review Archives - Young Performance

Posted on January 27, 2019January 27, 2019 by jyoungsc — 2 Comments

CBD oil case study

One of the new trends lately is CBD oil which is a derivative of the cannabis plant that most people associate with marijuana. If you look closely on the shelves of some of your grocery stores or even your favorite coffee shop you will find CBD infused items all over the place. Curiosity got the cat, so I will try.

CBD is traditionally used to help people with certain DSM diagnoses that will relieve anxiety, pain, some movement disorders, and cognition. The stuff that you buy in the store is without THC unless otherwise noted. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana that creates the “high” effect. So basically once you tell someone about CBD, you will also have to explain to them that there isn’t THC. Potential side effects were listed, but the only ones that caught my eye was malaise and weakness.

As far as I know I don’t have any psychoactive issues. I’m not trying to treat a self diagnosed version of anxiety or anything like that. Believe it or not I personally have a difficult time falling asleep especially on Sunday night. Whether it is because I stay up too late on Saturday night combined with the sleeping in that I sometimes do on Sunday morning, or if it is because I stay up mind racing with the things I need to get done at work the next day I will lay in bed restless. I have a number of clients who have been taking CBD oil because someone told them that it may be good so I decided I would give it a try.

Day 1

I actually woke up 40 minutes before my alarm went off after 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I felt wide awake and ready to go. I hadn’t fallen asleep and stayed asleep like that for a while so that was refreshing.

Day 2

I fell asleep relatively quick this night, however, I worked late and had a late dinner so there was no waking up earlier than the alarm. I actually resented my alarm going off and felt a little groggy until the afternoon. Sleep quality was still really good.

Day 3

I worked even later on Tuesday night and had a really late dinner. Not ideal, but it is my reality. I woke up around 4 a.m. briefly, but made it back to sleep no problem. I tallied about 6 hours of sleep and was pretty groggy all day Wednesday until the late afternoon.

Day 4

I fell asleep relatively quickly again. I did wake up in the middle of the night again, but that may be a result of drinking too much water later on in the day. My motivation to get things done in the afternoon dropped significantly until about 3 p.m., but remain pretty groggy. Work ended around 6 p.m. and I was able to go home and relax which was welcoming.

Day 5

I had Friday off so I was able to get an extra hour of sleep followed by a relaxing morning. I could take my time getting my morning tea without any pressing deadlines. I was able to sit down and write a little and go out to run some errands and felt much better with the extra rest. I did go to a Celtics game that evening with some work colleagues, but felt normal.

In conclusion, the week trial revealed to me that maybe on Sunday night it is a good idea to get some CBD in for the sleep aid. All-in-all it did feel better than taking melatonin all week, anecdotally. I will most likely continue to use it especially on those Sunday nights.

Posted on March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 by jyoungsc — Leave a comment

Passion Fruit

No, this isn’t a plug for a new Drake track. It is, however, another installment of the exotic fruit segment. If you’re not familiar yet, I have a strange fascination with trying new foods when I go to the store, more particularly exotic fruit because I can have it at work as a snack. Simply walk in the store, find the most bizarre thing that I haven’t tried before, buy it (or have the gf do it for me).

Leah packed another gem recently, passionfruit. This one is a little more messy to deal with so I suggest a spoon, bowl, and of course a knife. At first glance it doesn’t seem like much, just a little green ball. The more shriveled.., the more ripe. There was more to the description there, but not very P.C. Cut the thing in half and you get a neon goop that you scoop out. It’s a very unique flavor, tart to say the least, but I personally like that sort of thing.

Alright, it tastes good but what else? It is a sweet treat having less than 100 Calories if you count those things. Mostly consisting of sugar and fiber, but keep it context related here. Natural sugar from fruit isn’t the same as an Oreo. Contains a number of micronutrients like, Vitamin A, a few B, C, K also calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and phosphorus to name just a few.

I guess there are a couple different kinds. As long as they taste similar I’m good. I would definitely enjoy this more at home than to look like a slob at work.

Posted on February 21, 2018 by jyoungsc — 2 Comments

Like Exotic Fruit?

So I got packed a lunch again, like the twelve year old I am, by my girlfriend. I always enjoy it because there will inevitably end up having a huge surprise. It’s basically like Christmas every day. Today was pretty awesome, and had all my coworkers asking, “what is that?”

Enter Cherimoya.

Besides having it packed, I was also sent a text message with “how to” instructions as well as the health benefits.

It was really easy to eat believe it or not. Cut it in half and take apart chunks whenever you want a new piece, it basically pulls apart into nice chunks. Don’t eat the seeds. Enjoy.

This banana/coconut tasting fruit is high in Vitamin C as well as a number of B vitamins. It has a fair amount of iron, and since it is a fruit, a good amount of fiber. It apparently has more mineral weight compared to other fruits containing copper, magnesium, potassium, and manganese.

Bottom line, it is quick and easy to eat, tastes great, and is apparently pretty good for you too. Bring a napkin and something to spit the seeds into. I didn’t eat the skin, and didn’t see anything saying you couldn’t but since it reminded me of dragon skin I felt it was better not to.

I haven’t thought of putting a cherimoya into anything as far as recipes go. If anyone else has insight please share.

Posted on January 9, 2018January 9, 2018 by jyoungsc — 1 Comment

2017 year review

This past year has been a roller coaster for sure. I have accomplished many life goals, changed things that I never thought I would change, and accepted life curveballs. Here is a quick recap of 2017.

I made a couple of small life goals in 2017 that would help give me a hobby, something that was completely lacking. Basically, I’ve spent my college and adult life to this point filling all available hours of my day with work or class. Now that school is done and I am working a more modest schedule, hobbies will keep me sane. First, I wanted to get to the mountains and snowboard. 2016 didn’t allow me to do that and it happens to be something serene once you get up to the mountain and check out the horizon. Secondly, I wanted to pick up a guitar at least once per week. This is something that is difficult to me because I feel I don’t have a musical bone in my body. I remain humbled. That’s my personal life in a nutshell.

On a much larger scale, I passed my NPTE, the exam of all exams essentially. This is what licenses you to actually perform your duties as a physical therapist. Thank goodness that chapter has come to fruition. So instead of working a modest 40 hours per week, I have decided to get a job in a clinic in addition to running a performance center. I know, what was I thinking???

I made it a goal to get to more of my athletes games. In 2016 I was really handcuffed with the job I had which didn’t offer much flexibility in terms of being able to see my athletes play. Besides coaching lacrosse in the spring and seeing literally all of my teams games, I was also able to see both of the volleyball teams I work with, the girls soccer team I work with, and the ultimate highlight was being able to see Notre Dame vs. USC at Notre Dame where one of my athletes plays football. I’m hoping that this year extends more opportunity to see the athletes in action–as well as more deep dish pizza.

Now with the new year, I would like to keep my hobbies going as well as really refine my skills in the PT arena as well as the sports performance realm. I would like to get to do more networking this year and travel a bit more. Kind of a rough outline for the new year, but it works.