Smell the roses...

This week reminded me how much I have to be thankful for, namely the ability to get up every day and go to a job a love, head out the door on a run or bike ride, know that my family is safe and relatively healthy.  These moments can be so fleeting- here one day and gone the next that we have to stop every now and then and acknowledge it, essentially stop and smell the roses!!!  Yesterday I was complaining to my fiance that my knees hurt the last bit of my run and how frustrated I was that they always seem to hurt at some point during a run.  But the bigger picture- I can run and I can go out and enjoy that beautiful sunshine that was so amazing yesterday.  One of the reasons I opened my own practice was to have the one on one time with each patient.  The time to really get to know each one and their goals.  This week we found out that several people close to us are going through some very rough times yet these are always the people we draw strength from because they keep going, they keep smiling and getting up every day and helping others.  They are what drive me!!! I am so thankful to be able to get up everyday and help people take one more step towards being healthy again, returning to what they love to do whether it be sacking the quarterback or throwing the baseball with their son or weeding their garden.  So my advice to myself and to everyone is to take the time to smell the roses, take the extra moment to listen or touch the shoulder of your patient, parent, friend or even stranger and tell them you care because that moment may be gone tomorrow and you will have missed it..

V1 GOLF

So week three is done and it ended with 21 patients.. I am slowly but surely growing but a lot more work than I ever anticipated and I love it!!! I never knew how much work was involved in the day to day running of a business- scheduling, marketing, finances, returning calls, emails, and texts, meeting with people to just explain exactly what I do as a physical therapist and whether or not therapy is their best option...  But what I have to say topped off my week was this great new App that I downloaded called V1 Golf that can be used to analyze patients' walking and running gait.  It is an amazing tool and only 5 dollars!!!  Every running course I have taken has gone on and on about all the expensive video equipment you should buy to do this and this App does it all right from your phone and then I can sit down with my patients and show them their running form and discuss what imbalances need to be addressed to correct it.  The greatest part is that they can see for themselves what I have been explaining to them is wrong and nothing beats being able to see it for yourself!!!  I believe that one day soon I may be able to say I am catching up with this crazy new technology savy world we all live in:))))  

As for my own training schedule, for the first time in my life training is no longer my number one priority.  I have been able to get in all my workouts so far but most mornings I am up by four and not home until eight  and on any given day who knows exactly when I can hop on my bike or dive in the pool.  It is weird not having it rigidly planned when I will workout and doing it whenever I can but I actually like it.. It is oddly refreshing and when I do head out it is a break from all the craziness and can actually be used as my stress reliever and time to just clear my mind.  Who knows, maybe this will help me to relax a little when it comes to competing and translate to better performances?? We shall see...

Week One

SO it is official- Core Physical Therapy is up and running!!  I would like to try to do monthly articles on injuries and prevention tips as well as addressing strength and flexibility concerns of all patient populations.  I would also like to engage discussions on owning a business and day to day dealings with any advice offered greatly appreciated.. Here is to a great 2012 and the adventure that lies ahead. I can't wait!!!

Dr. Jordan McAmmond- Bio

My passion for living an active lifestyle began at a young age as an age group swimmer.  I went on to swim in a Division I program while obtaining a bachelor's degree in kinesiology at the University of Maryland.  I continued on to receive a masters then doctorate degrees of physical therapy from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.  I have now been a clinician for 11 years, working with patient populations ranging from the Olympic bound athlete to the aging adult struggling with balance deficits.  I currently coach triathletes and runners of all ages as well as age-group swimmers. My passion for helping others obtain and maintain a healthy, injury-free lifestyle has carried over into my own aspirations as an endurance athlete.  I have competed in 15 marathons and 7 Ironmans as well as competing in multiple triathlon distances as part of national and world teams.