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Your Vital Updates from
Tasman Bay Chiropractic
Spring is in the air!
Following our fun and inspirational monthly theme of mindfulness in August, spring and September leapt out at us as needing to go together. So let's welcome September with a spring in our step and some gardening puns!
Spring into September at Tasman Bay Chiropractic and let
Corrian and Dan weed out your niggles and dig up your enthusiasm!
Active Gardening Bodies Aligned for Spring!
Our monthly themes will continue through the quarter. 'Family' will be the theme for October so look out for some promotions around that topic! October 16th is World Spine Day and this year's campaign is aimed at encouraging people to look after their spines.
With very best wishes
Corrian, Dan, Debbie, Bronwyn, Lynley and Victoria
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What fun we had with our mindful theme for the month of August. Deb led us through a number of mindful moments and activities including mindful eating, rewiring the brain to positivity, mindful cup/drink sizes and the importance of strengthening the mindfulness muscle. We loved the spirit in which so many of you joined us in these moments - the mindful raisin chew brought out the competitive spirit in quite a number of you!
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We hosted a complimentary session on Saturday 25th August. Along with a room full of our patients, we experienced A Taste of Mindfulness with Crysal from Mind over Matter Ltd.
Crysal is a local mindfulness teacher and a patient here at Tasman Bay Chiropractic.
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Corrian offered this thought to leave us with:
"Living your life more mindfully is a powerful tool to generate a powerful brain which runs a powerful, dynamic body."
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NB
Copies of Vikki Kelly's mindful 2.0 book
are still available at the practice.
$29 each
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Back Round Tu-it
Most people have heard of a “Round Tu-it” - it’s like a list of things that at some point you will get around to doing - that’s like me and mindfulness.
In the past I have had some experience with it but have never stuck with it. I have self-help books that are half read and now collecting dust in a box somewhere - quite possibly a task to put on my list to mindfully de-clutter, I’m sure I’ll get “round tu-it”.
You may remember from my last article that it took me nine months to read a book about happiness? Imagine my surprise when earlier in August I purchased from work a copy of Mindful 2.0 and I read it in three days! Quite astonishing really, but I so enjoyed learning about alternate nostril breathing and how to 'calm the drunken monkeys' that it was easy. This little book has alternated from the kitchen bench to my bag and has turned-over pages where I keep going back to my favourite exercises.
I have also started using a meditation app. with my two girls at night. For them it has the bonus of extended time with me and I get to be mindful too at a time that I actually need it the most - a bonus for me is they drift off to sleep more easily.
I’m hoping it will set them up with a life skill and not something they need to seek out as it will become something they instinctively do each day or, at the very least, keep coming “Back Round Tu-it”.
Mindfully
Bron
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The poster below is from The Reality Check. NZ-led research on chiropractic and information about chiropractic is presented in clear posters and in everyday language in a series of videos. The videos are available on our website.
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WHAT WAS I THINKING?
I recently found myself on a flight back from LA, sandwiched between two largish gents, half a plane away from my family. It was here is this cramped position, unable to sleep, flicking through the entertainment selections, that I stumbled upon the Headspace App.
It turned out to be a mindfulness and guided meditation series, fronted by a British chap with a voice that doesn't annoy, and this series was targeted specifically for plane travel and all it's various stresses, (business, holiday, relaxing, kids, sleep, uncomfortable seats, jet-lag).
Each session was 10mins long and I found myself being talked through breathing fully and slowly, focusing in on my breath and where my thoughts were wandering, then learning how to scan through my body just observing how each area felt. Then, as the sessions advanced, locking in on a body area and switching it off (a feeling like one part of you getting heavy and going to sleep). Great for the cramped legs and back!
I must have fallen asleep during one of the sessions, because when I opened my eyes, the app had gone to sleep much like me and four hours had passed. I checked the app and found I was onto my 5th session. So about 50min of peaceful meditation, then several hours of uninterrupted sleep. Not bad for my first experience.
Once we got home I searched my phone's App store for meditation and downloaded the Headspace and Calm apps. It's been three weeks since then and I'm still exploring the free stuff that covers lots of mindfulness topics. I have found that one session a day, just before I go to sleep works best for me. Whatever I have been doing before bed; movie, reading, dishes, emails, Stuff news, overthinking... I know that even if I'm very tired I can put my headphones on and get my one one session in which puts me in a great space for sleep.
I have missed a few sessions and fallen asleep in a couple, but the beauty of it is, that's OK. I've learned that the trick to it isregular practice, like anything else in life. If you're learning to play the piano, you practice the scales. If you're training at basketball, you do your ball drills. If you are into the martial arts disciplines, you go through your patterns over and over until its muscle memory. Instinctual. The same is true with meditation. You practice it regularly until it becomes natural. But what for?
You do not play hours of piano scales to be a great scale player - your goal is to be a musician. The basket ball drills are required to be a sports athlete. The martial arts movement patterns are but a stepping stone to greater mastery and discipline. The regular meditation practice is not to become a great meditator, but to wake up the mind and body and engage more fully your life without life-stresses hijacking it!
I am finding it is worth the effort.
Yours in health
Dr Dan
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Frequently Asked Question of the Season
I do want to come back for another appointment, but I don't want to book anything right now. How should I manage this?
We understand that shift work and family schedules can mean that it is more difficult to book ahead sometimes. We are happy to ring you a few days prior to your recommended checkup time to find a time that will suit. Just let the CA know that this is what will work best for you.
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My First Taste of Mindfulness
The team at TBC has just completed a month of Mindful Moments and I wanted to share with you how my journey with mindfulness began.
I first came across mindfulness when I was invited to an introductory meeting to pilot a new programme of mindful weight loss. This was in 2012 and I was working at Curves Women’s Gym as a Coach and Weight-loss Facilitator. I found the evening and information fascinating and I was invited to test trial the approach by mindfully eating my meals, following the workbook and listening to relaxation and self belief podcasts. I participated for six weeks and I was amazed at what I discovered about my own habits. Unintentionally I lost weight, centimetres, and body fat.
I knew this was one of the missing links to long term sustainable healthy changes for people.
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This evening is where I mindfully ate a raisin. Sorry I don’t remember how long this took me!!!
'Mindful eating' or 'conscious eating' is about four simple principles:
- Eat when you are hungry (physically hungry).
Your tummy may growl, you may feel empty, whatever it is for you it is not the same as suddenly craving food or wanting a delicious looking treat that you have just seen. Physical hunger comes on slowly.
- Eat what suits you, what you feel like eating. (This takes practise and is about tuning into your gut brain (enteric brain), intuitively knowing what is right for you).
What food suits you?
What foods may have a negative effect on your body?
If you feel like food that may not suit you, or you consider not such a good choice just do it mindfully.
Mindfully notice if you eat emotionally - without judgement, just awareness.
- Eat slowly and chew your food - Taste it - Notice the texture, the flavour.
Be present with your food and enjoy it, preferably without any other distractions as this will help you with step 4.
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PAUSE - Put these guys down between mouthfuls
- 4 Satisfaction Point - Eat until you feel satisfied
This will only be noticeable to you if you eat slowly and pause between mouthfuls, as there is a point in a meal where you are satisfied. For me this is before I feel full. I know that if I continue to eat I may feel a little uncomfortable as if I have had too much.
The team at Tasman Bay Chiropractic is invested in supporting you to well health with chiropractic care and I encourage you to mindfully look after yourself between your visits.
Have some fun if this appeals to you and become a more mindful or conscious eater. By tuning into your body and your mind you can learn how you can support it.
Wow. I am inspired now to practise this again myself. I know I am more mindful in general and sometimes I will get this all happening and sometimes I will not. I have definitely learnt to be a slower eater because of mindfulness and also to notice more what and when I eat. My 80/20% rule applies here.
Mindfully yours
Debbie
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World Spine Day
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Taking place on October 16th each year, World Spine Day has become a focus in raising awareness of back pain and other spinal issues. With health professionals, exercise and rehabilitation experts, public health advocates, schoolchildren and patients all taking part, #LoveYourSpine will be celebrated on every continent.
#LoveYourSpine will highlight the importance of spinal health and wellbeing. Promotion of physical activity, good posture, responsible lifting and healthy working conditions will all feature as people are encouraged to look after their spines and stay active.
With an estimated one billion people worldwide suffering from back pain, it affects all age groups, from children to the elderly. It is the biggest single cause of disability on the planet, with one in four adults estimated to suffer from back pain during their lives. Prevention is therefore key and this year’s World Spine Day will be encouraging people to take steps to be kind to their spines.
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‘Springing into September’ has a number of meanings for me that I want to share with you in the hope that you will gain further appreciation for the amazing bodies and brains that we all have. I play competitive masters volleyball and regularly attend tournaments around the country. While I can have a dominating presence on court, I was sometimes humbled by younger whippersnappers and decided that I was going to do something about this!
My son Sebastiaan, who is recovering from a meniscus knee injury, asked me if we could join the gym together. My first thought was that I have already joined a gym several times over the years and had never found enough there to keep my interest. Sebastiaan said “Come on Dad, make it happen, it would be great to do it together”. I sat there listening and I considered how I had tried starting at the gym so many times in my life and never enjoyed it and realised that I needed to think more laterally - I could make my focus helping my volleyball - more precisely, could it help me jump higher and hit harder?
We went along to the Aquatic and Fitness Centre and I told the friendly team what I wanted to achieve - reminding them that they can’t train me too hard as I need to maintain my adjusting skills so that I am best serving my patients! I had a personalised programme drawn up for me and I have been doing it twice weekly for six weeks. I started gently and even though it has been gently, I have noticed a number of different gains - especially in my fine motor control - particularly when I’m jumping and in the air and want to turn my body to hit the ball in a different direction. Further, my overall average spring has improved.
I have enjoyed being guided by the professional trainers and whilst I know a lot about the human body and what it needs to function well I have appreciated the maturity, professionalism and helpfulness of the aquatic centre team - for both me and my son.
So along with my regular chiropractic checks with Dan, time with my son at the gym and time at volleyball, springing into September is taking off. Watch out whipper snappers!
Warm regards
Corrian
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Mindful Month Eating
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With mindfulness month in full swing last month, I decided that my family needed to be more mindful about the food/meals we were eating. I had in my cupboard two self titled cookbooks from The Revive Cafe (a vegetarian cafe in Auckland), bought with the biggest of intentions to use to the fullest, but just brought out occasionally for salads and side dishes.
So I bit the bullet and made one of the meals - Super Nachos. Not too much of a stretch for my family, as the meat version was something we ate. Such an easy change with a delicious result which the family loved. These cookbooks use mostly simple ingredients, a lot of things that would be in most people's cupboards. The recipes are easy to follow, and are delicious and filling!
But that isn't the best thing about these books.... In the back section they have a step by step section. They are designed to help you create your own healthy meals. Under each step is a list of different possible ingredients, you just pick and choose, and put together! This gives you so many different options for the same meal! We tried the step-by-step curry, the next on my cooking list is the step-by-step lasagne!
So if you are looking to make even a small change to your eating I challenge you to pick up one of these books and have a go! Delicious, easy food you won't regret!
Love Victoria 💖
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Winners at TBC
Congratulations to the winners of our monthly lucky draw. To be in to win, pop your appointment card showing six completed visits into the jar on the Reception desk. You could win a complimentary adjustment!
June - Ella Rainbow
July - Cheryl Robertson
August - Barry Argyle
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TBC is 16!
On 16th September we will celebrate our 16th birthday.
What a pleasure and honour it has been to work with you - some of you have been regulars since 2002!
Happy Birthday to us!
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In health and with best regards from us all
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