How to Develop a Healthy Routine

Are you struggling with falling into a daily routine to maintain your optimal health? The new year tends to bring us to reflect on our lives and consider what we can do to develop a healthy routine.

Here are 6 simple tips to help get you started on creating a healthier routine that works for you:

1. Make a List, Check It Twice- The night before, sit down and take the time to plan out what you are going to do the next day such as go to the gym, attend your meeting, and go to the grocery store. If you are able to plan out at least 80% of your day, you will be able to know what to expect right when you start your day the next morning. This organizational strategy is a good way to stay on top of your priorities.

2. Do the Most Important Thing First- For most people, morning time is when we have the most energy and less distractions. Start your day by accomplishing the more important and difficult tasks without interruptions first so you are sure to get them done.

3. Set Your Goals and Limits- When setting goals for your diet, fitness, etc. make sure they are clear and defined. When you set excessively restrictive or vague goals, you are less likely to rise to that challenge. The more consistent you are with your goals, the more likely you are to succeed at them, especially when your goals are health related.

4. Stick to Your Plan- It is important to have routines and to follow through with them so you can develop a set schedule. Try accomplishing your tasks in the same order or at the same time each day. Test out your routine for a few days to see how it works for you and then make changes if needed. Focus on keeping up with your healthy diet, exercise, and chiropractic adjustments to develop your routine in order to stay on top of your health. As your body starts to get used to your routine you will begin to notice that you feel less sluggish (unless you fall off track with your routine, which can then be a good incentive to begin with your routine again).

5. Focus on the Positives- The best way to start your day is to wake up and focus on your positive energy (instead of wishing you could go back to sleep). You can focus on your positive energy by meditating, thinking about the positive aspects of your life, doing affirmations, or practicing visual exercises. Researchers have found that meditation can help lower your blood pressure, boost your immune system, and help reduce stress and fatigue.

6. Stop Worrying- Worrying is never a good way to accomplish anything. When you begin to worry, try redirecting yourself towards more positive energy and what you can do to fix the issue that you are worrying about. Remember to appreciate each day. “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” –Buddha

Avoiding Stress and Sickness This Holiday Season

Highland Chiropractic don't stressWe have all heard it before: exercise, eat clean, and supplement your diet.  But what do we do about the mental and emotional toil that we go through daily?  If left unchecked, it can ruin your health,  and disrupt your holidays.

Here’s the deal – in avoiding stress and sickness there is no amount of any supplement or even good nutrition that can counteract the toxic effects of chronic, repetitive stress on the body.  Stress causes a response that we know as “fight-or-flight”. When we are in this “fight-or-flight” response consistently, excess cortisol and epinephrine flood the system. This chronic response has been shown to increase the risk of anxiety, depression, digestive and even sleep issues.

Additionally, stress leads to sickness.  Recovery from this sickness is then slowed down because of the stress – it’s a sick cycle.  Sick cycle…get it?

When we are better able to adapt to the stress response, we are better able to adapt to the stress response, and then the body is able to do what it’s meant to do – heal itself.  This is where chiropractic fits in.

When the spine shifts from it’s normal structure this causes a fixation, and this fixation leads to interference and stress placed on the nerves in that area. This alone can cause the body to go into a “fight-or-flight” response. However, we do know that the body will heal itself when given the proper balance of stress, relaxation and nutrients.

Important “Nutrients” the Body Needs

1. Movement – Generalized movement is accomplished thorough daily exercise. Specific movement in the spine is accomplished though specific chiropractic adjustments. Movement is by far one of the most essential nutrients to decrease stress, improve the immune system and optimize the nervous system.

2. Meditation –  Throughout life, we each have physical, chemical and emotional stressors.  Emotional stress is mostly created by the internal personal battles we fight (alone) in our own heads.  Much of the emotional stress that we have we place on ourselves. It is proven that those who take time to meditate 10-15 minutes a day are happier and have decreased disease and sickness.

The Immune System

Research done on serum thiol levels – which is a way we measure our DNA’s ability to repair itself and measure disease – has shown that Chiropractic care improves the ability of the body to adapt to stress.  In the study, the participants that received chiropractic care for 2 or more years had higher thiol levels than those with disease.  Some of the chiropractic patients had levels higher than what is associated with normal wellness.

Chiropractic was founded on the principle that the body is a self healing and self regulating organism, and that the body will fight illness and prevent infection when it is working optimally.  But when the body is in a constant state of stress, or “fight-or-flight” it isn’t able to optimally adapt to additional stressors. The body then becomes vulnerable to sickness and disease.  Regular chiropractic care can help you and your body better adapt to stress this holiday season.

Challenge – Spend 10-15 minutes each day in meditation for the next week. Alone. Quiet. No cell phone…and no cheating yourself.

 

References –

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15142434

The #1 Diagnosis Given to Children in February

ear infection boy

An ear infection, or Otitis media, is a general name for many conditions that affect the ear.  These conditions present as acute or chronic, and while some cause symptoms others go unnoticed.

 

Acute otitis media (AOM) will typically cause pain and a fever.  Otitis media with effusion (OME) is commonly seen in kids without pain or fever.  Ear infections account for over 37% of all pediatrician visits in the United States alone, and in the month of February it is the #1 diagnosis given to children from pediatricians!

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3 Steps to No Pain Shoveling

If you are like me, you are excited to see that we have snow on the ground.

 

And if you are like me, you are not excited to see the size of your driveway with all the snow on the ground.

 

If you shovel your driveway and have back pain after you are done, you may be doing it ALL wrong, or you just need to see your chiropractor.  If you don’t have a chiropractor, click here.

 

When you moved into your house a while ago, you probably heard the phrase “Lift with your knees, and not your back!” thrown around multiple times.  The concept is simple, yet sometimes it’s easier to just “do whatever it takes” to get that box up and out of the way.  The same concept applies to shoveling snow as well. Here’s a picture to show you the best way to shovel to see if you’ve been doing it all wrong.

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Are You Trying to Deprive Your Child?

I never go to Wal-Mart.  I never go to Wal-Mart unless it’s 12:00 am and I just caught a frog in the back yard and I want to buy a terrarium for the lil guy so that the kids can enjoy the beauty of the wild within their own home.

 

Distracting-Frog

 

I was SHOCKED, and internally angered by how many young kids I saw there.  Awake.  With both parents.  I mean it was fun to see a 5 year old boy shadow boxing, and stabbing imaginary bad guys with his pretend sword. But seriously.

 

COME ON! Dad, put the kids to bed and then go do your shopping while your wife kicks back and reads a book, or maybe just passes out along with the kids.

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What is True Health?

Have you ever wondered what you could do to achieve your fullest potential?  I’m not only speaking about physical potential, but mental and emotional potential as well.  What does it mean to you to be healthy?  If I were to walk up to you right now and ask you what True Health is to you, what would you say?  Health is a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being and not merely just the absence of disease.  See, health is not limited to how you look, or even how you feel.

 

Happy-Healthy-Free-Woman

 

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10 Natural Rememdies for Colds and Winter Sickness


10 Natural Rememdies for Colds and Winter Sickness
Undoubtedly, you or someone you know is suffering temporarily from the flu, a cold, or a sinus infection.  It’s not fun, but it can be made more bearable.  The list of 10 is not all inclusive, but will give you the right direction in treating your symptoms naturally.  Treating them naturally will allow your body to recover faster now and in the future.  So go on, let your body do what it was designed to do.

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