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December 2014
FOOD DRIVE
Thank you to all who donated to the food drive. We collected over 70lbs of non-perishable food to donate to the local food bank.
MASSAGE APPOINTMENTS
We are in the process of hiring a new RMT. We will have a few RMTs filling in the hours to help out with the holiday hours.
John Jones is available Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Weekends(by appointment). He has been an RMT for 17 years, and here at Back In Motion Chiropractic since we opened refining his techniques. He is able to direct bill for most insurance companies and is available for late appointments.
Sue Schroeder will be available Friday Dec 5th, Dec 12th, Dec 19th and Saturday Dec 6th, Dec 13th, and Dec 20th (limited availability).
Stay tuned to new hires and other hours available!
REFER A FRIEND
Our November promo has come to an end. Thank you to all who referred their friends, family and co-workers. The winner of our contest is Rob T.
HOLIDAY HOURS
Please note that we have reduced hours at the end of the month for the holidays.
Monday Dec 22nd- reg hours 8am-5pm
Tuesday Dec 23rd- reg hours 8am-7pm
Wednesday Dec 24th- 8am-12pm
Thursday Dec 25th- CLOSED
Friday Dec 26th- CLOSED
Saturday Dec 27th- CLOSED
Sunday Dec 28th- CLOSED
Monday Dec 29th- reg hours 8am-5pm
Tuesday Dec 30th- reg hours 8am-7pm
Wednesday Dec 31st- 8am-12pm
Thursday Jan 1st- CLOSED
Friday Jan 2nd- CLOSED
Saturday Jan 3rd- CLOSED
Sunday Jan 4th- CLOSED
Monday Jan 5th- regular hours commence
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Lift Light to Shovel Right
Snow Shovelling
Winter weather can pack a punch and, with the season's heavy snowfalls, injuries often result. Improper snow shovelling is often to blame.
But shovelling out after a storm doesn't have to leave you stiff and sore. With a little know-how, you can clear your driveway without the all-too-common back, neck and shoulder pain cramping your style. Here's how:
Before You Start
- Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is just as big an issue in the winter months as it is in the summer.
- Dress in several layers so you can remove a layer as you get warm.
- Wear proper footwear. Shoes and boots with solid treads on the soles can help to minimize the risk of slips and falls.
- Pick the right shovel. Use a lightweight, non-stick, push-style shovel. A smaller blade will require you to lift less snow, putting less strain on your body. An ergonomically correct model (curved handle) will help prevent injury and fatigue. Also, if you spray the blade with a silicone-based lubricant, the snow will slide off more easily.
- Before beginning any snow removal, warm up for five to 10 minutes to get your joints moving and increase blood circulation. A brisk walk will do it.
All Set to Go
Push, Don't Throw
Push the snow to one side and avoid throwing it. If you must throw it, avoid twisting and turning - position yourself to throw straight at the snow pile.
Bend Your Knees
Use your knees, leg and arm muscles to do the pushing and lifting while keeping your back straight.
Watch For Ice
Be careful on icy walkways and slippery surfaces. Intermittent thaws and subsequent freezing can lead to ice building up underfoot, resulting in nasty slips and falls. Throw down some salt or sand to ensure you have a good footing. Once you've mastered safe snow shovelling techniques, you'll be free to have fun and stay fit all winter.
http://www.chiropractic.on.ca/lift-light-to-shovel-right-your-back-health#.VGJ3RmctBhE
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4 Ways to Work Out (Not Skip Out) Over the Holidays
As we warned last issue, the holiday season is here, and with the joy comes temptation, stress and every opportunity to fall off the health and fitness wagon. Exercise is an easy one to ignore over the holidays because it's often the endeavor people find the most difficult to do in the first place.
After all, time is at a premium during the holidays, and with temperatures dropping, storm clouds overhead and a million-and-one things to do, slogging your way to the gym just doesn't seem all that appealing.
You might feel that way over the next six weeks, but don't let it derail your quest for lifelong health and wellness. Here are four ways to overcome the elements (meteorological and otherwise) and stick to your exercise routine through 2014 and into 2015:
- Rise and Shine: The longer the day drags on and the fewer items you're able to cross off your daily To Do List, the harder it is to squeeze in exercise. The solution: Start your day with a quick, vigorous workout that energizes you (so you have more energy to complete the To Do List), but more importantly, let's you cross off one of your most important items: Find Time to Exercise.
- Prioritize: Speaking of the To Do List, are the holidays really that much busier than any other time of year? Chances are you fell pretty busy/stressed all the time. And yet you've made it this far - so why quit now? What's more, research suggests exercise reduces stress levels, making it all the more important this time of year. So put it at the top of your To Do List and make sure it gets crossed off every day.
- Partner Up: It's generally a good idea to recruit a workout partner to help motivate you; during the holiday season, it's essential. The reason? Having a partner makes it harder to skip a workout. Unless you're both into skipping (which probably means you should question your choice of a workout partner), it can make the difference - particularly on those days when a workout just doesn't seem in the cards - in whether you stick to your routine or not.
- Friendly Competition: Looking to stay engaged with your exercise routine? Then challenge a friend, family member - or just yourself - and get excited to meet new goals. Dedicate yourself to breaking that 9 minute mile, doing five more push-ups than you're used to doing, or working toward another fitness goal you've yet to achieve. Friendly competition can often be fierce; just what you need to stay engaged and enthusiastic through the new year.
http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/
tyh/article.php?id=2057
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Starving for Sleep: 5 Reasons You're Not Getting Enough Sleep This Winter
If you don't think quality sleep and health are connected, think again. A growing body of research links poor sleep to much more than increased stress, fatigue, irritability and difficulty concentrating; think depression, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, among other life-threatening consequences.
Here are some of the ways this time of year negatively impacts our sleep patterns, reducing our opportunity to enjoy restful, restorative, health-promoting sleep:
- Light Shortage: Shorter days and inclement weather can limit sunlit hours during the winter months. Between the lack of vitamin D production and potential depressive symptoms inadequate sunlight exposure may cause, sleep may not be easy this time of year. What's more, low/no light can make you lethargic throughout the day, elevating the risk that you'll be unable to fall asleep (or stay asleep) during the night.
- Poor Timing: Winter brings with it two different variables that can mess with our sleep: more non-work days (holidays) and less opportunity to go outdoors (in general). That combination means you could end up staying up later than usual and/or sleeping in more, disrupting your sleep patterns and leading to poor sleep. The body needs consistent sleep (total hours and time falling asleep/waking up); sleeping 14 hours one day and 2 the next is worse than sleeping 8 hours each day.
- Stuff Syndrome: You can't sleep well if your body is working overtime. In this case, it's the body working to digest the thousands of calories you've consumed throughout the day at your latest holiday feast. Plus, overindulging in fatty, high-calorie foods can cause stomach upset, making you toss and turn instead of sleeping through the night. That's one reason experts suggest we eat our final meal/snack of the day at least 2-3 hours prior to bedtime.
- Viral Overload: Cold and flu season brings with it a host of unpleasant symptoms you could come down with at a moment's notice: sneezing, coughing, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, fever, and various aches and pains. Sound like a recipe for a poor night's sleep? You betcha. If you can't put down the tissue box for more than a minute at a time, your likelihood of getting a full night's sleep goes right out the door.
- Mind Games: Stress is a major reason for poor sleep throughout the year, but during the winter months, stress can multiply. Whether it's the added pressure of spending time with relatives, getting all the holiday shopping done, meeting crunched deadlines at work, or something else, stress can weigh you down. That added weight translates into too much thinking, which can cause you to spend half the night worrying instead of sleeping. Add in the increased risk of winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and you might not be in the right mood to enjoy restorative, adequate sleep.
http://www.toyourhealth.com/
mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=2058
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The Unhealthy Holidays: 5 Worst Things You Can Do
Another year winding down means another string of holidays to test our health will. The last two months of the year bring seemingly endless trips to visit relatives, malls and other hectic locales far from the comfort of your regular exercise and fitness routine.
That's danger with a capital D when it comes to staying on track. Let's count down the top five unhealthy holiday behaviors that can undo your hard work from the previous 10 months:
5. Not sticking to a schedule: Look, no one said it was easy to eat right, exercise, get enough sleep and do all the other things it takes to stay fit and healthy. Those challenges are compounded during the holiday months, when get-togethers, gift shopping and other responsibilities seem to pile up one upon the other. Who has time to stay healthy? You do, of course, and you need to do it the way on what you've done it all year: by sticking to a schedule. Calendar your exercise days and keep an eye on what you're eating to ensure you stay on track. This is no time to "wing it" - after all, how well did that work last year and the year before that?
4. Telling yourself you've earned it: We all deserve a "treat" now and then, whether it's a cupcake at a birthday party or a day off from the gym. We also need to continually remind ourselves of how hard we're working and why we're doing it. Staying in shape takes effort, and you deserve to feel great about that effort. But taking the last two months of the year "off" because you think you've "earned it" is the perfect recipe for health disaster. Before you know it, bad habits will have replaced good ones and you'll be back at the starting gate, wondering where you went wrong. (See No.1 unhealthy behavior below.)
3. Falling prey to "the blues": As we've discussed before, the final few months of the year (and the first few months of the next year) can increase your risk of depression. It's called seasonal affective disorder, characterized by depressive symptoms and mood changes associated with a particular time of year. Shorter days, longer nights, less sunlight and colder weather can be a bad combination for some people. One solution is to make sure you get outside for 10-15 minutes a day when the sun is shining. Take a few walks during the workday to ensure you spend a little time in the sun (which boosts your vitamin D levels, by the way), rather than spending all day inside and leaving for home at dusk. You'll feel better and your body will thank you for it.
2. Doing the "same old, same old": You may think your exercise and diet plan has been working all year, but at some point, you need to mix things up. Why? Because the brain and body get used to the "same old, same old" over time, leading to a diminished sense of achievement, boredom and stagnation. It's the "Who wants to do these same exercises again?" or "Who wants to eat these same foods again?" mentality, and it can cause you to jump off the wagon. The solution? Stay strong by incorporating new exercises into your workout regimen and trying different (healthy) foods. Variety is the spice of life, and in this case, it can carry you through the holidays committed to your health and wellness goals.
1. Looking ahead to 2015: Yes, 2015 is right around the corner, particularly when you consider how hectic the next several months generally are. That's no reason to make "getting in shape again" your New Year's Resolution in early November. Think about how great these first 10 months of the year have been in terms of the results you've seen and how you've felt. Now try to imagine having to go right back where you were on Jan.1, 2014. Not a pretty picture, huh? Replace that picture with a portrait of confidence, determination and health by deciding now to finish 2014 strong. Your New Year's resolution won't be to "start again"; it will be to continue the great things you've done and become an even better, healthier person in 2015.
http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=2050
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