I have seen my chiropractor twice this week for some of the running issues I have been having. On Monday he determined the pain in my hip was coming from my back. He did some traction and recommended I ice my back, and said I could run if I felt ok. It’s been feeling gradually better all week. I am really focusing on my posture not only when I am running but all day long. Also Pilates type core strength, stretching and foam rolling.
Today when I went back he got me thinking more about my overall health and nutrition. Over the summer, he did a “BioPhotonic Scan”:
I just held my hand up to this machine and it basically gave me a score between 10,000 and 100,000 based on free radicals in the body. The score is supposed to indicate your overall health. My score was a 46,000 which is considered “good” (anything 50,000 or better is optimal).
Recently, on Jul 24 2013, you met with a Pharmanex Representative and had the palm of your hand scanned with the Pharmanex® BioPhotonic Scanner. Your scan returned a Skin Carotenoid Score of 46000.
This score reflects the status of your body’s carotenoid antioxidant protection. The higher the score, the better carotenoid antioxidant protection your body is getting. As you continue to eat more fruits and vegetables and supplement with LifePak®, your Skin Carotenoid Score will improve. We guarantee it!
Over the summer I read Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook which I read about on Meals for Miles. There was a lot of information, but I tried to incorporate some of the information into my diet. I feel like I generally eat healthy, but I am sure I am missing out on certain nutrients. For example, after reading the book I have made an effort to incorporate enough iron and calcium into my diet. I switched from almond milk to skim cow’s milk. I try to make a smoothie every day and toss in a bunch of fruits and veggies.
So while I feel like I am doing a lot right, my chiropractor pointed out that I am probably not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids. (Which is true- I only eat salmon once or twice a month and I rarely eat nuts. Maybe I get some from peanut butter? But still, I am definitely slacking in this area). He suggested that as a runner my score be closer to 75,000 because of the wear and tear I put on my body. He also felt that my constant little (or big) injuries may be linked to my nutrition.
When I was originally scanned he recommended a product which is basically all the supplements in one that are supposed to actually be absorbed effectively by your body. (Most over the counter supplements are not absorbed the same way that the nutrients from food are). Using the scanner, they can actually monitor if your body is benefiting from the pills. This would mean not taking a daily multi-vitamin or calcium supplement. When he first mentioned it I turned it down. I felt it was too expensive and that I was doing pretty well on my own getting nutrients. Today we talked again, and I am going to give it a try. Here is the link to the product (I get a little bit of a better deal buying through his office) This and this.
They have a 60 day money back guarantee that your score will increase. As I told my doctor, I am not really as much concerned with my score as I am with having a healthier body, which would include less (or no!) injuries. I am going to give it a try and I can always stop if I don’t feel like it is worth it.
Anyway, running has been good this week but I am keeping it slow- no speed or tempo workouts. I am going to see how I feel tomorrow to decide how long my last “long run” will be. The weather this week has been awesome, and I have been going pretty early because work has been crazy, so I have gotten some nice views of the sunrise over the harbor.
Hopefully I will be back on Sunday with a positive weekly recap!
