Check Engine Light? Act or Ignore It?

Extended Article from Severna Park Voice By Scott Goldberg and Michelle S Krause LMT

YES! That is a real photo from my vehicle! YIKES!

Article from The Severna Park Voice by Scott Goldberg and Michelle S Krause LMT

How do you feel when you see the "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT?" Does it start to alarm you? Do you feel uneasy and say to yourself, “This isn’t good timing!” or "I hope it makes it to the end of the week," then learn that another priority sucks up your time, and you may end up stranded on the side of the road?

Do you treat your body the way you treat your car? If you feel your wheels wobbling (sore knees) and know they are out of alignment (tight lower back/IT bands), and don't take care of it soon, then your tires will start to wear unevenly (joints wear unevenly). Not only does it cost you more money, but more damage, longer repair time, and more parts to be replaced. It's the same way with your body if you have a small jolt of an accident, rough childbirth, dental work, fall, or injury, and your spine is slightly turned-whiplash. After three months, you start to feel headaches out of nowhere, after a year, you start with neck and shoulder pain, and so on. Going to the gym helps with the pain, increasing your oxygen levels (our body’s first pain killer). It also helps weight management, how you look, and can help to strengthen muscles that may have become weakened. What about your nervous system properly firing to your muscles when working out, or are some overworking and firing all of the time? Our skeletal muscles are supposed to work only when we request them to. Are your muscles tight and antsy when sleeping? This will cause fatigue in the middle of the day because they are working when you aren’t asking them to, it’s like your muscles hanging out in the gym 24/7. This is what happens when your muscles are being triggered when they aren't supposed to be, when your body is stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode. Your body knows that your skeletal muscles are supposed to be relaxed when you aren't commanding them to move. At first, it causes some symptoms that you aren’t aware of fatigue, restlessness, and ‘insomnia”. As time goes on, that becomes your new normal. Your body will stop noticing that the muscles aren't relaxed and start adjusting your lifestyle and even your spinal alignment. Your cervical spine (neck) loses its curve from being on the computer, phone, and driving. Pain starts to set in, neck and shoulder pain, you start to clench or grind your teeth and a month later headaches, a little more tension from the jaw pulling out of alignment adds sinus issues (tightening adding to lack of proper drainage), more shallow breathing leads to lower back pain and then your knees are getting restricted fluid then you start saying, "everything is falling apart" "I'm getting old". Consider an analogy: your body starts having a standard straw for fluids to flow, you have an injury that misaligns a part of your body, that area only has a coffee straw opening now, and another injury causes a chewed-up coffee straw, restricting fluids to just a drip. Your body is trying to communicate with you. If you know what the signs are that your body is communicating with you, before it is too far along, it can be injury prevention and not damage control.

We start with the statement 'old age', however, our body experiencing injuries and life doesn’t mean ‘old age’, it means that we haven’t been servicing our body after injuries, we weren’t taught to, I know I wasn’t! Tension is your body’s way of telling you that it needs your attention; pain means it needs immediate attention. Your nervous system must function properly for your skeletal muscles to relax when not being them. It could mean your spine is not properly aligned or not getting the communication from your nervous system due to a pinch; it doesn’t have to hurt to be restricting. Back to the straw analogy, tight muscles cause your nerves and blood vessels to be constricted through a coffee straw, instead of a drinking straw. As our bodies don't bend and twist as much and muscles tighten (especially around the spine), the straw gets smaller and smaller as you go away from the top of the spinal cord (your head and neck). Restricted fluid also means that the nutrients aren’t getting to your organs and muscles, and the nervous system cannot communicate properly (tight like beef jerky, dry and not pliable). Try a science experiment of conduction- electrocute a piece of beef jerky, then a piece of raw meat. The raw muscle will twitch (which is the healthy response needed), but the beef jerky has no response since there isn't much water and minerals in it to conduct the impulse. Now, consider your cardiovascular, digestive, and other organs being constricted. Do you want a drinking straw or a coffee straw for such important organs? The difference with massage and craniosacral therapy is that craniosacral therapy helps loosen the fascia and nervous system, and then the muscles will respond and stay relaxed quicker and hold the habit of relaxation. Vital Fitness Holistic Center not only provides hands-on, but we also allow you to become your advocate and learn techniques to do at the comfort of your own home or work, or anywhere. Your nervous system will relearn, like rebooting your computer and replacing parts in your car, or realigning the wheels. Your body will learn how to go back as close to your natural balance and alignment as possible. Your spine will regain flexibility, thus allowing your extremities to get better communication, gaining more strength through the better communication, and because your skeletal muscles are now able to let go of the strain of being out of alignment until they are called upon, allowing more strength when in demand because they are not exhausted now.

Engaging in craniosacral therapy-brain and balance functional fitness training can improve performance, prevent falls, decrease anxiety, depression, as well as being a preventative strategy for dementia and autoimmune diseases, etc. It ensures that your muscles are relaxed when they need to be and firing when called upon. It also ensures that your brain is getting full stimulation throughout your entire body. This training engages your core muscles using tools such as the Bosu ball, bungees, and/or TRX bands. Hence, your muscles allow your body to react without thinking, assisting in the prevention of major accidents such as unexpected falls. It is this expertise that you will find at Vital Fitness Holistic Center. Other benefits also include, but are not limited to, reduction in insomnia, decrease in medications (at the consultation of your physician), dropping inches, pounds, and increased muscle tone.

We have experienced a vast range of people with many issues, ranging from back injuries to stroke and even cancer. Life catches up with us due to stress and constantly being reactive to our responsibilities and issues that come up on a daily basis. The end result is fatigue, stress, weight gain, anxiety and depression, and a continued tightening of the muscles from life (i.e., commuting several hours a day to and from work). It is much easier to manage and maintain a higher quality of life through a combination of holistic care. The training methods used with Vital Fitness Holistic Center provide the Yin Yang balance needed to achieve a healthy well-being, while addressing both fitness, health, and wellness goals. Many of our members have written testimonials that speak to the work we have done. However, we strive not only to make you your own advocate for your health, but also to teach you an awareness of signs when your body is at risk for not firing properly, leading to major issues.

Our goal for you is to get the most effective use of your whole body is a holistic approach. Vital Fitness Holistic Center offers your solution by providing a balanced approach of functional training, advanced therapeutic medical massage, and education to promote improved performance and a higher quality of life. By assisting you to become your own advocate, you become aware of when YOUR “warning light” is activated, so you can reach your performance goals and be empowered by becoming your own advocate for your health.

A holistic approach encompasses your entire body's health. Our ultimate goal is YOUR ultimate health.

For a comprehensive consultation, specifically to your health, click here: Michelle S Krause LMT or Scott Goldberg. 

In Health and Wellness, 

Scott Goldberg and Michelle S Krause, LMT, CST-T

www.vitalfitnessholisticcenter.com

President of Holistic Chamber of Commerce, Severna Park/Baltimore Chapter

www.holisticchamberofcommerce.com