A Growth Mindset

As a teacher, I believe that creating relationships and having a good rapport with students is essential to effectively teaching them. One of the things I always do to get to know my students is to ask them to give me a few adjectives to describe themselves. They use words like, kind, hardworking, athletic, etc. What is really interesting is when I get to see the same students year after year. Most of the time, their chosen adjectives stay the same. If they consider themselves an artist in first grade, chances are they will still hold that personal belief when I see them in 7^th grade, 10^th grade, etc.

The same is true for adjectives they probably are not as proud of. For example, many students will describe themselves as a procrastinator. They may say they are slow, messy, etc. These beliefs tend to stay with them.

This is also probably true for all of us. If you were told when you were little that you were not very creative, or not a very good speller, or not very clean, or not athletic, there is a good chance you still hold that belief.

You have what is called a fixed mindset. If you are always told you are not athletic, you begin to believe it, and that tends to become a fixed attribute you give yourself.

My goal as a teacher, and as an owner of a fitness center, is to get people to abandon these fixed mindsets and instead embrace a growth mindset. As a teacher, I ask students to add the word “yet” to the end of phrases. For example, if an elementary student says they are not a good artist, I ask them to add the word “yet” to the end of that phrase. While they may not see themselves as a stellar artist right now, with enough practice, they can improve and get better.

I see this fixed mindset most often times when it comes to health and healthcare. I hear phrases like, I’m not a runner, or I’m not a health nut, or This is just the way I am. Even people many consider to be “healthy” can have fixed mindsets. I’ll hear someone who really likes weightlifting say I’m not a runner or I’m not flexible enough to do yoga! I hear these things every day.

It is hard to embrace a growth mindset because it means that we need to be open to working at something. If you are not a runner yet, you may need to put in the time to try. If you are overweight because that’s just the way you are, you may need to put work into changing your eating habits. Adding the word yet to these commonly used phrases challenges people to work on areas that may need improvement. It isn’t always easy, and that is why these negative mindsets tend to stay fixed.

As summer approaches, we’d like to challenge you to take one or two areas of your life that need some improvement, and add the word yet to it this summer. If you don’t consider yourself an athlete, TRY. If you don’t eat healthy, TRY!

For some of you, you will need to “rip the band aid off”. If you want to become a healthy eater, that may mean you need to go buy all new groceries and literally throw away all the crap in your fridge.  If you are not a runner, you may need to find a friend to hold yourself accountable, put down some money on some good running shoes, sign up for a race, and start training. You may run 16 minute miles, but at least you are out there running! For others, it may work better to jump in gradually. Whatever the case, we encourage you to add the word yet, adopt a growth mindset, and start trying.

Below, I’ll list some awesome resources if you are looking for some resources to help you become a healthier, better version of yourself. Also, stay tuned for more information on a brand new weight loss program we are bringing to Redenius Chiropractic! We will bring you more information on that later!

Have a great week!

Dr. Jeff and Jenny Redenius

Resources for you:

Juice Plus provides 30 fruits and vegetables daily in the capsule or gummy format. This is a great way to get the fruits and veggies your body craves. They also make shakes and protein bars: http://jr95695.juiceplus.com

Thrive Market is a great place to get organic food, household supplies, etc. at a discounted price: http://thrv.me/JuuQtY

Here is a list of local running races in Iowa you can sign up for: http://www.runningintheusa.com/race/list/ia

If you are looking for a personal trainer to hold yourself accountable this summer, contact Redenius Chiropractic at 712-464-3301 to get set up with our trainer, Melissa Schleisman.

The Ultimate Health Podcast has great weekly guests that discuss holistic ways to improve your overall health and wellness. They discuss everything from eating to exercise to mental health: http://ultimatehealthpodcast.com/

You can also always call the clinic at 712-464-3301 and talk to Dr. Redenius about how he can help you achieve your goals!

These are just a few of the resources we recommend! Comment below if you have any more resources to share!

Thankful!

We hit another big milestone in the Redenius household this past week. We made one of our last trips to Des Moines for Sam’s doctor appointments, and we get to begin weening him off his medication! Throughout the first six months of Sam’s life, we never thought we would see the day where we would leave Dr. Young’s office in Des Moines with a good report. I probably looked like a complete fool as we left Dr. Young’s that day because I was crying happy tears as we danced our way out of that clinic.

As we were driving home from that doctor visit, I began to reflect on how thankful I am for modern medicine. Here at Redenius Chiropractic and Lake City 24 Hour Fitness, we believe in holistic health care. We believe that the body will naturally heal itself in many ways. We fully believe in the benefits of chiropractic care, therapeutic modalities, massage, nutrition, preventative healthcare, etc. However, we are also so thankful for modern medicine, and we believe that when healthcare providers from all backgrounds work together, patients can receive the best care possible.

Take, for example, when Sam was born. Yes, I delivered Sam naturally without any pain medicine or intervention, but I was SO thankful that I was at Stewart Memorial under the care of Dr. Duncan. I knew that if the delivery did not go as planned, I was under good hands that would do whatever they needed to do to keep Sam and I healthy. I wouldn't have made it through those 19 hours without the care and coaching from Dr. Duncan and Jenni Macke! I utilized chiropractic care in addition to the care Dr. Duncan gave throughout my pregnancy, and as a result, I had a very healthy pregnancy and natural delivery.

Then, when Sam was first born, I had it in my mind that “breast-fed is best.” It is the natural thing to do. Supply and demand, right? If I got nothing else right, I could surely feed Sam. Well, that didn’t happen. Despite constantly being attached to a pump, eating fatty foods, and feeding Sam all the time, I could not produce enough for him. That combined with his Laryngomalcia and GERD made feeding times a war zone. Both Sam and I would be in tears. Even though I beat myself up about it, telling myself I was a “failure,” I decided to supplement. While I continued to provide Sam with as much breastmilk as I could, once we found a formula he could tolerate with his conditions, he began to gain weight and thrive again. I thank God every day that science has given us formula that so closely mimics the benefits of breastmilk. Is breastmilk the natural, holistic way to feed your baby? Absolutely. However, for whatever reason, feeding your baby doesn’t always go as planned, and mama’s need to give themselves some grace and realize that a fed baby is a healthy baby.

Many people also do not know that the surgery Sam had was “optional.” We were told that Sam would eventually grow out of his conditions, but his case was so severe that Dr. Young highly recommended we consider it. We went home from that first visit thinking that we would do the natural thing and not put Sam through surgery if his body would eventually outgrow it. However, for the next two weeks, neither Sam nor I ate or slept. He just got worse. We decided to go through with the surgery, and again, I thank God for Dr. Young’s steady hands for modern science because once we had the surgery, Sam was able to breathe and eat easier.

After the surgery we had quite a few setbacks. It seemed like for the next four months, Sam would take one step back for every two steps forward. For every step back Sam took, though, we used both chiropractic care and modern medicine to fix it. If he had a relapse with his GERD, we would adjust his medicine and Jeff would go to work on adjusting him every day to make eating more comfortable. When he got an upper respiratory infection that landed us yet again in the ER, we ended up putting him on steroids to keep the swelling down while using essential oils, cool mist humidifiers, and “steaming” the bathroom to keep him healthy. All hands were on deck to take care of him.

Each time Sam would have a setback, I would sink into a deeper state of postpartum depression, feeling utterly sorry for myself, for Sam, and for Jeff. Dr. Young assured us, though, that we all just needed a “tincture of time.” We would have a rough couple of months, and then we would see him slowly improve. My fulltime job became feeding Sam and helping him to grow. We used a combination of holistic health care and modern medicine to keep Sam as healthy and as comfortable as we could. While I don’t think neither Jeff nor I slept or ate for those few months, Dr. Young was right. Over time, Sam got better.

In retrospect, I don’t think we could have done it without the combination of holistic health care and modern medicine. While Sam won’t have any memories of these difficult times, I think Jeff and I will always remember the long days we had, taking Sam’s health one day at a time. We are so thankful for doctors like Dr. Duncan and Dr. Hornback with Stewart Memorial and Dr. Young with Iowa ENT. When healthcare providers from all backgrounds work together, patients receive the best care possible! Our story is just one of probably many that attests to the positive outcomes associated with preventative, natural healthcare in combination with modern medicine. We are so thankful we have both!

Have a great week!

Dr. Jeff and Jenny Redenius

Time to Rally!

Happy New Year! It’s a big day in the Redenius house. Our little man, Sam, hit the 15 lb mark today! For those of you who do not know, Sam has a condition called Laryngomalacia which, combined with severe acid reflux, makes eating and gaining weight very difficult for him. The sooner Sam can grow and gain some weight, the sooner he can outgrow this condition. After being stuck in the 14 lb range for what seemed like an eternity, we are celebrating today!

It has been a long six months. After his first surgery, we had a very long recovery period. We thought we were in the clear, and then his throat swelled closed and the reflux returned just three weeks later. Once we got his reflux under control, he developed an upper respiratory infection that closed his throat again and made his reflux even worse. After healing from that, he got the stomach flu. It never seems to end!

Each time his health would decline again, and we would land ourselves back in the hospital, I’d find myself sitting there feeling sorry for all of us.  

Why us? Why Sam?  

I can’t count how many times I sat in tears praying to God to take away his discomfort and give it to me instead. Every time I’d sit down to feed Sam, I’d pray he’d eat more than an ounce or two, and that it wouldn’t take me an hour of fighting him to do it. I’d pray for him to just take a good nap, because if he slept well, there was a much better chance he’d eat. Jeff and I

became overactive mama and papa bears, demanding everyone use Germ-X before touching him. We didn’t take him places when he should be napping because we knew that he would only eat if he slept. I stayed home from work to be with him full time. Jeff closed the clinic to make numerous trips to Des Moines. Despite everything we did to protect him, there were times when it seemed nothing we did was helping.

After this last bout of hospital visits, though, I realized we were approaching this whole thing in the wrong way. Feeling sorry for us wasn’t what I should be doing. We are so incredibly blessed to have this little boy. How could I sit there feeling sorry for myself!? We have a beautiful baby boy, who despite being given a crappy situation, is incredibly resilient and happy. 

I made this realization after calling my parents after our last hospital visit. Every time I’d call my parents to let them know Sam wasn’t doing well again, my dad would always respond with, “Okay, Sam, it’s time to rally!” This time was no different.

I thought back to all of our struggles, and I realized that every time Sam would do as Dad said-- he would rally.

Sometimes it would take continual bouncing, singing, and comfort from me. Sometimes it would take trying a new bottle. Sometimes it would just take a good nap. Sometimes it would take weeks of patience from all of us. He would always rally, though, coming out stronger than before.

No matter how many times Sam has been knocked down by something, he always greets us and the day with a smile. Even if it has taken awhile, he has been putting on weight, growing stronger than ever.

Sam’s resiliency can be a lesson for all of us in that when something is not going as we planned, we need to put on our game face and rally. What a great lesson for the start of 2018. No matter what you are going through, a new year presents you with the opportunity to rally—to come back even stronger than before.

We hope you take advantage of the opportunity a new year presents you with. There is no better time than now to choose to rally instead of give up. Whatever you are trying to overcome, we hope you choose to do as Sam has done, and work to overcome it. You will become stronger because of it! We are here to help you in any way we can!

We hope you all had a great holiday season, and we hope you choose to make the most out of any situation you are in by working to come out of it stronger than ever!

Have a great week!

Dr. Jeff and Jenny Redenius