Yesterday morning, I took my dog, Cali, for a walk through the neighborhood. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, birds were chirping, a gentle breeze was flowing-it was one of those mornings that makes you grateful to be alive.
As we walked past a house with one of the best-looking yards on the block (they literally won the neighborhood award for it a few months ago), I noticed something shocking.
The gardener was hacking away at all the beautiful flowers and plants, cutting everything down to the stubs!
I couldn't help myself - I had to ask.
"What are you doing?"
Without hesitation, he replied, "I'm pruning them back, then fertilizing so they'll come back healthier and more beautiful than ever. This is the perfect time to do it."
It seemed completely counterintuitive. Why cut off something that looks perfectly fine? But apparently, that's the secret to a thriving garden.
And you know what? The same principle applies to your health.
Sometimes, we need to prune things that seem beneficial but are actually holding us back from real health.
Take chronic cardio, for example. You might think running miles every day is great for fitness, but too much can actually break down muscle, spike cortisol (your stress hormone), and leave you more depleted than energized.
A better approach? Trim back the endless cardio and replace it with strength training and short, high-intensity workouts. You'll build muscle, burn fat more efficiently, and feel stronger than ever.
Or how about your daily "healthy" smoothie? Many smoothies are packed with too much fructose that sends your blood sugar on a rollercoaster. A smarter move? Prune out the sugar and swap in fiber-rich greens, protein, and healthy fats for steady energy and real nourishment.
And here's a big one-stretching or working out to relieve tightness & pain.
Seems like the right move, right? Your back hurts, your neck is tight, so you stretch it out or exercise more. But what if I told you that working out when you're tight can make the muscle even tighter in the long run and prolong the pain.
The real problem is often adhesive scar tissue and misalignments in the body.
You can stretch all day long, but if you don't address the root cause-adhesive scar tissue that's restricting movement and misalignments that throw your body off balance-you're just creating more scar tissue on top of scar tissue, driving the problem in deeper and making your body more dysfunctional.
That's where chiropractic adjustments and scar tissue treatment come in. Instead of forcing your body to work around dysfunction, why not restore proper movement, get rid of pain, and actually fix the problem?
The lesson? Sometimes, what looks good on the surface is keeping us from something even better. Just like a garden needs pruning to bloom more beautifully, our health needs the same kind of care. When we let go of what's not serving us, we create space for something far greater-more energy, better movement, and a body that works the way it was designed to.
So, what's one thing in your life that needs a little pruning? Maybe it's a habit, a routine, or even a mindset that's holding you back. Take the step today to cut it back-so you can take your health to the next level.
Have a Tremendous Thursday!
Dr. Derek "The Pruning Chiropractor" Taylor
