Boy do I understand that! From the time we started getting ready to move, to now 3 months after the move, I've had issues with my schedule. Lately it seems I could only get in about 2 days/week, or 3 if I was lucky.
I was faithful to do at least that much though. I find that totally giving up on the plan is much worse than just toning it down temporarily. Doing SOMETHING is better than doing NOTHING!
Finally, I figured out a way to get more exercise in, walking particularly. So today, I got up early, took my dog outside on a gorgeous spring day, and voila, I had a 30 minute brisk walk, good for the dog and good for me.
My point is, if we just at least keep doing something, even in a reduced amount, when our schedule clears up, or becomes more regular, then we can jump back in and not have lost as much ground.
So keep grinding it out, it will happen!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Coffee Jitters
Ok, so today I was taking care of my first few patients, and noticed I was nervous, anxious and my heart seemed to be beating harder than normal. I couldn't figure it out. Then I recalled the fact that I had been drinking more coffee than usual. I usually have only about 2-4 cups/week, but it had slowly crept up to daily and sometimes 2x a day. It all made sense to me. 3 hours later I was feeling fine again.
Back to moderation in my coffee intake!!
Back to moderation in my coffee intake!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Staying Well
Just a quick note. I've been teaching to Eat Well Move Well and Think Well for optimum health. I still believe that to be very important. However, I am adding in one new habit: Rest well.
If you've read my stuff, you know how I preach the importance of proper rest, so much so that I feel its value is missed by using only the 3 other "wells" (eat, move, think).
So, remember:
To BE Well, We Must EAT Well, MOVE Well, THINK Well and REST Well!!
If you've read my stuff, you know how I preach the importance of proper rest, so much so that I feel its value is missed by using only the 3 other "wells" (eat, move, think).
So, remember:
To BE Well, We Must EAT Well, MOVE Well, THINK Well and REST Well!!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Pregnancy Can Be A Pain In The ……Back!
For just a second or two I will take a break from talking about wellness, and move into dealing with a specific health issue. Recently I’ve run across several women that were pregnant and having to deal with lower back pain. It’s not surprising by any means, especially since 80% of the general population has back pain at some point in their lives. And considering that a large portion in our community is of child bearing age, I thought this might be a good topic to touch on this month.
Back pain or discomfort is common during pregnancy and should be expected to some degree by most women. Back pain may be experienced during any point of your pregnancy; however, it most commonly occurs later in the pregnancy as the weight of the baby increases. Back pain can disrupt your daily routine or interfere with a good night of sleep. The good news is there are steps you can take to manage the back pain that you experience.
There are a number of causes of back pain related to pregnancy. On top of all the wonderful changes your body goes through, hormones are released that allow the ligaments in the body to loosen, so that the pelvis can spread wider for the passage of the baby. That’s bad news on two fronts: 1. Your hips get bigger, and 2. Joints get stressed more (particularly the joints where the pelvis joins the triangular shaped bone called the sacrum). Another reason is your center of gravity changes as the baby grows. This causes more and more stress on your back muscles since they have to work harder to keep you upright and not falling over face first into the ground. Additionally, the challenge of finding comfortable positions to sit or stand in may cause you to assume poor posture at times, thus stressing your back further.
So, how can you prevent the back pain? Listed below are suggestions from the American Pregnancy Association:
1. Use exercises approved by your health care provider that support and help strengthen the back and abdomen
2. Squat to pick up something versus bending over
3. Avoid high heels and other shoes that do not provide adequate support
4. Avoid sleeping on your back
5. Wear a support belt under your lower abdomen
6. Make sure your back is aligned using a chiropractor
7. Get plenty of rest. Elevating your feet is also good for your back
But what if you are already suffering from back pain? Again, from the American Pregnancy Association website:
1. Use ice or heat
2. Braces or support devices
3. Sleep on your left side and use a support pillow under your knees
4. Medications used to treat inflammation
5. Use a licensed health care professional such as a chiropractor or massage therapist (our therapists are trained in pregnancy massage).
I hope this has been helpful for those in our community that are expecting, and wondering about or already suffering from back pain. We’d love to help you have a more enjoyable pregnancy if we can!
Back pain or discomfort is common during pregnancy and should be expected to some degree by most women. Back pain may be experienced during any point of your pregnancy; however, it most commonly occurs later in the pregnancy as the weight of the baby increases. Back pain can disrupt your daily routine or interfere with a good night of sleep. The good news is there are steps you can take to manage the back pain that you experience.
There are a number of causes of back pain related to pregnancy. On top of all the wonderful changes your body goes through, hormones are released that allow the ligaments in the body to loosen, so that the pelvis can spread wider for the passage of the baby. That’s bad news on two fronts: 1. Your hips get bigger, and 2. Joints get stressed more (particularly the joints where the pelvis joins the triangular shaped bone called the sacrum). Another reason is your center of gravity changes as the baby grows. This causes more and more stress on your back muscles since they have to work harder to keep you upright and not falling over face first into the ground. Additionally, the challenge of finding comfortable positions to sit or stand in may cause you to assume poor posture at times, thus stressing your back further.
So, how can you prevent the back pain? Listed below are suggestions from the American Pregnancy Association:
1. Use exercises approved by your health care provider that support and help strengthen the back and abdomen
2. Squat to pick up something versus bending over
3. Avoid high heels and other shoes that do not provide adequate support
4. Avoid sleeping on your back
5. Wear a support belt under your lower abdomen
6. Make sure your back is aligned using a chiropractor
7. Get plenty of rest. Elevating your feet is also good for your back
But what if you are already suffering from back pain? Again, from the American Pregnancy Association website:
1. Use ice or heat
2. Braces or support devices
3. Sleep on your left side and use a support pillow under your knees
4. Medications used to treat inflammation
5. Use a licensed health care professional such as a chiropractor or massage therapist (our therapists are trained in pregnancy massage).
I hope this has been helpful for those in our community that are expecting, and wondering about or already suffering from back pain. We’d love to help you have a more enjoyable pregnancy if we can!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine Flu Precautions
Here's a good sane bit of info on the swine flu and precautions.
http://stress.about.com/od/otherconditions/a/swine_flu.htm?nl=1
http://stress.about.com/od/otherconditions/a/swine_flu.htm?nl=1
Monday, April 20, 2009
An Apple A Day?? You need MORE!
Are you stuck in an apple-a-day rut? Here’s a good reason to chop up that apple with some strawberries, apples, grapes, and oranges.
It’s called synergy. You don’t just get a wider variety of nutrients by eating more fruits. Those nutrients actually work together to produce even more powerful health benefits than any single fruit could alone. Think of it like compounding interest -- but with fruit!
One Fruit, Two Fruit, Three Fruit, Four
We all know that the antioxidants in fruits and veggies work hard to protect your body from aging and disease. But what you may not know is that those antioxidants work even harder when they have the company of other antioxidants. That’s why researchers recommend people eat 5 to 10 servings of a wide variety of different fruits and veggies every day.
The Goal: Whole
If you tend to eat the same fruit over and over, consider breaking the mold next time you’re at the grocery store or farmers market, and pick up something you’ve never tried before. And choose whole organic fruit if possible, so you get the most antioxidant bang for your buck. Try a fruit smoothie with mixed berries, plain low fat yogurt (organic if possible), some pineapple juice and organic milk. It’s a great snack, or even a meal depending on how much of it you eat! You can buy frozen mixed berries and defrost a small amount at a time to put in a whole grain cereal, or oatmeal, even with just some plain yogurt. Load up on your berries every chance you get for some of the best antioxidant, cancer fighting, cardiovascular disease fighting doses around!
It’s called synergy. You don’t just get a wider variety of nutrients by eating more fruits. Those nutrients actually work together to produce even more powerful health benefits than any single fruit could alone. Think of it like compounding interest -- but with fruit!
One Fruit, Two Fruit, Three Fruit, Four
We all know that the antioxidants in fruits and veggies work hard to protect your body from aging and disease. But what you may not know is that those antioxidants work even harder when they have the company of other antioxidants. That’s why researchers recommend people eat 5 to 10 servings of a wide variety of different fruits and veggies every day.
The Goal: Whole
If you tend to eat the same fruit over and over, consider breaking the mold next time you’re at the grocery store or farmers market, and pick up something you’ve never tried before. And choose whole organic fruit if possible, so you get the most antioxidant bang for your buck. Try a fruit smoothie with mixed berries, plain low fat yogurt (organic if possible), some pineapple juice and organic milk. It’s a great snack, or even a meal depending on how much of it you eat! You can buy frozen mixed berries and defrost a small amount at a time to put in a whole grain cereal, or oatmeal, even with just some plain yogurt. Load up on your berries every chance you get for some of the best antioxidant, cancer fighting, cardiovascular disease fighting doses around!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Massage: An Integral Part Of A Wellness Plan
If you’ve ever had someone walk up from behind you when you are tense, and massage your shoulders, you know how great it can be, that is, if you have someone who knows what they are doing. I was at a seminar once, and the doctor teaching it had us stand up, turn to one side and massage the shoulders of the person in front of you for a minute or so. I did this and received a nice massage from the person that had been on my left side. Then, we had to turn the other way and do the same thing again. Suddenly, I was attacked by what felt like crap pinchers squeezing my shoulders. I felt as though it was the longest minute of my life and it was all I could do to not ask the person to stop. When it was over, my desire was to turn back around like the first time, and give that person a taste of what she had just done to me!! I resisted, and am better for the experience! So, the lesson learned is: Kids, don’t try this at home, get your massage from trained professionals!
However, there is NOTHING like a timely massage. The benefits of massage are well documented and go further than what most people know about. Let’s take a look at them here, and let me encourage you to consider using massage as part of your plan for optimum health and wellness.
First of all, as I said in a previous article, 90% of visits to a doctor’s office are said to be stress related in some fashion. That being said, reducing the effects of stress could ostensibly have positive effects on 90% of illnesses. There is no doubt about the positive effects of massage on stressed out people. Massage releases endorphins, the body’s natural anesthetic, countering the higher levels of cortisol and adrenaline that run rampant in stressed out people. So, for people under stress (like most of us), massage can be a tool to fight off its deleterious effects.
Massage can help or even prevent injuries too. By stretching connective tissue, massage improves circulation to help prevent or break down adhesions or scar tissue that builds up from normal day to day living and exercise. Massage also influences the excretion of certain fluids (nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur) necessary for tissue repair.
Massage helps the movement of lymph in our body. The lymphatic system helps with our overall filtering of toxins. It is a set of channels like our blood vessels, but it doesn’t have a heart muscle to pump fluid through it. Muscular movement and contractions of muscle helps move it around and flush it out of our system. Massage helps aid the movement of lymph, and is especially good for those that are less physical and don’t get regular exercise. Thus, massage can help you stay healthy in this manner as well.
Pregnant women who receive massage often have their lower back pain alleviated significantly. It requires someone trained in prenatal massage, but it can be so beneficial to the mother. One study also noted that premature infants that received massage tended to gain more weight and fare better than those who weren’t.
The list goes on to fill more space than we have here for this article. Suffice it to say, if you’re looking to move yourself toward wellness, massage can and should be an important tool in your journey.
However, there is NOTHING like a timely massage. The benefits of massage are well documented and go further than what most people know about. Let’s take a look at them here, and let me encourage you to consider using massage as part of your plan for optimum health and wellness.
First of all, as I said in a previous article, 90% of visits to a doctor’s office are said to be stress related in some fashion. That being said, reducing the effects of stress could ostensibly have positive effects on 90% of illnesses. There is no doubt about the positive effects of massage on stressed out people. Massage releases endorphins, the body’s natural anesthetic, countering the higher levels of cortisol and adrenaline that run rampant in stressed out people. So, for people under stress (like most of us), massage can be a tool to fight off its deleterious effects.
Massage can help or even prevent injuries too. By stretching connective tissue, massage improves circulation to help prevent or break down adhesions or scar tissue that builds up from normal day to day living and exercise. Massage also influences the excretion of certain fluids (nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur) necessary for tissue repair.
Massage helps the movement of lymph in our body. The lymphatic system helps with our overall filtering of toxins. It is a set of channels like our blood vessels, but it doesn’t have a heart muscle to pump fluid through it. Muscular movement and contractions of muscle helps move it around and flush it out of our system. Massage helps aid the movement of lymph, and is especially good for those that are less physical and don’t get regular exercise. Thus, massage can help you stay healthy in this manner as well.
Pregnant women who receive massage often have their lower back pain alleviated significantly. It requires someone trained in prenatal massage, but it can be so beneficial to the mother. One study also noted that premature infants that received massage tended to gain more weight and fare better than those who weren’t.
The list goes on to fill more space than we have here for this article. Suffice it to say, if you’re looking to move yourself toward wellness, massage can and should be an important tool in your journey.
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