Your Body Reset: The Proven Protocol to Get Stronger, Lose Fat, & Take Control of Your Health

Nicotine is a potent vasoconstrictor, meaning it narrows blood vessels. This significantly decreases blood flow and nutrient delivery to the spinal discs, accelerating degenerative disc disease. It also increases systemic inflammation, contributing to chronic pain. Dr. Grunch states she can identify a smoker's X-ray due to this accelerated degeneration.

Nicotine is one of the biggest accelerators of degenerative disc disease in our spine. I can look at two X-rays and I can tell you which one's a smoker. It's mindblowing.

Your head weighs 10-15 pounds when upright. Leaning forward at an angle to look at a phone or computer screen, a posture known as 'tech neck,' increases the effective weight on your spine to up to 60 pounds. This sustained pressure weakens neck muscles, causes tension, arthritis, and can lead to chronic headaches and disc issues, especially concerning for younger generations.

If you lean forward at an angle like you're looking at our phone, and we all do it, that force of weight becomes up to 60 lb.

Dr. Grunch challenges the common belief that pain, especially chronic pain or pain related to life stages like postpartum, is normal. She emphasizes that pain is the body's signal that something is wrong and requires attention, not dismissal. This perspective encourages individuals to seek medical advice for persistent pain rather than enduring it.

I want to normalize that pain is not normal. That's a signal to your body to make a change.

Dr. Grunch's personal journey of losing 100 pounds involved realizing that crash diets and unrealistic exercise routines are unsustainable. She advocates for small, consistent changes, food logging to understand eating habits, and planning meals to avoid impulsive unhealthy choices. She also highlights adapting exercise routines to fit personal schedules, like working out at night, as key to long-term adherence.

I try my best to food prep because I don't have to think about it because if I'm left to my own means it's dangerous... It's sustainable change over time and change over time is one of the hardest things to do because it's you have to change your mindset and you have to do it forever.

The spine is primarily supported by surrounding muscles, including the abs, back muscles, pelvic floor, and diaphragm. A sedentary lifestyle weakens these muscles, making the spine vulnerable. Strengthening the core and glutes, through exercises like glute bridges and bird dogs, is crucial for maintaining spinal stability and preventing pain.

Your back is not just your bones, your discs, your joints, your ligaments. It's mostly supported by your muscle... those muscles atrophy. They get weaker. You're not supporting yourself.