It may not come as a surprise to learn that there is a chiropractor and nutritional product creator Dr. Chris Cormier empowers others to healthy lifestyles. Indeed, Dr. Cormier is a well known chiropractic nutritional products authority that is able to reveal secrets that can help anyone learn to life a much healthier and more satisfactory life.
Most of us are keen to know what changes need to be made in our lives so that we feel better about ourselves. Many even believe that old age means having a bad time but here with the help of Dr. Cormier’s useful secrets you will understand that life when you become old can be as rewarding as during your early adult life.
For example, if you follow his advice and do some symmetrical posturing you can ensure that your body remains more symmetrical and in doing so helps to prevent unwanted stress and pressure on specific joints as well as muscles and also nerves.
Secondly, Dr. Cormier recommends that the best way to stay healthy and happy is by avoiding artificial sugars including those such as sucrolose, aspartame and phenylalanine and saccharine. Furthermore, you are advised to use organic sugars though even then you need to take it in moderation.
You also must consume sugar through various products but again this must be done in moderation. You may not believe it but the body has trillions of cells that can only function well if they get some sugar; so be sure to consume sugar without consuming too much of it.
Dr. Cormier also advises against drinking tap water and instead says it is better to drink water from bottles or after it has been filtered. To live a happier and also healthier life, Dr. Cormier also says that you must try and detoxify the body and also take steps to help remove trash from within your body. In addition, be sure to consume probiotics and that too after 10 or 30 minutes following breakfast and perhaps even after dinner.
These are some of the simple secrets that Dr. Cormier tells his patients who have always benefited from following such advice. So, it’s also about time that you too followed suit!
Chiropractor and nutritional product creator Dr. Chris Cormier empowers others to healthy lifestyles. Dr. Chris Cormier is a expert that can show you the secrets to living a healthier and more satisfactory life. More info on http://www.helpmedrc.com/
After initially believing for years in the value of nutritional supplements like vitamins and minerals, Chiropractic Nutritional Products Developer, Dr. Chris Cormier made and about face after he entered his professional practice and began observing and researching on his own. As a result, he became firmly convinced that manufactured supplements were not the answer – that whole, natural foods were.
The chiropractic doctor explains his theory with his “Wellness Triangle.” The 3 corners of the Wellness Triangle consist of the following:
Genetics – We are all products of our DNA. There is nothing we can do about that, in his opinion.
Physique – By physique, Dr. Cormier means our body. In his view, we have 50% control over this aspect of our being. We can improve our posture and undertake a regular fitness training program, for instance. We cannot, however, prevent accidents.
Diet – Ideally, we have a hundred percent control over what foods and beverages we take into our bodies. We in the developed world certainly have the choice between good, health providing meals and processed and preserved foods.
Because we have control over what we eat and because what we take into our bodies is so vitally important to our overall well being, Dr. Cormier has made nutrition the focus of his life’s work. He points out the shocking figure that Americans are far down on the list when it comes to longevity. We rank 42nd in the world, even though we rank first in the amount we spend on health care.
He also emphasizes that Americans don’t get enough sleep and that we experience higher levels of stress than are healthy for us. Other contributors include our reliance on prescription medications, in his opinion.
Fortunately, Dr. Cormier has what he believes to be an answer to America’s diet crisis. He suggests Chiropractic Nutritional Products that are complete foods in themselves, as nature designed them.
Developer, Dr. Chris Cormier has taken his holistic chiropractic training and applied it to nutrition based on years of research and observation during the course of his practice. More info on http://www.helpmedrc.com/
Did you ever think your health and well-being are really important factors in the health and well-being of the planet? It’s true. The choices each of us makes each and every day are important for our family’s welfare as well as the welfare of our neighborhood, our community, our city, our country, and our global society.
We don’t often consider that a healthy personal lifestyle, relating to fitness and nutrition, has an impact on the environment and the global biosphere. But our personal choices and actions do matter. Our life-affirming choices to get fit, be fit, and eat right affect everyone and everything around us. How you get to work is a perfect example.
Of course, most of us drive to work, as it’s a lifetime habit, and we don’t even think about it. But, driving always produces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – every gallon of gas burned pumps 17 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Biking to work and walking to work are fitness-promoting activities that have a double benefit.1,2 You’re exercising on your workdays and you’re actively helping to reduce GHG emissions and stabilize the Earth’s climate.
If it is too far to walk or bike to your place of employment, arrange to car pool with co-workers and walk or bike to their house on the days when you’re not the designated driver. Planting a garden or participating in the activities of a community garden is a health-promoting action step that has a triple benefit.
First, you’re producing or helping to produce foods that are grown locally. Foods that are consumed in the United States travel an average of 1500 miles to reach your local supermarket. Foods grown locally eliminate almost all of the fossil fuel resources required to transport non-local items.
Second, you’re adding really fresh vegetables to your family’s diet, providing vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals required for abundantly good health.
Third, gardening is exercise – the kind of exercise people used to get when they didn’t sit in chairs at desks all day long.
The benefits of health-promoting activities keep on coming.3 For the most part, healthy people do not wind up in the local hospital emergency room. Resource saved include fossil fuels burned by high-speed ambulances, fossil fuels burned to produce electricity used to power life-saving medical devices, and energy utilized to produce the vast amounts of medical supplies consumed in an emergency procedure, including syringes, IV set-ups, and towels, wipes, and disinfectants.
Being a healthy individual as a member of a healthy family has a huge multiplying effect. Your chiropractor knows that all body systems are deeply interconnected and must work together to produce good health. So too are the many different living systems that make up Planet Earth. Your chiropractor will provide you with detailed information about good nutrition and good exercise that can help make a real difference in your health and the health of your community.
1Villegas R, et al: The cumulative effect of core lifestyle behaviours on the prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia. BMC Public Health 13(8):210, 2008 2Christie BR, et al: Exercising our brains: how physical activity impacts synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus. Neuromolecular Med 10(2):47-58, 2008 3Booher MA, Smith BW: Physiological effects of exercise on the cardiopulmonary system. Clin Sports Med 22(1):1-21, 2003
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Here come the holidays – Thanksgiving, Channukah, Christmas, and New Year’s. And the travel, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest travel days and the day before Christmas is just as busy.
If you’re flying, you know what to expect – long lines, delays, crowded flights. But knowing what’s to come doesn’t necessarily provide reassurance. Traveling – particularly traveling by plane – makes many people crazy. Sitting in the terminal, waiting for your boarding call, you can see the deep lines of care, worry, and anxiety etched into peoples’ faces.
However, whereas air travel may not be the funnest thing in the world, there are many action steps individuals and families can take to de-stress the experience. Traveling doesn’t have to mean losing your mind and getting all wound up with tension and mental and physical strain.1,2
Here’s a Top Eight List of things to do in the days before you fly and then during your flight – Before the flight -
Start packing early Organize your healthy snacks Organize activities for the kids Light exercises and stretches See your chiropractor During the flight – Walk around Wake up your muscles by doing gentle torso stretches while in your seat Breathe! Starting your packing early will make a huge difference in how you feel on the day of the flight. Imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have to dash all over your house minutes before you’re supposed to leave for the airport, searching for that critical thing you must bring with you.
Make a list and make a plan. Promise yourself you’re going to have everything packed, including the kids’ backpacks, by the time you go to sleep on the night before you travel. You’ll be amazed at how relaxed everyone is on the actual travel day, in sharp contrast to the usual mayhem and fighting.
A good supply of healthy snacks will keep everyone’s energy level up, and minimize in-flight crankiness due to hunger and low blood sugar levels. 3 Most airlines don’t even serve food anymore, and even if they did, you don’t want it. Bring your own low-fat protein energy bars; little plastic cups filled with peanut butter; low-calorie muffins; trail mix with nuts, dried fruits, and chocolate; string cheese; low-fat crackers; and plenty of water.
Be sure to do light exercise and stretches the week of your flight. You are going to be lugging heavy baggage, and want to be ready for some awkward schlepping, dragging, and lifting.
Seeing your chiropractor before a trip will help ensure your body is in peak condition for any unexpected jars and jolts. And even when you’re well-prepared, travel still has its stressful moments. Chiropractic treatment helps ensure that your nervous system will be flexible and adaptable, adjusting to whatever surprises are in store during your trip.
1Waterhouse J, et al: The stress of travel. J Sports Sci 22(10):946-965, 2004 2Reilly T, et al: Jet lag and air travel: implications for performance. Clin Sports Med 24(2):367-380, 2005 3Waterhouse J, et al: Factors associated with food intake in passengers on long-haul flights. Chronobiol Int 23(5):985-1007, 2006
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America’s weight problems are now so well-known they’re even fair game for jokes at the Oscars. “Americans really know how to fill up a seat,” jibes Ellen DeGeneres, host of the 2007 Academy Awards.
The statistics are alarming. Sixty-five percent of Americans – 130 million in 2001 – are overweight. Fifteen percent of American children are overweight (up from four percent only 20 years ago). Health care costs related to overweight Americans has ballooned to $117 billion (that’s billion) in 2003. And the numbers keep going up. The scales do not lie.
And yet, diet and weight-loss books fill our nation’s bookstores. Low-carb diets. High-protein diets. The cabbage soup diet. The grapefruit diet. The raw foods diet. Most people we know have tried one or more of these. The new diet works for a while, then we can’t take the deprivation any longer and break the diet. Then, horrifyingly, all the weight we lost comes right back, and we are right back where we started. Or possibly even a few pounds heavier. The very good news is that a real, long-lasting solution exists. The basics of this healthy approach to long-term weight loss have been known for decades. This solution is not a diet. It doesn’t have a catchy name. There are, though, a few “magic” secrets to this food plan that works.
“Secret” Number 1 – eat six small meals throughout each day, separated by 2.5 to 3 hours “Secret” Number 2 – combine protein and carbohydrates in each meal “Secret” Number 3 – drink plenty of water (eight to ten glasses) throughout the day “Secret” Number 4 – eat two portions of vegetables each day “Secret” Number 5 – take one day off each week (a “free” day) and eat whatever you want, whenever you want Why combine protein and carbohydrate at each meal? This critical combination feeds our muscles by providing the amino acids (from protein) necessary to build and maintain muscle tissue, and the carbohydrate needed to shuttle the amino acids into the cells. If the carbs aren’t there the protein doesn’t get used. There’s also a human performance benefit – eating balanced meals enables better cognitive/mental function. So we’re not only getting healthier on this food plan, we’re getting smarter!1
Why eat six times a day? Studies have shown this approach results in a faster metabolic rate, a lower percentage of body fat, and reduced “bad” cholesterol levels, all while maintaining lean muscle mass.2,3 Each meal contains approximately 300 calories (proteins and carbohydrates in each meal are in “portion” sizes). That’s it! This sensible, easy approach to food allows you to eat everything, there are no restrictions. And, on your free day you can indulge, or not, letting your natural instincts guide you.
1Fischer K, et al: “Carbohydrate to protein ratio in food and cognitive performance in the morning.” Physiol Behav 75(3):411-423, 2002 2Jenkins JD, et al: “Nibbling vs. gorging: metabolic advantages of increased meal frequency.” NEJM 321(14):929-934, 1989 3Verboeket WP, et al: “Influence of feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism.” Eur J Clin Nutr 43(3):161-169, 1991
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Traveling can be rough on your body. Whether you are traveling alone on businessor on your way to a sunny resort with your family, long hours in a car or an airplane can leave you stressed, tired, stiff and sore.
“Prolonged sitting can wreak havoc on your body,” says Dr. Scott Bautch, immediate past president of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. “Even if you travel in the most comfortable carrier and opt to fly first class, certain pressures and forces from awkward positions can result in restricted blood flow. One of the biggest insults to your system from prolonged sitting is the buildup of pressure in the blood vessels in your lower legs. Contracting and relaxing the muscles can help to get the blood flowing properly.”
Dr. Bautch and the ACA suggest the following tips and advice to fight the pains and strains of travel before they occur.
Warm Up, Cool Down and Treat travel as an athletic event. Warm up before settling into a car or plane, and cool down once you reach your destination. Take a brisk walk to stretch your hamstring and calf muscles.
In the Car Adjust the seat so you are as close to the steering wheel as comfortably possible. Your knees should be slightly higher than your hips. Place four fingers behind the back of your thigh closest to your knee. If you cannot easily slide your fingers in and out of that space, you need to re-adjust your seat. Consider a back support. Using a support behind your back may reduce the risk of low-back strain, pain or injury. The widest part of the support should be between the bottom of your rib cage and your waistline. Exercise your legs while driving to reduce the risk of any swelling, fatigue or discomfort. Open your toes as wide as you can, and count to 10. Count to five while you tighten your calf muscles, then your thigh muscles, then your gluteal muscles. Roll your shoulders forward and back, making sure to keep your hands on the steering wheel and your eyes on the road. To minimize arm and hand tension while driving, hold the steering wheel at approximately 3 o’clock and 7 o’clock, periodically switching to 10 o’clock and 5 o’clock. Do not grip the steering wheel. Instead, tighten and loosen your grip to improve hand circulation and decrease muscle fatigue in the arms,wrists and hands. While always being careful to keep your eyes on the road, vary your focal point while driving to reduce the risk of eye fatigue and tension headaches. Take rest breaks. Never underestimate the potential consequences of fatigue to yourself, your passengers and other drivers. In an Airplane Standup straight and feel the normal “S” curve of your spine. Then use rolled-up pillows or blankets to maintain that curve when you sit in your seat. Tuck a pillow behind your back and just above the beltlineand lay another pillow across the gap between your neck and the headrest. If the seat is hollowed from wear, use folded blankets to raise your buttocks a little. Check all bags heavier than 5-10 percent of your body weight. Overhead lifting of any significant amount of weight should be avoided to reducethe risk of pain in the lower back or neck. While lifting your bags, stand right in front of the overhead compartment so the spine is not rotated. Do not lift your bags over your head, or turn or twist your head and neck in the process. When stowing belongings under the seat, do not force the object with an awkward motion using your legs, feet or arms. This may cause muscle strain or spasms in the upper thighs and lower back muscles. Instead, sit in your seat first, and using your hands and feet, gently guide your bags under the seat directly in front of you. While seated, vary your position occasionally to improve circulation and avoid leg cramps. Massage legs and calves. Bring your legs in, and move your knees up and down. Prop your legs up on a book or a bag under yourseat. Do not sit directly under the air controls. The draft can increase tension in your neck and shoulder muscles. Safe Travel For Children Always use a car seat in a car when traveling with children below the age of 4 and weighing less than 40 pounds. Ask the airline for their policy on child car seat safety. Car seats for infants and toddlers provide added resistance to turbulent skies, and are safer than the lap of a parent in the event of an unfortunate accident. Make sure the car seat is appropriate for the age and size of the child. A newborn infant requires a different seat than a 3-year-old toddler. Car seats for infants should always face the rear. In this position, the forces and impact of a crash will be spread more evenly along the back and shoulders, providing more protection for the neck. Car seats should always be placed in the back seat of the car-ideally in the center. This is especially important in cars equipped with airbags. If an air bag becomes deployed, the force could seriously injure or kill a child or infant placed in the front seat. Make sure the car seat is properly secured to the seat of the vehicle and is placed at a 45-degree angle to support the head of the infant or child.
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The holidays are here – Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Lots of family get-togethers, lots of fellowship and fun, and usually lots of food. Family dinners, parties, family breakfasts, more parties. Is there any way to avoid gaining five or ten unwanted pounds during the extended holiday season? Thanksgiving through early January can be a pretty long time. In order to maintain that healthy weight range you’ve worked hard to achieve, it is important to keep following the good habits that got you there.
We want to have fun and enjoy ourselves during the holidays. We want to participate in all the activities and share the abundance of good food with family and friends. This really is a Zen question. How to let go without letting go? Solutions are available by having built a solid foundation. Food plans that work are based on a few simple and solid principles -
Eat five or six small meals daily.
Make sure each meal combines protein and complex carbohydrates 1,2 Drink plenty of water Exercise regularly Have a “free food day” once a week Such a food plan is realistic and doable. There’s no crazy dieting involved, no highs or lows. You are eating healthy food with no restrictions, choosing from all basic food groups. You eat anything you want, being sure to follow guidelines on portion sizes. The results are weight loss that stays lost. Because you’re exercising regularly, your body sheds fat pounds and adds a few pounds of lean muscle mass. Your metabolism becomes optimized to burn fat, even when you’re resting. If you’ve been following such a food plan your metabolism is already doing what it is designed to do. During the holidays you’ll continue to burn fat for energy, provided you don’t overload your system with too many extra calories.
Try to schedule your free day – when you can eat anything you want, as much as you want, and whenever you want – to coincide with a big holiday get-together. When you’re at a party and it’s your free food day, you can indulge as much as you like. It’s a part of your regular food plan. That’s a pretty good bonus! Also, alcohol consumption often goes up during the holiday season. Punch, egg nog, all sorts of “holiday cheer”. These beverages are super-high in calories. 3 Again, your free day is a good day to indulge yourself. On other days, maybe not so much.
After the last guest has gone home and the last dish is put back in the cupboard, if we’ve gained a few pounds during the course of the holidays it’s not so bad. What we wanted to avoid was gaining a bunch of weight. Now, we can return to our regular food plan – six days on and one day off – and those extra few pounds will be gone in four to six weeks. We had fun, we spent quality time with a lot of family and friends, and at the same time we took care of our health and well-being. That helps make the holidays especially joyous!
1 Hageman R, et al: A specific blend of intact protein rich in aspartate has strong postprandial glucose attenuating properties. J Nutr-8(9):1634-1640, 2008 2 Claessens M, et al: Glucagon and insulin responses after ingestion of different amounts of intact and hydrolysed proteins. Br J Nutr 100(1):61-69, 2008 3 Suter PM: Is alcohol consumption a risk factor for weight gain and obesity? Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 42(3)197-227, 2005
The day after Thanksgiving is a milestone of sorts in America. It reminds us of just how quickly the year has gone by, and how close we are to the holiday season. This realization- coupled with the fabulous sales at major department stores and malls everywhere- helps make the day after Thanksgiving our biggest shopping day of the year. And until we flip the calendar over to a new year, the chaos just doesn’t let up.
“Our bodies have the capacity to do more than we normally do,” says Dr. Scott Bautch, past president of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. “But our bodies do not adapt very well to doing a lot more than we normally do. Since the added demands of this season can stress the capacity of our bodies, we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. Eat right, drink plenty of water, stretch, exercise and take a few minutes to slow down and reflect on what the season is all about.”
So relax and enjoy the holidays! Dr. Bautch and the ACA encourage you to consider the following tips to help keep you and your loved ones healthy, happy and safe this season.
Treat Holiday Shopping As An Athletic Event Stay hydrated! Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are diuretics/dehydrators. Do not substitute them for water.) On shopping days, you may need to drink even more water. Be sure to stretch before and after a long day of shopping. When you are stressed-out, your muscles are less flexible than usual. Wear shoes with plenty of cushioning in the soles to absorb the impact of walking on those hard shopping mall floors. According to recent studies, 60% of women report wearing shoes that are uncomfortable. Make sure the clothing you wear is as comfortable as possible. It’s a good idea to wear layers, because you may be going from a cold environment (outdoors) to a warm environment (indoors). Leave your purse at home. Wear a light fanny pack, or if necessary, a light backpack instead. Pack only those items that are absolutely essential (driver’s license, credit card, etc.). If you start to feel some pain, nip it in the bud. Apply an ice bag to the affected area for 20 minutes, then take it off for a couple of hours. Repeat a couple of times each day over the next day or two. “During the holiday season, we’re running at absolute maximum capacity, which can lead to stress and even depression,” says Dr. Bautch. “Why do so many people become depressed around the holidays? We need to stretch and stay hydrated to increase our capacity, so we are not overwhelmed by the activities of the season.”
Plan Frequent Breaks Into Your Shopping Day During a day of heavy shopping, most people should take a break every 45 minutes. Those with less stamina may even need to take a break every 20-30 minutes. If you work in a physically demanding job where you are accustomed to being on your feet most of the day, you may be able to get away with taking less frequent breaks. If possible, obtain a locker. Lockers can help cut down dramatically on how much you have to carry around. You can take a load off by scheduling trips to your locker into your breaks. If your mall or shopping center does not offer lockers, try to plan trips to your car. Don’t carry around more than is absolutely necessary at one time. When taking breaks, try to eat light foods. A salad and some fruit is a much better option than a burger and fries. Skip the coffee break! Coffee and sodas contain caffeine and sugar, which add even more stress to your body. Pass on the designer coffee at the java stand and keep drinking water. “We actually need to eat better than normal during the holiday season,” explains Dr. Bautch. “On average, people gain five to six pounds during the holidays. And heart attacks occur more often during the holidays as well. Eating a heavy meal and then running out on an exhausting shopping trip can be very dangerous.”
Shopping With Children If at all possible, DO NOT bring a child or children along on a holiday shopping trip. Most children simply do not have the stamina for such an event. You and your child will only become frustrated with one another. Don’t add this type of stress to an already stressful situation. Try to split “child duty” up with a spouse or another parent. They’ll watch your kids while you shop, and vice-versa. “Shopping with children is just a bad idea,” says Dr. Bautch. “If your hands are loaded with shopping bags, you may not be able to hold your child’s hand, which could increase the chances he or she might wander away from you. Take whatever steps necessary to not have to bring your child along.”
Wrapping Your Gifts Since there is no “ideal” position for wrapping gifts. The most important thing to remember is to vary your positions. For example, try standing at a table or countertop for one package, sitting on a bed for another, sitting in a comfortable chair for another, etc. Do not wrap packages while sitting on the floor. Wrapping packages while sitting on a hard floor can wreak havoc on your posture, and should be avoided. Always stretch before and after you wrap gifts. “When wrapping presents, it’s a good idea to ’stretch the opposites,’” says Dr. Bautch. “In other words, if you are leaning forward when wrapping your gifts, stretch backward when you are done.
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Simon and Garfunkel [and later, The Bangles] had it right. Winter light is hazy – it’s more diffuse. The sun is lower in the sky and the sun’s rays reach the Earth at an angle, losing much of their power. And of course, there is less sunlight during each 24-hour day of winter than during the rest of the year.
All these facts make it more important during winter to ensure you are getting your daily dose of sunlight. Humans depend on sun exposure to satisfy daily requirements of vitamin D.1 Vitamin D deficiency is classically associated with loss of bone mass, and is also associated with rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 1 diabetes.2
Humans need sunshine. It’s not just a matter of aesthetics or a personality quirk like being a sun-worshipper. In Southern California and the rest of the Southwest there is plenty of sunshine all year round. Everywhere else in the United States, though, direct sunlight is much harder to find.
Humans also need their exercise. And, as time is a precious commodity for all of us, it makes sense during winter to exercise and get your daily dose of sunlight at the same time.
Doing aerobic exercise outdoors perfectly fulfills our requirements. Walking, running, and cycling get us out into the fresh air and sunshine. If you’re used to riding a stationary bike or walking or running on a treadmill at home or at the gym, winter is the time to take it outside.
Your bones will benefit greatly by increased contact with direct sunlight. And, interestingly, your entire body will benefit from your new outdoors focus. Machines such as treadmills and stationary bikes are great. They make it easy to exercise. But there’s a big difference in terms of overall benefit when you’re actually riding a real bike up a real hill or running on a real surface that changes configuration on almost every step.
The difference relates to proprioception3 – your body’s response to physical changes in three-dimensional space. Bottom line – the more overall use you make of your body, the more you will benefit. Exercising outdoors provides whole-body training in ways machines never can.
The need to actively seek out sunshine during winter creates a wonderful opportunity to broaden our exercise horizons. Make sure to dress appropriately and to wear UV-protecting sunglasses.
Many affordable brands of high-performance sportswear are available that wick moisture away from your skin and provide good insulation. Layering is the way to go. You can remove layers as you get warmer. Wicking-and-insulating caps and gloves are also available. It is better to be a little too warm than a little too cold.
Be sure to consult with your chiropractor about the most effective forms of exercise for you. He/she will be able to help you design a customized exercise program that works for you.
1Holick MF: Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 80(6):1678S-1688S, 2004 2Mohr SB, et al:The association between ultraviolet B irradiance, vitamin D status and incidence rates of type 1 diabetes in 51 regions worldwide. Diabetologia 51(8):1391-1398, 2008 3Buccello-Stout RR, et al: Effects of sensorimotor adaptation training on functional mobility in older adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 63(5):P295-300, 2008
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It’s the rare child who actually wants to eat fruits and vegetables. Kids are bombarded by television and radio ads for cereals, candy, and chips that contain huge amounts of sugar and large quantities of saturated fat. The sugar craving begins in childhood – kids quickly develop a taste for sweets. To a child’s sugar-sensitized palette, the complex sugars contained in fruits and vegetables are a poor substitute.
We carry these habits into adulthood and our long-term health suffers as a result. Twenty-four hours is not enough time in the day for most of us. Many consistently choose fast foods as a means of satisfying our need for food and a method for limiting the amount of precious time we spend on meal preparation.
But fast foods are not really food in the sense that the nutrition they provide is minimal. Fast foods are essentially empty calories.
In the’50s and’60s a well-known health-related slogan was “an apple a day makes the doctor away”. This advice represented ancient folk wisdom. Today, decades of research has shown that apples, and all fruits and vegetables, have remarkable health-promoting and disease-fighting properties.
Most fruits and vegetables are packed with magical biochemicals called phytochemicals – “phyto” means plant. Phytochemicals give fruits and vegetables their color, so the more colorful a food, the more phytochemicals that it contains.
Ongoing research studies have shown that phytochemicals – of which there are thousands of varieties – provide protection against the development of many chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis.1,2
Many phytochemicals are antioxidants and neutralize free radicals in human cells. Others have anti-inflammatory properties. These help slow the aging process.
Fruits and vegetables are so important for our health and well-being that many national organizations have promoted the “five to stay alive rule.” The recommendation is to eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables each day.3
Portions could include any of these – an apple, an orange, a banana, a cup of grapes, a cup of blueberries, a yam, a couple of carrots, a couple of tomatoes, and a couple of tablespoons of broccoli.
For many of us, “five to stay alive” would be a radical departure from our old habits. It might take a little effort to develop new shopping and eating habits, but once you’re in the groove it’s likely you’ll be feeling so much better you’ll wonder why you didn’t start this healthy-eating plan sooner.
Your chiropractor is an expert on nutritional health and will be glad to help you create a food plan that works for you and your family.
1de Kok TM, et al: Mechanisms of combined action of different chemopreventive dietary compounds: a review. Eur J Nutr 47(Suppl 2):59-59, 2008 2Ware WR: Nutrition and the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: Association of Cytochrome P450 CYP1B1 With the Role of Fruit and Fruit Extracts. Integr Cancer Ther December 2008 3Liu RH: Potential synergy of phytochemicals in cancer prevention: mechanism of action. J Nutr-4(Suppl 12):3479S-3485S, 2004
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