Tag: Stress

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Fall into Better Health

Fall is my favorite season of the year, for many reasons (one being all things pumpkin). However, our health tends to be put on the back burner when the colder weather begins; combine that with the stress that the upcoming holidays can bring and we have a recipe for disaster. With that in mind, here are 6 ways to stay motivated and maintain your health routine this fall.

  • Set Goals and Limits – If goals are excessively restrictive or vague, you will be less likely to rise to the challenge. Establish clear nutrition and health goals (dessert two times a week; a half-hour walk five times a week, etc.). Consistency is key to success with anything in life but especially when it comes to your health.
  • Your Daily Game Plan – Make your daily routine habitual and try to keep things at the same time each day. Keep up with your workouts and chiropractic adjustments, and develop a consistent routine for healthy eating. Once you experience how great your body is designed to feel and function – you will feel sluggish and unsettled if you start missing your adjustments, workouts or eating unhealthy – which in itself is a strong incentive to get back on track.
  • Fall Superfoods – Eating seasonal fruits and veggies ensures your produce will be less expensive, more nutritious & definitely taste better – which in turn means you’ll be likely to eat more of these healthy foods. Summer may be ending, but with fall superfoods like pumpkins, apples and Brussels sprouts ripening now, eating in season can be just as healthy now.
  • Boost Your Immune System – Unfortunately for some, back to school time can also mean getting sick time. To help avoid that this fall, be sure to follow these simple tips: limit your sugar intake, eat simply and nutritiously, get regular adjustments, and boost up your supplements.
  • Stay Hydrated – This is an easy one to follow in the summer, but come fall, you may not feel as parched. However, staying hydrated is still crucial to keeping your body running at its best.
  • Keep Moving in the Cold – You don’t have to go outside to move more throughout the work day. Try fashioning a DIY standing desk or workstation, take meetings on the go or simply do a few laps around the office when you can as the weather cools.
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Back to School Health Essentials

With children across America gearing up to begin the school year, what better time to explore some ideas to help ensure your child starts the school year healthy and happy. The following are 3 Ways to Start the School Year Healthy:

1. Backpack Safety 101

When people think Chiropractic and back to school, the first thing that usually comes up is backpacks. Here’s what you need to know – most backpack problems occur from excessive weight, inappropriate fit, and incorrect wearing of the pack. Your child should carry no more than 10-15% of their body weight in their school bags. When a heavy weight (such as a book-stuffed backpack) is incorrectly placed on the shoulders, the weight’s force can pull a child backwards. To compensate a child may bend forward at the hips or arch the back which can cause the spine to compress unnaturally.

If your child uses the traditional backpack – urge them to wear both straps (Here’s what to look for when picking a backpack: two wide, padded shoulder straps / padded back / waist belt / multiple compartments). Although it’s worth noting that messenger bags or purses – despite potential problems – are usually the better choice for children. When used correctly, the strongest muscles in the body, the back and abdominal muscles, support the weight of the packs. If not too heavy and if they are used correctly the weight is then evenly distributed across the body. Continue reading “Back to School Health Essentials”

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What Stress is Doing to Your Health

A stress is any stimulus that requires your body to respond or adapt. Although in certain situations stress can be good (resulting in improved focus and performance) living with chronic stress can lead to a multitude of health problems ranging from anxiety and depression to cancer and  heart disease. Today we are succumbing to stress at an accelerated rate- not just because we have more of it- but also because we can handle so much less.

There are three types of stresses:  environmental, physical and  emotional. When your body perceives a stress, your nervous system responds. Known as the“fight or flight” response, the sympathetic nervous system becomes stimulated-resulting in increased heart rate, increased blood flow to the extremities, increased blood pressure and better vision. Stress hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisol are released by the adrenal glands, all of which prepare the body to fight or flee the danger by increasing muscle strength, stamina and heightening the senses. Continue reading “What Stress is Doing to Your Health”

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How to Breathe

What could be more natural than breathing? It may sound surprising, but most people don’t know how to breathe – which is a shame because proper breathing can do wonders for stress and digestion. Not only that, but breathing incorrectly can produce tension and lead to exhaustion.

The truth (unfortunately) is that most of us are shallow breathers. This is a problem because shallow breathing leads to poor oxygenation of our blood (breathing oxygenates every cell of our body). Poor oxygenation means that our body is not able to function optimally – everything from our muscles to our metabolism. Therefore, the easiest way to get more oxygen into your body and in every cell of your body is… to breathe properly! Proper breathing dramatically increases exercise endurance and mental clarity, elevates your mood, and helps the body detoxify more efficiently. Continue reading “How to Breathe”

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Improve Your Golf Game with Chiropractic

Every spring and summer, patients are wondering how they can improve their golf game for the season. One word…Chiropractic. Golfers, by the nature of the game, develop asymmetrical conditions and therefore can benefit from chiropractic care. Such care can specifically help to restore balance and lay the foundation for high-level athletic performance.

Regular chiropractic adjustments can improve your game on many levels. The repetitive nature of the swing makes it critical that the muscles are at ease and the joints of the spine can be moving smoothly. Yes, eliminating low back pain helps the golf game, for sure, but improved bio-mechanical function of the body takes the game to the next level and helps shave strokes off your score.

Professional and amateur golfers turn to chiropractic care as one of the best strategies for maintaining health on and off the course and achieving the best possible performance. Household names including Tiger Woods, David Duval, and Padraig Harrington are just a few of the professional golfers who rely upon chiropractors. Lets find out why. Continue reading “Improve Your Golf Game with Chiropractic”