Swaim finds joy in adventures with his family, both big and small. His family includes his lovely wife, Linda, and their delightful daughter, Abbey, who has now joined the practice in the field of nutrition. Their dog Jessie is also a beloved member of the family. Together, they enjoy outdoor activities in every season, family cooking nights, and open, lively discussions. They share a love for reading and watching beautiful or humorous films, including classic shows like The Andy Griffith Show. One of Dr. Swaim’s greatest joys—and occasional frustrations—is writing.