I swap out words like degeneration for adaptation. It’s super important to describe it in a different way that gives your body the power back. When I’ve described that to many people it blows them away because as an example; degeneration makes everyone feel like they are falling apart and disintegrating. That’s not a great feeling to have when you are walking out of the office and think I’m degenerating, I’m falling apart. You’re already glass half empty. Whereas, if I highlight that those changes are occurring in your body because of innate intelligence then it’s like, hang on a minute, my body is adapting to the stress that I have continuously put on it… wow what if I stimulated it different and it could adapt in a different way?
Dr Adam Epskamp is one special, healthy, fit soul. But he wasn’t always like that. At the end of high school, he fell in love with ordering food and alcohol from the car and accordingly by the age of 19 he was weighing in at 115kg. His love of body boarding and a frightening moment in the water made him realise, where he was almost breathless and blue, that he desperately needed to do something about his health. He explains how he adapted and became the happy, healthy, fit version of himself today.
It was time to honour himself, so he met up with two PT’s at Craggie Fitness Centre in Perth, which took him through his first fitness appraisal which was the event, the turning point to step into a life of health and wellness.
He was a mathematical soul studying mechanical engineering which he loved but realised with this life event that he wanted to shift his focus. He looked at becoming a PT, maybe get into kinesiology or exercise physiology and it was his chiropractor who suggested he do chiropractic. He also became a fitness instructor to help him through Uni some 15 years ago.
We talk about what it means to have the courage to ask for help when you know you need it. Adam said his mother was a huge inspiration and the conditioning he needed throughout his life. He said he learned from her, if you really want something you’ll move heaven and earth to go get it.
He speaks about the different versions of chiropractic and he fell in love with Gonstead which is structurally based, uses x-rays, and your hands and instruments to determine which areas are best to work on. With a background in engineering, he realised there was a real link to structure and function of the body.
He has used his understanding of the body and specialised in the chemical management of paediatrics and general metabolism of the body.
Adam explains the fundamentals of chiropractic care. Pain generally brings someone to this modality. Adam’s gift is enabling people to connect the dots from this vitalistic point of view. He reads bodies like a book and gives the person’s history back to them in the process. He wants to support people to get more from life with chiropractic care. Average is a given, but Adam asks how about being extraordinary?
He explains pain and the dysfunction it comes from. Inflammation is probably the center of all of that. He speaks of the triad of health.
Physical where you may have pushed too hard, having soreness is ok but too much can be detrimental. The mental side, our emotions and how that can create issues like the fear of the unknown. And the chemical side which is the foods we eat that are so hard to digest, our environment we live in, products we use on our body.
Adam says our choice in language can again, be detrimental or beneficial. He likes to show people that their body has incredible power.
Language is probably the first thing I do to help start to coach people towards a different paradigm. It is hard to do in one go! But using your hands and what you are seeing and feeling, then educating how the body responds to stress it what gives people their power back.
We talk diet and nutrition and how the body is like a group of builders who are busy building it with the right building blocks. If you are not sure, then make sure you work with a professional to make sure you have the complete picture for what is right for you.
Adam’s go-to Self-Care team is made up of a group of professionals he admires. He gets adjusted every week, so he is physically well. He has a naturopath to make sure he is getting all the right building blocks and not missing anything. He believes if you are not measuring you cannot manage things well. He has massage once a month. He has a physio to go to when challenged. He loves Magnesium floats where sensory deprivation is possible. He loves acupuncture too.
We talk technology and then we talk all around the effects of the pandemic on Adam and his wife. They decided to put their health first and were not very excited to try an experimental vaccine. They know how important resilience is and how important it is to just get on with the job. Of course, it has all taken its toll on them and many of his clients. And he does not believe it is done yet. There is a lot of emotional stuff playing out and he is very conscious of the role he is playing in his client’s care.
We have a discussion around why politics and health care are mixed. Adam believes there is so much confusion and that politicians are punching outside of their jurisdiction. Whilst they may have experience in certain areas of health with certain people in positions there is so much confusion state to state and country to country. If everyone was working together it would be clearer and if everyone was open minded it might be easier. But Adam also understands how difficult it must be too.
Persuading someone who does not see health as a priority is not easy perhaps until they realise, they are losing the one thing they had. Those who do not prioritise it will be forced to prioritise it at some point. He believes it is key to lead by example and does not buy into the aging discussion.
His definition of Self Love is comparing the difference between self-love and selfish. One end of the spectrum is in selfish and the other is selfless and self-love sits somewhere in between the two. Being selfless is doing something or pursuing something for self or others at the expense of yourself and then selfish is doing something or pursuing something for self or others at the expense of others. Then that means self-love is somewhere in between and that would be doing or pursuing something for the love of yourself and not at the expense of others.
To honour yourself, to respect yourself and to take responsibility of yourself and recognising that you deserve to be well to be loved to be cherished. It is taking all necessary steps to at a minimum preserve your wellbeing but generally work on improving your wellbeing. Self-love collects many different selves including self-development, self-care, self-interest, self-reflection. If you are working on oneself for yourself and not at the expense of others, then that’s a demonstration of self-love.
We finish our conversation talking about a huge appreciation of wine and how it has created a true passion of curiosity. Something he advocates for all of us. Be curious, be kind and show enjoyment.
His favourite quote is: The way you do anything is a reflection on the way you do anything.
Links to follow:
Website: https://silverbackchiropractic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_adam_chiro/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverbackChiropractic
Ride Revolution: https://www.facebook.com/theriderevolution
SELF LOVE PODCAST SPONSOR LINKS
THANKYOU FOR LISTENING… If you would like to share your feedback on this podcast please head to my Facebook and Instagram pages below. Thanks so much if you take the time to give me a 5-star rating on iTunes so that others find this podcast easily and I sincerely appreciate all of your feedback and comments. It makes it all worthwhile as I know this podcast can plant a seed where big things can indeed grow!
If you would love to work with Kim one on one coaching or be a part of her Self Love & Wellness Mentorship Program to continue to master the art of self-love click here – www.kimmorrison.com
BRAND NEW ‘ESSENTIAL SELF CARE WEEKEND’ VIRTUAL EVENT with Kim Morrison
Immerse yourself in a whole weekend for you, dive into the powers of your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and how essential oils can create magic and change in your life. Learn the importance of self-care and what it means to indulge and recharge every day… after all you deserve it!
Click here for more information and locations for your Standard or VIP ticket – https://twenty8.com/events-and-workshops/
PODCAST SPONSOR:
Twenty8 Essentials – https://twenty8.com/
DISCOUNT CODE:
Discount Code for SLP Listeners – selflovepodcast
LINKS:
Twenty8 Essentials
Website: https://twenty8.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twenty8essentials
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twenty.8.essential/
The Art Of Self Love – https://twenty8.com/product/the-art-of-self-love/
Self-Love & Wellness Mentoring Program – https://www.kimmorrisontraining.com/
Essential Oils 101 Program – https://www.kimmorrisontraining.com/essential-oil-101
Kim Morrison Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimmorrison28/
Kim Morrison Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimMorrisonTraining
MUSIC INTRO & OUTRO
Many thanks to Wes and Charlotte Carr – https://wesleydeanmusic.com/