Healthy Tips for Eating During the Holidays

Health and holiday do not cancel each other out. It may take a bit of careful steering on your part, but it is possible to eat, drink, and be merry without losing sight of the nutrition goals you've been pursuing all year

Shift Gears. The road ahead will be filled with lots of delicious detours but that doesn't mean you have to lose your way. If you've been following a weight loss regimen, Downshift for the next few weeks and keep your eye on maintaining your present weight.

Prepare for the Trip. If you know you're heading for a party at night, the worst thing to do is to starve all day. Just the opposite. Eat a well-balanced breakfast and lunch but make them a bit more low-calorie than usual. And if time permits, increase your exercise in preparation. Add an extra thirty minutes to your gym time or leave the car in a central place and walk to all your errands, returning to stow your bundles in the trunk and starting out again. In other words, use your day to earn your night.

Cruising. Don't dive into the appetizers, but don't avoid them either. Grab a plate, the smallest you can find and cruise past, then cruise past again, scanning your choices. Look for raw foods or ones that have been prepared simply and naturally. You'll find that the fiber and texture of whole grains and veggies will satisfy you just as much as crunchy fried foods and dip-soggy chips. And once you've made your choice, move as far away from the buffet table as you can.

Maintain the Speed Limit. Eat consciously, employing what mindful meditation practitioners call the Four S's - Sit, Savor the texture of each mouthful, Slowly chew, Still your mind.

Or if you prefer, take the opposite tack. Get your mind off food. Plate in hand, use this time to circulate and socialize. After all isn't that why you go to a party? Engage your mouth primarily in talking, and only secondarily in eating.

Unlawful Drinking. Eggnog is definitely a felony and sweet mixed drinks, misdemeanors. If you prefer an alcoholic beverage and still want to follow the rules limit yourself to white wine. But start off with a glass of seltzer. The carbonation will slow down the process of drinking while allowing you to circulate, glass in hand like everyone else.. And should you want more than one glass of wine, first have another seltzer.

Rough Road Ahead. Sitting down at the dinner table is fraught with temptation with all those plates and platters passed your way, but there are a few ways to deal with it without drawing attention to your predicament.

Fill your plate, with salad and vegetables taking up half, and use the other half for whatever meats or sides that may tempt you. Starting with salad, eat one foodstuff at a time, saving whatever is your favorite for last. This counteracts the tendency people have to unconsciously shovel food into their mouths. You just may find that by the time you get to your saved treasure, you're full.

And when table mates pass the dessert you just may find yourself saying. "That looks delicious but I just can't take another bite!"

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Back to School: Vaccinations and Your Child's Wellness

It’s that time of year again when our kids fill up their back packs and head back to school. There will always be plenty to worry about when your kids are away at school, but many parents find themselves worrying about their child’s health. Schools are a breeding ground for infection and we all know that most kids and even teenagers are not the best hand washers in the world. Most parents find comfort in the fact that their child is sufficiently vaccinated against all of the icky bugs that can make their child sick. However, there are a growing number of parents that do not find much comfort in the world of vaccines.

More and more studies are showing that the vaccines themselves can introduce a whole new level of risk to our children. Studies like that conducted by Sallie Bernard entitled “Autism, A Unique type of Mercury Poisoning” are revealing a disturbing link between the ingredients found in most vaccinations and varying degrees of Autism in children. Parents may ask, “Well, if vaccines are safe, or at least not safe for some age groups, how do I protect my child from infection?”

Our bodies become sick when our immune system has been weakened or suppressed somehow. Therefore if we want to protect our children from infection we need to strengthen that immune system. Our immune systems work at their most efficient when our entire system is balanced. Balance is the key to the work of a chiropractor. We want to assist you in bringing balance back into your body or into your child’s body.

Parents are finding more and more comfort in the fact that their children can get relief from many childhood ailments through chiropractic care. Some of the most common issues that children face can be corrected or assisted through chiropractic care. Here are a few reasons some people are taking their children to see the chiropractor:

• To build brain and nerve development
• To build up their child’s entire system of health and wellbeing
• To naturally build up their child’s immune system resulting in fewer colds and infections.
• To find relief from asthma and allergies
• To improve their child’s concentration
• To address behavioral disorders
• To address digestive problems

Any parent can read that list and quickly pick at least one problem they have faced recently with their child. Most parents would pick out several that they have dealt with one more than one occasion. Addressing your child’s entire system of health and wellness is a far safer and more efficient way to keep them happy and healthy this school year. Consider chiropractic care as an alternative to finding your child the balance they deserve.

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Getting The Most Out Of Your Run

Running and jogging are perhaps the most effective exercises. They require no equipment or special training, and you can do them anytime and anywhere. However, most people don't realize that running is also among the highest impact exercises out there. A high-impact exercise is one that puts the most strain on your body's muscles, bones, or ligaments, and running is perhaps the most stressful of these exercises. There are many things to consider when you regularly practice high-impact exercises, but the most important thing to remember is safety. That's where your chiropractor can come in.

It may seem odd to mention chiropractic and running in the same sentence, but they actually do go hand-in-hand. Because running is so strenuous on the body, it's important to understand the appropriate measures to be taken. Running puts an especially dangerous strain on your spine. When you stand, your spine carries most of your weight. When you run, your weight regularly shifts, and it puts a sort of hammering effect on your spine. This is why it's important to see a chiropractor if you are a runner, or if you just run regularly.

Even if you practice proper running techniques, it's still important to get checked. Improper running techniques or equipment can do drastic damage to your spine and other muscles and bones in your body. For example, wearing the wrong kind of running shoes could cause a misalignment in your spine. The surface on which you run could cause problems as well. Even small things in your daily routine could affect your health, and thus, your running ability -- anything from the way you sit to what you do at work could cause issues.

A chiropractor could help you identify the things in your life that may be causing your pain, or could cause pain in the future. Proper warm-ups and warm-up exercises are also very important. If done improperly, a warm-up could hinder your running ability. You can ask your chiropractor for the most recommended exercises to get you limbered up and to avoid injury.

Running can be great exercise, but it has the potential to cause injury. Checking in with your chiropractor can help you avoid these injuries, by helping you improve your technique so you can get the most out of your run.

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