“Back and neck problems usually begin with an acute episode which heals quickly.  However, much recent evidence indicates that these problems tend to reoccur, with gradually increasing pain and disability.

Many studies have found that the best predictor of a new episode of back pain is a previous one.

It is now understood that back and neck pain are similar to asthma.  They are both chronic, intermittent problems that occur periodically over the course of a lifetime, rather than an acute disease that can be cured.  Like asthma, back and neck problems must be managed and kept under control.

Two thirds of people who have had back pain in the past are likely to have symptoms every year.  There are more than 100 million back pain sufferers a year in the United States.

If tissue heals with poor function, symptoms can persist long after they heal.  Such areas may become chronic and at risk of re-injury.

A good long term recovery is best achieved by restoring function.  The back and neck are used every day.  If they are injured and function is not restored, they will get hurt again due to the repetitive stress they are exposed to in the course of everyday life.

Exercise training is effective in preventing back and neck pain.

Proper exercise improves muscle strength, endurance, and motor control, enhancing the way muscles work together to stabilize the spine, protect it from injury, and decrease pressure on discs, joints, and ligaments.

Chiropractic care increases the benefits of exercise by restoring and maintaining movement and function, as well as, reducing pain and relaxing muscle spasm.

Chiropractic empowers patients, encouraging them to play an active role in their care.  Patients work together with their doctor to understand their health problems, gain a sense of confidence, effectiveness, motivation, and control of their own health.

Chiropractic and exercise help restore and maintain health, function, activity levels, and quality of life.”

www.ashbychiro.com

The first stage is the inflammatory stage. This is typically the first three to four days after you hurt yourself or a chronic injury flares up.  The most important thing to remember about this stage is DO NOT USE HEAT as a method of feeling better.  It will make your condition worse!  ONLY USE ICE  for the first three to four days.  And….only apply the ice for a duration of 20-25 minutes every 2 waking hours.  That’s right.  Do not put any ice on an area when you are in bed, laying down, or anywhere where there is a possibility of you falling asleep.  Bad, bad, very bad idea.  Heat and prolonged use of ice will cause EXCESSIVE SWELLING in the area that you are trying to heal and create less inflammation.

Another great idea for this initial time period is to rest.  Yes, rest.  Those projects that you’ve been putting off can be put off for another week.  The dishes that you always do can be done by another family member.  Give up the guilt!  They’ll probably be hurt sometime in the future too and then it will be your turn to do the laundry and all those other daily chores.

It’s also a great idea to find a highly educated, qualified body practitioner to lead you through this process to totally recovery so that your injury will not effect you for the rest of your life.

The second stage that your body goes through to heal an injury is the Repair stage.  This can be up to six weeks after the injury/acute flare-up.  The most important thing to remember about this stage is that your body TAKES LONGER TO HEAL THAN YOU EXPECT.  It’s true every time.  There is more going on under the surface than we can feel.  Take your time returning to your normal way of life and your normal intensity of exercise.  Mark 4-6 weeks from your injury on your calendar, your phone, and your refrigerator.  Wait until those dates to resume your weekend warrior zesty-ness!

Again, for all of you “I don’t usually like a stranger touching my body” or “I’m fine.  I don’t need to pay for bodywork.” or “I just don’t need bodywork.” people…… make it happen.  Your future self with thank you.  Especially if you find a good practitioner.  I guarantee it.   Bodywork is awesome once you find the practitioner that will listen to your story and covey real confidence that they can help you.

Finally, the last stage is the Remodeling stage. This can last up to one year after your initial injury.  Isn’t that amazing?  Again, it takes longer to heal than we expect.  Every time.  Anyway,  the most important thing to remember about this stage is to stay regular with your active lifestyle, exercises, stretches, and bodywork even though you feel good.  Pain is a wonderful motivator.  But who likes to be in pain?  Enroll your friends and family in a preventative maintenance plan to do with you so that you can add life to your years and years to your life.

-Dr. Matt Green   www.ashbychiro.com

The services of Business Realty Brokers located in Oakland, CA can be invaluable during this process. We offer an initial consultation at no cost or obligation. We offer both hourly consulting services to assist those who want to do much of the work themselves, as well as transaction brokerage services.

Please email us at rjh@businessrealtybrokers.com or call (510)530-4138. We look forward to working with you.
Robert J. Heger, Ed.D.

I was also feeling a bit guilty about being out of the office and on a boat, enjoying the sun and BNI friends while deadlines and client requests loomed in my mind. How is this going to result in business? What if … fill in the blank … happens?

Well, I’m glad I went ahead and went on the trip. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and I got to know my fellow BNI members a bit better and in a setting where they were more relaxed. Not only that, but there were two other people who went along as well who were in other BNI Chapters slightly out of my area, so I got to learn about their businesses and conversely they got to learn about me and my business.

Networking on the Sacramento Delta

As it turns out, the trip resulted in a job lead for me and I also subbed at another BNI meeting (at the recommendation of one of the boaters from another BNI chapter) where I got to meet 20+ other business owners. I also was able to relax, get some perspective on my business, and made up the missed hours a bit on the weekend.

I learned that networking doesn’t always have to be conducted at a mixer under fluorescent lights. Now I’m thinking of even more ways to network in unconventional settings.

Do you have any suggestions or examples around this idea? Please leave a comment.

Trey McAlister, BNI Director and Professional Business Trainer, will be sharing information about BNI and about why BNI is the number one referral organization. He will demonstrate how your business can increase by as much as 50% through “word-of-mouth” marketing.

Cost is $15.00

You must RSVP to attend this event. Please email us contact@ebar-bni.com

Among others, we are looking for the following positions:

Marketing is a wonderful activity. Many find it scary, degrading and slimy! How do you feel about marketing? If you really think about it, we are always marketing.  If we aren’t marketing ourselves, we are promoting someone or something else.

Have you ever tried to explain how and why your favorite restaurant is worth the $4 toll to cross the (S.F/Oakland) Bay Bridge? Think about your favorite restaurant (wherever it may be).

See the sites! Smell the scents! Hear the sounds! Most important, taste the flavors of your favorite dish.  Do you have these things solidly fixed in mind?

Now, think about telling your good friend or even a new acquaintance about that heavenly experience. You do it with ease, calm and a sense of pride.  Why is that? It is because you are confident about what you know. You have enjoyed the sights and sounds. You have smelled the scents and tasted the flavors, thus experiencing the benefits of that establishment.

Do you feel as confident when you are talking about the services that you offer to your prospects? Notice, I said prospects not clients. Prospects know less about us than clients.  Therefore, it takes more work on our part to help them to understand the different aspects of what we have to offer.

Do you want new clients? Well, it is imperative that you become proficient in helping prospects and referral partners to ‘see the sites, hear the sounds, smell the scents and taste the flavors of your business offerings.

How well do you help others to understand what you actually do AND the benefits that you provide?

Do you really want new clients? If you were given tools to help you acquire new clients, would you accept the gift? Perhaps if you ruminate on how much one client is worth to you, you would think more seriously about those free tools. So, how much are two clients worth to you? Three?

Do you really want new clients? I’d like to show you how I am teaching a group of my ideal clients to do just that. Click HERE to see what was offered to our inaugural group of marketing students.  Several of the individuals took advantage of the free tools that our company provided them. They received such value from the free tools that they were willing to raise the bar and pay for additional services. Click HERE to see what our company will soon offer to fellow BNI memebers.

Do you really want new clients? What adjustments are you willing to make in order to acquire them. Will you even take advantage of gifts offered to you? Please stay tuned for a FR*EE teleseminar that will equip you with practical marketing tips and action steps that will have new prospects running to learn more about you and your business.

Actions Steps:

1. Identify specific group of people that you work with (home owners over 45. pregnant women, general contractors etc.)

2. Clearly state what you do for them

3. Highlight a few of the deep rooted benefits that your clients get from working with you.

4. Expand your network by meeting other business owners.

5. Pick 2 or 3 ways to market your business and become proficient in those.

It’s clear that you’d love to have new clients knocking your door down. However, having good sights, good sounds, aromatice scent and fantastic flavors are not enough. You need become skilled at teaching prospects and referral partners WHY you are the Go-To business owner.

So, do you still want new clients? What action will you take to to accomplish this goal?

Many still play the old game of ‘labeling’ themselves, instead of really talking about what they do for people.

Shall we analyze this a bit further? In order to become more relevant and more referable, entrepreneurs must develop and effective way of talking about what they DO. A few key elements should be highlighted in your reply when having this discussion.

Key Elements:

• ‘Who’ you serve (target market)
• ‘What’ you do for them (your job function NOT a label)
• Highlight some deep rooted benefits that your clients receive from working with you

The next time someone asks you, “what do you do”, please tell them what services you actually perform and the type of clients with whom you work. It will be much easier for your listener to go through their mental rolodex and seek a good contact for you.

This worked well for me recently (as it always does).  I was at at a networking event. The room was filled with people who did not know me. I met one nice woman and she asked, “So, what do you do?” I replied, “I teach web developers and graphic designers how to get ideal clients. Guess what she said! “Oh, I have someone that you have to meet.” She marched me over to the table where her graphic designer friend was sitting and said, “I think you need to meet this guy, he may be a good contact for you.”

You already know what happens next, right? My new friend (the graphic designer) asks, “What do you do?” I repeated my winning reply and she said, “I know a group of people who could possibly use your help, let’s get together soon.” 

Are you beginning to see the effectiveness of not labeling yourself? Tell your listeners 3 things: 1) whom you serve, 2) what you do for them and 3) some of the benefits they receive from working with you, it is easier to become more relevant and referable. The third part comes naturally as the conversation progresses, but you always need to keep those benefits in mind.

What will you say the next time a person asks, “So, what do you Do?”

Wil teaches web developers and graphic designers how to get ideal clients. Check out his blog and receive 4 gifts that will improve your business and help you to acquire not just any client, but ideal clients http://www.GetIdealClientsNow.com