There is so much information out there about how to live healthy. And experts are popping up everywhere; each one promoting different training styles, diets and lifestyle fads. It’s difficult to know what is the best option, what will have the greatest positive effect and what is a sustainable lifestyle change. The challenge is finding something that rings true for you and your busy family lifestyle.
Here are a few tips that will support your healthy decisions and amplify the effect throughout all parts of your life.
Exercise
Consistency is KING (& QUEEN). In the long run, a person that walks 20mins a day- every day is going to be in better physical shape than a weekend hiker that has a 3 hour hike once a month. Our bodies are amazing and will adapt to repetitive stressors, like exercise, and become more efficient while using the least amount of energy and effort possible. Exercise helps you by raising your metabolism, slowing your heart rate, lowering blood pressure and improving your sleep quality. The flip side is that lack of exercise will result in a loss of muscle mass in as little as 2 weeks. So, find something that you love to do and do it on a weekly basis.
- Better heart health. Exercise adapts our heart, which is a muscle, to pump harder, not faster. (Elite athletes will have a resting heart rate under 50 beats per minute while the average person has a resting heart rate of 65 beats per minute.) When the heart is moving a higher volume of blood efficiently, the blood pressure is more likely to hit that ideal 120/80.
- Better muscle tone. The rest of the muscles in your body will become more toned, leaner and stronger as they response to the repeated task of moving your body through space. Training programs are designed around fitness goals; improved flexibility, tone muscles or bulk up muscles. Your specific goals should be kept in mind when you are planning your workout routines.
- Better digestion. Your intestines are also a group of muscles and exercise is a great, natural way to keep that system regular.
Reduce physical stressors
We live is such a stressful, fast paced environment that it is difficult to maintain a balance between our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. We are always tipped towards the sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ response. Regular self-care through yoga, meditation, exercise and chiropractic care all help bring the peripheral nervous system back into a balance between the sympathetic (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (rest, digest, reproduce) nervous systems.
Regular chiropractic patients have been shown to have fewer sick days, less prescribed medications and less hospitalizations over a lifetime compared to the rest of the population. Adjustments work to reduce inflammation, increase joint mobility and improve overall joint health.
When should I go see a chiropractor?
You don’t have to be hurt or ‘broken’ to see a chiropractor. In many cases, we get used to the tight hips, stiff mid back, headaches or waking with numbness or tingling. That has become our normal state of being. It may be normal of you, but these are signs and symptoms that the biomechanics of your body are off and need to be corrected.
We are experts of the nerves, muscles, bones and joints of the human body. Chiropractors are like your dentists, optometrists and medical doctors. It’s better to have a clear check-up than avoid them for years and come in when there is a massive problem. Usually, the problem could have been dealt with easier and in less time, if it was caught earlier on.
Chiropractic care while pregnant
Chiropractic care is safe for people of all ages and stages of life. The technique and force applied to the body changes and evolves over a lifetime. Chiropractic care while pregnant helps with pregnancy-related pains and discomfort. In addition, Webster technique is a gentle chiropractic technique that balances the pelvis, reduces tension on the uterus and has a very high success rate in breech babies naturally moving into the better birthing position of head down, occiput anterior.
At no time does the chiropractor attempt to change the position of the fetus as is done in the medical procedure, external cephalic version (ECV).
For more information on this, please visit: http://icpa4kids.org and/or www.spinningbabies.com
Chiropractic for Kids
Chiropractic care is safe for people of all ages and life stages. A baby’s spine is so mobile that a very little pressure (just enough to blanch your nail bed) is all that is necessary to have a positive effect. Chiropractic visits are suggested shortly after birth to be assessed. This is especially important if your baby has difficult latching or dislikes being feed on a particular side. Following that, checkups at each milestone is encouraged.
If at any point in time, there was a fall or sudden behavioral change, please bring your child to get checked out. Chiropractors are primary health care providers and will refer out in the best interest of the patient. If there was a serious hit to the head or a high fever, please visit to your medical doctor first.
In a time when life is hectic and there is such a small window of time to just be with your family, why wait? Don’t let your aches and pain hold you back from doing what you love.
To find a chiropractor near you, visit https://www.chiropractic.on.ca/chiropractorlocator
Yours truly,
Dr Katie
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