March 1, 2025 • 28 mins
Are you ready to take control of your health and banish back pain? Join us in an invigorating conversation with Dr. Rita Garcia, a health and wellness expert who shares her inspiring journey and practical strategies to empower your fitness path. We delve into the pressing issue of physical inactivity in the U.S. and how it directly impacts our lives. Dr. Garcia emphasizes that movement shouldn’t be seen as a chore but rather an integral part of living a fulfilled life. Through approachable insights, her discussion reveals ways anyone can incorporate simple activities into their daily routines to enhance health.
Dr. Garcia breaks down the staggering truth that only 24% of Americans engage in the recommended exercise, illuminating the need for a shift in mindset regarding fitness. As she shares her passion for wellness, she outlines actionable tips to help overcome common barriers, such as time and cost, while underscoring the significance of community resources that make exercise accessible to everyone.
Together, we explore how small changes can lead to monumental improvements in health outcomes. Dr. Rita encourages listeners to adopt a “first and ten” mindset, creating manageable health goals that ultimately encourage sustainable change. Let's break the cycle of inactivity together and lead by example for the generations to come. Don't wait another moment—prioritize yourself today! Tune in for all this and more, and don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome back to our next episode of Back to Back.
We are here with one of my goodfriends, dr Rita Garcia, and we
are going to be talking moreabout back back pain, health and
wellness and things that we canhelp you empower yourself over
your pain and enjoy the qualityof life that you want.
So welcome, my friend Rita.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
You are very welcome.
Now, first I got to know is whoare you and how did you get
through security?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
You know, I was just really, really nice and they let
me through.
That's what it is, just be niceand you get it a lot what you
want Just be nice.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
That's right.
Okay, very good.
So please tell all of ourviewers about you.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Awesome.
Well, I am the health andfinancial wellness coordinator
for Northside Independent SchoolDistrict and I've been there
for 10 years and I have apassion for health and wellness.
Most of my career has been inhealth and wellness in some way,
shape or form.
Public health, community health, health education, health
(01:12):
promotion Okay, and you're asuper mom.
And I'm a super mom.
I've got two amazing kiddos.
I say kiddos, but they're adultkiddos.
I have a 23 and 27-year-old.
Now is that redundant super mom,you know I aren't all moms kind
of super, I agree, I agree, 100but you clearly are super
(01:34):
because you went back to schooland got your doctorate.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Is that true?
That is very true.
Walk us through your degreesand all your intelligence so I
can be in all of you.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, I love learning and I love education.
I learned growing up thateducation was a foundation for
anything, and so it stayed withme, and so I had my son at 17
and didn't take any time off.
I went straight through andgraduated on time and got my
(02:06):
bachelor's in community healthfrom UTSA and go roadrunners.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Go roadrunners, that's right.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And then I went back and did my master's.
I've always worked two jobs,sometimes three, and went to
school and got my master's fromUTSA also, and then both of my
children were in college and Idecided this empty nest thing
was not fun.
(02:33):
Everybody said it was great andwonderful.
And no, it was not.
It was everything but great andwonderful.
So I decided you know what, I'mgoing back to school with them,
and so all three of us were inschool.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Did you guys have study parties?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
You know, I will say, my daughter and I did go to
coffee shops.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Okay, yes, did you guys quiz each other?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
No, we did not quiz each other, but my son did proof
my papers.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Okay, well, that counts.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, that was pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
And did you guys have bets that whoever gets the best
grade on test buys dinner?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
No, we did not, but you know what that might be,
something I could still try it,something I want to look into.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
There you go, so then they could buy you dinner and
then take care of the mom.
Unless, of course, they dobetter than you, which is very
impressive.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
That might be true.
Very good, so you got your PhDin Organizational leadership
from Abilene ChristianUniversity.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, very good Doctor.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Doctor.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Doctor, may I call you doctor?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
You know what?
You don't let me, so I'm notgoing to let you.
You can call me whatever youwant to call me, it doesn't
matter.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
I will call you whatever you want me to call you
.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Very good, so you've been doing health and wellness a
long time, and aren't you alsoa personal trainer?
I am, so you're nice andhealthy and wellness and fit,
everything.
You know, I try, I try reallyhard.
It's to me I can't, I can'ttell you to take care of
yourself.
If I'm not doing it, I'm notgonna be a hypocrite and so and
(04:03):
I funny story because when I gotmy first job out of when I
graduated with my bachelor's, Iwas working for Texas A&M and I
had to teach about eatinghealthy and I was not.
I was completely guilty.
I mean, I drank a six pack ofDiet Coke a day.
I mean a six-pack of Diet Cokea day I mean a day and I was not
(04:26):
eating the best at that time.
And so here I'm in front ofpeople, talking to them about
eating healthy, and I felt soterrible.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
So that was my oh my gosh.
I need to get myself in checkbecause this is not going to
work.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
It's good to practice what you preach.
Yes, and so that was actuallywhen I started.
So it wasn't into my mid-20s,late-20s did I even begin to
think about health.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Well, that's good.
Well, I agree with you.
I have a guilty confessionMyself.
When I was in high school atClark, I used to have a Snickers
bar and French fries and a Cokeevery day for lunch.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Sounds like fun.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
That's what the option was, and no one was
around to tell me something else.
So I was like oh, I likeSnickers and fries, so I'll have
that.
And every day for lunch I hadthat.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
It's terrible, but you know what?
Mine was pizza and fries yeah.
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I did like the school pizza.
The pizza was good, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
It's still pretty.
I can't say I've tried itlately.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
You get to try it because you're a health and
wellness person.
Say I need to try that I should, you should.
That's a pretty good excuse.
I think so, right.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Free food, there you go.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Why not?
Okay, very good, so you're apersonal trainer.
How long have you been doing?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
that I started personal training in 2015.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, so yeah, 10 years, 10 years.
Wow, I didn't.
Time flies, I'm just doing themath right.
Yes, I can do tens and fives.
That's about all anything elseI can do, yeah I always say I
did not get my doctorate in mathof any kind, okay so you have
lots of jobs.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
You do, I do, and are you personal training every
week, or just on the side?
Or how often?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I do Honestly, lately it's very rare that I do
personal training on the side.
I work out on my own but, I,don't really do.
I haven't really done personaltraining in, I would say, at
least a year.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Okay, Are you ready for a quiz, a pop quiz for our
viewers.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I'm ready Wait.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
If I do well, are you buying.
If you do well, I will buy youa water.
A water, yay, okay, okay.
Pop quiz Question whatpercentage of Americans exercise
three times a week?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Percent ten.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Too low.
It's actually much higher thanI thought.
It's about 58%.
Oh my gosh, I know I couldn'tbelieve that.
However, what percentage ofAmericans exercise as
recommended by the CDC?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Okay, if that was 50, let's say 30.
Yeah, it's about 24%.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
That's right.
So roughly one-fourth ofAmericans are doing what they
should be doing, based by theCDC's guidelines for exercising,
which is about 60 minutes a day.
Okay, okay.
What percentage of kids get 60minutes of exercise a day Is?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
this like elementary kids.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Less than 18.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Less than 18.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Of course you're going to ask me questions as a
PhD.
Clarify the question mark.
Yes, I understand.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
I'm going to say 30%.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
That's a good guess, but that is not right that is
not right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Let's say do I get a second?
Speaker 1 (07:37):
guess it's way more, way more.
The percent of kids that aren'texercising enough?
Okay, it's over 75%.
Wow, so three-fourths of kidsin america aren't getting the
exercise they need.
Where do you think that's going?
Speaker 2 (07:50):
uh.
Video games and social media.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Social media and technic, all kinds of problems
and then, consequently, oursociety moving forward is going
to have problems because they'renot exercising Absolutely.
And, as a health and wellnessperson, what happens if you
don't exercise to your body?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Oh my gosh so much.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
In two words.
Okay, I'm just kidding.
Please explain it so everyonecan understand.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Well, with lack of exercise, I mean you're putting
your, you're setting yourself upfor failure for posture.
More weight on your on yourjoints and on your on your bones
is not going to be good, um,for a lot of things.
Um, I mean your chronic,chronic illness, um, more risk
for diabetes and obesity, andcancer, certain types of cancers
(08:38):
, and so lots and lots and lotsof things, lots of bad things.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
And, as we've discussed before, both of us are
big proponents for knowledge ispower, but also, if you fail to
prepare, prepare to fail.
That's right, right.
So a lot of times,unfortunately, not just adults
in America, but the kids inAmerica aren't getting the
exercise they need to be healthyand consequently that's causing
enormous effects for society asa whole, not to mention
(09:04):
individual finances and healthstatus.
It's very expensive not to behealthy, that's right.
It's actually more expensive tonot be healthy than it is to
put money into a gym membershipor exercising shoes or stuff
like that so you can actually behealthier.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Absolutely Health care costs, you're going to be
paying more.
I always say if you want to payless, take care of yourself now
, right, otherwise you're goingto be paying more.
I always say if you want to payless, take care of yourself now
, right, otherwise you're goingto be paying.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Right.
So the best investment you canmake is invest in yourself
Absolutely, because thehealthier you are, the more you
can work, the more money you canmake.
The more you can put in thebank, the more you can save and
let that money grow.
Yes, totally agree, we're onthe same page.
Absolutely same page being agood health and wellness
advocate right now.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Are you?
Yeah, absolutely Perfect.
All right, that's what I wantto know.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
So, as you go and talk to your co-workers at
Northside or your clients orwhoever, what seems to be a
common problem they have withstarting an exercise routine?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Oh, my goodness.
Well, I would say that probablythe number one thing that I
hear is I don't have time, Yep.
That's the very common one andthe second one is oh, it's too
expensive, that's right, you'vebeen going through my homework.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I was doing some homework about the most common
causes.
There's lots of reasons.
Yes, certainly there are validreasons, but time and finances
are very important.
Also, there's kids, there's jobrequirements, there's energy
levels, there's traveling,there's work requirements all
kinds of stuff.
There's always going to be areason or justification whatever
you want to say why peoplecan't start exercise programs.
(10:34):
But I was looking into someresearch about how we can help
people actually get into it andthe main cause is it's mostly
because it's not urgently neededand the severity of disease
isn't recognized until muchlater.
You have friends or you havepeople that say, well, I stopped
smoking six months ago and Isaid, well, why did you stop
smoking?
They said, oh, because I had aheart attack, exactly.
(10:55):
So that was severe problem thatwas urgently needed to make a
change.
And then people make a changeand then it goes forward.
So how can we get those lessonsinto younger society, between
30 to 40 where people can startexercising, or even younger to
build healthy habits?
Do you have any good ideas?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I think that really modeling it you know having
their parents modeling it, theirteachers modeling it but I also
think there's so many barriersfor the kids not to, it's not
fun.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
So we have to make it fun Right.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
So I feel like we need to see more gyms offering
kids camps and, you know, kidsprograms, but also low cost,
like I love.
The city of san antonio has agreat program like their fitness
in the park great, free can youelaborate on that for our
viewers?
of course, yes.
So, um, san antonio, this uhcity of san antonio, offers um a
(12:01):
fitness in the park?
Um, completely, completely free, at different parks all over
San Antonio, and different typesof activities.
They might have yoga at certainparks one day and they have
HIIT programs one day.
They have swimming at the parksthat have pools, so you name it
.
They even have running groups,walking groups, they have yoga,
(12:28):
meditation, just all sorts ofactivity, and Anyone can go,
anybody can go.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
You don't have to make a reservation.
No, it's for any skill level,any skill level.
So there's no excuse, no excuse.
I'm like that's what I wasgetting at.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
So when people tell me oh, it's too expensive.
It's the first thing I'm likewell, guess what?
There's free, so there's noexcuse.
There's no excuse if it's free.
Even I can afford free.
Absolutely we can.
We can both afford free.
Yes, yes, so it is a great um,it's a great program.
Um, I don't see as many classesfor kiddos, though.
I mean they do have them, butnot as much as the others, um,
or for the others.
They even have specificprograms for, like, our aging
(13:09):
parents, which is fabulous.
They've got Tai Chi and they'vegot I forgot the name of it,
but it's water aerobics, and sothey've got different things
like that, but they don't haveas many for kiddos.
So I feel like it's just theyneed more for kids.
I think pickleball isdefinitely one that we're seeing
more of, but it's expensive forkids to join.
(13:32):
So I think it's just you know,we need to offer more things
that are fun.
I don't.
I think another one thatbecomes a barrier for kids is
they're taking time away from atschool.
They don't have that PE time orrecess time like it used to be.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I know, like when we were kids, I know, I know.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
That's unfortunate, but out of my control yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I think all that's valid.
I like what you're saying.
Another thing that I think isvery important is the parents.
Absolutely so you've got to be arole model for your kids and
it's hard for a kid to say, well, I'm gonna exercise if their
parents aren't exercising.
Yeah, so you got to be practicewhat you preach and you as a
parent, if you really want yourkids best interest and for them
to be healthy, then you shouldgo be healthy, not just for
(14:21):
yourself, but to be a role modelfor them so they can start
exercising too, absolutely.
So I try to do that with mykids.
I know my friends try toexercise so their kids will get
into healthy activities andanything.
You can walk, you can stretch,you can do Pilates, you can do
yoga, you can play tennis, youcan play basketball.
It doesn't have to be a sport,it doesn't have to be requiring
lots of equipment that'sexpensive, but you can just go
(14:41):
outside and just walk yes, it'sperfect.
Yeah, walking is very good foryou.
So I agree that there needs tobe a bigger commitment yes, on
multiple different levels, totry and help people find that
initial energy or benefit ofexercising.
And then it's a snowball effect.
I tell my patients all the timethat aren't exercising, it's a
(15:02):
snowball effect going down ahill.
So you don't exercise, so yougain weight, so you don't have
any energy, so you get depressed.
So then you don't exercise andyou gain weight and it snowballs
into a bigger, bigger problem.
Unfortunately I meanfortunately that can go the
other way too.
Absolutely, if you startexercising, you'll lose weight,
so you have more energy, so youwant to be more active, so then
you'll exercise more and loseweight and have more energy
(15:24):
better it keeps on snowballingboth sides.
So I encourage my patients tostop the ball going down one
hill and to start an activityand just for two or three days,
just do something for fiveminutes and you'll see that
after two or three days it's notthat hard.
You can do it.
And then the next two or threedays do it for 10 minutes, go 10
feet longer or go one minutelonger on exercise or try to do
(15:46):
one more rep, and then you wantto build up in your endurance
and capacity until you actuallyform a habit.
How long does it take to form ahabit?
Do you know?
21 days.
It's usually about 60 days.
It's about two months to form ahabit, which is why we
encourage patients to don't youdon't have to, you know start
running a marathon overnight,just run a quarter of a mile or
walk around the track first andget used to that.
(16:08):
But the consistency is beconsistent yeah, that's the most
important thing is you have tomake a dedicated effort to do it
every single day, or even theother day when you're starting,
and don't give up.
Yes, it's very important.
Yes, so I agree with whatyou're saying.
Is there anything you wouldlike to tell that you would
think is very valuable to allthe Northside, or any other
employees or people in ourcommunity?
(16:30):
That would be very beneficialfor them as far as starting
exercise routines.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
I would definitely say to talk to your doctor first
, especially if you've gotlimitations or if you haven't
started before.
But I would also say take timefor yourself, invest in yourself
.
This is one of the best thingsthat you can do for yourself,
(16:57):
because exercise affects mental,just like you said.
It makes you feel better'sgonna reduce depression, it's
gonna.
It's gonna improve your morale,it's gonna.
I mean just in every capacity.
It it improves and and so um it.
For the people that don't havetime um, I'm the last person
(17:19):
that you want to talk to when itcomes to that's the barrier,
because if I can make time, whenI was in school and working two
jobs and going to school and Imade time, I might have gotten
up at four in the morning to doit at five o'clock, but that's
okay, it still got done.
But I would say put it on yourcalendar.
(17:40):
I love telling people thatbecause I literally had to start
that way.
It was like I put five minutesand give yourself five minutes.
Um, walk to the mailbox insteadof driving to the mailbox.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
It's just baby things , but it's consistent, just like
you said, I agree and I said Iused to tell people park in the
back of a parking lot, yes, andjust walk farther.
That's, that's a big step rightthere, huge.
Yeah.
I think that a big step herefor people understanding how to
get started is an analogy withfootball.
You watch football, I do.
What happens when they kick theball for the first time?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
It goes in touchdown Right.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
It's a touchback.
They get the ball on the25-yard line.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Right, the ball on the 25 yard line, right, okay.
Have you ever seen a team gofor first and 75?
No, why not?
The goal is 75 yards away, butit's so much easier to do 25 at
a time.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
That's the point.
So they have these professionalathletes with the best
dietitians and nutritionists andtherapists and doctors and
everything the best eliteathletes in the world and they,
they say go first and 10.
You get four tries to go 10yards and then what happens?
When you go 10 yards, you get astar all over.
So take a big goal 75 yards anddivide it into much more easily
(18:52):
accomplished mini goals andit's much more likely that
you're going to achieve thosegoals.
So think first and 10.
I tell my patients when youstart an exercise routine, think
first, first and ten.
Don't think about running amarathon overnight.
Think I'm gonna run just 10yards today and then do it again
tomorrow and the next day andeventually you'll say this isn't
that bad, I'm going to go 15yards and then I'm going to go
(19:13):
20 and think first and 10.
First and 10, and take that biggoal and divide it into little
aliquots or little samples andyou'll get get there much faster
.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Baby steps First, and ten Definitely baby steps.
I love it Pretty easy.
That's a great goal.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I came up with that.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I love it Totally.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
That's my idea.
I'm going to patent it.
You should With the NFL.
Anytime someone says first andten, it's going to come to me.
Love it.
Do you have for our viewersanything else?
Recommendations or what,something that you constantly
hear, that you say?
I really want to tell them thisone thing.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I would say that be kind to yourself, be kind to
yourself, be kind to your body.
We only get one, so take careof it.
It Again, invest in it.
You said it in one of yourlessons about.
You know it's a box.
(20:07):
You know like this is a present.
So take care of the present and, you know, invest in yourself.
You have to Eating healthy andagain, it doesn't have to be
every day every meal Right orworking out.
It doesn't have to be every dayevery meal or working out.
It doesn't have to be every day.
It's just a little more.
(20:29):
I say more often than you'renot Right.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
It's just consistency .
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
And I'm not asking anyone to be a robot, you've got
to enjoy life, but justconsistency, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Can I have a piece of cake, of course.
Am I eating it every day?
No, absolutely.
Can I have a piece of cake?
Of course.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Am I eating it every day?
No, what does the stewardesssay when she gets on the
airplane microphone and startstalking?
What does she say?
Speaker 2 (20:48):
She says if an emergency occurs, you put the
oxygen on yourself first andthen the person next to you.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Is that weird?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You know, the first time I heard it I thought it was
a little strange.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And then it was like that makes total sense you gotta
take care of yourself first soyou can take care of others.
So you tell that to your people, I tell that to my people.
You gotta take care of yourselffirst to enable you to take
care of others.
So all you super moms out there, I know you're doing it give
yourself 5 or 10 minutes so thatyou can be better able to take
care of all your loved ones.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yes, and I love the.
I don't remember who said it,but there's a quote that says
don't give the best.
If you don't give, let's see.
Give the best of you, notwhat's left of you.
You know, there you go, andit's true.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
I've heard that one and I don't know who said it.
Yeah, I don't know who said it.
Yeah, I don't know who said it.
Should we say Dr Garcia said it?
No, because technically you didsay it.
That is true, I did say it, Ididn't say we're saying you said
it first, but I'm saying youdid say it.
There you go.
Another Pearl by Dr Garcia.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Don't give the best of yourself, not the did you
have any questions for me?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
yes, I do.
Okay, that's all we have fortoday and we're oh, I'm sorry,
okay, go ahead.
No, I want to know um from as adoctor, if patients, um, if, if
your patients come, I have backpain, can I walk, or maybe let
me go back.
I have back pain, I can't doanything.
(22:30):
It's better for me to sit thanto move.
What would you first thing tellthem?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Well, first of all, I like patients asking me
questions.
Okay, I tell my patients youwant to be an active participant
, not a passive recipient, inyour health.
So this is a teamwork.
It's not me telling you what todo, because I want you actively
participating.
So feel free to ask mequestions.
That's very important because alot of times patients don't
think they can ask doctorsquestions Absolutely which is
(22:57):
unfortunate because a lot ofother reasons.
But I encourage patients to asktheir doctors questions or their
medical providers and I saywell, it depends on the
situation.
A lot of times people will justbe totally scared.
Their back is hurting and theyjust won't feel like they can
move.
But once you start talking tothem they're like well, yeah, I
couldn't move, I was just scaredto move.
On the other hand, if they hadsymptoms that were really bad,
like going down their leg orother more severe symptoms
(23:19):
they're reporting, then I'd sayyou probably need to get
evaluated and either I can do anevaluation or, if I'm talking
to you on the phone, I'll sayyou probably should go to the ER
urgent care to get evaluateddepends on were they in a car
accident?
Did they fall, did they sneeze,or were they just sick and had
a cold and just don't feel bad?
So there's lots of factors thatgo into that.
But in the end, as a generalrule, I usually tell my patients
(23:40):
if you're doing something andit's not making your pain worse,
it's probably okay to keepdoing.
If you're doing something and itis making your pain worse, you
probably want to stop doing itfor a while.
Okay, just give your body achance to heal and then always
use conservative things likeover-the-counter medicines or
massage or heat or ice all thosethings we talked about in my
lecture or my lesson about lowback pain called One Month MD.
(24:03):
If anyone's interested, pleasecheck out onemonthmdcom and
there's lots of education there.
You can find out and becomevery knowledgeable about the
causes of low back pain, thetreatments of low back pain and
how to prevent low back pain forthe rest of your life.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Which is the goal?
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Which is the goal?
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
That's right.
Trying to help out.
Yes, sooner or later, peopleare going to start listening to
us.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
You know what, someday, that day is coming.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I keep telling that to my kids and I'm still waiting
for it.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
It's coming.
It's coming.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
My kids are great, love you guys, they do listen to
me very well, they're greatkids, just like your kids are,
so did you have any otherquestions.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I do so when it comes to encouraging, I say
leadership and our stakeholders.
Why movement is important.
As a doctor, you're on.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
There's lots of research that shows sedentary
lifestyle is bad for you.
It's mentally bad, it'sphysically bad.
It causes depression.
You need to get up.
Your body's made to move around.
I actually have a really goodjob because I'm moving around.
Every five to ten minutes I goand I see a patient, I verify
all the information, then Istand up and then I go do a
procedure and then I go sit downat my desk and I type on my
(25:21):
notes and I'm constantly doingthat.
So I actually have a reallygood job.
Every five minutes I'm gettingup and moving around.
A lot of people don't have thatopportunity, so I would
encourage them to talk to theirHR departments or someone that
they work with about getting astanding desk or a desk that
stands up or lowers, and try toget up and not sit down so much.
Do you know, the biggest causeof chronic low back pain is not
(25:43):
accidents but sedentarylifestyle.
So sitting at a desk all day isreally really bad for your back
, really bad.
And then, consequently,businesses, health insurances go
up because they have to pay fortheir employees, which aren't
as healthy, and then it becomesexpensive for employers to have
employees that don't get up andmove around.
So get up and move around.
Take a walk every hour, go tothe water cooler, go have a
(26:05):
snack.
Don't break the rules.
I'm not saying break the rules,I'm not getting in trouble but
certainly get up and move aroundand don't stay stagnant.
You can get an ergonomic chairto help with your back and your
sport.
You can do all kinds ofstretches while you're sitting
down.
You can do stretches with yourlegs.
(26:27):
You can get those thingsunderneath where you do your
feet up and down, I usually turnmy head sideways and rotate my
back like that.
There's lots of things you cando sitting down, but don't sit
down too long.
Yes, your body isn't meant tosit down and consequently, you
don't stand up too long either.
I had a patient just the otherday.
She's worked in retail for 44years, oh my goodness, and she's
not allowed to sit down.
So consequently, she has backpain.
(26:48):
So the body isn't meant to doanything for a long time in one
position.
So get up, stand around, move,stretch, take some deep breaths,
but don't stay sedentary.
That's what I say.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Okay, thank you.
And I do have another questionSure, perfect, sedentary, that's
what I say.
Okay, thank you.
And I do have another questionsure, perfect, um.
So can you tell me, because Iknow we see, especially as we,
all of us are getting older, um,well, we don't look it, but we,
we are, you know technically.
I just say I'm getting morelife experience you know, yes, I
don't say I'm getting older,I'm getting more life experience
(27:20):
well, I tell my kids thatthey're getting older, but I'm
not.
But it's, you know.
I tell my kids that they'regetting older, but I'm not.
But it's, you know, it worksboth ways.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
You know when we get to be 35, we'll know what it's
like to be 35.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
That's right.
No, I know like as we get older, we have a higher risk for
falling.
So do you see more of fallsrelated to low back pain or
sedentary lifestyle combination?
(27:49):
Yes, Okay, that was a bigquestion.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
It could be many different things.
Certainly, poor core strengthcan contribute to falling
because patients, especiallyolder patients they lose
sensation in their feet so theydon't really know where their
feet are and they'll put theirfeet down and not realize it and
they'll trip.
Even rugs can be very hazardousto older people as they start
(28:14):
walking around.
Welcome back to our next episode of Back to Back.
We are here with one of my goodfriends, dr Rita Garcia, and we
are going to be talking moreabout back back pain, health and
wellness and things that we canhelp you empower yourself over
your pain and enjoy the qualityof life that you want.
So welcome, my friend Rita.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
You are very welcome.
Now, first I got to know is whoare you and how did you get
through security?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
You know, I was just really, really nice and they let
me through.
That's what it is, just be niceand you get it a lot what you
want Just be nice.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
That's right.
Okay, very good.
So please tell all of ourviewers about you.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Awesome.
Well, I am the health andfinancial wellness coordinator
for Northside Independent SchoolDistrict and I've been there
for 10 years and I have apassion for health and wellness.
Most of my career has been inhealth and wellness in some way,
shape or form.
Public health, community health, health education, health
(01:12):
promotion Okay, and you're asuper mom.
And I'm a super mom.
I've got two amazing kiddos.
I say kiddos, but they're adultkiddos.
I have a 23 and 27-year-old.
Now is that redundant super mom,you know I aren't all moms kind
of super, I agree, I agree, 100but you clearly are super
(01:34):
because you went back to schooland got your doctorate.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Is that true?
That is very true.
Walk us through your degreesand all your intelligence so I
can be in all of you.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, I love learning and I love education.
I learned growing up thateducation was a foundation for
anything, and so it stayed withme, and so I had my son at 17
and didn't take any time off.
I went straight through andgraduated on time and got my
(02:06):
bachelor's in community healthfrom UTSA and go roadrunners.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Go roadrunners, that's right.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And then I went back and did my master's.
I've always worked two jobs,sometimes three, and went to
school and got my master's fromUTSA also, and then both of my
children were in college and Idecided this empty nest thing
was not fun.
(02:33):
Everybody said it was great andwonderful.
And no, it was not.
It was everything but great andwonderful.
So I decided you know what, I'mgoing back to school with them,
and so all three of us were inschool.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Did you guys have study parties?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
You know, I will say, my daughter and I did go to
coffee shops.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Okay, yes, did you guys quiz each other?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
No, we did not quiz each other, but my son did proof
my papers.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Okay, well, that counts.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, that was pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
And did you guys have bets that whoever gets the best
grade on test buys dinner?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
No, we did not, but you know what that might be,
something I could still try it,something I want to look into.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
There you go, so then they could buy you dinner and
then take care of the mom.
Unless, of course, they dobetter than you, which is very
impressive.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
That might be true.
Very good, so you got your PhDin Organizational leadership
from Abilene ChristianUniversity.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, very good Doctor.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Doctor.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Doctor, may I call you doctor?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
You know what?
You don't let me, so I'm notgoing to let you.
You can call me whatever youwant to call me, it doesn't
matter.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
I will call you whatever you want me to call you
.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Very good, so you've been doing health and wellness a
long time, and aren't you alsoa personal trainer?
I am, so you're nice andhealthy and wellness and fit,
everything.
You know, I try, I try reallyhard.
It's to me I can't, I can'ttell you to take care of
yourself.
If I'm not doing it, I'm notgonna be a hypocrite and so and
(04:03):
I funny story because when I gotmy first job out of when I
graduated with my bachelor's, Iwas working for Texas A&M and I
had to teach about eatinghealthy and I was not.
I was completely guilty.
I mean, I drank a six pack ofDiet Coke a day.
I mean a six-pack of Diet Cokea day I mean a day and I was not
(04:26):
eating the best at that time.
And so here I'm in front ofpeople, talking to them about
eating healthy, and I felt soterrible.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
So that was my oh my gosh.
I need to get myself in checkbecause this is not going to
work.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
It's good to practice what you preach.
Yes, and so that was actuallywhen I started.
So it wasn't into my mid-20s,late-20s did I even begin to
think about health.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Well, that's good.
Well, I agree with you.
I have a guilty confessionMyself.
When I was in high school atClark, I used to have a Snickers
bar and French fries and a Cokeevery day for lunch.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Sounds like fun.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
That's what the option was, and no one was
around to tell me something else.
So I was like oh, I likeSnickers and fries, so I'll have
that.
And every day for lunch I hadthat.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
It's terrible, but you know what?
Mine was pizza and fries yeah.
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I did like the school pizza.
The pizza was good, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
It's still pretty.
I can't say I've tried itlately.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
You get to try it because you're a health and
wellness person.
Say I need to try that I should, you should.
That's a pretty good excuse.
I think so, right.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Free food, there you go.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Why not?
Okay, very good, so you're apersonal trainer.
How long have you been doing?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
that I started personal training in 2015.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, so yeah, 10 years, 10 years.
Wow, I didn't.
Time flies, I'm just doing themath right.
Yes, I can do tens and fives.
That's about all anything elseI can do, yeah I always say I
did not get my doctorate in mathof any kind, okay so you have
lots of jobs.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
You do, I do, and are you personal training every
week, or just on the side?
Or how often?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I do Honestly, lately it's very rare that I do
personal training on the side.
I work out on my own but, I,don't really do.
I haven't really done personaltraining in, I would say, at
least a year.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Okay, Are you ready for a quiz, a pop quiz for our
viewers.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I'm ready Wait.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
If I do well, are you buying.
If you do well, I will buy youa water.
A water, yay, okay, okay.
Pop quiz Question whatpercentage of Americans exercise
three times a week?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Percent ten.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Too low.
It's actually much higher thanI thought.
It's about 58%.
Oh my gosh, I know I couldn'tbelieve that.
However, what percentage ofAmericans exercise as
recommended by the CDC?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Okay, if that was 50, let's say 30.
Yeah, it's about 24%.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
That's right.
So roughly one-fourth ofAmericans are doing what they
should be doing, based by theCDC's guidelines for exercising,
which is about 60 minutes a day.
Okay, okay.
What percentage of kids get 60minutes of exercise a day Is?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
this like elementary kids.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Less than 18.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Less than 18.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Of course you're going to ask me questions as a
PhD.
Clarify the question mark.
Yes, I understand.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
I'm going to say 30%.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
That's a good guess, but that is not right that is
not right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Let's say do I get a second?
Speaker 1 (07:37):
guess it's way more, way more.
The percent of kids that aren'texercising enough?
Okay, it's over 75%.
Wow, so three-fourths of kidsin america aren't getting the
exercise they need.
Where do you think that's going?
Speaker 2 (07:50):
uh.
Video games and social media.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Social media and technic, all kinds of problems
and then, consequently, oursociety moving forward is going
to have problems because they'renot exercising Absolutely.
And, as a health and wellnessperson, what happens if you
don't exercise to your body?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Oh my gosh so much.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
In two words.
Okay, I'm just kidding.
Please explain it so everyonecan understand.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Well, with lack of exercise, I mean you're putting
your, you're setting yourself upfor failure for posture.
More weight on your on yourjoints and on your on your bones
is not going to be good, um,for a lot of things.
Um, I mean your chronic,chronic illness, um, more risk
for diabetes and obesity, andcancer, certain types of cancers
(08:38):
, and so lots and lots and lotsof things, lots of bad things.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
And, as we've discussed before, both of us are
big proponents for knowledge ispower, but also, if you fail to
prepare, prepare to fail.
That's right, right.
So a lot of times,unfortunately, not just adults
in America, but the kids inAmerica aren't getting the
exercise they need to be healthyand consequently that's causing
enormous effects for society asa whole, not to mention
(09:04):
individual finances and healthstatus.
It's very expensive not to behealthy, that's right.
It's actually more expensive tonot be healthy than it is to
put money into a gym membershipor exercising shoes or stuff
like that so you can actually behealthier.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Absolutely Health care costs, you're going to be
paying more.
I always say if you want to payless, take care of yourself now
, right, otherwise you're goingto be paying more.
I always say if you want to payless, take care of yourself now
, right, otherwise you're goingto be paying.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Right.
So the best investment you canmake is invest in yourself
Absolutely, because thehealthier you are, the more you
can work, the more money you canmake.
The more you can put in thebank, the more you can save and
let that money grow.
Yes, totally agree, we're onthe same page.
Absolutely same page being agood health and wellness
advocate right now.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Are you?
Yeah, absolutely Perfect.
All right, that's what I wantto know.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
So, as you go and talk to your co-workers at
Northside or your clients orwhoever, what seems to be a
common problem they have withstarting an exercise routine?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Oh, my goodness.
Well, I would say that probablythe number one thing that I
hear is I don't have time, Yep.
That's the very common one andthe second one is oh, it's too
expensive, that's right, you'vebeen going through my homework.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I was doing some homework about the most common
causes.
There's lots of reasons.
Yes, certainly there are validreasons, but time and finances
are very important.
Also, there's kids, there's jobrequirements, there's energy
levels, there's traveling,there's work requirements all
kinds of stuff.
There's always going to be areason or justification whatever
you want to say why peoplecan't start exercise programs.
(10:34):
But I was looking into someresearch about how we can help
people actually get into it andthe main cause is it's mostly
because it's not urgently neededand the severity of disease
isn't recognized until muchlater.
You have friends or you havepeople that say, well, I stopped
smoking six months ago and Isaid, well, why did you stop
smoking?
They said, oh, because I had aheart attack, exactly.
(10:55):
So that was severe problem thatwas urgently needed to make a
change.
And then people make a changeand then it goes forward.
So how can we get those lessonsinto younger society, between
30 to 40 where people can startexercising, or even younger to
build healthy habits?
Do you have any good ideas?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I think that really modeling it you know having
their parents modeling it, theirteachers modeling it but I also
think there's so many barriersfor the kids not to, it's not
fun.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
So we have to make it fun Right.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
So I feel like we need to see more gyms offering
kids camps and, you know, kidsprograms, but also low cost,
like I love.
The city of san antonio has agreat program like their fitness
in the park great, free can youelaborate on that for our
viewers?
of course, yes.
So, um, san antonio, this uhcity of san antonio, offers um a
(12:01):
fitness in the park?
Um, completely, completely free, at different parks all over
San Antonio, and different typesof activities.
They might have yoga at certainparks one day and they have
HIIT programs one day.
They have swimming at the parksthat have pools, so you name it
.
They even have running groups,walking groups, they have yoga,
(12:28):
meditation, just all sorts ofactivity, and Anyone can go,
anybody can go.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
You don't have to make a reservation.
No, it's for any skill level,any skill level.
So there's no excuse, no excuse.
I'm like that's what I wasgetting at.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
So when people tell me oh, it's too expensive.
It's the first thing I'm likewell, guess what?
There's free, so there's noexcuse.
There's no excuse if it's free.
Even I can afford free.
Absolutely we can.
We can both afford free.
Yes, yes, so it is a great um,it's a great program.
Um, I don't see as many classesfor kiddos, though.
I mean they do have them, butnot as much as the others, um,
or for the others.
They even have specificprograms for, like, our aging
(13:09):
parents, which is fabulous.
They've got Tai Chi and they'vegot I forgot the name of it,
but it's water aerobics, and sothey've got different things
like that, but they don't haveas many for kiddos.
So I feel like it's just theyneed more for kids.
I think pickleball isdefinitely one that we're seeing
more of, but it's expensive forkids to join.
(13:32):
So I think it's just you know,we need to offer more things
that are fun.
I don't.
I think another one thatbecomes a barrier for kids is
they're taking time away from atschool.
They don't have that PE time orrecess time like it used to be.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I know, like when we were kids, I know, I know.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
That's unfortunate, but out of my control yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I think all that's valid.
I like what you're saying.
Another thing that I think isvery important is the parents.
Absolutely so you've got to be arole model for your kids and
it's hard for a kid to say, well, I'm gonna exercise if their
parents aren't exercising.
Yeah, so you got to be practicewhat you preach and you as a
parent, if you really want yourkids best interest and for them
to be healthy, then you shouldgo be healthy, not just for
(14:21):
yourself, but to be a role modelfor them so they can start
exercising too, absolutely.
So I try to do that with mykids.
I know my friends try toexercise so their kids will get
into healthy activities andanything.
You can walk, you can stretch,you can do Pilates, you can do
yoga, you can play tennis, youcan play basketball.
It doesn't have to be a sport,it doesn't have to be requiring
lots of equipment that'sexpensive, but you can just go
(14:41):
outside and just walk yes, it'sperfect.
Yeah, walking is very good foryou.
So I agree that there needs tobe a bigger commitment yes, on
multiple different levels, totry and help people find that
initial energy or benefit ofexercising.
And then it's a snowball effect.
I tell my patients all the timethat aren't exercising, it's a
(15:02):
snowball effect going down ahill.
So you don't exercise, so yougain weight, so you don't have
any energy, so you get depressed.
So then you don't exercise andyou gain weight and it snowballs
into a bigger, bigger problem.
Unfortunately I meanfortunately that can go the
other way too.
Absolutely, if you startexercising, you'll lose weight,
so you have more energy, so youwant to be more active, so then
you'll exercise more and loseweight and have more energy
(15:24):
better it keeps on snowballingboth sides.
So I encourage my patients tostop the ball going down one
hill and to start an activityand just for two or three days,
just do something for fiveminutes and you'll see that
after two or three days it's notthat hard.
You can do it.
And then the next two or threedays do it for 10 minutes, go 10
feet longer or go one minutelonger on exercise or try to do
(15:46):
one more rep, and then you wantto build up in your endurance
and capacity until you actuallyform a habit.
How long does it take to form ahabit?
Do you know?
21 days.
It's usually about 60 days.
It's about two months to form ahabit, which is why we
encourage patients to don't youdon't have to, you know start
running a marathon overnight,just run a quarter of a mile or
walk around the track first andget used to that.
(16:08):
But the consistency is beconsistent yeah, that's the most
important thing is you have tomake a dedicated effort to do it
every single day, or even theother day when you're starting,
and don't give up.
Yes, it's very important.
Yes, so I agree with whatyou're saying.
Is there anything you wouldlike to tell that you would
think is very valuable to allthe Northside, or any other
employees or people in ourcommunity?
(16:30):
That would be very beneficialfor them as far as starting
exercise routines.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
I would definitely say to talk to your doctor first
, especially if you've gotlimitations or if you haven't
started before.
But I would also say take timefor yourself, invest in yourself
.
This is one of the best thingsthat you can do for yourself,
(16:57):
because exercise affects mental,just like you said.
It makes you feel better'sgonna reduce depression, it's
gonna.
It's gonna improve your morale,it's gonna.
I mean just in every capacity.
It it improves and and so um it.
For the people that don't havetime um, I'm the last person
(17:19):
that you want to talk to when itcomes to that's the barrier,
because if I can make time, whenI was in school and working two
jobs and going to school and Imade time, I might have gotten
up at four in the morning to doit at five o'clock, but that's
okay, it still got done.
But I would say put it on yourcalendar.
(17:40):
I love telling people thatbecause I literally had to start
that way.
It was like I put five minutesand give yourself five minutes.
Um, walk to the mailbox insteadof driving to the mailbox.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
It's just baby things , but it's consistent, just like
you said, I agree and I said Iused to tell people park in the
back of a parking lot, yes, andjust walk farther.
That's, that's a big step rightthere, huge.
Yeah.
I think that a big step herefor people understanding how to
get started is an analogy withfootball.
You watch football, I do.
What happens when they kick theball for the first time?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
It goes in touchdown Right.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
It's a touchback.
They get the ball on the25-yard line.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Right, the ball on the 25 yard line, right, okay.
Have you ever seen a team gofor first and 75?
No, why not?
The goal is 75 yards away, butit's so much easier to do 25 at
a time.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
That's the point.
So they have these professionalathletes with the best
dietitians and nutritionists andtherapists and doctors and
everything the best eliteathletes in the world and they,
they say go first and 10.
You get four tries to go 10yards and then what happens?
When you go 10 yards, you get astar all over.
So take a big goal 75 yards anddivide it into much more easily
(18:52):
accomplished mini goals andit's much more likely that
you're going to achieve thosegoals.
So think first and 10.
I tell my patients when youstart an exercise routine, think
first, first and ten.
Don't think about running amarathon overnight.
Think I'm gonna run just 10yards today and then do it again
tomorrow and the next day andeventually you'll say this isn't
that bad, I'm going to go 15yards and then I'm going to go
(19:13):
20 and think first and 10.
First and 10, and take that biggoal and divide it into little
aliquots or little samples andyou'll get get there much faster
.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Baby steps First, and ten Definitely baby steps.
I love it Pretty easy.
That's a great goal.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I came up with that.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I love it Totally.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
That's my idea.
I'm going to patent it.
You should With the NFL.
Anytime someone says first andten, it's going to come to me.
Love it.
Do you have for our viewersanything else?
Recommendations or what,something that you constantly
hear, that you say?
I really want to tell them thisone thing.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I would say that be kind to yourself, be kind to
yourself, be kind to your body.
We only get one, so take careof it.
It Again, invest in it.
You said it in one of yourlessons about.
You know it's a box.
(20:07):
You know like this is a present.
So take care of the present and, you know, invest in yourself.
You have to Eating healthy andagain, it doesn't have to be
every day every meal Right orworking out.
It doesn't have to be every dayevery meal or working out.
It doesn't have to be every day.
It's just a little more.
(20:29):
I say more often than you'renot Right.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
It's just consistency .
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
And I'm not asking anyone to be a robot, you've got
to enjoy life, but justconsistency, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Can I have a piece of cake, of course.
Am I eating it every day?
No, absolutely.
Can I have a piece of cake?
Of course.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Am I eating it every day?
No, what does the stewardesssay when she gets on the
airplane microphone and startstalking?
What does she say?
Speaker 2 (20:48):
She says if an emergency occurs, you put the
oxygen on yourself first andthen the person next to you.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Is that weird?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You know, the first time I heard it I thought it was
a little strange.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And then it was like that makes total sense you gotta
take care of yourself first soyou can take care of others.
So you tell that to your people, I tell that to my people.
You gotta take care of yourselffirst to enable you to take
care of others.
So all you super moms out there, I know you're doing it give
yourself 5 or 10 minutes so thatyou can be better able to take
care of all your loved ones.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yes, and I love the.
I don't remember who said it,but there's a quote that says
don't give the best.
If you don't give, let's see.
Give the best of you, notwhat's left of you.
You know, there you go, andit's true.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
I've heard that one and I don't know who said it.
Yeah, I don't know who said it.
Yeah, I don't know who said it.
Should we say Dr Garcia said it?
No, because technically you didsay it.
That is true, I did say it, Ididn't say we're saying you said
it first, but I'm saying youdid say it.
There you go.
Another Pearl by Dr Garcia.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Don't give the best of yourself, not the did you
have any questions for me?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
yes, I do.
Okay, that's all we have fortoday and we're oh, I'm sorry,
okay, go ahead.
No, I want to know um from as adoctor, if patients, um, if, if
your patients come, I have backpain, can I walk, or maybe let
me go back.
I have back pain, I can't doanything.
(22:30):
It's better for me to sit thanto move.
What would you first thing tellthem?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Well, first of all, I like patients asking me
questions.
Okay, I tell my patients youwant to be an active participant
, not a passive recipient, inyour health.
So this is a teamwork.
It's not me telling you what todo, because I want you actively
participating.
So feel free to ask mequestions.
That's very important because alot of times patients don't
think they can ask doctorsquestions Absolutely which is
(22:57):
unfortunate because a lot ofother reasons.
But I encourage patients to asktheir doctors questions or their
medical providers and I saywell, it depends on the
situation.
A lot of times people will justbe totally scared.
Their back is hurting and theyjust won't feel like they can
move.
But once you start talking tothem they're like well, yeah, I
couldn't move, I was just scaredto move.
On the other hand, if they hadsymptoms that were really bad,
like going down their leg orother more severe symptoms
(23:19):
they're reporting, then I'd sayyou probably need to get
evaluated and either I can do anevaluation or, if I'm talking
to you on the phone, I'll sayyou probably should go to the ER
urgent care to get evaluateddepends on were they in a car
accident?
Did they fall, did they sneeze,or were they just sick and had
a cold and just don't feel bad?
So there's lots of factors thatgo into that.
But in the end, as a generalrule, I usually tell my patients
(23:40):
if you're doing something andit's not making your pain worse,
it's probably okay to keepdoing.
If you're doing something and itis making your pain worse, you
probably want to stop doing itfor a while.
Okay, just give your body achance to heal and then always
use conservative things likeover-the-counter medicines or
massage or heat or ice all thosethings we talked about in my
lecture or my lesson about lowback pain called One Month MD.
(24:03):
If anyone's interested, pleasecheck out onemonthmdcom and
there's lots of education there.
You can find out and becomevery knowledgeable about the
causes of low back pain, thetreatments of low back pain and
how to prevent low back pain forthe rest of your life.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Which is the goal?
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Which is the goal?
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
That's right.
Trying to help out.
Yes, sooner or later, peopleare going to start listening to
us.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
You know what, someday, that day is coming.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I keep telling that to my kids and I'm still waiting
for it.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
It's coming.
It's coming.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
My kids are great, love you guys, they do listen to
me very well, they're greatkids, just like your kids are,
so did you have any otherquestions.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I do so when it comes to encouraging, I say
leadership and our stakeholders.
Why movement is important.
As a doctor, you're on.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
There's lots of research that shows sedentary
lifestyle is bad for you.
It's mentally bad, it'sphysically bad.
It causes depression.
You need to get up.
Your body's made to move around.
I actually have a really goodjob because I'm moving around.
Every five to ten minutes I goand I see a patient, I verify
all the information, then Istand up and then I go do a
procedure and then I go sit downat my desk and I type on my
(25:21):
notes and I'm constantly doingthat.
So I actually have a reallygood job.
Every five minutes I'm gettingup and moving around.
A lot of people don't have thatopportunity, so I would
encourage them to talk to theirHR departments or someone that
they work with about getting astanding desk or a desk that
stands up or lowers, and try toget up and not sit down so much.
Do you know, the biggest causeof chronic low back pain is not
(25:43):
accidents but sedentarylifestyle.
So sitting at a desk all day isreally really bad for your back
, really bad.
And then, consequently,businesses, health insurances go
up because they have to pay fortheir employees, which aren't
as healthy, and then it becomesexpensive for employers to have
employees that don't get up andmove around.
So get up and move around.
Take a walk every hour, go tothe water cooler, go have a
(26:05):
snack.
Don't break the rules.
I'm not saying break the rules,I'm not getting in trouble but
certainly get up and move aroundand don't stay stagnant.
You can get an ergonomic chairto help with your back and your
sport.
You can do all kinds ofstretches while you're sitting
down.
You can do stretches with yourlegs.
(26:27):
You can get those thingsunderneath where you do your
feet up and down, I usually turnmy head sideways and rotate my
back like that.
There's lots of things you cando sitting down, but don't sit
down too long.
Yes, your body isn't meant tosit down and consequently, you
don't stand up too long either.
I had a patient just the otherday.
She's worked in retail for 44years, oh my goodness, and she's
not allowed to sit down.
So consequently, she has backpain.
(26:48):
So the body isn't meant to doanything for a long time in one
position.
So get up, stand around, move,stretch, take some deep breaths,
but don't stay sedentary.
That's what I say.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Okay, thank you.
And I do have another questionSure, perfect, sedentary, that's
what I say.
Okay, thank you.
And I do have another questionsure, perfect, um.
So can you tell me, because Iknow we see, especially as we,
all of us are getting older, um,well, we don't look it, but we,
we are, you know technically.
I just say I'm getting morelife experience you know, yes, I
don't say I'm getting older,I'm getting more life experience
(27:20):
well, I tell my kids thatthey're getting older, but I'm
not.
But it's, you know.
I tell my kids that they'regetting older, but I'm not.
But it's, you know, it worksboth ways.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
You know when we get to be 35, we'll know what it's
like to be 35.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
That's right.
No, I know like as we get older, we have a higher risk for
falling.
So do you see more of fallsrelated to low back pain or
sedentary lifestyle combination?
(27:49):
Yes, Okay, that was a bigquestion.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
It could be many different things.
Certainly, poor core strengthcan contribute to falling
because patients, especiallyolder patients they lose
sensation in their feet so theydon't really know where their
feet are and they'll put theirfeet down and not realize it and
they'll trip.
Even rugs can be very hazardousto older people as they start
(28:14):
walking around.
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