I made it!

This weekend was pretty intense- I went with a group and backpacked into the Eastern Sierra Mountains, up and over a 12,000 foot high pass, and down into the valley below.

We hiked in 10 miles the first day. That was just grueling…

The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, though, so it was SOOO worth it- here’s a picture of me at the peak- surprisingly, I was happy up the top. It wasn’t until later that night where the altitude started to hit me and I just wanted to crawl up into a ball and go home…

I had such a bad headache that night, even though I was drinking tons of water and taking lots of supplements to combat the effects from altitude sickness.

We saw rivers and streams, lakes, deer, marmots, and we were able to avoid the bears! The ranger said there was a lot of bear activity up there recently, so that left my wife and kids a bit nervous back at home. Especially since I had zero cell phone coverage while I was up there, so there was no way to contact me…

We really roughed it on the trip- dehydrated food from packets, protein bars, etc- anything that was light, easy to carry, and filled with calories to make up for all the mileage we were putting on during the day.

 

And here’s the view from my campsite on night 2:

That was a sunset view from Friday night, and then my sunrise view Saturday morning.

The fish were jumping all over that lake. And boy were the mosquitoes abundant! That was how the ranger described the mosquito population to us ahead of time, and he wasn’t kidding- plus, that was the first time I’ve ever heard the word “abundant” used for something that wasn’t a good thing!

Well, the flipside of all this beautiful scenery and great exercise and activity is that I sure am sore today! My neck and back sure took a beating from sleeping on the ground with no pillow and sitting around the campfire on any rock or fallen over tree we could find.

So what did I do the second I got back to the hotel at the base of the mountain?

Well, first I took a shower…

And then I went out for a real meal (and no, it wasn’t the healthiest choice- anything that wasn’t dehydrated or needed to be prepared by sitting in boiled water just looked SOOO delicious!).

But after that, I went back to the hotel room and sat down on my trusty foam roller. Ahhh… Lying on that and rolling it across my shoulder blades and into my upper back and down on my glutes. It wasn’t tough to find a sore spot back there!

Because this has already helped me feel so much better, it made me think about YOU also needing one of our most popular products we carry.

So, while supplies last, I’ve decided to offer you $10 off our foam rollers- you can purchase up to 3 at a time.

After trying out several different types and styles, these are the best foam rollers I’ve seen- they’re nice and firm, and they’re really able to get in there on some of those tight spots (unlike some of the types I’ve seen out there that really don’t do a good job because they’re either too flimsy, or they’re too pokey and end up hurting you).

These rollers work perfectly, and if you’re someone who is too sensitive to pressure, all you have to do is put a towel over them to soften the amount of pressure on you.

So, to take advantage of my $10 off special, just click here and enter the promo code ROLLAWAY, and we’ll ship out your new foam roller right away.

Have a great day, and enjoy all this oxygen that’s available to you- I sure am loving how it’s so abundant down here!

-Dr. V

 

So, I’ve been getting ready for a big backpacking trip in the Eastern Sierra’s (I actually leave tomorrow!). If you’re familiar with the area, we’re going out of Independence, CA. It’s in the middle of nowhere.

We’ll be hiking from 9,000 ft. above sea level up to over 13,000 ft. I’m actually pretty worried about how I’m going to fare that high up…

I normally don’t do well in altitude. The good news is- I hiked Mt. Baldy this weekend to prep- that hike went from 6,000 ft to 10,000 ft.

It was awful, but it was the highest I’ve ever hiked WITHOUT getting a headache!

Here’s a pic from this past weekend. I call it “Baldy conquers Mt. Baldy!”

 

So, this weekend in the Sierra’s, I’ll be carrying all my gear- tent, extra clothes, jacket (it’s gonna drop to the 30’s at night), dehydrated food, bear cannister (yup, this is bear country), water purifier, and all the bare essentials.

I just packed my backpack, and it’s about 45 lbs…

To prep for carrying the extra weight, I’ve been spending a lot of time hiking with a weighted vest on.

This vest is just 23 lbs (I weighed it out, because I was really curious).

If you’ve never run with a weighted vest on before, it’s really not pleasant. It just makes you breathe heavier every step of the way, and it makes your whole chest and rib cage feel like they’re being compressed and suffocated.

Here’s a pic of me wearing this thing today- this was about as close as I got to cracking a smile with it

on.

Oh my gosh, just looking at the pic again, I’m shocked I never even mentioned the heat. It was SO hot out there already, but this thing must’ve made it feel another 10 degrees hotter.

 

Well, I normally weigh about 175 lbs. or so, so this vest- did I mention it’s 23 excruciatingly painful extra lbs? – it brings me up to just under 200. Which isn’t even all that heavy, from what I see around town on a daily basis…

But holy cow- I’ve been getting a TON of back and neck pain from this stupid thing! I’m even feeling extra achy in my knees. It’s crazy to me just how much a mere 23 lbs. of extra body weight can add such a strain on the body. It makes me cringe at just the thought of being pregnant or overweight…

So my point is this- if you’re someone who has aches and pains and is a bit overweight (and I’m pretty sure about 100% of us feel we could stand to lose a little), you NEED to make a change and lose some weight! Getting rid of even an extra 5 lbs will make a HUGE difference in how you feel.

It’ll decrease inflammation, and it’s going to take the stress off the joints of your hips, spine, and knees.

Now is a great time of year to get outside and exercise- if you aren’t already following a routine, just start something (ANYTHING) now. Pick something you enjoy, it doesn’t really matter what. Just get out there and get sweating.

Making some changes in the kitchen won’t hurt either.

Sound good? Do it!

Stay Healthy,

-Dr. V

P.S: I’ll be back in town in a few days (unless I become some bear’s dinner!), and I’ll give you an update on the trip.

45 lbs, 13,000 ft. Ughh! The views are gonna be awesome, though. And it will be super remote and peaceful.

 

Today I want to share with you something that has not only helped me tremendously in my own life, but something that has also helped change SO MANY of my patients’ and friends’ lives.

First for my story:

I have always been into fitness and working out, but I had kind of gotten off track over the summer (and I will oftentimes get off track over the holidays, too). During the summer, I was looking for a way to get focused again. My biggest weakness was drinking beer on the weekends (oh man, the IPA’s on a hot summer day are just so delicious!).

Every Friday, I kept telling myself, “This weekend, I’ll be good.” But then Friday evening would roll around, or Saturday at 5- the kids would be driving me nuts, and I’d just cave.

I’m an all or nothing type, and I really needed something I was going to be all in on. My wife and neighbors had had success with AdvoCare (AdvoCare’s 24 Day Challenge in particular), so after months of being skeptical and rolling my eyes at it, I decided to give it a try…

At that point, I finally saw what all the buzz was about. I really wasn’t expecting to feel SO DIFFERENT on the products. I thought the most difficult part (even more than giving up beer) was going to be staying off coffee for 24 days, but that was a breeze. The 24 day plan was simple- I maybe had one night where I felt hungry, but other than that, it really wasn’t difficult. And I never had the feeling that I was starving myself like I had in the past on strict diets like paleo or Atkins.

I ended up losing 5 lbs, and I definitely feel like I gained muscle at the same time since I was also taking extra protein supplements. I could feel in my clothes that I was slimmer in the waist but bigger in the arms and chest. And all in all, I just felt much better!

I did one more challenge after the holidays this year- starting Jan 4, 2016. My goal was to lose 7 lbs. (which I thought was a definite stretch), but I ended up getting down 9 lbs! I started at 184, and finished up at 175 lbs- this is the ideal weight for me. I now feel great, and wanted to share this with you. I was so on track after my challenge that I didn’t even drink at the Superbowl!

Here’s me Jan 4, 2016 to Jan 28, 2016:

Not bad, eh?!!

Even bigger than my own success is what I saw with my wife after she did the challenge. Not only was she finally able to lose the baby weight from our 3rd child, but more importantly- after doing a challenge as a New Year’s resolution and then another one a couple months later- this was the biggest difference I saw in her in actually making a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. After the challenge, she continued to make healthy meals for me and our kids, and she really started listening to health and nutrition podcasts and making lifestyle changes for the long haul.

 

In the past, I have had success with paleo and Atkins, and I have seen success with these types of diets in my patients as well. But the problem is that they are basically starving themselves, so they are developing all types of cravings. Then after the 30 days (or however long), even if they are successful during the diet phase, they revert back to their old ways and make up for lost time. So they gain all the weight right back.

 

But the reason I like AdvoCare so much is because I have seen so many people make lifestyle changes that last for the long haul.

 

Here are just a few more of the many success stories and happy people whose lives have been changed for the better after doing an AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge:

“I always knew food/alcohol could affect your mood, but this is the first time I have experienced it! I am energized, excited, happy, patient, and a better person! After 24 days, I have lost 11.1 lbs and 13.75”. I cried happy tears this morning because I was just over the moon.”

-Taryn Valdez, Teacher, mommy of 2

 

Here is one more story that is just so inspirational- this is my friend and neighbor who got me interested in AdvoCare in the first place. Lauren bought herself a 24 Day Challenge for Christmas in December of 2012 (she actually admits that my family and I helped inspire her because we were always exercising out in front of our house with the kiddos!).

 

She started the challenge for New Year’s in 2013 and never looked back. Check out the pics of her miraculous transformation!

 

2-3 Weeks into the Challenge

Months 2-3

Months 3-4

Months 4-5

Months 5-6

Months 7-8

September 2013 she did her 2nd challenge, and these were her results:

Advocare after 1 year!!

Results after using Performance Elite Products & weight lifting (September 2014)

 

Total weight lost:

30 lbs.

Total inches lost:

20”+ (8” off waistline alone)

Body Fat:

Started at 29%+

Currently at 17%

 

And her husband Greg lost 60 lbs in his 1st year using AdvoCare after starting with a 24 Day Challenge!

So now you can see why I’m so excited about sharing these amazing products with you! If you’d like to chat via email or over the phone, shoot me a message today at drv@healthybackandwellnessinstitute.com

I would be happy to get you on a health journey of your own and get you on track for another amazing success story!

You can also go directly to my site here and order your 24 Day Challenge to get started now! When you place your order, I’ll be here to help coach you along the way so you set yourself up for the maximum chance of success.

Whenever I go out to any type of store and look around at the other people waiting in line, I have to laugh to myself at what I see- everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is looking down at their phones as they wait in line. I can’t point the finger, though- I catch myself doing the same thing- it has gotten to the point where it is a complete obsession. I don’t even enjoy doing it anymore, but it has become an annoying habit. But look on the bright side- at least it’s healthier than smoking, right?!!

When I look at the picture above showing the pounds of pressure you put on your spine by looking down at your phone, I searched and found the top 3 items that came up that weigh 60 lbs. What did I find? A boxer (the dog breed), a large leather punching bag, and 4 bowling balls…

This calculation of 60 lbs. was published in the journal Surgical Technology International, and they came to find that was the amount of force exerted on the head of an adult who is looking down at their phone. The human head by itself weighs roughly 10-12 lbs, so looking down to text makes your head about 5-6 times heavier than if you were looking straight ahead.

It used to be we had to worry about carpal tunnel, then came “Nintendo thumb.” Now, we’ve got to deal with “Facebook Neck” and “Twitter Spine!”

So, how many hours are YOU spending on your phone each day??? If you ARE going to be on your phone at all, keep your head up and look straight ahead at it instead of putting all that pressure on your spine.

And one more thing- try to hold it in a position where you aren’t using the same hand with your pinky finger curled underneath it to support the weight of it- that eventually leads to a cramping pinky finger also. Can you think of any catchy names for THAT diagnosis?!!