Just what is strength training? Strength training is the process of building muscle and its power through resistance training. Building muscle can help your body look better, perform better, and feel better. In addition, strong muscles can make exercise easier, while weaker muscle has a higher metabolic cost and is less efficient at using the energy you take in to get you moving. In particular, strength training will also increase your metabolism, so you burn more calories and fat as you exercise. Strength training is not just for those who want to be the strongest person around, or even the biggest and the baddest. It is also a way to build power and strength into your body while making it leaner and more ripped. Having a bigger and stronger body is more than just looking good. It's something someone can experience physical, mental, and social benefits from. In addition, building muscle mass has been shown to lower the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. 7 Essential exercises for building power and strength If you're looking for an exercise that will really challenge your body, perform these seven exercises regularly. 1. Barbell Clean and Press The Barbell Clean and Press is a great exercise to strengthen your upper body. It's also a great way to build strength and power when performing the lift in a front squat position. The Barbell Clean and Press is an advanced Olympic weightlifting exercise that requires excellent core stability, strength, and flexibility. For example, you must have solid hip flexor flexibility to dip your knees without losing the ability to squat down deep enough to get under the bar for the lift. You'll also need good shoulder flexibility because when you press overhead with your elbows wide apart, your shoulders must move forward quickly and slightly at the top of the lift. For this powerlifting exercise, you'll use a loaded barbell on the floor to lift it overhead with an overhand grip. To perform this lift correctly, you'll drive through your heels to lift the barbell up to your chest while keeping your core tight. Then dip your knees as you press up through them, driving through your hands to catch underneath the barbell before standing up tall with weight in the front rack position. 2. Bulgarian Split Squat The Bulgarian split squat is a full-body exercise that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. This full-body exercise helps build muscle strength, power, and explosiveness. It also targets your core muscles, which are extremely important in injury prevention. The Bulgarian split squat can help improve your balance and core strength. This is a great move if you're an athlete or want to stay healthy! To do it: -Stand with your back against a bench or wall with the heels on top of the bench and feet under your hips. · Lower yourself slowly by bending at the knees until they are below parallel to the ground. · Push yourself back up to starting position by extending your knees and hips as you stand tall. · It's important to keep your back straight and maintain a slight arch in your lower back. · If you feel any pain in the knee, stop immediately and consult a doctor.). 3. Goblet Squat Goblet squats are an excellent exercise for building strength and power. They challenge you to use your legs, core, and upper body in unison to lift more weight than you would normally be able to do. You should perform this exercise with a barbell across your shoulders—the same way Olympic lifters do when they squat heavy weights! If you don't have access to one, use dumbbells instead; simply hold them in each hand at shoulder height and walk forward until they're directly over your toes (or wherever else feels comfortable). Then bend down until there is no further bend, in which case: yes! You've done it right! Now stand straight up with good form so that all your weight rests on those heels instead of being supported by other parts of our bodies (i.e., us). 4. Deadlift The deadlift is a compound exercise that targets the entire backside of the body, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. It's a great way to build strength in these areas as well as build upper-body power. To do a deadlift: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider if you have shorter legs; grab both ends of barbell or dumbbells (or trap bar) with hands about 6 inches apart from each other; keep core tight throughout the movement; pull the bar up until hips are fully extended; pause briefly at top position before returning it to the floor by bending knees and hips slightly forward while keeping upper body motionless (don't lean over). 5. Sumo Deadlift The sumo deadlift is very similar to the conventional deadlift. The main difference between the conventional and sumo deadlift is the position of the legs and arms. In a sumo deadlift, your feet are wider than your hands. How wide it will actually depend on your height. Sumo deadlifts are a great way to build strength in your hamstrings and glutes. They'll also help you build strength in your lower back, quadriceps, and other major muscle groups. These exercises are the epitome of compound movements that work on multiple muscles at once—they require more than one joint to be activated during each rep (i.e., you have to bend at the knees as well as straighten from standing), which increases their effectiveness at building overall muscle size.* 6. Trap Bar Deadlift Trap bar deadlift is one of the best exercises for building power, strength, and athletic ability. It's also great for your lower back health because it helps you strengthen the spinal erectors, which can help prevent injury. To do this move safely, use a trap bar instead of dumbbells or kettlebells (if you're using those). In addition, you should keep your back straight as you perform this exercise by keeping it aligned with your rib cage and shoulder blades. Don't let them sag down as they would if someone carried heavy weights over their shoulders! Also, ensure that when taking weight off the floor, both knees stay bent slightly at all times while lifting upwards into position before setting back down again after completing each rep. This keeps blood flowing properly throughout working muscles rather than just being stuck while resting!" 7. Recumbent exercise To do this exercise, you'll need a machine with a seat and leg restraints. You should be lying on your back with your feet flat on the ground so that you're in an extended position (comparable to lying down). You can either use free weights or a recumbent exercise bike to perform this exercise; whichever works best for you will depend on what equipment is available at your gym. When beginning this exercise, it's important not to use too much weight because it could cause too much stress on your lower body muscles and joints. Initially, start by doing fewer repetitions for each set rather than more repetitions per set! Conclusion The exercises in this list build muscle and strength throughout the body. They are compound exercises that work several joints at once, such as squats, deadlifts, and rows. They also engage all your major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, and chest. These moves can be performed with either dumbbells or barbells; however, many people prefer to use free weights for added resistance (especially if you're starting). If you're unsure which one is right for you—or if a friend has recommended something else—try doing some research online first! We hope you've enjoyed learning about these exercises and that they help you build the strength and stamina needed to enjoy your workouts! As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out. We'd love to hear from you!

The Pectoralis Major originates from the sternum and half of your collar bone along with the cartilage of the first 6 or 7 ribs and attaches to a bump on the bone of your shoulder. Its actions include adducting and rotating the arm toward the chest. How to tell if Pectoralis Major is tight: 1. Let arms drop by side. Palms should be facing each other. Not back. 2. Put arm out in T position. Should lie flat on the floor. 3. Put arm out in Y position. Should lie flat on the floor. 4. Clasp fingers behind the neck. Should be able to put elbows on the floor. The Pectoralis Miner originates from the third, fourth, and fifth ribs and attaches to the coracoid process of the shoulder blade. A tight Pectoralis Minor can cause the shoulder blade to rotate out of place and cause subsequent pain in the shoulder or neck. How to tell if Pectoralis Miner is tight: 1. Lie on your back -the back of your shoulder should be flat on the floor. a. If raised – pectoralis minor is tight. (Normal) (Tight Pec Minor) You can use the following: A. Lacrosse Ball B. Massage Gun This video is part of a series of videos on how to treat your pain with self-massage. Check the full series of videos along with the downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/massage/ Bob & Brad's Massage Guns C2 Massage Gun (US), Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US), T2 Massage Gun X6 PRO Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head, EM-19 Massage Gun Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILW0JKUGfBc Brad: Today, we are extremely happy to have Chris here to compliment and upgrade our show. We've got some very good information that's going to be helpful for you as well as for me personally, about Alzheimer's and we're talking about treatment. Chris: Treatment. Brad: Treatment you can do medically as far as medications that are offered as well as what you can do without medications that can help hopefully slow the disease process down and help out your loved one, or your friend, whoever you may be interested in helping with. So before we go on any further, we need to go to Chris because I'm going to relax a little bit. Chris: Alright, well, I guess we're going to talk about Alzheimer's today and it's more about the treatments. Basically, Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia worldwide. So we're talking about 60 to 70% of the patients. In the U.S., you're looking at about 5 million patients. Brad: Wait, 60 to 70%? Chris: 60 to 70% of dementia patients have Alzheimer's. Brad: Oh, I see. Chris: Then the next one is Lewy Body, and then there's vascular dementia, temporal frontal, there are several forms of dementia. If we think about it kind of like an umbrella term, but we're going to talk about Alzheimer's because I think it's the most prevalent. Brad: You said there are more women typically have it than men? Chris: Yeah, kind of interesting just from a statistical standpoint, it affects women more than men. So, for women, the ratio is about one in six, which is about 16%, and for men, it's one in 10, which is about 10% of the population may experience that. Again, with Alzheimer's, it takes six years just to get the diagnosis because we have to rule out several different things. It's going to be whether, your medications are causing it, had a head injury, or a mini-stroke. I mean, these are things that we have to be aware of. Brad: And it seems like oftentimes early on, especially memory is the biggest symptom of Alzheimer's, but it can be symptomatic with other things. Chris: Exactly. Brad: So that's why it's hard to define what it is. Chris: When you're busy and you just, you know, where'd I put my keys, I have no idea, why are they in the bread box? It doesn't make sense. Brad: As I mentioned, I literally put my socks in the refrigerator and I don't think it was a symptom of Alzheimer's, it’s because I was thinking about what I was doing at one o'clock in the afternoon and I was trying to get lunch, you know, all that kind of thing. So again, it's not easy to diagnose. Chris: And that's what makes it so tricky for doctors and neurologists to actually diagnose it. Brad: Sure. Chris: So there's a variety of tests that they kind of go through. One of the simpler things that are done, that's inexpensive is the SAGE Test. So the big fancy term, Self Administered Gerocognitive Examination. Brad: So S.A.G.E. Is this something that you could print off right off the internet? Chris: I printed that right off the internet. It's from The Ohio State University. Brad: So I could print this off, I could take this home, and do it with my mother tonight. Chris: Yup, you bet. It takes about 15 minutes and then basically, you can present that to your doctor. Then basically as scientific as you could, probably do it about a year apart or six months apart, so you have an interval to see if there's any decline going on. You don't have to do the same test all the time, although scientifically, it's probably going to be the best. Brad: Sure, because then you can compare historically how things are going. And I just want to say, if you do this, for example, I know my mother, she would have a hard time reading this because of her vision, so I would help her. And some of these questions on here, I would probably have to explain to her a little bit about it so she understood it and that's okay. You can make little notes on the back, so that later on, six months later, you kind of know where you're at. Chris: And sometimes, you can even set this up so that it's part of your appointment. So let's see, you're going to be seeing neurology. You do the test right before you go in or as you go in and then the doctor will grade your results and then they'll get at least a baseline. So, this is something that's inexpensive. It requires just a printer and a pencil and some paper. So it's something that's nice that you can definitely do and it doesn't cost an arm and leg, whereas a PET scan is an expensive test. Brad: Sure. Chris: So, when we come down to it, they're going to do cerebral spinal fluid tests, they're going to do PET scans to see what's happening in the brain. I mean, Alzheimer's is caused, what we think anyway, is by these amyloid proteins and these tangled tau proteins. If you think about our brain, it's a network of nerves and then when we get these damaged tau proteins, it's kind of like if I took a bunch of spaghetti and tried to make order out of it. And those brain signals don't necessarily communicate properly. Brad: So, they get mixed up. Chris: They get mixed up, so you're trying to follow one noodle, and all of a sudden, you're looping all over. It's the same thing with the way that your brain fires. And so what do we do? Well, we can certainly eat well, we can exercise, and try to stabilize sleep, but there are medications that we can try and use. There are not a lot of them out there. So it's a pretty short list. So you have Cholinesterase inhibitors and then you've got the Glutamate Brad: So there are two medications commonly used? Chris: Well the two that I most commonly see in the pharmacies that I work in are going to be donepezil and Memantine. So, they behave differently, but there is also Galantamine and Rivastigmine but well keep it simple. We'll use those two, donepezil and Memantine, because those are the most widely prescribed drugs and sometimes, they're used separately, and sometimes they're used in combination with one another. Brad: And the physician decides? Chris: The physician, yeah. When do you do this? Well, we've found that the earlier you get on these medications, the better, because, again, no cure, like we talked about, but it does put the brakes on. So instead of it coming down sharply, it's going to be a much more gradual thing. And so what does that do? Well, because we know that the average caregiver spends about five hours a day with the patient, it may allow the patient a little more freedom, a little bit more independence. And maybe a time occurs when something miraculous does happen. There are a lot of things in the research pipeline right now that they're discovering, there's a new, very expensive drug that at least it's out on the market, it's very expensive, it has not been proven to work, it's actually got the emergency authorization, kind of like the COVID vaccines, but we're not going to go in that direction. It got out on the market a lot sooner than it normally would. I mean, the ultimate results of this drug are not going to be fully processed until 2030. So it's 2021 right now, so that kind of tells you, that it's a very embryonic process with learning, it's called Aduhelm. Brad: Yeah, because it's so far in the future, can we go into what you mentioned about food and diet? I'm thinking let's look at the diet because I was looking at some of this and as opposed to just good food, let's be more specific like you're going to eliminate or cut down on processed foods. Chris: Sugars. Brad: Sugar is, the big one, get those darn sugars out and yogurt has as much. Chris: Oh, yeah! Brad: You can buy yogurt and it has as much sugar in it as a can of soda, Pepsi, or Coke, whatever. So you really have to read the labels on what you're eating because sugar is in everything. Everything is processed, sugar and a bunch of the fat, the bad fat, trans fat, so boy, get after the food. It doesn't matter, it's going to make the person's body healthier, even if in theory, it doesn't help the mind, it's a good thing. Chris: Yeah, I mean, it's going to do all over it. I mean, really the time for this is probably now. You don't want to wait until you get to that point to just get started with healthy habits. If you're young enough, start today. I mean, really one of the simplest ones that I liked, is the Mediterranean diet, if you Google the Mediterranean diet, it's got a perfect blend of proteins and healthy fats and, nuts and things. Brad: Leafy greens like spinach. Chris: Exactly. So, it's going to give you that type of diet and pretty flavorful food, to be honest with you. Brad: I know I just heard one thing, and I've heard this and read about it in books is, the color of food is important. So you have your berries, your raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, all these berries, and nuts, and you're not going to overeat them. You're going to eat a handful or whatever, and that's enough. Chris: Yup, eat the rainbow. I mean you can have the flavonoids, they're all antioxidants which seem to show, and there are actually quite a few books now that do show that by eating well, does help to slow the progression of the disease. So again, it's going to be healthy for you, whether you have it or not. I mean, if you're talking about one in 10 or one in six, male or female, so not everybody's going to get it, but eating well is still something that we should strive for every day anyways. Brad: It's going to help your heart for sure. Chris: Yup, exactly. And that's actually, when you look at the list of things, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are one and two, Alzheimer’s, on the cause of death, is number six for older adults. So what happens is, again, it progresses from mild to severe, but along the way when we get to those milder stages and probably earlier is when we want to get on those medications. And so whether it's Donepezil or it's Memantine, those are the things that work differently to help brain transmission and the processing of memory. But I will tell you with Donepezil specifically, which is a Cholinesterase inhibitor, so for all you pharmacy nerds out there. It raises the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and as our brain's diminishing capacity, it helps to keep those levels up, to allow them to fire longer, but eventually that reservoir does run dry. So sometimes then they will go to, the Memantine, which works on glutamate, which is a different neurotransmitter, and actually, the brain seems to kick out too much, so what the Memantine does, is it kind of blocks that, so it leaves just the appropriate amount of glutamine in there. Brad: So you're trying to get things balanced in the brain? Chris: You can get so you can connect your thoughts and you can stay in the moment a lot more easily. And so these drugs do have an avenue and they seem to work best right now with current science, in the milder stages. We might find that with more advanced testing, which they're working on that we might see that they may be being prescribed to younger and younger people. We might just take some blood from you Brad, and just say, "yeah, we're going to look at this, and we've got these three genes here that suggest that maybe there's a possibility." Preventatively, maybe they'd do it. So hard to say there's a, there are just burgeoning amounts of research going on day to day, right now. So, it's not that there are a lot of different treatment things. So it's going to be staying well, and in your arena, physical therapy, and what can we do to keep those muscles strong, to keep us walking safely. Brad: And really you don't have to go out and do a 5K, these people are typically older. That's not appropriate anyways, but just some walking, whether you need a walker or a cane to stay safe because of falls, obviously we want to eliminate that risk. Chris: Absolutely. Brad: Memory things. I just want to say, there are some things, if you do have a loved one, they're walking fine, but they may forget how, like where my mother lives, she has issues, it's possible she has Alzheimer's, um, if you forget how to get to the dining room. So, you're going to walk with them multiple times so that hopefully the repetition is going to kick in. The brakes on a walker, the four-wheeled walker, we've done a lot of things in skilled nursing facilities like this, in big letters have a note "REMEMBER TO LOCK YOUR BRAKES" and we would tape this right to the walker, so the person can always see it. That repetition, repetition is one of the things that can help people remember and make them safer. A note that says, "Hang up the phone," you know some of these older people don't have cell phones, like my mother, she's got to have something she can hang up, but she forgets to hang it up and it just beeps and then there's a problem. These are just examples. Again, all these little things that you can do to help slow the process down and keep your loved one safe. Chris: Yeah, it's going to be, getting rid of clutter, keeping things organized, whiteboards and big checkout lists or calendars are an excellent non-drug tool that honestly probably almost more utility than even some of the medications at some points. Brad: How about throw rugs, man, that's a therapist's worst enemy. That's a big thing, get the throw rugs out because they're one of the biggest tripping hazards there is in a house. Chris: Absolutely. Head injury, hip injury, you name it, whatever can happen in a fall. There's a coffee table and you probably want to lose those too. I mean, that's just so that we keep things out of the way. Brad: And that can be a tough one because, like my mother, there are some things we asked her to do, and she says, "nope." Been doing it for all my life this way and I'm not going to change and that's just the way it is so that you have to kind of dance around the best you can. Chris: That is true and then you have to pick your battles, I think is probably the answer, but whatever we can do to de-stress, declutter, help around the house, pay bills, I mean, auto-pay, financial affairs in order, these are all things that are part of the treatment mechanisms. And so those are things that you can certainly do. Brad: Exactly. And just to finish this out, because it is a progressive disease, if they definitely have it, there's going to be a point where you are unable to care for your loved one or friend. There is going to be a time that they're going to have to go to a facility where there's professional care, 24/7 assistance to make it safe for them. And that can be a real battle as well because the person, often times does not want to leave their house. You don't want to make that decision for them. It's a very challenging situation. Chris: It's knowing when to punt is a hard question to ask yourself. Brad: It's a tough thing to work with and hopefully, you won't have to deal with that, but sometimes it goes smooth. I know with my mother, it went smooth, she was happy to go to this place, she's social. This is another big thing, you have to be social. Get that interaction. Isolation can be one of the big problems. Chris: I think it is, yeah, so anything you can do, stimulating: games, talking, walking, anything you can do to stimulate the brain, all good stuff. Brad: That's right. Alright, so these are some ideas, again, look below the video, there'll be some options, books you can read, other sites, and websites that you can go to for further information. So very good, good luck with your friends and family who may have these problems. Thank you. Chris: Thanks, everybody. Additional Resources Alzheimer's Association: https://www.alz.org/https://www.lbda.org/ Family Caregiver Alliance: https://www.caregiver.org/ Dementia Mentors: https://www.dementiamentors.org/ Memory People Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Memory-People-126017237474382/ Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin: https://www.alzwisc.org/ Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. 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This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucQliFuYBtA Brad: Hello folks. I'm Brad Heineck physical therapist. Chris: Hey, I'm Chris, the pharmacist. Brad: Today we are extremely happy to have Chris compliment and upgrade our show with some up-to-date information and just a wealth of knowledge. He really researched this topic and we're going to have some information you'll want to know. This disease we're talking about is... Chris: Alzheimer's Brad: Alzheimer's disease, the seven stages of Alzheimer's, and what we want to look out for. Now, actually, before we get into it, I do want to say that personally, have a real curiosity, and in-depth interest in this topic. For number one, over the last 23 years, I've worked with people with Alzheimer's as well as I'm, sorry to say, I think my mother has symptoms consistent with what we're going to talk about. So it's a personal topic, more personal than when it's a patient. And for people out there, if you have a family member involved with this, it's personal to you as well. So pay attention. Hopefully, you'll learn some things about this. We're going to have another video coming up. That's going to have some treatment things you can do at home with your loved one or a friend who has already been diagnosed, or if you think maybe there's a possibility of it. With no further ado, we want to have a talk and let Chris take over and explain to us what information he's discovered. Chris: Yeah, well, there's a lot of things that come up, dementia is the umbrella word, and then everything else kind of comes underneath it. Of all those dementias, Alzheimer's is worldwide the most prevalent. I mean, you're talking 50 million people worldwide, in the United States about 5 million people. So it's 60% or 70% of the cases of dementia are Alzheimer's in nature. So what Dr. Barry Reisberg has set up is what they call the Global Deterioration Scale. And that's not my words. It's very Debbie Downer, but I do think that what this is going to do is just a series of seven stages that are going to give us examples of what you can be prepared with. And your loved one can be prepared, as you go through this journey together. And it really is a journey. It’s something that, hopefully, we're going to just provide some help and some ideas. And at the end, we're going to post some websites and areas for support so that we can get you the most possible, best effective care mechanisms that we can give because this is an interesting journey, to say the least, but we want to make sure that you're, as in the know, as possible and as comfortable as possible. Brad: Well, I do want to say, like, in my case, I've gone through these seven, I'm looking at these like, my mother is consistent with the first two or three. They don't always go on strict order. Chris: They don't go on a strict order and that's the one thing I was going to touch on, but that's true. Brad: My mother is scheduled to have an evaluation to see if the diagnosis is there or not. And it's weird because last July, they set up the orders and it's two and a half months later, or whatever now, and she still hasn't got the assessment because they're so backed up. They have to go through her chart and make sure that she gets set up with the right evaluation et cetera. I don't understand it all, but it is a lengthy process. And so that may be something you come in contact with. Chris: And that's what makes this so tricky, Brad, because the average diagnosis length of time to actually get the word Alzheimer's stamped on your record, takes six years for a patient. So it's not quick. They have to rule out multiple other things, whether it's medications, other disease states, or whether it was kind of a vascular issue. And, not to totally digress, but you know, Alzheimer's is certainly one thing under that umbrella of dementia. When they look at the brains of 80-year-old people that they've done autopsies on, it's mixed, in most cases. So you might see a vascular component, you might see the Alzheimer’s component, or you could see a Lewy-body component. So these are all different forms of dementia. It's not just a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter thing. And again, as you said, you can kind of go through these ranges in these seven steps and they can be kind of mixed. The world health organization uses just three. So they just say it's early, moderate, and severe. Brad: Okay Chris: So that's the simplest way to, and a lot of neurologists subscribed to that too, because at some point you're splitting hairs. I think the only thing with, the seven, the seven units that Dr. Rosenberg has pointed out is it just kind of walks you through each stage a little bit more with some specificity to maybe just allow you to have a little bit of knowledge. So you know that, okay, I see this is what I can do to support. Brad: So. Let's go to stage one. Chris: Yeah. So stage one, you know, it's interesting. It's just what they call normal outward behavior. So let's say I've got the condition myself. You're looking at me and I'm talking right now and you're not going to notice a darn thing, nor is the patient in that case. So it's just normal outward behavior. So it's very, very difficult. It's a silent onset. The damage that occurs, occurs many, many years further. So about the only thing we can draw parallels to is like with Parkinson's and we're not going to go down that path, but it's, just something that we know that somehow the brain just develops and goes along, whether it's nutrients, environmental toxins, or whatever, happens much earlier than probably what we think. Brad: So we're talking. Maybe people are in their fifties or sixties when they don't know. Chris: Well, they don't really know. And that's part of the problem. The research is tenuous. It's challenging. It's not easy. If everybody was, you know, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it but it's just a difficult, difficult subject. So when we move from there, you know, if you were going to get any type of diagnosis that early, it would be by accident. So they would have done a specific test. Maybe you had a fall, you hit your head, and they did a PET scan. Then all of a sudden they see, with these special tracers, they put radioactive tracers in there, go to the areas of the brain, and all of a sudden, "oh my gosh, we see all this", you know, beta-amyloid proteins, and Tal proteins and tangles and all those crazy things. Brad: So that would indicate, Alzheimer's? Chris: Yeah, and even having those in the brain scan doesn’t necessarily indicate that you're going to have Alzheimer's. So it's really early, but maybe. Brad: So what about stage two? Chris: Stage two. So then it's going to be just mild changes. And this is where it's tricky, because unfortunately, we have age-related changes. You know what I mean? The biggest thing with Alzheimer's specifically is age. So as we get over, you know, it's a 65 plus kind of disease state, and the longer we live, you know, it's a chance. And again, it's not everybody. I mean, the statistics are going to be one in six women, and one in ten men. Brad: Is that worldwide or the United States? Chris: No, that's worldwide. Brad: Okay Chris: So I went with a worldwide. The math seems to correlate with the United States as well. So what we could see is, that I can't find my wallet. “Where did I put my glasses? Where are my keys?” And I mean, we're all busy. I have two young kids, man, in my thirties, I was forgetting where I put my keys. So, it's difficult to say, "oh my God, I've got Alzheimer's", you may be progressing towards that, but it's still very, very tricky to see. So, you know, if you're finding that, "oh my gosh, I keep losing stuff all the time, I don't know what's going on", please reach out to your physician. And that's where we want to probably start taking some steps. If you feel like it's a problem, oftentimes people aren't going to notice it till you get to the third stage, which is what they call mild decline. So, that's where people around you are going to start to see, "oh gosh, Chris, keeps putting his keys in the refrigerator", and, you know, just kind of that outlandish stuff. Let's say my wife notices that I didn't balance the checkbook appropriately. Brad: Things that you normally could do. Chris: Things I normally would be very astute with and all of a sudden just start to slide. And it's easy as the patient, to say, "oh wow, I was just really busy or I was watching the football game, I was watching the Packer game, and I was just distracted.” Brad: I have to say, it's funny because I mean, this part of this is funny, but I put my socks in the refrigerator. Chris: Atta boy. Brad: This is a year ago, but I'm not too concerned about it. Chris: You had cold feet. Brad: Yeah, you're right. People are going to get upset with it because we're joking about this, but anyways. I put them in there and I looked all over the house for like 20 minutes. I finally found them in the refrigerator when I went for the milk. But again, I know my mind was very busy with other things I was thinking about the rest of the day So those things make it difficult. Chris: It does. It makes it challenging. And so as a patient, this stage is also tricky because there's self-awareness, I mean, you know what's going on. And at this point, you'll have been encouraged to probably see a doctor or you're already doctoring for this. And depending upon the situation, this could be many years that's been progressing towards this, right. Or digressing, I guess, as the case may be. And so really it's just going to be, so how do you help somebody at this stage? Well, if it's a character, a loved one now maybe help them pay the bills, set up auto-pay. I mean, this is an area where maybe you get your financial affairs in order your estate planning, wills, those types of things. You want to lock things up because this is the stage where, unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people out there you could be taken advantage of. And so right now it's kind of a protection mode. And I mean, you could, you know, and, and also more important than that, right now we want those healthy habits. We want a good diet. We want to remain active. We want to be doing, you know, playing the brain games. I mean, doing the things, and we'll talk about this, in another upcoming video, but what we can do. But you know, this is the area where we really want to start to focus on those things to try and reinforce and prolong. Brad: So yeah, the, like I said, we have the next video on more details on treatment. I know in therapy, we'll have people that are in say a skilled nursing facility getting ready to go home and we'll work with them, OT will, how to balance their checkbook, review it. And a lot of times they don't have Alzheimer's, but it’s because of whatever they went through their surgery, and the medications. They get through it and then they're fine. So again, it's where there's a fine line. Is it Alzheimer's or is it a side effect of a medication? Chris: It could be a medication. It could be a health condition. Maybe we had a small stroke, a TIA head trauma. I mean, there can be a litany of things. So I guess that's the one thing that as you go through this journey with family and loved ones, or even yourself, it's just things to be aware of. But, what else can we do? We want to try and declutter things. So, you know, whiteboards, checklists, having a med box if you take a couple of different medications or, anything that we can do that’s linear. You want to declutter the place. Brad: You're talking about, say they live in a house or apartment, open it up so it’s very clear. Chris: Yeah. So we're going to keep counters clear. We're going to keep everything in the same place. If you're going to go on an appointment, always try to make it the same day of the week, the same time. When you see your dentist every six months, let's say you see a chiropractor, you see your physical therapist, you know, it should always be Wednesday at noon or you know, consistent. Brad: And then there's the next stage for that. What happens then? Chris: Stage four is just an extension of stage three. It's just that the outward changes that you observe in your loved one become much more obvious. So it’s details about themselves, for example, “I don't remember my birthday. I think it's September.” And you're like, “oh yeah. It's December 1st.” “Oh no. Chris, it's September 1st.” “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. It's September 1st.” Okay. And so that, that's kind of where you're going to start to see this and things that everybody knows around you. It's a difficult point for the patient at this point, too, because again, they have that self-awareness so they know. And so they can make an excuse. They can laugh it off or they can get very angry. So you can start to see some behavioral changes. You can start to see some of this, which is much more of the next stage. This is the stage we want to try and make sure we're protecting them. Probably no driving when we get to this point. Your physician will have stepped in at this point because you're going to see these outward signs that just show that it's difficult, reasoning becomes difficult. You're going to find those details about yourself, like trouble cooking. You guys go out to dinner. You go to our favorite restaurant and they normally get their usual meal and all of a sudden it's a challenge for them to get something. “I just don't know what I want. This is also overwhelming.” They get stressed and frustrated. And instead of having a nice night out at the restaurant, all of a sudden it becomes a stressful event. And then when that stress creeps in, it actually makes that thinking much more challenging. So we want to just say, “Hey dad, you always get the steak. Should we try the steak?” “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great.” And so if he can flip the table, that’s something that usually helps. So I guess at this point we're starting to protect. And so that's kind of the key and that leads us really into number five, which is what they call moderate, severe decline. And this is the point where you're losing space and time, you can get lost if you were taking a walk by yourself. The seasons can be confusing when you get dressed. I mean, let's say it's summer and all of a sudden you're grabbing a coat when you normally wouldn't grab a coat on an 85 degrees, sunny day. Then again, sentences don't seem to be quite right or stories are a little bit different. But here's the interesting thing, you know, it's like what can we do to help them remain more independent? Let's layout their clothes for the day, keep reinforcing the whiteboard, and keep using the checklist. So independence is key, but you know, if mom or dad are telling you a story, let them go, listen to it and, encourage them. You know, well, and what happened next? And so what if it's wrong? Right? Enjoy it and be in the moment. This is the stage where they start to ask the same question over and over again, which as a caregiver can be very, very frustrating. But that question isn't so much about the answer you're going to deliver as it is just knowing you're there, it's a very lonely stage. Some of the things that we want to declutter at this point are mirrors because we're going to start to get some of those physical issues where maybe our gate isn't quite as strong. We're losing some of that muscle strength, swallowing and eating is a little bit more challenging, which really leads us into number six, which is what we call the severe decline. You know the face, but you don't know the name. So I can recognize you as one of my best friends, but I can't recall Brad. And it's hard, and at this point, it's much more difficult on the caregiver. The caregivers are going to be usually younger because they're typically children of the parent. And so, you add an eight-hour, 10-hour workday, and then another five hours with mom, dad, uncle, aunt, neighbor, whoever, you know, mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, helping. So I mean, it becomes difficult. That's why we'll have those websites posted again so that you guys can kind of find areas for resource support. And just even sometimes commiserating is just a good thing. Brad: I remember very clearly when my grandmother was in this stage and I was in high school, 17, 18 years old, and went to visit her. She had no idea who I was. I called her grandma. She said, are you one of those young kids that call old people, grandma all the time? I had no idea what it was. I didn't want to go visit her because it was scary. Chris: Yeah. It is scary. And that's why I'm hoping that these stages help people to just understand. I guess at this point; the patient really doesn't know what's happening from minute to minute. You're starting to see, in stage six, it's going to be some of those delusions. “I'm getting ready for work.” Well, you've been retired for seven years. You might call your wife, your mom. You're starting to see difficulty eating. You want to go to the softer foods, swallowing, choking, aspiration pneumonia. I mean, these are the points where these health issues start creeping up. Brad: At this point, it's typically time to move the person to a skilled facility. Chris: Yes, because it's just overwhelming. Brad: It is. You can oftentimes I've seen a number of people through professionally that would get combative. And I would say it's probably at this stage and that's very difficult. As a professional, it's easier to deal with that than if you're a family member, more than likely. So you really need to get the proper help at this point. Chris: Yeah. It really is. Things that you can do to still remain close with your loved ones, music is a wonderful thing and it stimulates the brain. Looking at old photos is a wonderful thing to spend time with. And they may not be able to communicate that this was little Billy when we were at the fair, but there'll be some glimmer of recognition at some point. And they still enjoy just seeing different things. Reading to them, these are things that you can still spend quality time, even though it may not feel that way. But it's a moment. In that moment, I think there's a connection there that may be a little bit more spiritual than scientific, but I do think that it's a very important step for everyone, right? Brad: It's something you just need to work with. I like what you said about if they're telling you the history of the family and you know it's all wrong, you know. I've experienced this now with my mom, she's talking about things that happened a few years ago and it's like, mom, this is not even close to being accurate. I do not interrupt her. I let her go on, and then I'll go onto something else. And maybe I'll remind her and, get things to click and whether it's right or wrong, I'm not going to Badger her and say, mom, you got that all wrong. It's okay. Chris: Yeah. I mean, there's no right or wrong at this point. I mean, the key at this point is just to focus on the quality, just being there. I think that's the key because as we go into the last stage, number seven is what they call very severe decline and the basics are gone. You know, can't sit up, can't move. Brad: This is almost 24/7 care. Chris: It is 24 7 care. I think, realistically you want them in skilled care. You can't do it by yourself. Brad: And this is hard to talk about if you're not familiar with it. For me, I've been working with it for 23 years, it’s to the point where they don't know enough, or can't remember to push the button, which is going to bring an aid in or a nurse in to get some help. That part is oftentimes, I just don't know. You have to be careful about, are they going to roll out of bed and fall? And there are all kinds of physical precautions that you can work with. It's a tough stage, but the reality is it's there. And you know, it's probably pretty close to the end. Chris: It is. And I mean, the key is comfort and what can you do to love and support. Brad: This is a spiraling disease, it's a downward spiral. And there is no cure at this point. That’s probably going to be years down the road. But if you're in an early stage, like I feel my mother is probably at three, somewhere in there plus, or minus, but there's a number of things you can do at the early stages. I would never tell anybody you have Alzheimer's, if you're not a professional. All these things that we're going to talk about in the next video that you can do to help are good for anybody. Yes. You know, playing word games, scrambles. Chris: Scrabble, crosswords, playing checkers, playing chess, cards. I mean, just anything socially engaging is good. Brad: Taking a walk, walking. Chris: Just go to the park and take a nice walk. I mean, getting outside and doing. Brad: Check out the shirt I got here. Chris: Life is tough. Let's help each other. Couldn't be more appropriate. Brad: I'm going to help each other out with that. So very good. Enjoy the day and be careful. Chris: Thanks, everybody. Additional Resources Alzheimer's Association: https://www.alz.org/https://www.lbda.org/ Family Caregiver Alliance: https://www.caregiver.org/ Dementia Mentors: https://www.dementiamentors.org/ Memory People Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Memory-People-126017237474382/ Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin: https://www.alzwisc.org/ Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble, Snapchat Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. 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Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

What is Plantar Fasciitis? The Plantar Fascia is made up of three thick flat, fibrous bands on the bottom of your foot. These three bands help form the arch of your foot. With Plantar Fasciitis you may have sustained some micro tears in the band or bands. The microtears result in inflammation of the Plantar Fascia. “Itis” refers to inflammation. Hence the name Plantar Fasciitis. The Plantar Fascia bands have a poor blood supply and generally do not heal quickly. The telltale sign of Plantar Fasciitis is pain after rest. For example, it is typical for you to wake up in the morning and have no pain in your foot until you attempt to take a few steps. Then the arch pain re-emerges. The belief is that you have sustained some micro-tears in the Plantar Fascia (a thick, flat, fibrous band on the bottom of your foot). While sleeping, or after sitting in a chair or car too long, the fascia begins to half heal. Then you step on your foot and basically retear the band. So, you need to do the following exercises BEFORE you get out of bed and BEFORE you stand up again from sitting. If you do not have time to do all of them, try to do the first one or two. 1. Arch Stretch: Place your affected foot on the opposite knee. Take your shoe off and grab all your toes with one hand and cup your heel with the other. Pull your toes and ankle toward your shin. Do not stretch it into feeling pain (just bump into the pain). Repeat 5x as you hold for 20 seconds 2. Arch massage: Use your knuckles or your thumbs to massage the arch of your foot. You can massage in a circular fashion. You can also do a splaying massage-start with both thumbs side by side and press into the arch as you separate the thumbs-repeat. Avoid massaging areas of the arch that are too tender or sore. Instead, massage around the tender or sore area. Massage for 1-2 minutes. Alternative: Use a massage gun and massage longer and more often (throughout the day). 3. Put on a pair of shoes or sandals with good arch support BEFORE you get out of bed. If you get up in the middle of the night you should also put on shoes or sandals with good arch support before going to the bathroom. Do not walk barefoot or stocking foot at any time. Do the following later in the Day: 1. Stretch and massage your calf (ball or massage gun) 2. Stretch and massage the shin muscles. (Use ball or massage gun) 3. Pin down the Achilles tendon and bend and extend the foot. (Use both hands) This video is part of a series of videos on how to treat your pain with self-massage. Check the full series of videos along with the downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/massage/ Bob & Brad's Massage Guns C2 Massage Gun (US), Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US), T2 Massage Gun X6 PRO Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head, EM-19 Massage Gun Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Photo by Marcus Aurelius: https://www.pexels.com/photo/couple-practicing-yoga-6787440/ Pain is an aspect of life that is unavoidable, and everybody will experience it at some point. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly half of all American adults experience pain in their daily lives. The situation only grows more concerning when we look at the elderly as studies based on the National Health and Aging Trends Study show that the majority of adults with recurring pain experience multiple and separate kinds of pain. Ultimately, pain is a constant reality for a lot of people, and while it's natural that people are affected by aging, it's also possible to age in a healthy manner. The human body is a complex machine, and while that makes it likely to falter, it also provides countless opportunities to help its internal processes to ensure a higher quality of life. Here are three important strategies that can help when dealing with existing aches and prevent future pain. Exercising and Stretching Perhaps one of the most common ways to minimize pain is to limit movements and try to be as delicate with it as possible, however, this isn't always the best course of action. A study in 2015 published by the University of Antwerp proved that exercise is effective when dealing with chronic pain, even if it isn't musculoskeletal. This doesn't mean that individuals should force themselves to keep on moving despite the pain. However, it's important to understand that precise movements and professional guidance can help a body recover its old strength and overcome its aching. Muscle weakness as a whole is a major cause of pain, and statistics released by the CDC confirm that it becomes more common with aging. The prevalence of muscle weakness that comes with age is another important reason to exercise even if no musculoskeletal complications have developed. Strong and active muscles aren't likely to generate aching, and the more developed they are, the more resistant they'll be to impacts and falls. While a lot of individuals correlate exercise with intense regimes and gym subscriptions this doesn't have to be the case. A low-impact exercise, such as yoga, can be easily followed at home and in the comfort of the neighborhood. A Proper Diet Perhaps one of the most important aspects when it comes to aging in a healthy manner is a person's diet. An unbalanced diet will undeniably make people more likely to develop health complications and comes with its own set of pains. But when it comes to food, what is consumed can be as important as what is avoided. As such, eating foods that slow down aging is incredibly important in any diet. But likewise, it's important to truly grasp what this means in a medical and scientific context. In broad terms, while many foods are known to have health benefits when most people discuss anti-aging food they usually mean food that contains antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients like Vitamin C and E that can help prevent oxidation at a cellular level. This means that a diet rich in antioxidants can prevent tissue deterioration both inside and outside of our bodies, making it so that the negative effects of aging manifest at a slower pace. Foods rich in antioxidants include broccoli, almonds, Brazil nuts, and asparagus. The Importance of Supplements While most antioxidants, vitamins, and other beneficial molecules can be found in food, that doesn't mean they can only be consumed this way. Supplements can be a reliable tool to meet the recommended values for certain vitamins or proteins. Many supplements are explicitly sold under an anti-aging label, meaning that they are easy to identify. The health impact of supplements might not be the same as that of anti-aging foods, but studies have proven their efficiency in various circumstances. For instance, Vitamin C supplement consumption has been linked to reduced cases and severity of colds in both adults and children. Aging is a reality of life, but that doesn't mean it has to be tied to pain. Pain is a complex process that warns of the issues and injuries a body is experiencing, meaning that the best way to avoid aches as we get older is to have better preventive care. The appropriate level of exercise can help get rid of or avoid musculoskeletal aches. Meanwhile, a proper diet can load a body with important nutrients like antioxidants that slow down aging considerably. Supplements are great to provide that final push a body might need to avoid pain. There are many ways to avoid the aches of aging, and it all starts with the conscious choice to change some habits.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ9BLFeIcXA Bob: The title of today's program is willpower will not help you exercise. What will help is surprising. So, the way I see it, there are two different ways to help you exercise. One, you can focus on your willpower and achieving goals, like you’re going to use that willpower muscle. I’m going to try harder. Brad: Strong like bull, get out there. Motivation. Bob: You find out it doesn’t work. I’m going to explain to you why that is in just a little bit. The other way is to change your circumstances so you massively reduce your reliance on willpower. We’re going to give you seven tips at the end of this. Brad: What about the Kool-Aid? Bob: I’m going to show the Kool-Aid. We have a pitcher full of water with dye in it. Brad: It looks like Kool-Aid. Bob: It does, but it’s a pitcher full of red water, basically. So, I’m going to get back to this. I want to mention Tim Ferriss who I like to listen to a lot. He’s a good guru as far as self-help. Brad: I was listening to him this morning. Bob: Were you? Brad: Yeah. Bob: Awesome. He says self-control is overrated. Willpower is not reliable, systems are. It’s better to create a system. We’ll explain them. There is also some science behind this. Roy Baumeister did some studies and showed that willpower can be fatigued if you spend too much time on activities that require self-control. He did an experiment and participants were exposed to hard-to-resist foods. What food for you is hard to resist? Brad: Well, you take those Cheerios with a little chocolate in them, and you put the marshmallows in them, and boy, they taste good. It’s like a dessert. Bob: Crunchy and sweet. Probably a little bit of salt maybe. Sweet and salty. Now, French silk pie and wedding cake for me are hard to resist. I always have two or three pieces. The bride and groom are always mad at me. So, if you were exposed to that and you had to say no, that reduces your willpower. Just the fact that you said no, and you had to fight it. They found out that people who did that, who resisted something they liked, performed worse in mental tasks after they had to refuse it. Brad: From the stress of refusing it, possibly. Bob: Yeah. He did some other studies too, but it shows that your willpower is limited, and it can become fatigued. In my opinion, I’ve seen it myself, I’ve seen so many other people, they only have so much bandwidth. They only have so much willpower. I’m going to take this pitcher full of red-dyed water and that represents you in the morning when you wake up. That’s how much willpower you have. Brad: This is a little analogy here. Bob: Now, the first thing is, let’s say you don’t get a good night's sleep. You’re starting at a deficit. You’re already losing and I’m pouring a glass of the red water into a bucket. That’s some willpower, gone. Brad: Now instead of a gallon of red water or 'willpower', we’ve got less than a gallon. One glass less. Bob: Now you wake up and the first thing you do is turn on the news. What does the news do? Brad: That pulls you down about three notches or 10 because it’s negative information. Bob: You’re going to get anxious, you’re going to start feeling stressed. Another glass is gone. Then let’s say, you check your emails. There are problems at work. So, boom, willpower drops some more? Then maybe you have breakfast, that all goes fine. Hopefully, your spouse isn’t yelling at you. The dog missed the cardboard square it was supposed to go on. Brad: Yeah, because what if something happened like you didn’t take the dog out and it made a mess on the floor? Bob: All right, I’ll throw that one in there too, Brad. I’ll give you half a glass for that. All right, now you’re driving to work. Now, we’re fortunate we live in the area where our drives, I don’t think, are stressful. Brad: I find it relaxing. Bob: I do, too. If I’m driving more than a half hour, it gets to be a lot, but now I listen to podcasts. You should be listening to our podcast by the way. The next thing is, let’s say a lot of you do have a stressful drive to work. That depletes things. I’m pouring another glass. Brad: We’re over halfway there. Our willpower is less than 50 percent at this point. Bob: Now, you get to work and what’s the first thing you do? You’re going to see some donuts on the desk. You’re trying to stay on a diet, so you resist them. That takes a little bit of willpower, too. We’re really getting down there, Brad, aren’t we? Brad: Yeah, especially if they’re long johns with cream in the middle. Bob: That is one of mine, too! Brad: With chocolate on top. Bob: Oh, yeah. Then you have a long day at work. That’s a full glass. Then you have a stressful drive home. Another glass. Brad: We’re 75 percent empty now. Bob: Now you get home and there are some cookies on the counter. You must do another glass. Brad: And maybe the grass needs to be cut and it’s staring you in the face. You're like, "Oh my goodness, I don't have enough time." Now, this is what you have left, about 12 percent. It has just a little bit left in there. Bob: Wow, you are the engineer type, aren’t you? Brad: Well, Bob, you can tell by looking. Bob: So, now that’s all you have left, and you want to go work out and you’re like, yeah right, I'm not going to work out. Brad: Yeah, that’s the last thing you want to do. Bob: There are things that can help replenish this. If you come home and take a nap, that might give you a little bit more. You’re going to wake up refreshed. If you meditate. For a lot of people, meditation helps destress. There are things you can do to help improve it again. That’s what we’re going to do now. We’re going to tell you the seven things to help you extend your willpower. Brad: So, when you’re down at 12 percent of red juice left, how are you going to fill it up? Bob: Well, that and also so you don’t get down to 12 percent. Brad: Throughout the day, from the beginning. Bob: Right. One of the first things you can do, and this is one reason they recommend exercise in the morning because if you exercise right away in the morning, you have full willpower. A lot of times people feel like exercise energizes them. Brad: Gets the blood going, gets the oxygen working in the system. Bob: Not only does it not deplete your system, but it might also add to your system. Either way, you’re going to get it done, you’re going to feel better about yourself, and it’s going to help your stress levels. Try to exercise at the same time every day so it becomes a habit. You don’t want to have to think about it. I heard Obama used to wear two types of suits because he didn’t want to think about putting mental energy into what type of suit, he was going to wear that day. I heard the same about Einstein. A lot of these genius people wear the same things all the time, so they don’t have to think about it. You do want to establish routines. This does drive my wife crazy. I eat the same breakfast, and I eat the same lunch every day, but again, it decreases my decision-making process. I am a man of routine. Number four, surround yourself with positive people who exercise. Positive people will add to your energy level. What do negative people do, Brad? Brad: Pull you down, Bob, right down the old drain. You need to stay away from that. Bob: I have a good friend, after you hear this, you'll know why I didn’t mention his name. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years, and we went out and he started getting on this negative track and it went on and on. When I was done, I was so depleted. I got home and I even went for a run. I had to counteract the negative. I do think if you’re an extrovert, you might get a workout buddy. I'm an introvert so I like to work out alone. If your spouse or a friend is upbeat, it’s going to make your life so much better. Number five, consider where you live. This is a big one. If you have a stressful commute, it can ring you down. My wife's brother had an hour and a half commute and for him, it was stressful to work, it was stressful at work and on the way home. He just got tired of it. Brad: That's not an unusual drive in bigger cities. I have a brother-in-law who does that and his mindset is, that he just puts something on the radio and relaxes and it doesn't bother him. Some people can adjust to it. I wouldn't, I'd last a week. Bob: We have to take genetics into account here because there are people that are born with huge amounts of bandwidth. Brad: Bandwidth? You’re talking radio frequencies. Bob: Willpower or bandwidth, you have a lot of reserves. Like your friend, Chris. I think he has almost unlimited bandwidth. Brad: Energy. Bob: Yeah, energy bandwidth. I bet you he could go, go, go and he doesn’t get depleted. Brad: Yeah, but you don’t want to put him in a car waiting in traffic. Bob: No, that wouldn’t do him any good. Brad: So, patience is, like you say, it’s a genetic thing, a personality trait. Bob: Number six. I am a person that takes a nap, and it does replenish my willpower, without a doubt. I’ll do something and suddenly get tired, I'll take a nap, come back, and boom. I’m hitting that thing and jumping at it. Brad: Sometimes I’ve done that where I get up and so groggy, it takes me half hour to get awake again. Then I feel good so, I don’t know how to get to that. Bob: You nap too long. I think 20 minutes is good. If you get into REM or deep sleep, you’re groggy. Number seven, Brad mentioned this one many times, don’t watch the news. It’s just stressful. As far as your emails, I think what you should try to do is designate like two times a day or one time a day that you read it. Don’t be reading them constantly. Brad: Well, what I do is I’ll look at it more often in case it’s something that the person wants an urgent response. The other ones, I just leave. I’ll look at those later because I have a feeling, I know what that’s going to be about, I don’t want to even think about that and if it's not an urgent thing. Bob: Right, you must manage them. I know that varies from person to person. Some people get 500 emails a day and they’re trying to stay on top of it. As you said, try to compartmentalize. I’ll worry about that one later, don’t worry about everything right now. They said some of the presidents have been good at compartmentalizing. Bill Clinton, when he was under impeachment, could focus on other things and put that out in the back. All right, that’s it. I spent a lot of time talking about this, but I think it’s important because exercise is important in your life and if you can manage your willpower, the amount that you have, and set up systems, you’re going to be way ahead of the game. Brad: Very good. I hope this helps you and make some adjustments and think about the red water. Good luck, thanks! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Back and Neck Massager Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

1. Drink water immediately after working out. May add salt or Nuun tablet. 2. Eat something within 20-40 minutes of working out. 3. Keep moving. Cool down. 4. Massage gun as an alternative to keep moving. 5. Wear compression socks after working out. 6. Get plenty of sleep. One of the best recovery things you can do. 7. Take vitamin D3 to help with muscle recovery. This video is part of a series of videos on how to treat your pain with self-massage. Check the full series of videos along with the downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/massage/ Bob & Brad's Massage Guns C2 Massage Gun (US) Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) T2 Massage Gun X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head EM-19 Massage Gun Other Products Mentioned BECOMING A SUPPLE LEOPARD BY KELLEY STARRETT Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PliNa8Ryp3s Brad: We just did a video on potassium and how critical it is to stay healthy in regard to muscle contraction and nerve conductivity, and how it fits our motto of how to be healthy, fit, and pain-free. I was so excited about it, I wanted to go through and show some of the food groups that are high in potassium that Chris and I eat, and Bob too, and some things that you can eat as well to improve your life, health style, and heart in particular. Chris: Absolutely. Brad: Cut down on the salt and increase potassium, and you're going to have a healthier heart. Chris: Exactly, there is a relationship, and when you eat a high diet in potassium or potassium-containing foods, it knocks down the sodium, so, it also helps with kidney stones. Brad: Excellent, and one more point I want to go on before we hit the food is, if you want to try supplementing potassium, these are a much better source of potassium as opposed to taking pills or supplements. Chris: Yeah, the FDA actually limits the amount of potassium that they will be able to put in each capsule. It's limited to 99 milligrams, so you'd have to eat several capsules to get what you're going to be getting from these types of foods. Brad: Right, so that's 99 milligrams, versus hundreds from food. Chris: Yes. And avoid a lot of stomach upset. So if you need to take supplements, let's say there's an allergy to certain things, definitely do it with your doctor's guidance. Don't just go willy-nilly and take it. Brad: But if you're a healthy person, you can eat all the foods high in potassium you want and you're going to be nothing but healthy. Chris: Correct. It's going to make a big difference. Brad: Okay. Let's start with bananas. Everyone, it seems, knows about potassium in bananas, don't they? Chris: Yep, bananas? Love them. Brad: So typically you're going to eat them raw. I've got some information. 422 milligrams of potassium versus that 99 milligrams in a capsule. So there you go. Peel it, eat it, that's typically how most people eat it, except for banana bread. Chris: There you go. Brad: I don't know if it maintains the potassium when you bake it. Chris: A lot of times, what I've read at least is cooking can vary things from about five to 10% for the most part. There are some nuances to that with the foods that you cook and eat too. Brad: Typically the higher the heat the more the nutrient level may drop. Chris: And boiling versus steaming makes a difference, too. Like corn, you know it's one of those things, that cooked corn is better than raw. I don't know if we'd do raw corn. Brad: This is a beautiful example, cantaloupe. I don't know if this is a fruit or a vegetable. Chris: Cantaloupe. Well, I would say it's got seeds, so I'm going to go fruit. Brad: There we go. It has 427 milligrams of potassium from the source I got. You'll get different numbers for these sources, we know they're all high. Chris: Your favorites. Brad: My favorite foods. Yes, the avocado. I started to eat them a couple of years ago, and I usually have four to five per week. I just cut them open and eat them raw. You can make all kinds of things. Chris: Guacamole, the best stuff ever. Brad: Just keep the salt out of it, by the way. All right. The next one is a big hitter that I have not been familiar with, but Chris, you eat these on a regular basis. Chris: Beets. I have them daily. So it's kind of interesting with the way potassium goes. There is less potassium in the root and more potassium in the leaves. Brad: Do you just eat this raw? Chris: It's pretty earthy. I actually usually blend them. So what I do is I take a beet every day. When I take them home, I cut off the leaves and I'll use them in a salad. The root I will actually peel and I throw it in the blender, straight up. No cooking. Brad: All by itself? Chris: I put it in there with an orange which also has a lot of potassium. I put it in there with kale, I put it in there with spinach, some pineapple, some raspberry, and some blueberries. Brad: So you save the leaves, which have a higher level of potassium, so do not throw them away. Chris: It makes a great salad. You can mix it in with other salad parts if you want. I use the leaf right on a burger myself. Brad: Cool! And they look healthy. Chris: They are, a good green color, they have red veins. Brad: Make sure you wash it, particularly, in my mind, if it's not organic there may be some pesticides. Chris: You want to wash them for about 30 seconds. You want to run running water over it for at least 30 seconds. Stores carry food detergents also that some people feel that they want to go to the Nth degree. But most studies suggest just running cool water for 30 seconds is sufficient. Brad: So food detergent is like a soap made for cleaning food? Chris: Yeah, I believe it's a surfactant type that's made specifically to take care of all the things that may be on there. Brad: We don't have detailed information on that, but it is available. Look at this, dried apricot. Make sure you get the ones without sugar. Chris: They're sweet naturally, I don't think you need it. Brad: Figs. Now there's a rule of thumb that goes along with these, and what about the color? Chris: Yeah, the rule of thumb if you're just looking for things with potassium, orange and yellow typically anything orange and yellow, like oranges, bananas, cantaloupe, apricot, sweet potato, which we're going to get to, are going to be higher in potassium naturally. You're not going to go wrong with the greens. Things that we didn't bring out today, kiwi, are actually more than a banana. Tomatoes are an excellent source of potassium. Potatoes are awesome. I'm Irish, so I love them. Brad: So this potato, I understand there's more potassium in the skin area, so you don't want to peel it if you want to get high potassium. Chris: Yeah, you want to do a baked potato if you can, because most of the nutrients in any potato, or sweet potato, are actually contained within the skin itself. Brad: I eat sweet potatoes. I've read in some books, maybe sweet potatoes are a better option than regular potatoes. You can argue, there are people all over that will argue differently, and it's like politics and religion. I don't care about arguing about nutrition. Chris: They're both good. Brad: Okay, the next one. Now, this is interesting, they say white beans. I have some baby lima beans, which are white, great northern beans, I don't know if that's got anything to do with Wisconsin and Minnesota people? But anyway, Cannelloni beans. Chris: White kidney beans. Brad: White kidney beans. So those are a nice source when you're making soups. I think that's probably a staple for that, but I'm not a cook. If I can't make it easily, it's not a good one. Chris: Yeah. Brad: Now this one is very interesting. This is our number 10th one, prune juice. Very high in calcium and fiber. It's a great juice. This happens to be organic. I like to stick with organic personally if I can. It costs more, but I like the idea of fewer chemicals. Now what we are going to do, is we're going to grind this all up and we're going to condense it down in about 30 seconds with the Magic Bullet. This Magic Bullet is going to make something so high in potassium, we will not have to worry about eating anything for the rest of the day. Brad: All right. Let's taste this and give out a grade. It's not bad. Chris: Not that bad. It's pretty banana-ey. Brad: I think we should make some more. I think the beans are ground up really well. Chris: It's a winner. Brad: A potassium party it is. Chris: There we are. Thanks. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Back and Neck Massager Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iDxp6kafVU&t=762s Brad: Today the topic is potassium. Believe it or not, Chris is the pharmacist, I'm a physical therapist, and we're not nutritionists. However, potassium affects both of our jobs incredibly. That's why we need to know the basis of it as well as everybody out there because it's an electrolyte, also a nutrient that is absolutely critical to keep you healthy, fit, and pain-free, which is our motto. So you are going to learn what foods you can eat to get this critical mineral or nutrient. Chris is going to go through it. You've done a lot of research on this, it's up to date, and just stay tuned. Chris: All right, so potassium. I think the title is right, it probably is the most critical electrolyte, mineral, or nutrient for our body. It's in every single one of our cells. Potassium rules the inside of all cells and sodium rules the fluid outside of the cells. Brad: Salt? Chris: Salt, sodium specifically. But we'll talk a little bit about that as we progress. Potassium is critical for muscle functioning, nerve transmission, and bone health. It works in your kidneys, for proper kidney functioning as well as helping to minimize kidney stones. Brad: I've read something about heart health. Chris: Yes, heart health, it immensely helps with that. When we have a diet high in potassium, it helps to keep those blood vessels relaxed. And basically, with potassium, interestingly there are just so many things that are intertwined with sodium. The diet that we choose, if it's higher in potassium naturally, will keep our blood pressure low. There's study upon study that shows it's a perfect relationship between potassium in our diet and heart attacks. The more potassium we have, the fewer heart attacks we have. Brad: Oh really? Now, maybe you're getting into this later but can you just take a potassium pill? Chris: We'll talk about that. I'm not a fan. Brad: All right. We're going to get into that. Chris: We'll get to that later. The good stuff is from the foods we eat. But the higher the sodium in our diet, which is the American diet, and the lower the potassium, the higher the risk of heart disease and heart attack. So, there is study after study, you can go into Harvard medical review you can use some of the simple things like web MD. You can find all of these things if you want to look for yourself. You can go to the National Institute of Health, that's an excellent site. That's going to be a lot more scientific reading. So, if you really dig into the details, it's an excellent site. Just type in potassium, and what it's good for and you're going to find excellent information. I know a lot of people like to kind of look at some of the things that we talked about. Brad: Yep, dig into the details. And if you're not into that, don't worry about it. Chris is going to give you the information and translate it. Chris: So, the reality of this is, how much potassium do we really need? For guys, it's a little bit higher than for women. So about 3,400 milligrams what does that really mean? For women, it's about 2,600 milligrams, but if they're pregnant, it's 2,900, so they have some ranges. If you're roughly getting 3000 milligrams of potassium in your diet, it's a good thing. And the cool thing about taking potassium through foods is we can't overdo it. Whereas you had talked about the supplements, you can overdo it. So the FDA actually limits the amount of potassium you can get in that, whether it's potassium citrate or potassium chloride. Brad: So you get sick from it if you overdo it? Chris: You can get sick, you can get nauseated and that can cause lesions in your gut. So they actually limit it. I'm not a fan of the supplements. If I have a customer that comes up and says, "I'm just looking to get a little bit more potassium in my diet." First, you want to talk to your doctor because potassium levels themselves are very, very specific. They want you, depending upon the study, basically between 3.5 and 5 is the easiest numbers to remember. Brad: That's a number you get from a blood test? Chris: That's the therapeutic window. Yeah. So when your doctor takes blood work from you, they're looking at this number. It's very important for doctors because too much is bad and too little is bad. If you have too much, the side effects are very similar to if you have too little which is kind of weird. You treat it very differently though. If you have too much potassium if that number is a six, and that's Milli moles per liter in case you're keeping score at home, then we want to use a binder and it's an acute medical crisis. Brad: So you're saying, to get that number in that range you'd have to take supplements? By taking too many of the pills? Chris: You'd have to take a lot. You'd have to take a bottle to do it, so it's hard. Which is good. Brad: But you could hardly not eat too many fruits? Chris: It's really hard because of the way that the potassium is packaged in all these different fruits and vegetables that we have up here. It's a little bit different as far as how it gets absorbed and actually how it's connected and maintained in the foods that we eat. So for whatever reason, and I looked pretty hard, it is really hard to over and imbibe in potassium when you're a healthy adult. Now that's not to say that there aren't things that we have to be careful with. If you have renal failure or kidney failure, or if you have congestive heart failure with renal failure, you cannot eat a lot of potassium, and it can actually backfire on you. Brad: Even through diet? Chris: Even through diet, so we have to be careful. So it's always something that, if you're going to make some major changes you should be visiting your doctor regularly and have a conversation with them. Because, let's say you say something like, "Oh, I've got a bad kidney?" A lot of the medical things that we have can go on for years and years and years. All of a sudden, we go in because we don't feel right and find you've got a problem. Brad: So again if you have congestive heart failure or a kidney issue, then potassium intake needs to be monitored? Chris: It needs to be monitored very carefully. So like I said, if that therapeutic window is too low, you can feel fatigued. You can feel not right, you can be constipated. Your heart may not beat properly, too high. You can feel nauseated. So the symptoms, when they present to an ER situation if you have hyperkalemia, which is too much potassium, or hypokalemia, which is too low potassium, one is probably caused by diarrhea or dehydration, you could have just excreted it out. Whereas if there is too much potassium, who knows if there's something going on with the kidneys, or if there's something else in your body that's happening. The doctors are going to determine that. But their treatment paths are very different. So if it's too high we have to get it down, if it's too low we have to get it up. We want it basically back in that box. Brad: So typically, a person will have those numbers if you go to the doctor, they take a test? And if your numbers are a little high, they're going to address diet? Chris: They will address it with you, yes. And again for healthy individuals, so the vast majority of people on the planet are not going to have a problem with it. It seems like if you eat a well-balanced diet that's oriented high with fruits and vegetables and beans in certain cases, you're not going to have a problem. You can't seem to overindulge; that is the point I guess I was trying to make. Brad: Right. So as far as those people, what benefits are we going to get if we eat plenty of fruits and vegetables versus stuff out of a box. Chris: Yeah, that's my least favorite thing. Anything out of a box is bad. I mean, you want a cookie, you want crackers, I think that's fine, but everything is balance and moderation. At the end of the day the key, and I think we touched on it earlier, is blood pressure. So basically, the number one killer in the United States is heart disease. So, if we want to protect ourselves, if we have a diet that's centric on fruits and veggies it's going to help to minimize our blood pressure issues. And oftentimes if you're eating enough potassium in your diet, you're not seeing pharmacists and doctors for meds because your blood pressure is under control. And if your blood pressure is under control, it minimizes your risk for all the other complications that can occur with the heart. Brad: So we could consider fruits and vegetables to be our medicine? Chris: In a lot of ways, yeah. I think I've said this before, an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure. A very famous person said that a long time ago and I don't know their name, but I think it might have been one of the surgeon generals. But that said, it's still very important to gravitate to these types of things in our diet and the variety is key, eat the rainbow. In a nutshell, what's a generalized guideline? Anything that's yellow or orange is generally going to have a pretty healthy source of potassium. But you can take that a step further, in a lot of things that are green have a lot of potassium as well. Brad: It also seems like things that grow in the soil like potatoes or beets, there are under the ground and they're absorbing minerals or whatever from the soil. Chris: It's a root, so it absorbs the minerals. We can pick on the beet, I make a smoothie with these just about every day, but there is more potassium in these leaves than in the beetroot itself. They each have different values. The beet leaves make an excellent salad, not that I'm a cook or anything, but I throw leaves on burgers if I'm making them. I bet you can toss a salad with this and a little romaine lettuce and spinach, you could get a good salad out of that. Brad: So people might be asking, how much do I really need? Should I just make sure I eat something from these food groups every day? There are more than just the foods pictured, you can Google it. Chris: I mean variety is key, yeah, you're not going to want to eat beet leaves every day. Cantaloupe is excellent, bananas are excellent. We don't have oranges up here, we don't have kiwis up here. I mean, we do have an avocado which is very high in potassium. You have sweet potatoes, you have potatoes, I mean, all of these foods. So you just want to put all these things in your diet. Potatoes are an interesting one because, for diabetics, they are not good because it has a lot of sugar and starch. Lots of starch. So you have to be careful. Again, everything in balance, you don't want to eat six potatoes. I mean, that's not going to necessarily do it, you don't necessarily want to have potato salad. Although if it's mixed in, you're still going to get your potassium, but you're going to have all the mayonnaise and all the other things too. Although it tastes good. So you have to balance with what you've got. Brad: So for myself personally, I find this pretty exciting because I didn't know beets were part of the high potassium. I've been eating avocados, I didn't realize I was eating that much potassium. I've read some nutritional books, and my diet is relatively healthy, but I think I can get it more healthy and enjoy my diet even more through some of this. Now is this going to make me stronger? Chris: Well I don't know. Brad: You said potassium helps with muscle contraction. Chris: It does, right. And potassium is a huge part of any muscle contraction. So if you're going to move your arms up or bench press or run. Brad: But it's not going to give me bigger muscles? Chris: It's going to make you bigger, stronger, or faster, but potassium coupled with sodium where there's a whole electrical chemical exchange, but basically it helps to make that muscle contract properly. It's a very critical thing, especially for your heart muscle itself. Brad: Yeah, yeah, that makes sense, I really like that heart. The stats of people eating more potassium, and less salt, are a clear indication. Chris: Yeah, there is study after study that shows that. I can't stress that one enough, and the American diet is exactly the opposite. It's too much salt, not enough potassium. If we can just tilt the tetter-totter, so to speak, we make huge changes for everybody. Brad: What about the nervous system? Chris: Basically it helps with nerve impulses. So it helps make those cells. Brad: So functionally is that going to make us more alert? Chris: No, we're not going to turn into Flash or anything like that but it just allows healthy nerve conduction. It's going to help promote the cell. It's in every cell in our body, I can't stress that enough. It governs a little bit of everything. So I have a 3,600 milligram of potassium diet, it's not going to make you superhuman, it's just going to make you a healthy human. I think that is the thing that we're all striving for is to have balance and healthiness. And I think that's key to the quality of life. Brad: Right, right. Chris: So if we can continue to eat a well-balanced diet with good variety, I mean, eat the rainbow. Brad: What are you talking about eating the rainbow? Chris: Eat the different colors of foods. Brad: So the colors have something to do with nutrients? Chris: Blueberries, avocado. The beets are red. Bananas are yellow. Cantaloupe is orange. Brad: Berries too, I understand. Chris: Berries, red raspberries, blueberries. They're not quite as high in potassium, but they all contain it. Find things that you enjoy whether it's throwing them in a blender in a smoothie. Every day I make a smoothie where the staples are beets and oranges, kale, and spinach. Brad: All right. Well, I think this is incredible information to absorb and change your life. We're going to do another video on just 10 of these items and a little bit of fun on how to make them, because you want to make your eating fun, healthy, and pain-free Chris: Yeah, because eating should never cause pain. Brad: That's right. All right, thank you, Chris. Potassium, the big letter K+, it's not special K but it's potassium. Chris: Potassium, the scientific element, it's the letter K, so thanks, guys. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Back and Neck Massager Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This is a very simple concept (with three rules) that can help prevent the strain placed on your back from repeatedly bending forward or bending down. You are going to rearrange your home, your garage, and your workplace using these three rules. Rule Number One: Items that you use frequently (or at least daily) should be placed at a height somewhere between your shoulders and your waist (most desirable). Rule Number Two: Light items or items that you use weekly may be placed at levels above shoulder height (less desirable- but okay). Rule Number Three: Items that you use less than weekly may be placed at levels below waist height (least desirable). **Heavy items should be avoided when you have back pain/sciatica. Ideally you would want to place ALL items at a level somewhere between the height of your waist and the height of your shoulders. However, this is usually impossible due to the restraints of storage space. By placing the frequently used objects at the correct heights, you will rarely need to bend forward and put stress on your back. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2017. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S30nHV5A5Os&t=617s. Bob: Today, Brad, we're going to talk about the big lie about heel spurs, heel pain, and plantar fasciitis. This is kind of a myth that's going around and it's being perpetuated by a lot of websites, even. Brad: Sure. You're right, and it gets people, their anxiety too high and makes the diagnoses worse than what they really are. Bob: So what are we talking about? Now a heel spur actually forms, if you look at the bottom of the foot right on the heel. You have the fascia, that's the tough band that runs from the heel to the toes. Well, underneath the fascia are some small muscles that help flex the toes. Brad: Right. They curl the toes. Bob: Yeah. They put a force on the bone and they're pulling on the bone. If those muscles are tight, they're going to be pulling on the bone for years and putting the stress on it. And what does bone do when it reacts to a force? Brad: It calcifies. Bob: It calcifies and pulls out. So here we have the muscles attached from the heel to the toes. Brad: By the way, this is Bob's rendition or artistry of a foot. Bob: It's terrible. Brad: So those are toes, and this is supposed to be some big fat, calcaneus, I guess. Bob: Yeah. Here we have the muscles in the green here, and they're pulling on this bone, and after a while, it actually calcifies and through Wolf's Law creates more bone and it creates a bone spur that sticks out. Brad: And they are a little pointy. Bob: They're a little pointy. Brad: Yeah. That's why they got the name bone spurs. So are they causing a problem, Bob? Bob: That's the big dilemma here. That's the big myth, that they cause you pain. This is what happens, Brad, you go in and you're having pain in your heel and you've had it for quite a while and you're going to the doctor and finally he decides to take an x-ray. And lo and behold, he sees a bone spur. So he goes "that's what's causing your pain?" Well, it's not. Generally, in very rare cases it might. Brad: Sure. Bob: If you can actually feel it, they said, if you can feel it below the surface, it might be giving you pain. They said one out of 20 people who have heel spurs has pain. Brad: And they've done studies on this where they take people with zero symptoms, X-ray them and find a certain percentage of bone spurs, but there are no symptoms. They're living a normal life. Bob: In one study I saw, 15% of the population has bone spurs, and they have no pain. So, what's causing your pain in most instances is the plantar fascia which is down below. So, you treat the plantar fascia and the pain goes away. Brad: So the plantar fascia is a wide ligamentous material that runs along the bottom of your foot. Bob: Right. Let's go ahead and show it on you, Brad. Brad: So this red spot here. That's a common hot spot for the plantar fascia. Bob: That's generally where you're going to feel the pain with plantar fasciitis. And the fascia runs along the bottom of the foot there. Brad: Yeah, it's that wide band and it goes from the heel all the way up. Bob: Up into the toes. Brad: Right. Bob: It does extend up, you know when you stretch the toes, you are stretching the fascia. I want to show that a little later on. Brad: Right. Bob: But let's say that's really not where your pain is. Let's talk about some of the other things that could be causing your heel pain. Brad: Sure, you bet. Bob: First off, let me say, Brad if you are having heel pain in both heels, I would probably have you get checked out by a doctor. Especially if it's both heels and other joints, it could be something more systemic. I don't want to throw out scary terms, but it could be rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or some of these other things. Brad: You're saying typically you don't have this problem in both feet. It happens in one. It's kind of like sciatic, it's usually one leg affected. Bob: Right. Although it can. I had the start of it in both feet because both of my shoes were bad. Brad: I can just imagine. I suppose that was in your college days. Bob: Well, no, it was just from running too much. Brad: Last year? Bob: Yeah, I was wearing it out. Brad: Sure. Bob: Which by the way, they find more bone spurs in people that are older of course, because it takes a long time to create that bone spur. Brad: Right. It takes a while for that calcification. Bob: So one of the first tests I want you to do, is I want you to do the squeeze test. Where you just go up there you squeeze the calcaneus bone there. Brad: Okay. Bob: You're going to squeeze it. And if there's any pain there, then you should go and get x-rays, because maybe you have a fracture there. Brad: Okay. Bob: You know if you're osteoporotic or if you run a lot you could have a stress fracture there. Brad: So you're squeezing the bone itself. Bob: Yep. You're squeezing the bone itself. Brad: Pretty aggressively. Bob: Yep. Yep. You want to see it. There shouldn't be any pain. Do you have any pain right now? Brad: Absolutely not. Bob: No. No. Brad: I'm not that strong. Bob: So yeah, that might be part of it. (chuckles) All right. Now let's palpate another spot, Brad. You've already got it drawn in there, the red spot there. You have the posterior tibial tendon that comes around through here and attaches to the navicular bone. So if your heel pain is actually coming from right around in here, you are more likely to have posterior tibial tendonitis. Brad: Sure. Bob: And not plantar fasciitis and not a heel spur. Brad: So actually, the bone right above it acts as a little pulley system and it goes around and the muscle is up in the calf more. Bob: Yep, it pulls up and turns the foot in and all that. Brad: Yeah, it makes you invert. Bob: The other spot, if your tenderness is in the back of the ankle and this might even go down into the heel. Then you may have more Achilles tendonitis. Brad: Right. You've got that big Achilles tendon there. That's an amazing tendon. It really does a lot of work so it can easily get injured. Bob: And then the last one, Brad. Yes. So you could have it on the outside of your foot, again, going around the ankle bone. And that would be peroneal tendonitis. Bob: All right. So Brad, again, I'm going to assume most of you are going to have plantar fasciitis. That's the one that's very, very common. Brad: Right. Bob: Let's just show you three things you can do for it, Brad. Brad: Sure. Bob: You know, we don't want to have you leave here with us just giving you this big myth and then finding out we didn't give you any answers for it. So, one thing you want to make sure of, Brad is, that when you get up in the mornings you're putting your shoes on before you get out of bed. Brad: Right. Bob: And that usually is a symptom, isn't it, Brad? That when you get up after you've been sitting for a while or in the morning, it really hurts. Brad: Right. Should we tell them the reason? It's because if you sleep all night, your feet are typically in a relaxed position, or plantar flexed. These tissues tighten up overnight, and they're already sore because they were sore the day before, and then you put a quick stretch on them with all that weight and all those tender tissues wake them up really quick. Bob: Then they break open again. That's scar tissue and you break it open again. Brad: Well, it'd be like if you had a cut on your knuckle and bent it hard, and you just split it. Bob: Yeah, exactly. So, before you even get out of bed, the thing I like to have people do is to actually stretch those toes. And you're stretching that plantar fascia. Just grab the forefoot here and pull. And this is so easy to do in bed before you even get out. Brad: Right. You're going to do it slowly, you'll know. Your body will tell you. Bob: Yep. Just go ahead and give it a stretch. And I would like to see you doing this stretch throughout the day like if you're sitting in a chair and you've been sitting for a while, and before you get up again and you get that sharp pain, go ahead and give it a stretch. Brad: Sure. Bob: Before you even get up. Take your shoe off and have people talk about you in the office. That's always fun. Brad: Maybe you can get someone to come over and do it for you. Bob: Oh, I bet you that's going to be easy to do. Yeah. All right. The next thing you want to try, Brad, is we had a lot of people that have had luck with the splint. The night splint. Brad: And there are quite a few different makes and models of these, but they have the same basic concept. Oftentimes they're Velcro. Bob: This is the thing that, my wife was doing all the other things you're supposed to do, she was icing and stretching. This is the one that healed it quickly. Brad: Sure. Bob: I mean, I was shocked. It was within two nights and she was already back to walking and then by a week she was back to running. Brad: So in her case, that was a key part of the healing. Bob: I know I'm only giving one example, but the studies have shown too, that this combined with the other stuff often really does help. So show what it does, Brad. Brad: Oftentimes they're adjustable. So see, my foot can plantar flex or go down, but if you pull it up, then that pulls it into that neutral position. Bob: Yeah. You really have to watch it. I mean, you can't stretch it too much. She said there were a couple of times she woke up in the middle of the night and had to release it because it was too much. Brad: Right. Bob: So. And the last thing I'm going to show you, Brad, is a taping one. And this is the thing, you try it and if it works great, if it doesn't work, don't do it. But you just get some tape, athletic tape that doesn't stretch much. So what you're going to do is, this is the one if we're going to do the left foot here, you're going to put it underneath the foot, underneath the heel, and you're going to bring it up and around. This should be a longer piece. It should go all the way around, I didn't measure this before. But what this is doing is called externally rotating the heel. So you're going to pull up on it like this and then pull it across. Brad: You tape up to there? Bob: I would tape even beyond it. Brad: Okay. Bob: I would go all the way around even. Brad: I've done it up to this area already. Bob: Oh really? Brad: Yeah. Bob: That would do it too. Brad: Yeah. Either way, it pulls it this way, but then I always put some tape around to hold the end. Bob: Right, to hold the tape in place. If you even do it my way, I would double tape it by every means. Brad: You could double tape by combining ours and really have some support over there. Bob: Yeah. Either way, you're really trying to externally turn that heel. Brad: And you know this will work because as soon as you walk the pain will go from an eight over 10 down to half of that. Bob: I think when you first step, it's going to feel awkward because you have to let the tape stretch out a little bit. Brad: Yeah, you'll feel the tape pulling. Brad: Just pulling your skin. Bob: Right, if it's going to help, it's going to help right away, it's going to feel better. Brad: Right. Bob: And if it does, you can tape every day. Brad: That is fun as a therapist when you put that tape on and they get up and walk around and they put a smile on their face and say, "Oh, I can't remember walking like this." Bob: Right. Without pain. So, thanks, everybody. Brad: Oh yeah, it's time to go. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble, Snapchat Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Back and Neck Massager Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.