I am currently 32,000 ft in the air leaving the “Land of Smiles (Thailand) and just had the best 2 weeks of my life. On the plane where time seems to standstill I have been thinking about how excited I am to get back to Atlanta and get back on my routine. For the past 2 weeks on my honeymoon I have dropped from getting adjusted weekly to zero, to working out 6 days a week to none, eating 98% paleo to 20%, taking daily protein shakes and supplements to nothing, and the only thing I have maintained is massage, as for an hourlong Thai massage runs a whopping $7 or 200 Baht (for my new Thai subscribers).
Many people would tell me before my trip “Doc, I bet your excited to get off your diet and stop working out for a bit” or in some context let me know how good it is going to be for me to cheat. These statements could not be further from the truth on how I felt this trip! I always find it interesting that if you take someone who eats very clean and feed them junk food they don’t feel well or someone who eats a ton of junk and get them eating super clean they sometimes can’t tolerate it all at once. I didn’t get sick this trip but always felt full and could probably go the rest of my life without pad Thai or rice.
This whole thought process and the reason I am writing this is because I am 100% addicted to being healthy and living. My name is Austin Cohen and I am addicted to chiropractic adjustments, eating healthy, working out, and living my greatest life to reach my full potential. It may sound awkward that I am writing this but as a chiropractor I hear some of the most outlandish comments such as:
- “”Once you get a chiropractic adjustment you have to get adjusted for the rest of your life.””
- “Crossfit is like a cult of people where in order to get really good you have to workout here a lot and for a very long time”.
- “I hear once you get a massage you will want to go the rest of your life”
- “If I take fish oil or D3 do I have to take them the rest of my life”
These comments always confuse me because what is so wrong about being addicted to getting your spine properly lined up in its correct juxtaposition so the brain can send clear signals down your spine and out your nerves to all of your organs and organ systems at 100%. Is it a problem I am also addicted to my dentist and will go twice a year for the rest of my LIFE to make sure my teeth are clean there is no decay and my gums are healthy. What is wrong about working out at the SAME gym regularly and doing it for the rest of my life so I can be more functionally fit. What is wrong about living healthy the rest of my life and trying to find all the things out there nowadays that will allow me truly be healthy. I am bringing all of this up because watching the downward spiral of our country and the healthcare stats are really starting to fire me up. When did we become such a quick fix or want it now culture? Obviously if that model works so well we would be the healthiest and richest country in the world but if we look at the stats or even around us we know that is not true.
I ask and encourage all of you (yes, you!) to look at your addictions whether good or bad and how can you convert the bad ones to good ones. For example, some people are addicted to having an immobile spine with not 100% connection. Some people are addicted to eating junk foods such as grains, sugar, and processed dairy and other packaged foods. Some people are addicted to the television and couch and not getting proper exercise to keep their cardiovascular system working right.
My question of the week is: What addictions are in your life right now whether they are good or bad and how can you take the bad ones and convert them into healthy addictions?
Once you answer this then realize that you have an abundant amount of resources around you to help with this conversion. And guess what? It may not happen overnight but step by step and day by day you will begin to lose those unhealthy addictions. If you feel stuck then either post a comment below or go to facebook.com/draustincohen and join in on the discussion and ask away.
