Finemore's Five for Friday (18)

Hi folks,

This week I have been mostly…

Contemplating: 

“I’m going to tell you something: thoughts are never honest. Emotions are.” - Albert Camus

And Decartes' Error - the idea presented by Antonio D’Amasio. Neurological evidence suggests that you cannot separate reason from emotion as has been the belief since Decartes. So those of us that are comforted by the notion that they are predominantly rational creatures are unfortunately naive: 

"That new neurological evidence suggests that no emotion at all is an even greater problem. Emotion may well be the support system without which the edifice of reason cannot function properly and may even collapse."

"I even suspect that humanity is not suffering from a defect in logical competence but rather from a defect in the emotions that inform the deployment of logic.”

Rejoicing: 

In the fact that finally a large study has been published (in the Lancet) investigating the far too long held believe that fat, especially saturated fat is bad for us. What has always been bad for us is refined carbohydrate intake not fat. This study suggests that low fat diets could raise the risk of an early death by as much as one quarter! Glad I commented on my fat cheese habit in last weeks post. 

However, not all fats are created equal. Good fats are for example: Avocados, oily fish (omega 3 : EPA and DHA), Grass Fed Butter (organic or Kerrygold), Nuts like Macadamias, Fat from Organic Meats, use saturated fats to cook with e.g. Ghee. Bad fats are those that have been processed: trans fats, hydrogenated fats, veggie oil cooked (crips) - fats denature under heating so don’t cook with veggie oil (polyunsaturated fats) or olive oil but coconut oil is ok. 

Mmmm butter...

Reading: 

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. 

A short book by a Roman emperor. Fantastic philosophical nuggets written as an older man to himself for himself.

“What does not benefit the hive does not benefit the bee either.” 

Listening: 

Looking forward to seeing BadBadNotGood live in Bristol in November. Can't get this song out of my head this week. 

Stretching: 

My hamstrings: arms out in front of you thumbs up, bend at the hips only (not the spine) as in a squat until you feel the tension in your hamstrings and hold for at least 30 seconds. Repeat every day. 

Have a great weekend,

Simon

Finemore's Five for Friday

Hi folks,

It's a welcome return (I hope!) for Finemore's Five for Friday! This week I have mostly been...

Exercising: 

I have been chatting with a few clients about appropriate training exercises so here is a link to a good basic spinal stability routine by Stuart McGill Phd. 

Contemplating: 

Listening to Chris Ryan’s podcast in conversation with Stanley Krippner concerning consciousness. Chris mentions his personal metaphor for life and describes life as like a falling raindrop. The beginning of life is the birth of an individual raindrop from the mass of water in the cloud. The end of life is the impact of that raindrop but there is a mergence back to the body of water. 

Listening : 

Can’t stop playing this cover of a Gil Scott-Heron song this week from Esther Phillips  Home is where the Hatred is. She also does a great cover of Bill Wither’s classic Use Me. Listen on Spotify here.

Eating:

Fresh English samphire. Very easy to cook. Tastes great and is good for you. Just throw it in boiling water for a couple of minutes or steam it or pop it in a closed pan with butter and pepper. In season now and great with fish or shellfish. 

Quoting: 

This week I have found myself mentioning this quote from the Dalai Lama, ‘Love is the absence of judgement.’ This simple wisdom applies to everything in your life that you appreciate but also importantly to your appreciation of yourself and the things that you do. 

Thanks and have a great 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 (10)

Hi folks,

Welcome to the latest edition of Finemore's Five For Friday.  This week I have been mostly ... 

Listening to: 

‘is a woman’ by Lambchop. Finally been released on vinyl. Sounds great and brings back memories of one of the best concerts I have ever been to following the release of this album back in the day. 

Watching: 

Twin Peaks - The Return. On Sky Atlantic at the moment. If you loved the first 2 series then you will also love this new series some 25 years on even though the story escapes the town of Twin Peaks. David Lynch being his fantastic surreal self with most of the old cast. Love it. Not for the faint hearted or squeamish however. 

Remembering: 

A quote from philosopher Alain de Botton, “When people seem like they are mean, they’re almost never mean. They’re anxious.” 

You cannot expect to understand what someone else is going through at any given moment. Communication and understanding is difficult whether in contact with others or understanding who we see in the mirror every day. 

Eating:

A great sweet but nutritious and fibrous treat when watching Twin Peaks. Organic dates, stone removed, split down the middle and filled with clotted cream. Yum, it works, try it. 

Drinking: 

Mushroom Coffee. Some clever chaps in Finland have combined certain healthy varieties of mushroom with coffee to produce interesting and tasty warm beverages that seem to boost your mental performance (I find). The company is called Four Sigmatic and I like their products. Sounds a bit weird, not cheap but tastes good and feels good plus the mushrooms are considered superfoods (whatever that means). 

Until next time,

Simon

Finemore's Five for Friday (8)

Hi folks,

Here's todays Finemore's Five For Friday for you. I hope you enjoy it and have a great weekend.

This week I have been mostly ... 

Drinking

My version of 'Bulletproof' coffee. Very simply, the point of this recipe is to encourage your body to run on Ketones and not Glucose for energy (like clean burning wood as opposed to petrol).

Have this coffee in the morning and nothing else but water. The MCT oil will encourage the production of Ketones as fuel. First I use Bulletproof coffee beans, optional but there are less mould toxins which may be a factor in the crash or jitters that some people get from drinking coffee. So make your coffee as you normally would then add to a blender: 

- 1 teaspoon of grass fed butter (organic or kerrygold) 
- 1 tablespoon of MCT Oil (I use Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil - better for producing ketones) 
- 1/4 teaspoon of Maca powder
- Cinnamon and/or a tiny pinch of Cornish Sea Salt to taste

(I also add some Bulletproof collagen powder - good for promoting cartilage repair) 

Pour in your coffee and blend for 20 seconds

The result is a frothy, creamy coffee that will keep you going until lunch that helps you switch to fat burning. 

Exercising

Dead Bugs on a long foam roller. Great for spinal stability and abdominal strength. 

Lay on your back on top of the roller, your spine running the length of the roller so that you are balancing on the roller. Put your arms out as stabilisers. 

Bring both legs up and bend at right angles as if you were in a chair (hips and knees flexed at 90 degrees).

Keeping your spine pressed against the roller bring 1 heel down to lightly touch the floor and back up with your leg in exactly the same position (only moving your hip joint), then repeat with the other leg. 

Repeat 20-40 times. Feel the strength in your tummy. 

Listening

Album IV by BadBadNotGood - collaborative jazzy album with great vocal tracks like ‘Time Moves Slow’ with the lead singer of Future Islands. Summer sounds. 

Eating

Big Tony’s Pesto. Made by one of my friends who lives near me. Tony uses all the fresh wild garlic that is abundant at the moment in Cornwall. Adds basil, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil. Great for a cheat day (carb day) pasta with organic spinach and cherry tomatoes. Not hard to make, healthy and uses local wild ingredients. Yum. 

Appreciating

The concept or wholeness, that we are already whole and that we have everything we need. Practising ‘enoughness’. 

Being grateful for ‘what is’ and not focusing constantly on ‘what isn’t’ (thanks to Stew Bittman DC for these concepts).

Until next time,

Simon

Finemore's Five for Friday (7)

Hi everyone,

Here's the next dose of Finemore's Five For Friday for you.  Would love you to get involved if there's any health questions you have or topics you want covered.

This week I have been mostly ... 

Contemplating

Life. What do we mean by the word? Life is described by physicists, chemists and biologists in totally different terms. Different cultures, religions and philosophies place different value and meaning upon it. As James Lovelock says in The Revenge of Gaia: 'Life can be observed, dissected and analysed but it is an emergent phenomenon and may never be capable of rational explanation.' 

For me Life is Love; both words for emergent phenomena. Life is your fundamental love affair. You get what you give. We speak of life in terms of love, "she loves life." 

Life, like love, can be disregarded but you only lose what you disregard.

I can only hope to regard my life, to be in love with being alive every day. As many have said what is life without love?

As a Chiropractor my intention is to help my clients to express more and more life. The more life (love) you have the less sickness you (and your genes) express. 

Wearing

Artillery No. 6 from a perfumer at the end of my old street in east London. Angela Flanders is now in her 80's making beautiful scents using older better techniques with less nasty chemicals. You can buy online. 

Listening to

The latest offering from Howe Gelb called Future Standards. Bit of a legend, bit of a maverick. Summer's evening songs. Seen him live a couple of times - well worth the money if you get a chance. 

Song to listen to : 'Irresponsible Lovers' (speaks to what I am contemplating this week). 

Exercising

My lateral stabilisers (obliques etc) again with a side squat. Lying on your side, knees bent, heels near your bum, propped up on your elbow, fist clenched, other hand on your hip, spine straight. Lift your hip off the deck and push your pelvis forward then back to your heels. Like squatting but on your side. Repeat 10-20 times each side. Enjoy. 

Missing

Oysters. Especially the native Fal River ones. So sweet, tasty and not too big. One of the most nutritiously dense foods you can eat. Packed full of zinc and minerals which is why they are known as a aphrodisiac and a fertility food. I love 'em. Local natural produce that is truly world class. Eat 'em.

Until next week,

Simon

Finemore's Five for Friday (6)

Hi everyone,

Here's some music, poetry and musings for you to ruminate on over the weekend. I hope you enjoy them.

This week I have been mostly...

Listening to:

The new album by Sean Rowe called New Lore. Great voice and a good beard. Emotional stuff.  Song to listen too : Gas Station Rose. 

Appreciating:

I have a new appreciation of how love is giving; a letting go as opposed to a holding on and reminded me of one of my favourite poems by William Blake :

He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy; 
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise.

Pondering: 

In modern physics light is a recurrent theme, Consciousness is often spoken in terms of ‘light,’ indeed if we work hard enough we may become enlightened. In Chiropractic we often talk in terms of “switching the lights on”. 

“With all your science - can you tell how it is, and whence it is, that light comes into the soul?”  - Henry David Thoreau. 

Attempting: 

To not be afraid to make mistakes as quickly and efficiently as possible in learning something new. Make glorious, fantastic mistakes. Every mistake is an opportunity to learn and become more proficient. As Michael Jordan said, he was only as good as he became because he had made more mistakes than anyone else with a basketball. 

Recommending: 

My Finnish relatives were over for Easter so it’s about time I ranted about the benefits of Sauna once again. There are many anecdotal accounts of professional athletes banging on about the benefits of regular sauna time. Sauna or hot baths help to increase Growth Hormone levels and endurance levels as well as reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Also Sauna has been shown to produce a bump in prolactin which plays a role in wound healing. If you don’t have access to a good traditional sauna then have a hot bath until your heart rate rises and generally you feel like you want to get out. Do it regularly. 

Finemore's Five for Friday (5)

Hi folks,

After a week off while I was in Panama, Finemore’s Five for Friday is back. This week I have been mostly:

Listening to...

Vinyl re-issue of Elliot Smith’s marvellous Either/Or album. Genius. 

Pondering...

How fearful we are as a society. The great thing about my Panama experience is that there was no common language between the people I adjusted and me. I could only communicate with my eyes, my hands and my heart.

The Panamanians often had no idea what Chiropractic was but they were happy to put there spine in my hands. After their first ever adjustment the response was more often than not a smile or a laugh. Trust, faith and appreciation it would seem are things that may be more cultural than experiential, energetic than cognitive.

Appreciating...

An awareness of how much communication is non-verbal and how complicated verbal communication can sometimes make things. 

Protecting... 

My skin from the sun in Panama. 30+ degree heat and a sun that burns. I had been making sure that my Vitamin D3 levels were sufficient before Panama as low Vit D3 levels (very common in UK) have been correlated with a higher incidence of skin cancer.

Using lots and lots of organic coconut oil as protection but only having 20 mins of direct sun before finding shade. For me a good Panama hat was essential to protect my naked scalp. 

Eating...

Ceviche. Yummy and healthy. Easy to make. Could eat it all day (in the heat). Try some.

Have a great weekend and if there's any questions you'd like me to answer in next week's email please send them through.

Thanks,

Simon 

Finemore's Five for Friday (4)

Hi folks,

In another international instalment of Finemore’s Five for Friday this on finds me en route to Panama and that's exactly what I'm pondering...

I'm about to get on a plane to to meet 50 other Chiropractors and help as many people as we can in the space of a week.

People travel from all over Panama to receive Chiropractic and we shall each be adjusting up to 500 people every day. I can’t wait to serve the people of Panama but I also love new experiences. I have never been to central America or been on a Charity Mission trip.

New experiences lead to new feelings which inspire new thoughts which inspire new choices which inspire new actions and behaviours which in turn lead to further new experiences. Change. Doing the same things every day in the same routine does not inspire much. New thoughts lead to growth.

You (and all biological systems) are never static, you are always in a state of flux. You are either upgrading or downgrading, expanding or contracting. Do something new each day, even if it means walking a new path to the supermarket. Taking a new path is a metaphor for making new neural connections in your brain. Learning something new means you wire new nerve connections. Grow your brain.

This week I am mostly listening to... 

Idris Muhammad - Power of Soul, getting back to my jazz/soul/funk roots. You’ll notice there is a riff that the Beastie Boys stole for Paul’s Boutique (another great record). 

This week I am mostly practicing...

Meditation. It sounds a little ‘hippy' or 'woo woo' but the scientific evidence for the positive benefits of a regular meditation practice is solid and growing all time. It makes you sit with your thoughts long enough to try not to have any. Your body will tell your mind to do many things instead but with practice your mind will have dominion over your body and relax into the present tense; quietening those thoughts of the future and the past. With practice each meditation leaves you in a state of gratitude and sets you up for the rest of your day. Everyday is a gift.

This week I am mostly moving... 

My hips and legs with a "Cossack Squat" recommended by Pavel Tsatsouline former PT to the Soviet Special Forces and all round strong dude. You can do this with or without a kettle bell to your chest. Point your feet out, knees inline with your toes, heels on the ground throughout. Hip immobility is the #1 reason for the rates of hip replacement surgery we see in the west as Pavel says, “Grease the groove!”

This week I am mostly wearing... 

My Vans High Tops which have a particularly low profile sole (and soul) which allows the millions of receptors you have in your feet to fire more often as they feel the surface you walk on and send more information up the nerves of your legs to the spinal cord and then to your brain. The more input your brain receives the better able it is to process that information and provide your body with exact output it requires to make you perform and be healthy (this is also the premise of Chiropractic).

Until next time,

Simon

PS - Would love to know what you think of these or if you've got any questi

Celebrating connections during the Fal River Festival

The Fal River : connecting people for centuries.

This week sees the Fal River Festival return to Falmouth. Now in its 11th year, the festival is a celebration of everything that makes living in this part of Cornwall great.

From live music and outdoor theatre groups to art exhibitions and world-class watersports, the Fal River Festival kicks off the Cornish summer festival season and is a chance for visitors and locals alike to embrace the connections between people and places, history and culture and experience how they are tied together and shaped by living life on these beautiful waterways.

On a very practical level, and when we look at the different sports taking place on the river, chiropractic is great for sailors, paddle boarders, swimmers and gig rowers. Not only does it improve function and performance but it also reduces the risk of injury.

But chiropractic treatment is much more than that. Being connected and being present are two of the building blocks chiropractic is built upon. The festival is a celebration of connections and chiropractic is a way of enhancing how connected we are and we feel, not only with ourselves, but with the environment around us.

When the brain and the body are better connected (a state achieved through regular chiropractic care) then the body and the mind will function better. Our nervous system controls every aspect of how we experience the world and in order to experience it fully, we need that system to be healthy and free from blockages.

When we’re more connected, our awareness and sense of purpose is heightened. And through this better connection, we appreciate what we’re doing fully and in present-time. So this week we celebrate connections, whether they be connections formed by the love of a Cornish river or the connections we can feel when our mind and body are in perfect sync.

If you’d like to see how chiropractic can help you be more connected then we’d love to see you. Pop in for an initial consultation, a report of findings and your first adjustment, all for £14 (usually £68). Just mention the Festival offer when you book.    

Be your best, 

Simon

Bulletproof Coffee back in stock at LivingRoom Chiropractic Cornwall

Mmmmm Bulletproof Coffee - clean, stimulates you and tastes great 

I use Bulletproof Coffee most mornings blended with MCT oil and grass fed butter to keep me in fat burning until lunchtime. Tastes great, makes me feel great and the evidence for the benefits of Ketosis and fasting with exogenous ketones is growing. 

Complimentary Initial Examination for Children (under 18 yoa)

Our children are our future and at LivingRoom we think it's really important that as many children are checked in order so that any spinal dysfunction can be addressed as soon as possible. 

Call 01326 617290 or book online www.myliving-room.com

OCTOBER 2015 is Friends and Family Month: First Visit is only £15 (normally £40)

Disclaimer : none of the machines illustrated are used in LivingRoom or recommended by Simon Finemore DC. Any tests carried out during your first visit are not represented in this illustration. 

During October you can book in your friends and family for an initial consultation with Simon for only £15.

You can find out if you have any problems that we can help you with and how we would go about that (consultation takes about 45mins). 

Love this Quote about Healing

As a Chiropractor all we do is practice the natural art of allowing your innate healing abilities to come to the for; 'wooing nature'.

Running - a software upgrade

Forefoot Running in Finland 

Running/Movement/Exercise provides essential feedback to the brain from the receptors of your body. It is like feeding your nervous system and brain or giving your operating system an upgrade. The more food/upgrades your nervous system gets the better able it is to communicate clear instructions to the body. More than 50% of all this brain food comes from the receptors in your spine. The less subluxations you have in your spine and your joints, the clearer the information your brain receives. 

Amount of Movement/Exercise (-number of subluxations) = quality and quantity of essential feedback to the brain = quality and quantity of instructions from the brain down (ABOVE DOWN INSIDE OUT) to the body. 

Open Afternoon Chat Friday 7th 5-7pm

We are having an opening event on Friday 7th August from 5-7pm where you can pop in and chat with Simon, check out the LivingRoom, have a drink and some strawberries...

Come in and say hello...

Saturday Morning Chiropractic

LivingRoom Chiropractic Cornwall in Falmouth is open to check you on Saturdays too - pop in after breakfast ...