Thursday, January 30, 2014

Why Are Super Foods So Super? Healthy eatting.

 

Why Are Super Foods So Super?


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Chiropractic Care and the Benefits of Nutrition
As with regular, vigorous exercise, consistent habits of good nutrition are substantially supported by regular chiropractic care. Good nutrition provides the necessary raw materials for a healthy physiology. But in order to properly utilize these nutritional building blocks, the physiological processes themselves must be functioning effectively. This is where regular chiropractic care comes in.
In order to put your dietary greens, berries, nuts, citrus fruits, root vegetables, grains, and proteins to good use, a complex array of networks needs to be working in harmony. Organs, tissues, and cells of your digestive, circulatory, and hormonal systems all need to exchange information smoothly and effectively. Your nervous system is the master system coordinating all this activity, and regular chiropractic care helps ensure that your nervous system is functioning at its best. Thus, regular chiropractic care helps you get the most out of your good nutritional choices and helps ensure the overall health and well-being of you and your family.
In recent years, media pundits around the world have proclaimed the extraordinary value of so-called super foods. Blueberries, broccoli, and especially kale have been described as possessing remarkable, almost magical, properties. What is it about these foods that makes them so good for you?
From a basic perspective, adding fresh fruits and vegetables of all types to your daily diet is a very smart way to help improve your current levels of health and well-being. Fresh fruits and vegetables are so important that many national agencies and organizations have promoted the "five to stay alive" rule - these groups recommend eating at least five portions of fruits and vegetables each day.1
Fresh fruits and vegetables provide numerous health benefits, many of which are based upon the actions of biochemicals known as phytonutrients. Certain of these formerly mysterious compounds stimulate enzyme activity and others have actions similar to those of hormones. Many phytonutrients are powerful antioxidants that circulate throughout the body, scooping up and neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are a normal byproduct of cellular metabolism, but too many of them will cause a lot of problems. Excess free radicals have, for example, been linked to development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.2,3 Blueberries, broccoli, and kale are categorized as "super foods" owing to the abundance of phytonutrients they contain and make available to those who consume them.
The takeaway is not to load up on kale, broccoli, and blueberries in an attempt to make up for years of less-than-optimal dietary choices. Rather, the goal is to begin, today, to implement a healthful, balanced food plan. Diets lacking fresh fruits and vegetables in general, and lacking super foods in particular, will not provide you and your family with the resources needed to enjoy productive, energy-filled days. Resolving to follow the "five-to-stay-alive" plan will add literally missing ingredients to your daily health regime. As you upgrade your nutrition, you're automatically upgrading the functioning of all your body's systems.
With sufficient dietary phytonutrients, you can help prevent chronic disease, strengthen the immune system, combat the effects of obesity, and obtain numerous anti-aging benefits.
The vast array of advantages that will likely ensue include more restful sleep; enhanced skin tone and muscle tone; increased reserves of energy throughout the day; and improved ability to focus and complete tasks successfully. Improved peace of mind will naturally occur as a consequence of these benefits, and an untapped reservoir of creativity may be revealed. Super foods truly provide super benefits.
1Liu RH: Health-promoting components of fruits and vegetables in the diet. Adv Nutr 4(3):384S-392S, 2013
2Wu TY, et al: Pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics and epigenetics of nrf2-regulated xenobioticmetabolizing enzymes and transporters by dietary phytochemical and cancer chemoprevention. Curr Drug Metab 14(6):688-694, 2013
3Pasko P, et al: Rutabaga (Brassica napus L. var. napobrassica) seeds, roots, and sprouts: a novel kind of food with antioxidant properties and proapoptotic potential in Hep G2 hepatoma cell line. J Med Food 16(8):749-759, 2013

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Monday, January 20, 2014



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Chiropractic Care and Your Personal Lifestyle
Regular chiropractic care is an important component of any lifestyle change you're planning to put into place. Whether you're improving your diet by eating at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day, engaging in regular vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes five times per week, or both, the benefits you obtain will be enhanced by regular chiropractic care.
To derive the most benefit from the healthful food you're eating and the exercise you're doing, your metabolism must be working properly. Your metabolic systems require your nerve system to be functioning at peak capacity. Nerve signals must arrive on time and must be processed properly. Spinal nerve irritation interferes with these activities. Regular chiropractic care helps make sure your nerve system is free of interference and, as a result, helps make sure you're getting the most out of your valuable time and effort spent in implementing your new lifestyle upgrade.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Feeling 30 at 50

Getting Fit at Fifty and Beyond


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Chiropractic Care and Returning to Fitness
Chiropractic care is an important component of any exercise program and is especially important for those who are beginning a fitness program or returning to exercise after a long absence. Regular chiropractic care helps ensure spinal fitness, which is the starting point for all aspects of health and well-being.
Your spinal column is the mechanical center of your body. Major muscle groups involved in strength training, such as the latissimus dorsi and rhomboids, and major muscle groups involved in aerobic exercise, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings, attach directly or indirectly to the spine and pelvis. Regular chiropractic care helps ensure optimal functioning of your spinal column, which in turn helps ensure a full range of motion and mechanical availability of muscles critical for successful exercise. By helping you get the most out of your exercise, regular chiropractic care helps you achieve your long-term goals for good health.
What if you used to be really fit and now you're not? What if, as the years have gone by, you've added a couple of pounds here and there, and you suddenly notice you're 30 pounds heavier than you were at your 10th high school reunion? Or, what if you've never enjoyed the idea of exercising, exercise was never part of your world-view, but you're not feeling as good as you'd like to feel and think that exercise might help improve your overall health and sense of well-being?
Many people want to get fit or want to regain a former level of fitness for a variety of considerations, including the above scenarios.1,2 But most of us need guidance in the process of getting fit. We need information and even instruction on what to do and how to do it. For example, it would be a serious mistake for someone older than 50, and even older than 40, to simply go out and try to run 4 miles if he had never run before. Muscle strains, shin splints, or even a stress fracture of one of the bones in the foot would be a likely and unwanted result. Similarly, going to the gym and trying to "work heavy" would assuredly create various problems for an out-of-shape person who wanted to "get fit" as quickly as possible. The injured tendons and sprained ligaments resulting from trying to rush would set back your hoped-for progress by at least four to six weeks, further delaying achievement of improved health.
The best way to get fit or return to fitness after a long period of inactivity is to start slowly, progress in small increments, and gain an authentic, long-lasting level of fitness over months and years. Being a smart exerciser means not doing too much too soon, in other words, respecting your body's capabilities. Also, smart exercise involves engaging in a blend of activities, usually on alternating days. Persons who only bike or run and persons who only lift weights will never be as healthy and fit as those who do both aerobic activity and strength training.3 Developing a two-week schedule will provide a thorough, balanced fitness program. In week A you do aerobic exercise (walking, running, biking, swimming laps) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You do strength training on Tuesday and Thursday. In week B you reverse activities, doing strength training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and aerobic exercise on Tuesday and Thursday. This alternating pattern ensures you are getting the full benefit of your valuable time spent exercising.
It is important to remember that what works for you, works for you. Each of us needs to find his or her best way forward. Some methods of exercise will be experienced as intuitive and enjoyable. Others will be experienced as the opposite. You probably won't want to continue any of the latter. For example, the exercise program suggested by your friend may not be effective for your physical makeup and may even be harmful. Your chiropractor is an expert in healthy exercise and will be able to recommend fitness activities that will be right for you.
1Johanssen NM, et al: Categorical analysis of the impact of aerobic and resistance exercise training, alone and in combination, on cardiorespiratory fitness levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: results from the HART-D study. Diabetes Care 2013 July 22 [Epub ahead of print]
2Stanton R, el al: Is cardiovascular or resistance exercise better to treat patients with depression? A narrative review. Issues Ment Health Nurs 34(7):531-538, 2013
3Lorenz D, Reiman M: The role and implementation of eccentric training in athletic rehabilitation: tendinopathy, hamstring strains, and acl reconstruction. Int J Sports Phys Ther 6(1):27-44, 2011

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Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Frequent Flying

Frequent Flying


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Chiropractic Care and Healthy Travel
Travel by air, rail, or highway takes us out of our daily routine and causes us to encounter unusual stresses and strains. Regular exercise and a healthy diet help us prepare for such circumstances. Regular chiropractic care is an additional critical component of our overall program for ensuring good health when on the road.
Regular chiropractic care helps a person's spine maintain its full mobility. Such optimal range of motion helps reduce irritation and inflammation of spinal muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The result is a core musculoskeletal system that is able to withstand the unexpected shocks and traumas that are part of the normal travel experience. Regular chiropractic care helps your body be more resilient and the result is better overall health.
Most of us, at one time or another, have traveled for business. Some of us do this fairly often, and when we travel for business, we're usually getting where we're going by plane. Air travel used to be quick and easy. But lately, within the last ten years, maybe not so much. By now, we're used to long lines at security checkpoints, extended downtime waiting for our scheduled flights to depart, and an almost total absence of healthy food choices on our travel days. That said, there are several steps a smart traveler can take to help ensure that necessary travel does not take a toll on our health and overall well-being.
The key to healthy travel is preparation. We want to avoid two main problems. First, we want to prevent the strains and sprains that may befall us when we battle unwieldy luggage in the cramped quarters of airplane cabins. Next, we want to avoid the colds, coughs, and other ailments we might contract by prolonged close contact with our fellow passengers and fellow conference attendees (or other business associates).
The best means of avoiding travel-related sprains and strains is to make sure we're stretching and doing vigorous exercise on a regular basis. Ideally, exercising and stretching has been a part of our weekly routine for a long time. If not, the good news about exercising is that the best time to begin is right now. Begin your fitness program at least four weeks before your travel date. Don't try to cram everything in. That would be a big mistake. Rather, consult with your chiropractor to learn a beginner's fitness routine that will work for you.
Begin your program and gradually build-up your capabilities over four or more weeks. Your fitness activities will prepare you for the physical work of lugging your bags around the airport and maneuvering them once you're inside the plane. Your stretching and exercise routines will improve your strength and flexibility, so you'll be better able to withstand the physical stresses of travel without suffering an annoying injury.
The best approach to guarding against travel-induced ailments is to ensure that you're providing your body with sufficient sources of energy.1,2 Healthy nutrition is the key here. Again, ideally, you and your family have been engaged in healthy eating for some time. But it's certainly easy to get off track. As with exercise, begin your program of good nutrition at least four weeks before your trip. Make sure, on a regular basis, you're eating from all the major food groups. Make sure, too, that you're eating at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day. Such a daily diet will provide your body with the requirements for good health and sufficient energy that will enable a strong immune system.
Your two key action steps, a regular exercise and stretching program and a balanced and complete nutritional program, will help you maintain good health and enhanced well-being when you're traveling and when you return home.3
1Rizzoli R, et al: Nutrition and bone health: turning knowledge and beliefs into healthy behaviour. Curr Med Res Opin Sep 23 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
2Roberts CK: Modification of insulin sensitivity and glycemic control by activity and exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 10:1868-1877, 2013
3Taggart J, et al: A systematic review of interventions in primary care to improve health literacy for chronic disease behavioral risk factors. BMC Family Pract 13:49, 2012