Hi folks,
This week I have been mostly…
Listening:
To the new album by Andy Shauf called The Party. If you like The Shins or Grandaddy you might enjoy this.
Contemplating:
The concepts that I am trying to communicate most clearly to my clients with regard to Chiropractic care:
1. There is a natural force within us that constantly heals and repairs us. We call this Innate Intelligence.
2. There are things that can confuse or interfere with this intelligence. We call these things Subluxations.
3. Our purpose is to address your Subluxations and help you return to a natural state of healing and health. We call these Adjustments.
Watching:
The build up to the McGregor vs Mayweather boxing match on Sunday. Whatever your views on combat sports and who will win, I appreciate the stoic philosophy and the positive mindset that Conor McGregor has espoused in his rise from nowhere to superstar in four years vs the legendary technician.
“An injury is not just a process of recovery, it’s a process of discovery.” - Conor McGregor
Eating:
A lot of super squidgy, stinky, raw cheese. August tends to be the month when friends come to stay and this time brought with them my favourite cheeses. The stinkiest was some unpasteurised Reblechon. My fridge may not ever smell the same again. The fact that this cheese is made from raw milk makes it taste better and is possibly better for us as it has more natural, and greater numbers, of bacteria in it which may be good for your ‘microbiome’ (the sum total of helpful symbiotic bacteria that populate your gut and your skin). The idea that full fat cheese is bad for us is highly questionable and in my opinion has been largely de-bunked; fat is essential and good fat is good for you.
Exercising:
Been revisiting the Bear Crawl. A great exercise for all joint mobility, balance and co-ordination. Good for core and spinal stability also. Here is a link for a beginners form of the exercise.
Have a great bank holiday weekend!
Simon
Finemore's Five for Friday (15)
Hi everyone,
Here's this week's edition of FFFF. Enjoy.
This week I have been mostly:
Looking forward:
To the start of the Test Cricket series between us and the South Africans. Nothing like a 5-day game on TV to force significant marital negotiations. A new England captain, Joe Root. C’mon lads.
Listening to:
A new album by Kevin Morby called City Music. You can pick your vinyl copy at Jam Records in town.
Reading:
Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell. I have been wanting to read this book for a while, it challenges assumptions about culture in the US with interesting theories on the commonality of culture across race and social division which has historical relevance to our ancestors (those seafarers of the south west involved in the slave trade, piracy and those who emigrated to the ‘new world’). How powerful culture is and how it conditions behaviour.
Contemplating:
A passage from the book I mentioned previously, Neither Wolf nor Dog by Kent Nerburn.
To summarise badly, Dan the Lakota Sioux elder comments on the white people that came and how important freedom is to them. Dan suggests that freedom was not important to the Indian tribes as they understood what it was to be free. Honour was more important to the Indians than freedom. The white people left Europe to escape their cages in search of freedom but brought their cages with them. The white people imposed cages upon the Indians, parcelled up the land and put lines and fences to cage the Indian tribes. Brought fences to cage themselves in on small pieces of land with a small cage they called a house.
Exercising:
My favourite muscle group for lateral and low back stability: the Obliques. This time a modified push up/plank. In a plank or push up position simply lifting one leg and draw imaginary squares in the air with your pointed foot while keeping your back level (no twist), repeat with the other leg. Alternatively, bringing one leg up bending the knee alongside the body like a dog cocking its leg, repeat with the other leg.
Until next week,
Simon
Finemore's Five for Friday (14)
Hi everyone,
Just back from Glastonbury a little tired physically but spiritually revived.
This last week or so I have been mostly:
Listening:
To live bands at Glasto. We didn’t get to see many artists as we were adjusting from 11- 6pm everyday. However ,I loved Future Islands live as Sam Herring is such a presence on stage, but my favourite gig was Warpaint at the Park stage. A smaller stage than the others and more intimate. 4 ladies sonically killing it at 11pm. Worth listening to any of their albums but 'Love is to Die’ is a great place to start.
Loving:
This year at Glastonbury the great majority of people we saw had never seen a Chiropractor before so it was a great opportunity to introduce them to the big idea. One couple of young scientists had never seen a Chiropractor before but came back everyday to get checked. As they were leaving they thanked us for making their Glastonbury.
Learning:
I adjusted one lady who was a science communicator. I spent some time explaining the science and theory behind what we do and was pretty proud of myself. After the adjustment I asked if I had communicated well. She said that after the first minute or two she knew she could trust me, would be cared for and didn’t really care about the science.
Appreciating:
The power of music and the performing arts to bring people together in love, tears and laughter. After a tumultuous 2017 it was a great relief to see so many people in harmony singing, dancing, talking, eating and drinking together. Glastonbury is a 7 mile square site filled with people from all over the UK and the wider world. It feels like a cooperative medieval city with prominent themes such as revelry, sustainability, charity, community, healing the earth and each other. As the late Jo Cox said on immigration: "We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”
Consuming:
Lots of organic food. Glasto is great for the organic food tents you can find. After a long night on the tiles I found a cup of Masala Chai to be a rejuvenator. A mix of black tea and Indian herbs and spices. Yum. Plus a shout out to the lovely lady who kept bringing us homemade Spirulina balls to keep us going in exchange for an adjustment.
Until next week,
Simon
Finemore's Five for Friday (13)
Hi everyone - next week I may not post a FFFF as I am adjusting at Glastonbury Festival all week (I’m back on Tue 27th)
anyway back to this week I have mostly been,
Reading:
‘Neither Wolf nor Dog’ by Kent Nerburn which is an interesting narrative about the author and his conversations with a Lakota elder. If you romanticise the history (like me) of what the invading europeans called America then you will love this book. For example I am thinking about this early exchange between the author and mentor,
“You’re not a good liar.”
“Have I lied?”
“Not in words. Only by silence.”
“By silence?”
“Yes. Silence is the lie of the good man, or the coward. It is seeing something you don’t like and not speaking.”
Playing with:
http://www.authentic-happiness.com/home/Discover-Your-Strengths
I’m re-reading one of my all time favourite non-fiction books, ‘The Happiness Hypothesis’ by Jonathan Haidt. This above link is a great resource to many different personality (what used to be called character) tests from your self-esteem to how strong is your moral foundation? Fun on a rainy day.
Contemplating:
The whole universe is change and life itself is but what you deem it. - Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, 4:3)
You are in always in a constant state of change. You are relatively healthier or sicker on a day by day, hour by hour, second by second basis. There is no such thing as stasis in living systems. Unhappiness and illness can come from us expecting or trying to impose stasis, consistency or routine upon a universal state of change. Embracing change is the real deal.
Cheating with:
Sometimes you just have to cheat. When you cheat just make sure it’s worth it: Cornish Carbonara (at least it has 3 healthy egg yolks, cream, garlic, sea salt and bacon)
Whisk 3 Organic egg yolks in a bowl with lots of parmesan cheese, black pepper and good teaspoon of Cornish Clotted Cream.
Fry 1 clove of Organic garlic and Cornish bacon (or pancetta cubes) in a pan until just going brown.
Cook your spaghetti with lots of Cornish Sea Salt in the water then drain.
Swirl the egg mix, bacon and garlic and pasta together and serve immediately with a pinch of black pepper in top.
Nice n easy.
Listening:
Getting funky with Pastor T.L. Garret and the Youth for Christ Choir and the album ‘Like a Ship (Without a Sail)’
(Note: I always put the Amazon link on my posts for reference but it would be great if you went down to Jam Records in town to buy anything you like…)
Cheers
Finemore's Five for Friday (12)
Hi folks,
Hi folks been hard to write FFFF this week as I have mostly been disMAYed but moving on...
Listening :
Continuing my 90’s revival with a band I listened to at school Bellybutton by Jellyfish - great bubblegum pop largely overlooked.
also Listening to:
This podcast : http://podcasts.joerogan.net/podcasts/kelly-brogan
Joe in conversation with American Psychiatrist Kelly Brogan. Interesting conversation about her journey from being part of the American Pharmaceutical machine to implementing purely lifestyle interventions for the last 10 yrs. She even talks about vitalism and Chiropractic! It’s a good listen and, "there is no such thing as a free lunch."
Wishing :
That I hadn’t spent so much time being appalled by biased political commentary and wishing that we had popular independent media channels, a powerful media watchdog and therefore a perspective on the truth.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/2017
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/denzel-washington-fences-red-carpet-interview-fake-news-media-a7472521.html
Eating :
Raw unpasteurised butter from France. Whenever my mum comes down the line from across the border (Devon) I ask her to bring some for me (from Waitrose). It comes from cows fed on the mineral rich grass of salt-marshes and is too delicious. I could almost eat like a choc-ice. Tastes great. Not that we don’t have great Cornish butter but this is raw and somehow tastes even better. If anyone wants more information on why butter is best please ask.
http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=215247
Contemplating :
Tony Robbins has said, “The brain inside our heads is a 2 million-year-old brain…. It’s ancient, old survival software that is running you a good deal of the time. Whenever you’re suffering, that survival software is there. The reason you’re suffering is you’re focused on yourself.”
The best antidote to suffering is often to focus on another, to help another. There is a difference between I-llness and We-llness.
Until next time,
Simon
Finemore's Five for Friday (11)
Hi folks,
Welcome to Volume 12 of Finemore's Five For Friday, my weekly missive to the masses. This week I have been mostly ...
Impressed by :
Tylko. A company who engineers formica covered plywood shelving/storage to fit any space and allows you to have a hand in the design of your shelving. It comes in a flat pack but you fit it together very easily with a clunk-click sliding system. Looks great is super easy to construct (no screws, no tools) and is hard wearing. Check it out www.tylko.com
Using:
Epsom salts in my hot bath. It is common to have a deficiency in magnesium and a great way to boost those magnesium levels is to take a hot bath with at least a mug full of Epsom salts. It can help with those cramps, post work-out or otherwise. If you are deficient in anything it makes sense to become sufficient if you can. I find the cheapest way to buy mine is in 25Kg boxes from Amazoncourtesy of epsomsalts.co.uk - but you can buy it smaller quantities from the same company.
Listening to :
The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses. Will always sound amazing. I first heard it when I was about 17 when Manchester and the Hacienda was changing pop culture. Sometimes an album will pop back into your life when you least expect it. For those of you too young to remember this album or have never listened to it, please do. Love Jon Squire’s guitar work.
Working :
My legs. Doing a series of box jumps. Jumping up a foot or so and landing on both feet then jumping down in semi squat position. Jumping down facing both forwards and backwards. Great work out for your quads, hams and gluts. You can try jumping up from 2 feet then standing on one leg and jumping down from that 1 leg but landing squarely on 2. Hard work. Try 10-20 in a session.
Watching :
The first episode of the Handmaid’s Tale from the novel by Margret Attwood on Channel 4 every Sunday. Pretty gripping and scary stuff. This dystopian vision written in 1985 is one of those novels that was recommended to me many times but I never read. It describes a future where fertility rates decline to desperate levels due to pollution and the president of the United States and most of congress are assassinated as a religious order takes control of society and women’s rights. Go figure.
Until next time,
Simon