Goodbye Winter. Hello Spring!
Spring has finally sprung! Warmer temperatures and additional sunlight in early Spring breaths new life into the earth, doesn't it? Tulips and daffodils begin to appear, robins start to show up, and songbirds begin to gather material to build their nests. These are all signs that Spring is making it's debut!

If you think about it, the vibrancy of Spring is synonymous with life. John 20:31 says, "But these (miraculous signs) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Yes, Spring is all about new life, growth and green things. But, as the Bible reminds us, true life is about believing that Jesus is the Son of God.

In  John 10:10  Jesus told his disciples that he came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. Each of us are able to experience this life that God desires us to have when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Revelation 21:5, says, “I am making  everything  new.” This tells us that, n o matter how sin-ridden our past has been, when we accept Jesus into our hearts, makes us NEW, giving us TRUE life!

Why not take a moment this spring to soak in these truths? And, as we watch the powerful transformation of winter melting into spring, let’s also ask God to transform our hearts so that we can grow closer and closer to the loving arms of our Almighty Father.
Staff Spotlight:
Phillip Franklin
This month's spotlight features The Smith Clinic's newest addition, Phillip Franklin. Originally coming to us as an intern from The University of Memphis, Phillip is now a full time member of The Smith Clinic staff, and we couldn't be more delighted!

In an effort to help you get to know Phillip a little better, we did a little Q & A with him. Check out Phillip's story below:

Q: Where are you from?
A: I am originally from Memphis,TN. Born and raised. 

Q: Education?
I graduated from White station High School in 2014 and decided to further my education by staying home to attend the University of Memphis. I spent the next 4 years graduating with a B.S. Degree in Exercise Sports Movement Science in the School of Public Health Studies. 

Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: I have to find the time for hobbies as I have 2 jobs that pretty much occupy most of of my time. When I can get away, I like to go to the gym, cook tasty meals, and vacation with my girlfriend, Stephanie. 

Q: Favorite thing about Memphis?
A: Memphis is like a melting pot. It has everything and everyone you can think of. Each part of Memphis is unique. If I had to pick a certain thing that I love about Memphis has got to be the food. Locals that have their own businesses have all their own unique foods that each of us crave. You can get about anything you want anywhere from them and they all have their own special flavors that cater to our stomachs! You can catch me at Central BBQ, India Palace, or The Wing Guru. 

Q: Favorite thing about The Smith Clinic?
A: Never thought a working place could feel so much like home. The Smith Clinic is very team oriented and has an AMAZING family atmosphere. I almost forget that I am working when I am helping each patient with their care. From the moment you walk through those doors, you are immediately welcomed with a genuine smile and a huge hello! It’s just amazing the stories that come through the doors each and everyday.Every patient I have met, young or old, inspires me to do a little more. We always have a couple laughs here and there during sessions. Each patient we handle, we try to provide the best possible care and have them leave feeling satisfied and with a smile until the next time they come back. Not a day goes by that we don’t cherish and love one another that we meet everyday. 

Q: Why did you chose PT as a career path?
A: I chose PT because when I was in high school I was running cross country and track, and in between seasons getting ready for track in the winter, both of my legs were experiencing IT Band Syndrome. To start my runs, I would have to hobble and skip. I would clinch my teeth, as I would be cutting around corners and going up hills, and all I could feel was a sharp knife pain digging into my knee. Finally, I decided to seek some help by going to physical therapy. I still laugh about this day, as I went to track practice after my very 1st PT session feeling great! That was me being stubborn and not thinking that I just needed to take some time off to heal. I really took things in perspective, when I realized there were a lot of exercises that I use to be strong in, were now very weak. I needed PT to re-strengthen the muscles I tore down. Even if my PT sessions were only a hour long, the care that I received was tremendous, as they were always paying attention to me and hands on throughout. Soon enough after healing, I ran my fastest mile time by the end of my senior season. That is what has fed my drive to be a profession in the field. 

Q: Any additional thoughts?
A: It is honestly a very heart warming feeling that I planted my own little seed in helping a patients recovery. The patients put in all the work, but with just a little help from us at the Smith Clinic, we make them feel brand new again!

Must Try Spring Recipes
Spring weather - it’s finally here! We're celebrating by sharing a few great springtime recipes. We hope you'll try them and let us know what you think!

Lemon Basil Salmon

Ingredients
  • 2 salmon fillets (5 ounces each)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • Lemon wedges, optional

Directions
  • Prepare grill for medium heat.
  • Place each fillet, skin side down, on a piece of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square). Mix melted butter, basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper; spoon over salmon. Fold foil around fish, sealing tightly.
  • Cook in covered grill until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 10-15 minutes. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. If desired, serve with lemon wedges.

Spring Asparagus

Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese, optional

Directions
  • In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook, covered, until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain; place in a large bowl. Add tomatoes; cover and keep warm. 
  • Place vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, onion, salt and paprika in a blender; cover and process until smooth. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Toss with asparagus mixture. Top with almonds and, if desired, cheese.

Pesto Pasta & Potatoes

Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved
  • 12 ounces uncooked whole grain spiral pasta
  • 3 cups cut fresh or frozen green beans
  • 1 jar (6-1/2 ounces) prepared pesto
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions
  • Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain; transfer to a large bowl.
  • Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, adding green beans during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water, and add to potatoes. Toss with pesto, cheese and enough pasta water to moisten.

Rasperry Peach Puff Pancake

Ingredients
  • 2 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup fat-free milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

Directions
  • Preheat oven to 400°. In a small bowl, toss peaches with sugar; gently stir in raspberries.
  • Place butter in a 9-in. pie plate; heat in oven until butter is melted, 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt until blended; gradually whisk in flour. Remove pie plate from oven; tilt carefully to coat bottom and sides with butter. Immediately pour in egg mixture.
  • Bake until pancake is puffed and browned, 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven; serve immediately with fruit and yogurt.
Too Busy to Exercise? Think Again!
If you’re like many, you’ve struggled to stick with exercise plans in the past. You’re busy, life is crazy, and it’s hard to find an hour or so a day to exercise.  Maybe you’re tired of starting exercise plans that you can’t follow through with. You start…but you can’t seem to stick with it, and then you feel like a failure. 

What if we told you that the problem isn't YOU? What if we told you the problem is the outdated belief that workouts have to be long, brutal, and sweaty in order to be worthwhile? Or that the problem is trying to fit yourself into a model of exercise that just doesn’t work for you and your needs? Well, we're here to tell you that you, in fact, are NOT the problem! There IS a better way.

You’ve likely heard about HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, and there’s a reason you've heard about it: it really works! HIIT is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time. 

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to go slog it out at the gym for 30 or 45 minutes to get the results you are looking for. In fact, working out for just 15-20 minutes (yes, 15!) comes with an abundance of health benefits, from upping your calorie burn and whipping your body into shape, to lowering your risk of certain diseases and even adding years on to your life. That's right, these quick sweat sessions are no joke. Need more convincing? Here are several more reasons to start carving out 15 minutes of your day:

1. QUICK RESULTS
Researchers recently found that a 10-minute workout, with just one minute at high-intensity, had the same benefits as 45 minutes of jogging.  One group of study participants did a two-minute warm-up on a stationary bike, followed by a 20-second sprint, then rode slowly for two minutes. They repeated that sequence two more times for a total of 10 minutes. Another group just rode steadily on the bike for 45 minutes. After 12 weeks, both groups showed a 20 percent increase in cardiovascular endurance.

2. BURN MORE CALORIES
HIIT workouts, which usually lasts just four to 15 minutes, can also give you more "bang for your buck" in terms of calorie burn. In a study published in the journal  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise , those who did 13 minutes of HIIT burned more calories per minute and increased their VO2 max by 12.5 percent more than those who did steady-state cardio for 40 minutes. More payoff in half the time? Sign me up!

3. LIVE LONGER
Just 15 minutes of exercise per day could actually increase your lifespan. Scientists actually studied participants over a 12-year period and found that those who exercised at a low level (or the equivalent of a 15-minute brisk walk) were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who didn’t exercise at all. In addition, participants who exercised at medium and high levels reduced their risk of death by 28 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

4. MANAGE WEIGHT
The calorie-burning benefits of even the shortest strength-training bout keep coming long after you've left the gym. In one study, researchers found that when volunteers did just one set of nine exercises, or about 11 minutes of strength training, three days a week, they increased their resting metabolic rate (the calories burned when just hanging out) and fat burning enough to keep unwanted weight at bay.

5. STAY YOUNG
HIIT can have a profound effect on aging at the cellular level. The older you get, the less efficient your energy-producing mitochondria become. In fact, when three groups of exercisers were analyzed over 12 weeks—one that did high-intensity aerobic interval training, one that did resistance training, and one that did a combination of the two—they found that those who did HIIT actually reversed that age-related degeneration. Translation: Their mitochondria actually worked like those of much younger people. 

6. BOOST BRAIN POWER
You know working out is good for your body, but you probably don’t think too much about how good it is for your brain, too. Actually, just 10 minutes of exercise can boost your brainpower for a short time afterward, according to a recent study published in the journal  Neuropsychologia . The researchers found that study participants who rode a stationary bike at a moderate to vigorous pace for 10 minutes answered questions 50 milliseconds faster after exercising than they did before, a 14 percent increase in cognitive performance.
Need a brain boost stat? Try this 15-minute workout for stronger abs. 

7. LOWER YOUR RISK OF CERTAIN DISEASES
Obviously, all exercise has health benefits. But according to a study published in  JAMA Internal Medicine , participating in 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week can decrease your risk of getting cancer or cardiovascular disease. That’s just 12.5 minutes a day.

8. DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY
Everyone knows about exercise and endorphins. But science actually says that just one hour of exercise per week (that’s less than 10 minutes a day) could prevent up to 12 percent of depression cases. One study published in  American Journal of Psychiatry  followed more than 22,000 healthy adults who did not have symptoms of anxiety or depression for about 11 years. In the end, researchers found the people who reported not exercising at the beginning of the study were 44 percent more likely to become depressed versus those who spent one to two hours working out each week. 

So there it is - no more excuses! 15 minutes a day is definitely achievable and, if you combine with a healthy eating plan, you'll be knocking your healthy and weight loss goals out of the park in no time at all!