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POSTURAL EXERCISES TO DO AT HOME

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Our posture is an easy way to view what is going on internally with our bodies.   It gives us a good indication of our health; imbalanced and improper posture tells us there are problems and issues going on at a deeper level.  “Posture affects and moderates every physiological function from breathing to hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse, and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture.” We need to be aware of our forward head posture especially because the stress of improper biomechanics leads to stretching and deformation of delicate ligaments.  Proper position of your body will allow relaxation of muscles, ligaments, and tissues.  When your body is in perfect balance, you will not only be pain-free but also function at your absolute best.

The following examples are postural exercises, which you and your family can perform daily.

HEAD RETRACTION

good posture and chiropractoc care

Begin seated, or standing, looking forward with shoulders back with good neutral posture. Activate core muscles. Attempt to draw head directly backward. Maintain level head position. Do not tilt head up or down. Hold for two seconds. Return to the start position. Beginners should start with 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

SHOULDER RETRACTION

shoulder pain and chiropractic care

Begin standing in good posture. Shoulders should be back and head up. Bend elbows to 90 degrees and keep elbows near sides. While maintaining good posture, draw shoulders back squeezing shoulder blades together. A stretch may be felt in the chest and front of shoulder. Do not allow shoulders to raise upward. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Beginners should start with 3 sets of 5 repetitions.

DOORWAY CHEST STRETCH

chiropractor stretches at home

Place forearm on wall, or doorway, with elbow bent at 90º. Elbows should be slightly below shoulder level. While maintaining forearm contact, lean body into doorway until gentle stretch is felt in the chest and shoulder. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Beginners should start with 3 repetitions on each side.

STANDING HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

hip pain and chiropractic care

Begin standing in front of a chair about 18 inches away. Place one foot flat on the chair seat. Slowly allow hips to glide slightly forward until a gentle stretch is felt on the front of straight leg. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Beginners should aim for 3 sets each on each side.

GLUTE HIP BRIDGE

leg stretches from a chiropractor

Begin lying on the floor, facing up. Bend knees so feet are firmly on floor and arms extended to sides. Activate core muscles. Lift hips off the floor to attain a bridge position with knees, hips, and shoulders in alignment. Slowly return to start position. Repeat for prescribed repetitions and sets. Initially, you may develop some cramping in the back of the thigh. A simple hamstring stretch, before and after, may prevent this from occurring. Beginners should aim for 3 sets.

 Postural exercises, along with chiropractic care is the best way to balance your body. Take control of your health, play an active role.  Get your spine adjusted by your chiropractor and do your part by strengthening and exercising your muscles and ligaments outside of the chiropractic clinic.  Let us know if you are searching for a chiropractor in Fort Collins, Colorado. We see people of all ages and help them address postural, structural and functional issues which affect their health.

The original post of these exercises can be found at Circle of Docs, along with more research on why proper posture is vital to your health.

10 REASONS TO VISIT YOUR CHIROPRACTOR DURING THE HOLIDAYS (THE SECOND 5)

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6. COLD AND FLU

Bad weather & less time spent outside equal weakened immune systems.  Seeing your chiropractor will help boost your immune system, promote lymphatic drainage, eliminate toxins by removing any subluxations (aka misalignments).  Get a head start on cold and flu season by taking some extra vitamin D and get in to see your chiropractor ASAP to prevent sickness from happening.

7. DEPRESSION

Remember that lack of sunshine and vitamin D causing sickness?  Well, it can also cause seasonal affective disorder.  This causes depression symptoms related to seasonal changes.  It can take all of your energy and make you feel moody and irritable.  Instead of taking a medication these symptoms, visit a chiropractor to get your nervous system balanced and ease these daunting symptoms naturally.

8. SHOPPING PAINS

Standing in countless lines, on concrete floors may cause aches and pains throughout your body.  Carrying heavy shopping bags around from store to store can begin to hurt your shoulders, elbows, and wrists.  With the opening of Fort Collin’s new shopping mall, we are certainly here to pick you back up after you shop until you drop.

9. HOLIDAY DECORATING

Whether you are decorating inside of your house or braving the weather to decorate the outside, either can work your body in ways you normally don’t.  Is your body used to cutting down a tree, dragging it to your car, setting it up, and stringing lights from it? Is your body used to having your arms above your head while you put lights around every gutter, window frame and garage door? Probably not!  You may have the best house on the street, so make sure you have the best spine on the block.

10. IT FEELS GREAT

Who doesn’t want to feel pampered over the busy holiday season?  Chiropractic care makes you feel good.  It gets you out of pain, relieves headaches, improves digestion, clears your mental state, improves your immune system and so much more.  Who wouldn’t want to experience that?  Give yourself that gift, or someone who you love and see a chiropractor regularly.  If you need help on recommendations, we happen to know two really great doctors right here in Fort Collins, Colorado!

 

Did you miss part one of this blog series? Check it out to see the first 5 reasons to visit your chiropractor over the holidays!

TOP FORT COLLINS INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

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Happy Winter Solstice!!  With the cold weather, comes “bored” kids.  They feel like they’re stuck inside with nothing to do, especially during winter break and time away from school.  Below we’ll discuss what not to do, and some better options for your kids during these winter months.

What not to do with your kiddos this winter:

TV watching: It is a passive activity and does not allow for exercise or socialization. It is recommended that kids over the age of 2 watch no more than 2 hours per day, and kids under 2 shouldn’t be put in front of a television at all.

Video games: Even though there are more interactive games out there today, this is still not a good option.  Video games can lead to increased attention problems in children.

Shopping:  Usually kids don’t want to go to the store with you.  For them it means long lines, lots of people, and seeing a lot of items that mom and dad say “no” to.  This can cause temper tantrums and unneeded stress for the parents.

Some ideas to do at home instead:

Play in the snow, bundle them up and build a snow fort or a snow man.  Let them be creative and use their imagination.

Look at “Pinterest” for some craft inspiration and try out a few, this will keep their hands and brains busy.

Cook healthy meals, let your kids do most of the work.  They will feel needed and also provide them with good nutrition.

Write your own stories and act them out with the kiddos.  This helps develop language and personal skills.

If you’re feeling the need to get out of the house, here is Impact’s list of “Top Fort Collins Indoor Activities for Kids.”  Check them out yourself:

Museum of Discovery:  Head to the museum for a day of science, history and culture. The “Music & Sound Lab” is one of our personal favorites, besides the animal vertebra of course.  Kids (3-12) get in for $6, and FREE admission for kiddos under 2!! Adults prices are $9.50.  It’s a fairly inexpensive way to get your kiddos brains working.

 

Cool Beans:  Try out an indoor playground for kids under the age of 8.  Fees vary from FREE to babies under 9 months, up to $6 for kids over the age of 1.  While the kids play, you can eat lunch and even have a great cup o’ joe.

 

 

Poudre River Public Library:  Choose from 1 of 3 locations around town.: Old Town, Harmony, or Council Tree.  Each facility has great areas for kiddos to read and play.  Story time is offered at various times throughout the day, check their website for current times.  https://www.poudrelibraries.org

 

FlyHigh:  This is something for the older kids.  This trampoline park has it all: foam pits, basketball hoops, dodgeball.  This will get them moving, but use your best judgement at this fun park.  Most injuries happen to adults at trampoline parks, kids “bounce back” literally more quickly than their parents do.

Make sure safety is always a priority; and if something happens call Impact – your favorite Fort Collins Chiropractor!

10 REASONS TO VISIT YOUR CHIROPRACTOR DURING THE HOLIDAYS (THE FIRST 5)

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1. TRAVEL

The holiday season is the busiest time of year for most people.  Whether you are traveling by car, plane, or train, traveling can cause extra stress to your life.  Sitting for extended periods of time can cause your body to be stiff and your muscles to tighten.  Lifting heavy suitcases can cause low back pain.  Sleeping on air mattresses or uncomfortable couches can put a “kink” into your neck.  Chiropractors can help ease your body out of pain and get you back to feeling like yourself again.

2. STRESS

Family time is wonderful, but it can also be stressful.  Trying to make every event on your family’s holiday calendar can be daunting and cause you to get stressed out.  When you mentally get stressed out, your body may respond with tense muscles, headaches, insomnia, and even stomach pains.  Chiropractic is a wonderful way shift your mindset towards positive thoughts and can get your mind and body healthy again.

3.  BAD WEATHER

Weather in Colorado is unpredictable.  Today as I am writing this, the snowfall totals are over 10 inches for Fort Collins.  Snowy conditions not only cause car accidents, but they can also cause slips and falls.  Hopefully, these instances don’t happen to you; a car slides into you, you rear-end someone at a stop light, or you slip on your driveway.  Pain may not develop immediately but can result hours or days after.  If these unfortunate events do happen, it is important to get checked by a chiropractor right away.

4. SHOVELING

Going along with the snowy conditions that are likely to happen around the holidays, comes the clean-up of such weather.  The snow must go somewhere, and someone has to move it.  Shoveling can cause flare ups to already existing pain, but it can also cause new pains.  You may not be using proper form as you lift incredibly heavy snow with your plastic shovel.  Make sure that your shovel is the correct length for your body, and is sturdy enough to help you lift the snow.

5. DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS

The holiday season does not get a good reputation for being the healthiest time of the year.  Heavy, dense meals are common and sweet treats are the norm.  With an increase in these comfort foods, many of us tend to not get enough fruits and vegetables into our diet.  Without a proper amount of fruits and vegetables, your digestive system will begin to slow down.  Chiropractic can help maintain proper digestion by freeing up misalignments in your spine, allowing the nerves to properly get to your digestive tract to keep things on schedule.

 

Want to learn more? Check out part two of this blog series to see 5 more reasons you can benefit from a trip to the chiropractor this holiday season!

IS STRESS RAISING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE?

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Does chiropractic care help stress? 
Does chiropractic care help stress?

Entering early adulthood can be stressful.  Work, bills, and home-life all change and begin to take a toll on your body.  This added stress load is also associated with developing high blood pressure later on in life.

Another piece of the unfortunate puzzle with blood pressure is its association with childhood obesity and being overweight at a young age. A research study was done comparing young males with healthy BMIs and stressful lives against young males with high BMIs and stressful lives.  The study showed that the men with high BMIs were three times more likely to have high blood pressure later on in life.

Chiropractic care can help you deal with the stressors of everyday life.  Stress in good in small amounts, but long term can have negative effects on your body.  Chiropractic adjustments stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, or in simpler terms, your break pedal system. This break pedal is where we want you to be for most of your everyday life.  This is where you rest, digest, heal, and grow.  Stimulating this part of your nervous system will help to decrease stress on your body, and also help you cope with everything that comes your way.

ANTIBIOTIC USE AND GUT HEALTH

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When illness strikes your household, often people will go to their medical doctor.  Illnesses are tricky and a lot of them present with similar symptoms with different sources (viral or bacterial). Many times you will be prescribed an antibiotic, and not always told to take a probiotic at the same time.  Antibiotics MUST always be taken with probiotics.  Bacteria in your gut are extremely important and regulates how your body functions.  Below is an excerpt about bacteria’s role in the human body, written by Marcey Shapiro, MD, from Transforming the Nature of Health: A Holistic Vision of Healing That Honors Our Connection the the Earth,Others, and Ourselves: 

IMMUNE SUPPORT:

About seventy percent of our immune system is located in the digestive tract. “Probiotic” bacteria enhance many of the functions of the immune system, acting independently as an adjunct to our cells’ immune system.

DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION OF FOODS:

The digestion of certain foods, especially carbohydrates, is facilitated by the friendly organisms of the small intestine. The foods we eat nourish their colonies. All we take in, whether food or thought, is important for determining the health of internal bacterial colonies. Each type of bacteria has its favorite diet. The kinds of bacteria most associated with vibrant health thrive upon naturally fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, yogurt, and kefir, as well as certain fats and animal foods including saturated fats. They also require some types of fiber found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. They do best when we are calm, happy, and relaxed.

BARRIER TO PATHOGENIC BACTERIA:

Healthy bacteria crowd out the unwelcome visitors. When beneficial microbes that evolved along with our GI tracts colonize this region, there is not much space available for imbalanced flora to take hold. Bacteria also secrete chemical mediators that support their own species and others with whom they are harmonious. These same chemical mediators suppress bacteria that are incompatible.

PREVENTION OF ALLERGIES:

Beneficial bacteria teach the immune system to distinguish between the antigens of harmless and helpful flora and foods, and potentially dangerous ones. Allergies are a type of over-sensitivity. During an allergy, the body overreacts, sensing harm in things that are not innately harmful. The presence of flourishing colonies of beneficial bacteria decreases the incidence of allergies.

MANUFACTURE OF VITAMINS:

There is evidence that healthy forms of E. coli manufacture vitamin K in the human intestinal tract. In some animals, vitamin B12 is manufactured by intestinal flora. Humans, however, must consume this vitamin from animal food sources.

ELIMINATION OF TOXINS:

Probiotic bacteria eat many of our waste products, breaking them down to component nutrients. These are recycled. What is not used is eliminated within the feces.
Stimulation of tissues: Probiotic bacteria are essential for normal development of the intestinal tract. Certain tissues like the lymphoid Peyer’s patches of the intestinal tract, and the entire large intestine, require the presence of healthy bacteria for growth and maturation.
Prevention of disease: Imbalanced and reduced numbers of healthy flora are found in people with inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. There are also imbalances observed in most people with irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, eczema, and autoimmune illnesses. ”

Keeping your body healthy is a goal for many people.  If your body is unable to perform at its best, sicknesses are likely to thrive.  Your body should be able to fend off incoming viral or bacterial infections, but sometimes the organs responsible for immune function can’t keep up. If the nervous system is inhibited and doesn’t allow proper innervation to the immune organs, they can’t do their job properly.  Keep yourself healthy by making an appointment, and make sure your immune system is working its best to fend off those illnesses.  Let’s get to the point where we don’t have to reach for the antibiotics, and instead call the chiropractor and take your probiotics!

HEALTHY SPINE = HEALTHY NERVOUS SYSTEM = HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM

The excerpt above can be found in its original format at https://ahha.org/friendly-bacteria-2/