Hey Everyone, 😁

A quote that I often live by and remember is “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. So today I want to get personal by sharing with you a bit of my personal health story.  🥰😊

We all have a different health journey and maybe some of you are still going through yours. Have you often wondered if… 

• You will ever make it to the other side of your pain or illness? 🤕

• What you are doing is actually working?👍

• It is even possible to enjoy life again if you have a medical diagnosis that is supposedly untreatable? 🏃

• A provider exists that will actually listen to you rather than only prescribing pharmaceuticals and dismissing your symptoms?

I have had those same questions and here to tell you YES!! You will make it through this; YES there are tools that can make a difference that are in your control; YES it is possible to fully enjoy life again no matter what your diagnosis is, and YES there are providers out there (such as myself) who are here to truly listen and help address the root cause of your symptoms!

I can tell you this confidently because I am living proof! 🙌 I am now dedicated to walking with others and praying alongside them on their journey to health and well-being!! 

Ultimately I do believe that healing happens through Jesus and that you cannot separate the body from our mind and spirit. We are a whole person but thankfully there is One who knows every part of you intimately and can heal you and/or lead you to providers to guide you on your journey to help you finally experience the life you crave. Every person is so different so don’t be surprised if your journey looks very different from mine. 

The goal is to be able to enjoy your life again no matter the different roads that you have or will take to get there. 

My Story: 📖

I grew up with pretty healthy parents, we ate tasty home cooked meals and my whole family was active with exercising regularly and/or sports. However my internal battles started after I injured my shoulder while swimming and was no longer able to participate in exercise for quite a while. I gained a lot of weight that led me to go from 115lbs to about 145lbs within a year. I started paying more attention to physical appearance and the only way that I knew to try to lose weight was to eat less… pretty difficult if you love food like me.  I never developed an eating disorder because of my need for food for comfort, but I did get into some disordered eating behaviors of extreme fasting followed by binge eating. This started in my teenage years and lasted into my late 20’s. I didn’t really recognize this as a problem until years later…

My next chapter of life led me into being newly married while going through physical therapy school to earn my doctorate. This was a very stressful 3 years followed by an additional 1 year of residency and 1 additional year of fellowship. I noticed that I was always tired and rarely desired to do anything fun or social anymore. I  gave up several of my hobbies and noticed I started isolating myself from community due to lack of energy… but it was easy to attribute this to stress and exhaustion from school. Even when we would go on vacation, all I wanted to do was SLEEP and not get out of bed. But no matter how much sleep I got, I could never get the satisfied feeling of being rested. 

After my fellowship program, I crashed!! Thankfully I had about a month off before starting my new exciting job working full time at a hospital. It was the job I dreamed of for years! In that month off, I think I rarely got out of my pajamas or left the house. I slept and ate and slept some more.  When I finally started work, I noticed myself getting sick ALL THE TIME. Every month or so I would come down with pretty intense viruses that required me to take time off work. So now with the sickness on top of fatigue and lethargy, and stress of feeling like I cannot perform my job duties well, I started having anxiety attacks. I just could no longer cope. Even the littlest of things would set me off into a state of panic or a breakdown. I sought out free counseling at my job thinking it would help. It did help some with my mindset but didn’t fix the underlying issues.   

I went to my primary care Dr. several times for each illness, for the fatigue and general body aches and stress, so on and so forth. I became very frustrated because even when the acute illness would heal up, I still felt SO BAD but didn’t know how to explain it. I just knew something was not right for someone who has always been healthy and only in their 20’s. All my tests and labs always came back normal so I'm pretty sure they thought I was crazy! The only solution they offered me was trying anti-depressants! I refused as I believe in a holistic approach and against pharmaceuticals unless medically necessary. I felt truly alone on my journey feeling like I could no longer trust the providers in my life.

Interestingly enough it was my fertility Dr…Oh yea, I also forgot to mention that another part of this journey was struggling with infertility for 5 years, however, praise the lord as He answered our prayer and my husband and I are now expecting our first!!! But anyways, my fertility Dr. did some lab work and diagnosed me with Hashimoto's autoimmune disorder. He did not think it affected my fertility so he just dismissed it and stated that it is not bad enough to need medication yet so there is nothing to do but wait until it gets worse. I was very disturbed by this answer. How can a doctor whom I'm supposed to trust with my health  just throw out a medical diagnosis that can be life changing with no explanation, no solution, no willingness to help me address it? I did not go back and sought out a second opinion. 

I was led to a functional medicine provider that confirmed my diagnosis; But he listened to my story and gave me encouragement as he has worked with many people with my condition and several like it. I was able to hear powerful testimonies from other people like me that had promising results. I honestly cried as I felt hope finally starting to rise back up in my spirit! Insurance does not cover this approach to medicine so it did cost several thousands of dollars but I will say it was worth it to get my life back. I ended up being a part of the program for 8 months. It really focused on lifestyle factors such as stress management, coping strategies, spiritual health, nutrition, sleep, exercise, and toxin elimination. I was on supplements to help normalize my autoimmune markers, improve the gut microbiome and address the other abnormal results in my labs such as hormone imbalances, glucose intolerance, and adrenal insufficiency. I went through an elimination food plan to help identify food intolerances that cause inflammation in my body. They also provided strategies for mindful eating to help me overcome my disordered eating patterns to truly see food as a tool to help heal my body rather than an enemy. 

These 8 months WERE NOT EASY, BUT WORTH IT!! AND IT WORKS!! It is not easy to change years of habits, actions and ways of thinking; I am still on my journey of learning and growing and improving my health. Something that I don’t think will ever come to full completion, but I can truly say that although I still have a diagnosis of my autoimmune disorder I feel more energized, more healthy, and more engaged and excited for life than I have in years. 

I have become so excited and passionate about this approach to health that it has transformed my physical therapy practice and has inspired me to offer wellness coaching to spread the good news of what I have learned to help others live life abundantly! The wellness visits focus on guiding people into lifestyle changes to help them manage symptoms of chronic conditions, improve overall well-being and help get their life back doing the things that motivate them to get out of bed in the morning. I would be honored to walk with you along your health journey as well. 

And if you do suffer from pain, then of course I am here to help by offering hands-on physical therapy exams and interventions through my practice Living Well Physical Therapy located in Johnson City, TN. 

Call to schedule your wellness visit or physical therapy evaluation today! Time is too precious to waste another day feeling bad or being in pain.  

***Wellness visits offered virtually so you can receive care no matter where you live***

I wish you all well on your journey and pray for your healing 👏😊

Sincerely,

Christa Smith

DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT

Living Well Physical Therapy

(315) 751-3082

CALL TO SCHEDULE TODAY!!

Hey there! I am Christa Smith, a physical therapist and first-time mom to be! 🥰

 I am an orthopaedic and manual therapy specialist and have been practicing as a physical therapist for over 5 years now. I strive to live what I preach to my patients and believe in living an active lifestyle, so even in the business and chaos of life I strive to make exercise a regular part of my routine and didn’t want that to stop with pregnancy. 🤰

So, I should know exactly what I should and shouldn’t do while pregnant right? WRONG, the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy were not taught in any of my training and my Dr’s were very vague in their recommendations which didn’t give me confidence! So, I did what most people do… say hello to google. This was NOT helpful! 😬 🥴 I got so overwhelmed with mixed messages and conflicting data and decided to do a deeper literature dive to identify what is true and useful information. 

I even saw products sold on social media of safe exercise protocols to do while pregnant. Is this really necessary? Do I really need to pay money to learn “safe” exercises to do during pregnancy? 🤑 As it turns out, the answer is NO! If you have had any of the same questions or concerns in your pregnancy or know someone who has, keep reading. 

Below are a few evidence-based guidelines for exercise and pregnancy so you no longer have to worry or wonder. I hope this blog will help you be confident in staying active during pregnancy so you can continue to be healthy for both you and your baby. However, I do want to note that these are general recommendations for uncomplicated pregnancies and before starting any exercise program, you should talk with your healthcare provider to assure that you don’t have any precautions or contraindications for activity. 

👍   Benefits of exercise during pregnancy far outweigh the risk

 In fact, there is a greater risk to the health of the mom and baby if you don’t exercise during pregnancy. It has been shown that physical inactivity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy are risk factors for maternal obesity and related pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes, caesarean deliveries and operative vaginal deliveries. On the other hand, exercise during pregnancy can decrease postpartum recovery time physically and help counteract postpartum depression, and decrease pregnancy related back and pelvic pain. There is NO evidence to support the myth that exercise can cause miscarriage or result in poor fetal growth.

🏃  Women SHOULD do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic and strength exercises before, during and after pregnancy 

What is moderate activity you may ask? Everyone starts off at a different level of physical fitness so one size does not fit all. With moderate activity you should still be able to talk while exercising, however it’s OKAY to be sweaty and out of breath. You can also reference the rate of perceived exertion scale in which moderate activity would be around a 4-6. However, several studies support that if you were doing vigorous activity prior to pregnancy, you should be fine to continue that in pregnancy as well. 

🚩  Are there any exercises to avoid?

 It is recommended by the ACOG that if you are beyond 20 weeks’ gestation you should minimize time lying flat on your back. The reason for this is the theory that laying on your back can result in aortocaval compression and result in decreased venous return causing hypotension. This is not present in all women and if you have it, you will likely have symptoms such as dizziness; therefore, if you choose to lay on your back, just monitor your symptoms and if you feel dizzy you should change positions. One systematic review found there were no adverse reactions found with supine exercises during pregnancy even though the quality of studies were low. 

Overall, it is safe to do any exercise you were doing before pregnancy! Keeping in mind that the farther you get along in pregnancy there are still going to be increasing changes to your body for you to be mindful of. For example, due to shifting of your center of gravity you will likely feel more unsteady and off balance. Therefore, exercises that place you at risk for falling should be avoided. Also, your body is releasing hormones that cause your ligaments to be looser which can make you feel less stable or increase risk of pain with plyometric or high intensity movements. So again, everyone is different and you just listen to your body. There is no cook book approach, but you can feel confident to be able to exercise safely during your pregnancy. 

Lastly, if you have any of the signs or symptoms listed below. You should stop your exercise and contact your healthcare provider. 

Now let’s get exercising!! 🏋️😁

If you have any questions or need help getting started or progressing an exercise program, we can help! Call today to schedule an appointment. 

 Christa Smith

            PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT

            Owner of Living Well Physical Therapy

            Call to Schedule

Happy Fall Ya’ll! 🤗 

It’s an exciting time of year as Halloween and Thanksgiving are approaching with Christmas then shortly around the corner! However, even with all the joys of the season, if you are like me this time of year can also bring up some extra stress regarding food choices and the discouragement of weight gain 😬.  But the great news is that it doesn’t have to be!! You see, last year I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s autoimmune disease and honestly I went through a season of grief as I had to learn new ways to eat and give up things I love like bread with gluten, dairy, and all the oh so good sugary desserts. This was definitely a process that didn’t happen overnight but a journey that I would love to share as I have experienced that it truly is possible to feel good around the holidays with eating well and staying active and still eating yummy food. Besides why wait until the new year to start making changes that will get you feeling like your best self! Start today! 

I plan to share with you recipes that I have deeply enjoyed that are healthy as well as tips for you to start and stay committed to an exercise program to help guide you through this season. Although you may experience the benefits of weight loss, don’t overlook all the other positive effects that you will likely experience on a physical, mental and even spiritual level.  We are complex creations and all parts of who we are interconnected. I mean just think about it! The Lord has chosen to make his dwelling place within our physical bodies! (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I say this because I believe that for us to truly love ourselves and love others, we need to honor God with our bodies by taking care of it. 🙏🙌

It is not easy to make exercise and healthy eating a daily part of your routine but I promise with the benefits that you experience; it is well worth it! Not only does exercise help to maintain a healthy weight and improve strength, but it can help with pain relief, improve mood, cognitive function, sleep, improved immune system, and prevention of several comorbidities and diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, etc. But we all know and have experienced that having the knowledge of something being good for us does not mean that we do it. If that were the case, smoking would be non-existent and we all go to bed early and not give into that extra late-night Netflix series making us stay up too late. So, what do we do when willpower and knowledge is just not enough? 🤔 Great question…keep reading.  

“ I deserve this X,Y or Z because it has been a hard day”

“ I will start tomorrow because I’m too tired”

“ I don’t have time to add working out into my schedule”

“ I have tried being healthy before and it just didn’t work”

Can you relate to any of these thoughts? 

Trust me, you are not alone! I have spoken all these lies and excuses to myself among several others, which is why I can promise that it is possible to make changes, just take 1 choice at a time until a new habit has formed. But the question that we need to ask ourselves in every choice we make is who do I want to become? And is this choice helping me get there? A large part of making true lasting changes has nothing to do with the action itself but on how we think about such things. So, the battle really does begin in the mind. The mind is powerful and our thoughts often directly impact our emotions and actions. The first part of being transformed into people who are physically healthy and active is changing and renewing our minds by reframing our thoughts.

✍️ Step 1: Write down your top 3 goals (hint to make at least 1 of them about health) and then to write down all the lies and excuses that you tell yourself that come against that goal. Then make another list of how you can rationalize truth against each one. This can give you the power to overcome them since you will be prepared! A great resource that I got this tip from among several others is from the book Happy School by Julie N. Gordon.  

For example:

Negative thought: I am already really tired after a long work day and don’t have the energy to exercise

Reframe: If I exercise after work, I know that I will get a burst of energy and feel better which will make me happier and more pleasant around my family

*Tip on Goal setting: I can easily go overboard when I feel inspired and set 10 new goals and by week 2 I have not met any of them so I would get discouraged and would just quit. Don’t make the same mistake. Instead start with 1-3 goals that you truly feel like are realistic to meet. Try to be specific and set a time frame. For example, I plan to get on my stationary bike for 20 min before work 3x/week. There is so much grace in this process and nothing is set in stone. So, if you set a goal and are having a hard time meeting it then adjust it to make it something you reach.  

😂 Step 2: Start with something you enjoy. If you love getting outside, consider setting a goal such as walking your dog 20 min around your neighborhood. If you despise running, don’t make it your goal to run 3 miles a day. We tend to stick to things we enjoy. Don’t get me wrong there are definitely times we need to exercise doing things we don’t love too much to stay balanced and healthy but in general, this advice is more geared to trying to get the new habit started and staying committed. There are endless amounts of activities to choose from so just start by choosing 1 and doing that a few days a week. 

🏃Step 3: Have a friend or family member join in. Having someone to join you on your health journey to have support and accountability can be a huge help. It makes the activities more fun just knowing you don’t have to do it alone. I love aerobic exercise but I struggle being motivated to do resistance training even though I know it is needed. My husband on the other hand loves resistance training. So I try to get him to work out with me a couple days a week to help motivate me in my resistance training and I do the same for him with aerobic exercise. 

Step 4: repeat step 1. Don’t be alarmed when you continue to get flooded with excuses and lies early in this process. It won’t last forever. Just remember step one and repeat as many times as necessary until the habit is formed. 

Also here is a recipe that Is perfect as the weather gets cooler. This is one of my favorite fall recipes that is dairy and gluten free! Butternut squash soup. 🥰♥️

https://www.loveandlemons.com/butternut-squash-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-42573

If pain is limiting you from being able to keep to your goals or you just need help creating a custom exercise plan then we can help! Call to schedule a 1 hour evaluation with Living Well Physical Therapy. 

Call to Schedule

Resources: 

https://www.cdc.gov/moving-matters/about/index.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=moving_matters_english&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAA9bslxWLDzrkDVAxsrRsCiW_IC2jy&gclid=CjwKCAjwooq3BhB3EiwAYqYoEl6z1lDa0j88oc4-kNUzfPtiGNmJjbez4BrHbVWrWPDCwEoPTvp5xhoCplwQAvD_BwE#cdc_health_safety_special_topic_types-health-benefits

It's important to note that this is not intended to be medical advice and if you have any underlying conditions, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise program or dietary changes.