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Health Is Expensive: Will You Pay At One Time or Over Time”

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Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

Monday, September 12, 2011

Health Is Expensive: Will You Pay At One Time or Over Time”

I often hear that being healthy is expensive.  Like anything else I guess it is all a matter of perception and because perception dictates reality, being healthy could be perceived as “expensive”.  A glance at others perceptions can allow us to shift our perception if we are open to it. There was a time when I lived with the perceived notion that being healthy was expensive until I really began to understand that much like anything a simple shift in perspective can open your eyes to a world or thought process unknown.

I once heard a quote that said, “A man spends all his health to get his wealth and then in turn spends all his wealth to get his health”.  So, it is not being healthy that is expensive but rather it is health in general that is expensive.  It’s deciding whether or not to pay the “expense” of health over time or at one time. It is not whether or not you will pay but rather when you will pay.  In society there are two major paradigms that we are presented with when it comes to lifestyle choices, the medical paradigm or the chiropractic paradigm. Understanding these paradigms will allow you to know if you will pay for your health over time or all at one time.

The medical paradigm is centered on waiting until symptoms and/or disease present themselves and dealing with the “crisis” at that time.  The medical paradigm believes that as humans we slowly break down over time until we die.  It is a crisis-centered paradigm that waits until symptoms present themselves and deal with them at that time.  There is no way of knowing what crisis will present its self or when? A crisis can vary from the flu to a migraine to an appendectomy to heart surgery and the list goes on.  Much like Russian roulette there is no rhythm to their presentation nor is there a way to gage the cost of the crisis.   Over an individual’s life span they can experience one to a few crisis or multiple crisis, with each crisis decreasing their overall quality of life.  There then comes a point when individuals are willing to spend all the money that they have to maintain the final ounces of their health.  In this paradigm the expense for “health” is paid for in one lump sum at the time of service and can vary in cost from thousands to 10’s of thousands or even 100’s of thousands.  An individual’s perspective on the value of money shifts when it comes down to health or wealth.

The chiropractic paradigm stresses the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, which allows an individual to invest on his or herself over time with the objective of maintaining health and achieving longevity.  The chiropractic paradigm is centered around maintaining optimal wellness throughout an individual’s entire life with hopes of remaining in homeostasis and avoiding dis-ease which leads to disease.  Similar to dentistry, chiropractic believes in the importance of maintaining the body’s level of health through maintenance.  Dental maintenance is composed of regular check ups, regular in office cleaning, twice to three times daily brushing, and proper nutrition. A principled chiropractor will urge you to follow a wellness routine though nutrition, exercise, maintaining mental and spiritual balance and being checked regularly by your chiropractor.  Both practices are similar in that frequency of care varies with personal history, whether health history or dental history. In this paradigm you pay small amounts over time with the intent of maintaining the God given level of wellness you were gifted at birth.  This paradigm is true “life insurance”, with low premiums and high dividends.

Each and every individual is given the choice between paradigms.  When choosing your paradigm it is important to define quality of life and get clear on what kind of a life you want to live. While I am a free spirit and thrive off adventure there are some things that are more of a gamble rather than an adventure.  Personally, I’ve never understood Russian roulette, because “what if’? Much like a parent can only raise up a child with “hopes of” but ultimately the child must live their own “hopes” my hope for you is that you will invest in yourself.  I will not argue that health is expensive; “Is it expensive?” is not the question but rather “When will you pay the expense?” Will you pay slowly over time with the mind frame of preserving your health or will you pay a large amount at the end in hopes of preserving your life? If you look at cars they are a considerable expense and we take care of them, in hopes of maintaining them, even though they are replaceable.  Yet, with our own human body we neglect it as if it were replaceable.  Simply shifting your perspective and realizing that you are your most valuable asset and deserve to live your life full out and with full expression of life. When you realize you are worth it, you will realize every dollar spent is worth.  Money can buy anything but a new you!

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha Nessler, Innate Girl

Are You In A Relationship Triangle?

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Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

Monday, May 30, 2011

Are you in a relationship triangle? And no I don’t mean a confusing triangle involving you and two other people that is full of drama and question marks. I am speaking of a relationship triangle that involves you, the person you are in a relationship with, and the goals you have for your relationship.  I have used the relationship triangle since I was 16 years old, when I  used it to explain to my boyfriend at the time why we weren’t going to work; we simply had different goals and were headed in different directions.  I have used it many times and it has served me well.

Relationships come in many types with the most common being love, work, friendship, and family.  In every relationship the objective is to grow closer while the level of closeness varies the objective remains to move in a direction that creates a bond of trust and respect.  To facilitate the growth of relationships both parties have to be working toward the same set of goals that will allow the relationship to strengthen.  If both parties are not moving toward the same goals they move apart from each person because one person grows while the other remains idle, barely moves, or regresses. It’s inevitable if one person loses focus of the relationship that rather than growing closer the two parties begin to gain distance and their bond weakens. The relationship triangle is a great tool that allows you to facilitate growth in your relationships.  All you need is a pen, piece of paper, the person you are in a relationship with, and the goals of the relationship.

Draw a triangle, a perfect equilateral triangle.  In one lower corner write your name and draw an arrow pointing up toward the tip of the triangle and do the same thing in the opposing corner with the other person in the relationship Now with that person begin to get clear on the goals of the relationship, clearly write them at the top of the triangle.  When both people are working toward the goals of the relationship then both begin to move closer to the tip and therefore closer together.  When someone begins to get lax or loses focus the two grow farther and farther apart.  The triangle is a great tool to facilitate growth.

I, personally, use the triangle in all my relationships and am now introducing it in to my practice.  The relationship triangle will allow me to help my practice members to clearly define and reach their goals and stay focused.  I place  “Dr. Martha and team” in one corner and the practice members name in the opposing.  At the tip I write out all their goals and ask them to get crystal clear on what exactly health looks like for them if they could have anything they want and what that looks like.   It allows them to clearly define their goals and to know what they are working toward.  The relationship triangle also keeps them accountable because at the top you also write your goals for them so they know exactly what you expect from them.  Expectation management is crucial in successful relationships keeping everyone on the same page and headed toward the same goal.  Giving your practice member a “map” such as the relationship triangle allows them to know where chiropractic is taking them and keeps them on track.  The relationship triangle is a great accountability for the chiropractor and the practice member.  My practice members are responding with enthusiasm and thanking me for the “map”.

Just as this triangle works in practice member-chiropractor relationships it works in all relationships allowing clarity, expectation management, and facilitating growth.  It is important to know where you are headed in any relationship.  I always say if you don’t know where you are headed, how do you know where you are going? The relationship triangle keeps everyone focused!

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha Nessler, Innate Girl

Your Genetics Are Not Your Destiny or Are They?

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Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivation

Monday, May 9, 2010

The majority of Americans let their genetics dictate their life.   They live with the misconception that because generations of their family who walked before them were sick and dying that they too are sick and dying.  They flood their mind with negative thoughts and they repeatedly say to themselves, limiting statements about their health, which hold them back.  The statements vary but are similar in outcome: “All males in my family have died by sixty”, “High blood pressure runs in my family”, “In my family we all have a problem with weight”, “All the women in my family get breast cancer”, and a multitude of other “standards” that individuals set for themselves.  The sad part is that these standards are limitations, which hold them back from the life they were entitled to live; all because they place all their bets on their genetics.

It’s important we understand the difference between genetics and epigenetics. Genetics deals with genes and heredity, that which is inherited from parent to offspring. Simply stated who we are comes from our ancestors, who they are makes us who we are, and their genetic history is a window into our future in terms of health.  I am not denying that our genes play a role in who we are and where we are headed. Instead I am encouraging that we begin to understand epigentics and the impact it can have our health.

Epigenetics implies that we can alter our genetics through lifestyle choices because our gene expression can be altered via changes outside our DNA sequence.  Because we can make alterations in our genetics, we can rest easy because our DNA does not have to dictate our destiny. The ability to alter our DNA and depends on the lifestyle choices we make.

Each and every day we make choices that alter our genetic make-up both positive and negative and most are directly related to that which we have learned from our MFTP (our mother, father, teachers, and preachers).  Our MFTPs are with us from our earliest days guiding us and educating us, they are our role models throughout childhood and adolescence. Their lifestyle choices have a huge impact on the lifestyle choices that we make, they set the guidelines to which we follow.

When looking at the health of our parents, our grandparents, our great grand parents and so on; it is important that we also look at the path that lead them to their destination and compare it to your current path.  Most people would be shocked to see how parallel their lifestyle runs to that of their family, therefore the similarity in their level of health is no surprise.

In order to move more towards health we need to make choices that catapult us in that direction rather than making choices that inhibit our progression toward wellness and anchor us to our genes.  Positive choices that facilitate health must be made in the foods we eat, proper movement, positive thought, and preservation of our nervous system, which controls every cell in our body.  Tracing back through negative choices you will see similarity in that of your MFTP.  If they ate processed foods you most likely do to and if channel surfing was their exercise the same most likely rings true for you.  Do you bombard yourself with negative thoughts? That is most likely how you were taught to think? If your parents believed that you slowly break down until you die then most likely you don’t believe that you were destined for an optimal life.

Believe me I am no exception to this rule.  I was raised within the medical paradigm too, which has become the American standard, but I am here to tell you that you can make the shift necessary to alter your genetics.  I have and while it has been a long road it has been a road worth traveling and a journey I continue each and every day.  The beauty of choices are that they are choices, choices that you get to make.  So what will you choose?

And remember you are not only choosing for yourself but for your offspring and theirs.  Make a shift today not only for yourself but for those whose lives you will bring into this world.

Love.  Laugh.  Adjust.
Dr. Martha Nessler, Innate Girl

Why Settle For Good? When There’s GREAT.

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Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

Monday, April 25, 2011

Why Settle For Good? When There’s GREAT.

The book, Good to Great by Collins, is one of my favorite books.  Not only is it an easy and enjoyable read, but also its message is simple yet powerful.  The book teaches us that good is the enemy of great and with even the simplest of changes we are able to go from good to great.  While, Good to Great is a business book; the book is applicable to life.  If you lead a life of purpose and a passion most likely your business is a HUGE part of who you are as an individual, intertwining life and business.

Like most people I want a great life in all aspects, well rounded so that all areas are equally balanced.  I’ve always been an achiever in all the aspects of life, wanting the best for my life, wanting a great life.  Dating back to grade school I always wanted to get the most of my education, social life, family relationships, and spiritual walk.  The same holds true today wanting a great life across the board and with aging I have added wanting a great life in the aspect of business and wellness.

There are times we look at others lives and say they have “a great life” but greatness is a personal experience relative to the individual.  The beauty of other’s opinions is just that that they are other people’s opinions.  I always appreciate when someone compliments my life but compliments don’t have to dictate that you have reached the top level for you, your successes and your level of greatness.   So many times we take a compliment as “stop” sign, telling us we have reached the level of greatness for any aspect of our life.  While we have only reached a level of greatness in another’s eyes, individually we must decide what a great life means to us.

Personally, I know that I have a good life and each day strive toward a great life. In my opinion a great life is not place you reach and become idle but rather something you constantly strive for because eventually great becomes a new version of good.  In order to never settle you must set the standard a bit higher.  Interestingly we transition from good to great and then great becomes a new level of good and we have to make the necessary shifts and set our standards to obtain a higher level of great.

Establish your version of great. Be specific and detailed, clearly defining what great looks like and feels like.  Set your goals and establish a path that will lead you to great. We all have the ability to have a great life; we just need to set our intentions and focus.  Greatness is available, wanting it is half the battle and creating the path is the other half.  Enjoy your journey from good to great and don’t let good old you back.  Here’s to us having a great life.

Love. Laugh. Adjust.
Dr. Martha Nesseler, Innate Girl

Four Years, Really? Wow! Time Flies When You Set Your Goals High

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Monday, April 18, 2011

Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

It’s hard to believe that Monday, April 18 2011 is the four-year anniversary of Optimal Chiropractic.  It seems like just yesterday I was standing in line with my classmates awaiting our hard earned diplomas.  Going back to that date, April 22, 2006, I know that there was no way I thought I would be where I am today.  Here I am five years after my graduation from Logan College of Chiropractic, running a successful wellness practice and I can’t help but remain in a constant state of gratitude.

I was thinking back to when I decided to open my own practice.  While it seems like yesterday it also seems like a lifetime ago.  I have accomplished so much in four years.  Prior to graduation I had planned to move to Colorado but through a chain of events and changes I was suddenly back in Springfield, IL where I had grown up living in my parents house and attempting to find myself.  After about five months, I remember my dad asking me if I was going to use my doctorate? I realized then that I had to do something because what I was doing, which was nothing, wasn’t enough and wouldn’t work much longer.  It was at that time I decided to open my own practice.

I am not really sure what I thought when I opened my practice.  I knew I had to do something, so something is what I was going to do.  We all eventually get to a point when we realize what we are doing isn’t working and come to the decision that we must do something different or we have the possibility of becoming insane.  Insanity, after all, is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results but doing nothing differently! By April 18, 2007 my office was up and running.

Lately, I have been reflecting over the past five years since graduation.  I feel like I have lived a thousand lifetimes.  I looked back at my five-year list, which I wrote in November of 2006 at the Lifebook Lounge in Chicago.  As I looked over the list I was awed, almost EVERYTHING on my goal list has been accomplished and I know without a doubt that I will cross the rest off by October and by 2012 will start the new year with the new list I have already began to create.

Setting goals is important and BHAGs, big hairy audacious goals, are even more exciting.  When I set my goals I wanted to reach 1000+ visits a month, be TMC chiropractor of the year, share my heart in front of 100’s of chiropractors, qualify for the Boston marathon and run my best time there on the anniversary of my mom’s death, and the list goes on.  Then they seemed intangible but I knew then what I know now if you believe it you achieve it.  So I set my goals and my intentions and began to speak in affirmations. As the days, months, and years passed I was able to reach goal after goal because I KNEW I would.

Today more than ever I am growing and I know that I am about to hit another tipping point that will propel me into my next five years.  Five years that will lead to more reached goals, more changed lives, more friendships, and more successes that put the icing on the cake of life.  I am so excited for what lies ahead and where I am headed.  I can always feel when change is near and currently the feeling is overwhelming, in a good way.

Thank you to every single person: family, friends, practice members, past and current staff, and colleagues who have allowed my dreams to become my reality. I am truly grateful that you chose to support me, believe in me, and be a part of my journey.  I am so honored that you have supported me and your continued support will allow me to continue to make my impact on the world. You are as much a part of this as I am!  Thank you and may God’s love bless you today and everyday!

Happy Birthday as well to my step mom, Elaine! I LOVE YOU! Thank you for adding to our family. You are a blessing and I love you for being a mother to me! I know my mom smiles and is honored that you chose to love us as your own!

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha Nessler, Innate Girl

January 4, 2010 Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

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January 4, 2010

Remember for Goals: Think it and ink it. Affirm it daily.  Believe it and achieve it.  The world is yours.  The only thing standing in your way is the six inches between your ears.  So, clear your head space and go for it! “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them. –Denis Watley”

Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

Love. Laugh. Adjust.