If you have ever been inspired by someone without their knowledge, then you know what I am about to talk about.

Routinely I am inspired on some level by patients in my chiropractic office in Iowa City IA. This shouldn't come as surprise. After all, human nature is to spend time with people who think and act similar to the way we do. Here is what I mean, there are basically 3 types of people who seek care in our office:

• People who have a problem we can solve, or at minimum improve, AND they generally think and act like we do.
• People who have a problem we can solve, or at minimum improve, BUT we are completely incompatible. They don't think about health even remotely like we do, AND they are unwilling to be open minded. For those people, it is usually best that they try to seek care elsewhere. And if other options are available, we help them transfer somewhere else ASAP as that is in everyone's best interest.
• People who we can't help. Often times, these are people who are 10 years late for their appointment. Meaning that we probably could have helped them 10 years ago, but now it is too late.

By process of elimination, I get the honor of spending most of my days with category 1 people. Which is a real blessing for me because I am constantly learning and being inspired. Once such recent instance though caused me to take substantial action and include it with the newsletter...

So What Happened?

For a variety of reasons, I routinely ask this particular patient how her runs have been going. During one adjustment she gave me insight into what she has to accomplish, just to go for a decent run. Little did she know that she was inspiring me with her story. You see, this patient is a wife, mother of 4 boys, and a part time nurse. Oh! And those 4 boys ages range from 3 to 12 AND they are home schooled!

So, when she started into a story about how she manages to get her runs in, I was all ears. Picture this. First, she has to get everybody out the door… which that alone is no small task with 4 boys. Then she loads the youngest into the stroller and everybody walks to a small park that is nearby her home here in Iowa City IA. In the center of the park is a bench and around the perimeter of the park is a path.

The park is small enough that from the path she can always see the bench area in the center. So, once everybody is settled with books and snacks around the bench… she goes on her run, around the loop, over and over, until she gets her time in! Then, once she's all tired from her run, she still has to get the boys home and onto whatever is next…. WOW!

I was blown away. Plus, what a great example she is setting for her boys… that fitness is a part of life important enough that it needs to be worked in, scheduled, or whatever else it takes to make it happen. I'm sure they do not understand that now, but someday they will.

What Did I Do With That Story?

Let's just say that there were some things in my life that I wasn't getting done the way I wanted to. All I needed was a "little more time," or so I told myself. Once she told me this story though I felt a little silly. All I had to was stay up a little later after my kids go to bed, and get up a little earlier before they get out of bed. Simple huh?! All I had to do was make a tweak to my own schedule, apply some discipline, and I immediately captured the handful of hours a week I needed to get the job done. That is how she inspired me to give up 30 minutes of sleep several times per week, and it's been worth it.

By Ryan Bowman D.C.