Corrective Chiropractic
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Non-Fitness Related Benefits of Working Out

Non-Fitness Related Benefits of Working Out

You’ve probably worn your ears off listening to the predictable drone of the benefits of exercise. Yes you’ll get healthier, but is that enough to motivate you to run more miles on the treadmill? Does the thought of sweating it out for a slimmer waist or leaner muscles not cut it anymore? Maybe you haven’t heard of the non-fitness related benefits of working out!

Gain Actual Work-Life Balance

Your job and personal life gets a boost from the aptly-named industry journal Human Resource Management found out workers who found time to exercise during the work week found more work-life balance more than others. It’s all thanks to the boost of endorphins during exercise – they’re less stressed about facing their work life.

It Makes You Better at Sex

If you’re still procrastinating on hitting the gym, then maybe knowing how it’ll spice up your sex life will make you think twice. Pumping iron, doing squats and planks improves your performance in bed and it’s not all about your physical form. Experts and studies say that regular physical exercise heightens your arousal, even if you haven’t had any in a while. 

You Can Get Better Pay

Remember how you’re required to undergo a full physical exam before you’re hired? The HR managers want to know if you’re healthy enough to hire. Once you’re in there’s a chance that you’ll be paid much more than those you aren’t. In a study conducted by the Journal of Labor Research they discovered that employees who regularly  exercise made 9% more than those who didn’t. 

Reduce Your Risk of Developing Lifestyle-Related Diseases

Warding off diseases is a no-brainer benefit that you get from exercise. The most common illnesses you’ve heard of – breast cancer, heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, hypertension, diabetes – those are preventable by hitting the gym.  Physical activity is most natural and cost effective way to stay away from getting those illnesses.

Boost Your Brain Power

If you sit in front of a computer for long hours try to move around every once in a while. An article in Neurology suggests that high levels of cardio activity when you’re 18 to 30 years old improves your brain power. Blood is pumping faster in your body during exercise, feeding your brain so it’s able to think better.

Ward Off Wrinkles

If you’ve spent a fortune on face creams that don’t work, maybe it’s time to try another approach to look younger. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine suggested that frequent exercise for people in their 40s had skin similar to people in their 20s and 30s.

You’re Happier

Elle Woods said it best: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t”.

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Why is Chiropractic the Best Option for Back Pain?

If you are in Atlanta and you are experiencing back pain, then you must see a chiropractor as soon as possible. The reason why we are urging you to hurry is that this pain can lead to several other complications concerning the nerves and the skeletal muscles present in the back.

Although there are many over-the-counter medicine types which you can use to alleviate the pain, there is nothing better than treating it with chiropractic care. This article is intended to give you all the reasons why this way of treatment is the best option. However, before stating those reasons, let us quickly get through the causes of the back pain.

What causes back pain?

In terms of causes, anything that puts a strain on the spinal cord and the skeletal muscles supporting it can cause the pain. This is because like every organ in our body, these organs can only take a certain amount of strain. The pain is basically an indication that your back has experienced strain beyond its limit. If we state the mainstream reasons for that strain, then they would be the following:

  • Heavy, unbalanced lifting which targets the lower back muscles
  • Ruptured spinal disks
  • Poor posture
  • Osteoporosis
  • Arthritis

Having stated the main causes, let us know how they are treated by a chiropractor.

  1. Spinal Adjustments

    In this method, a chiropractor places his or her palm on the affected area and applies a certain amount of force. This technique is meant to realign all the muscles of the spine which are causing the pain.

  2.  Massage Techniques

    Sometimes, a chiropractor recommends massage techniques in addition to the spinal adjustments. One of those massages is the MFR which stands for Myofascial Release. It differs from the rest of the soft tissue manipulations in targeting the scar tissues.

  3.  Physical Therapy

    After the alignment of the spinal cord and the muscles surrounding it, a chiropractor advises his or her patient the exercises which are a part of physical therapy. These exercises target the core muscles and the back muscles thus increasing the stability of the core for maintaining proper posture.

These were the techniques which are used by the chiropractor to treat back pain. As you can see, in all of the three techniques no surgical instruments are involved. This means that the back pain is only cured through encouraging natural movement and alignment in the spinal bones and the skeletal muscles.

That being said, there are several other benefits of chiropractic care:

  • It is far better than using medications,
  • It can prevent back pain in the future,
  • It is cost-effective,
  • There is no need for special diets for it,
  • It can prevent disk herniations and can effectively cure it,
  • It is safer than other cures available.

Back pain affects more than 80% population in the USA. And as much as $50 billion is spent each year on treating it. However, even then, the symptoms still are observed to remain. Thus, this makes a good case for you to only seek care from a chiropractor who is readily available in your city Atlanta.

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Exercises to Strengthen The Back

Atlanta chiropractors advise regular back-strengthening exercises to reduce the frequency and chances of back pain. Strengthen the spinal muscles help maintain proper posture, range of motion, and structural stability of the spine.

Since one of the many causes of back pain is the misalignment of the vertebra, these exercises target just the right muscles that support the spine – the back muscles and the ligaments – in order to strengthen them for the right back movement. Also, these exercises work as part of your chiropractic care along with spinal adjustments.

There are plenty of back exercises that you can learn; however, these are simple yet effective methods to help strengthen the back with goals to prevent and potentially help reduce back pain and discomfort.

So, let’s begin with the exercises.

BridgeExercise, Hip Lift or Reverse Plank

Reverse-Plank-Exercise.jpg

These exercises target the glutes, especially the large muscle Gluteus maximus. This muscle is responsible for keeping the back aligned by supporting it from below.

Steps on how to do it:

    1. Lie on the ground with hands on your either sides, and your knees folded with your feet apart.
    2. Begin by lifting your hips up in the air without taking help from any other muscle but the glutes.
    3. Keep raising your hips until you cannot rise further.
    4. When you start to feel the burn in your hips and abdomen, hold the raised position for as long as you can.
    5. Note the initial holding time, and repeat the exercise 10 times in 3 sets.

 

Plank Exercise

planking-exercise.jpg

Planks are one of those complete exercises that target more than one muscle groups especially the core muscles and the back muscles accompanied by the glutes.

Steps on how to do it:

    1. Lie face down on the floor,
    2.  Lift up your upper body from the ground such that you clamp both your hands just beneath your face, and spread the elbows approximately shoulder-wide so that they can take the major load of the lift.
    3. Tuck your toes into the ground and with the help of your abdominal muscles lift your lower body so that the only body parts that touch the ground are the toes and the hands.
    4. Make sure your back, shoulder, and hips are aligned with each other.
    5. Hold this raised position for as long as you can.
    6. Note the initial timing of the raise that you could manage.
    7. Repeat this exercise 15 times in 3 sets.

 

Swan Dive Exercise

swan-dive-backexercise.jpg

If we are to rate any exercise that targets the lower back most effectively then it would the swan drive. It also stretched the front of the body and thus, it can be also a preferred exercise after the planks in order to stretch the core muscles that are targeted in that exercise.

Steps on how to do it:

    1. Lie face down.
    2. Place your hands on either side of your body.
    3. Point your toes.
    4. Lift your shoulders and the legs about 6-inches high.
    5. Maintain that position for as much as you can. Note your timing.
    6. Repeat the posture 15 times in 3 sets.

If you cannot do this exercise the way it is stated, then you can also do a variation of it. In that, you can lift yourself with the help of your palms.

    1. Do steps ‘a’ to ‘c’ stated above.
    2. Place your palms on either side of your shoulders.
    3. Apply force on the ground through the palms, and lift your body.
    4. You do not have to lift your legs.
    5. Repeat steps ‘e’ and ‘f’ stated above

Performing the exercises mentioned daily may help with the reduction in the back or shoulder pain. Posture muscle stability combined with corrective chiropractic adjustments are the best combination to obtain and maintain healthy posture. Your Atlanta chiropractor at Corrective Chiropractic can personalize a corrective exercise plan to improve the strength of your back. Request your appointment here!

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Exercises to Strengthen Good Posture

Posture deviations can lead to aches and pain in the neck, mid back, and low back regions. Muscle memory from prolonged sitting, daily activities (computer and cell phone use for instance) result in forward head posture, leading to excesses stress and strain on the back muscles and structure. Along with decreasing the amount of time seated and on technology, posture exercises can be incorporated into your health plan to re-establish healthy muscle memory for proper posture. Exercises including plank, the yoga pose Cat Cow, and spinal extensions can in time help reverse posture deviations with time.

Plank

plank-exercise

The standard plank effectively targets the lower abdomen (abs), glutes and thighs in order to relieve stress and strain of the trapezius, and erector spinae muscle groups.

How to do it:

  1. Lie on the floor with your face down.
  2. Tuck your toes into the floor.
  3. Now lift your body with the help of your elbows, hands, and toes. You should experience strain in the abs and glutes while you’re doing so.
  4. After rising off the ground, make sure you align your hips, back, and shoulder.
  5. Maintain this position for about 15 seconds and then relax.
  6. Repeat this position for 15 times in 3 sets. Keep adding 2 seconds to the time after each rep.

 

Cat or Cow Exercise

cat-cow-exercise

This exercise is one of those yoga postures that can strengthen your back muscles and your abs at the same time. It works in an alternative manner where you target the abs first and then the back muscles by arching downward and upward respectively.

How to do it:

  1. Get on all fours.
  2. Make sure your wrists are below your shoulder.
  3. To exercise your abs, inhale while bringing your stomach toward the floor. Also, gently arch your back down and your shoulders and tailbone upward.
  4. Hold this position for about 15 seconds.
  5. Afterwards, to stretch your back, exhale while arching your back toward the ceiling, and bringing down your shoulders and tailbone to the floor.
  6. Hold this position for about 15 seconds.
  7. Repeat both of these stretches alternatively for 15 times in 3 sets.
  8. Rest in between the reps.

 

Back Extending Exercise

back-extending-exercise

Back extension exercises can help target posture muscles that are typically in a forward or flexed state due to posture deviations.

How to do it:

  1. Lie face down on the floor.
  2. Bring your hand beneath your face.
  3. Tuck your toes into the floor but not lift your legs.
  4. Extend your arms to lift yourself off the floor until you feel the strain in the lower back.
  5. Hold this position for about 15 seconds.
  6. Repeat the exercise for 15 times in 3 sets.

 

Performing the exercises mentioned daily may help with the reduction in the back or shoulder pain. Posture muscle stability combined with corrective chiropractic adjustments are the best combination to obtain and maintain healthy posture. If you perform these 3 easy exercises, you will experience a reduction in the back or shoulder pain. However, if the symptoms still persist, you should see a chiropractor.

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Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
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How to Avoid Gaining Holiday Weight

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

The holiday season is here, and it seems there is a party every night that condones drinking and eating hors dorves that are typically fried or breaded. The trend I commonly see in my practice is that during this time of year people begin neglecting their workouts, stressing more about deadlines, missing their adjustments, and doing other activities that lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. However, now is the time to be committed to working out, eating healthfully, getting adjusted, and working on being your best self so you do not get sick or pack on the winter weight. Here are some key steps on how to avoid gaining holiday weight:

1. Warm lemon water in the morning

Drink a warm glass of alkaline water with a freshly squeezed organic lemon. There are many reasons for this; including balancing your pH levels, aiding digestion, and boosting your immunity due to the high levels of potassium and Vitamin C in the lemons.

[title size=”2″]2. Get your tabata on![/title]

Back in January I wrote an article on this, and I would like to stress the importance of it right now (read the article Let The Games Begin to learn more about tabata). Those of you who are going for walks at night or in the morning are creating great movement patterns for your body and increasing circulation. However, walking alone will not get you fit or in shape; because it is considered a movement, not exercise. While walking is important to maintaining health, we do not burn enough calories to lose weight doing these movements. My favorite workout for people to do at this time of season is a double tabata. Tabata was created by medical professional, Dr. Tabata; he found that short bursts of training with short rest times increases oxygen output in the body and burns fat. To perform this workout, go at 100% of a movement for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this cycle 8 times for a 4 minute workout. Some great movements that can be done are:

  • stationary bike
  • sprints on treadmill
  • jumping jacks
  • air squats
  • sit-ups
  • push-ups
  • pull-ups

There are even smartphone apps that have Tabata timers to download for free.

[title size=”2″]3. Stick to the tequila.[/title]

This is a topic you may have never guessed I would discuss because it condones alcohol. I will preface that, I am not encouraging you to drink tequila, but I do not want to be the Debbie Downer who tells you to only drink bottled water at your company holiday parties. If however, I could choose a drink for all of you, it would be a paleo margarita which consists of: tequila, lime juice, and club soda. By staying away from wine and beer, you will be saving yourself massive amounts of unnecessary sugars, as well as other toxins, that can store fat.

[title size=”2″]4. Load Up on Fats![/title]

You read that correctly! In order to lose fat you will want to pump up your body with good fats to help speed metabolism. The main fats I would like many of you to consume are MCT’s, or medium chain triglycerides, which are found in coconuts (coconut oil, coconut flakes, coconut water, coconut flour, and coconut sugar), avocodos, and raw almonds, which should be soaked in alkaline water before consuming. This soaking process helps the nut bring out all of its enzymes, so it become more easily digestible and healthier for your body.

[title size=”2″]Conclusion[/title]

Following these suggestions will help avoid the holiday weight gain. As always, I love to hear from my patients and blog reader. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question, it may just be featured as the topic of one of my future blog posts!

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My Big (Healthy) Challenge for You!

How does nicer legs and a tighter rear sound in only 30 days?

I have a simple challenge for you to begin the second of the year and I would love to hear whether you are going to accept or deny this challenge.

I want to help you kickstart those goals and resolutions you made 6 months ago and reignite them for the 2nd half of the year.

healthy-challenge

The basic and most fundamental movement when it comes to the human body is squatting. We squat many times in a day from sitting at the table to eat, getting in our car, sitting on the toilet, bending down to pick things up, sitting at our desk at work, and other actions we take we get in that position. It is crucial we are good at this movement and also have built strength around it.

If you are looking to get superfit then keep Burst Training and do this challenge and get in great shape. Every person I know that has done this simple challenge has dropped a lot of weight and gotten more fit.

CHALLENGE

For the next 30 days follow this chart and DO NOT MISS A DAY. You CAN break up the squats so when you get to 200 you can do 100 in the AM and 100 in the PM. The squats can be done in your bedroom without any equipment and should not take to long depending on your fitness level. Whether you are in shape or overweight, doing squats helps release growth hormones and helps increase testosterone levels in males. This is huge as many males are getting diagnosed with low T levels and too many doctors are pushing pills down their throats.

CHART TO FOLLOW

VIDEO TO WATCH FOR FORM

Click Here to See Correct Form

Shoot me an e-mail back if you plan on doing this as I would be interested to see pre and post pictures.

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4 Tips to Living Over 100

One Life: This is all we get!

Knowing that we will be here on this Earth one time the question becomes: What are you willing to do to make it your best?

This question constantly feeds through my head as I live my life. Whether I am about to put food in my system, get exercise, see my chiropractor, socialize with friends, head to the office, or deliver a workshop my choices are about an EXTRA-ordinary quality of life.

As our societies stress levels rise it is essential we are taking EXTRA care of ourselves through many different avenues. There are societies in the World called “Blue Zones” which is where it is common for those to live over 90 and in to their 100’s with little risk of chronic disease. These societies tend not to follow the brainwashing that goes on in our country such as Larry the Cable Guy’s recent Prilosec commercial. Here is a picture of Larry telling us it is ok to eat corndogs because if we take a Prilosec then we will be OK. What a joke!

Unfortunately many people live their life through these commercials by being stressed out and wondering why they are on blood pressure meds, eating garbage foods and being on cholesterol or diabetes medicine, not having social networks or a sense of purpose and being on anti-depressants, and the list could go on.

The fact is: IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! This is what has been engrained in to your brain since a child but if you continue to lead that lifestyle then you will be like everyone else in our country (heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, etc).

The definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Samantha, Shalonda, and myself are 110% committed to having everyone in our office live their greatest life so PLEASE take advantage. We want to show you and teach you what you can do different than everyone else and what the healthiest people in the planet are doing that are dependent on drugs or a poor quality of life. The 3 of us were put here to be servants to you so please ask questions, send e-mails, come to workshops, read my e-book, and get involved.

The societies that live the longest have common qualities and I want to touch on 4 of them as I feel they have the power to allow you to live your greatest life.

1) Get Regular Movement

Many of the societies that live to be over 100 tend to walk regularly, hike mountains, work the land, and perform other activities that create movement. They are NOT sitting in front of computers for hours a day and destroying their spine. NOW, I know many of us rely on computer work for our jobs but it is crucial we cut out time throughout the days for movement and exercise. ONE life, find the time! Walking around the office every hour, walking after meals, hiking mountains on the weekends, and other activities you can think of that would be more natural for the body.

2) Eat Foods Congruent With the Body

These societies tend to eat mostly a Mediterranean Diet filled with fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and stay away from processed junk food. Even the foods people think are from Earth and not processed tend be some of the most processed foods in the supermarkets such as milk, cheese, and grains. Once again our society has more stress now than ever so eating foods more genetically designed for the body will create a healthier internal environment.

3) Create Social Circles

Most of these healthy societies have large social circles where they get together for meals, games, or good conversation. In Okinawa and Loma Linda with the 7th Day Adventists they congregate regularly in person. Our society is obsessed with Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites as well as reality TV. By connecting with people regularly and getting together for functions can truly help maximize and increase your quantity and quality of life.

4) Find Your Purpose

Each society that has a long and healthy life tend to have found a sense of purpose they live for. In our culture we look forward to “retirement” yet we have no interests, hobbies, or extracurricular things we do to keep us fulfilled following this phase of our life. Finding a place to volunteer, living to serve others, falling in love with a sport, a passion for helping others live better lives, or becoming a mentor there are countless possibilities to develop your sense of purpose.

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3 Tips to Kick Allergies This Spring Season

This morning when I woke up I heard the pollen count has skyrocketed to over 2,500. CBS this morning posted an article that stated “Experts predict this will be the one of the worst allergy seasons on record.”. With that said it becomes a matter of if you want to do something about it or do you want to keep taking chemicals to mask it forever?

Right now tree pollen is through the roof and many of you are going to be walking around sneezing, runny noses, congestion, cough, watery eyes, and itchy throat. If you experience even 1 one of these symptoms then you know your body’s internal environment is having a hard time adapting to the external environment. Follow these 3 simple tips to kick out allergies this spring season.

Most people will notice symptoms and say “What can I do to TREAT that or get rid of this symptom”. Instead the questions should be “How can I raise my body’s ability to adapt to the external environment and become a powerhouse against pollen”.

A lot of people come in to our office in March-April on the drug Zyrtec as their tool for pollen season. What is bad is they are using a chemical substance to artificially allow their body to not express symptoms. Maybe these symptoms are a way of telling you something inside is not right?

What I am going to focus on today is the top 3 things someone can do naturally to beat allergies. The reason why I am sharing this is because over the past couple years we consistently get hoards of adults and kids that are dependent on some allergy medicine and over time through chiropractic they notice their symptoms going away.

 

Here are the top 3 natural ways to beat allergies:

1) Check Your Nervous System

As I said earlier, over the past couple years most of our referrals at this time come because many of their friends are getting off drugs and noticing significantly less allergy symptoms. This happens because in our stressful World whether it is through sitting in front of a computer for hours, working out with poor form, excessive traveling, eating non-nutrient dense foods, or being emotionally stressed we can compromise our nervous system. Our nervous system made up of the brain, spine, and nerves controls and coordinates ALL function in the human body.

The healthier we keep our nervous system and the less stress on it then the better we are at adapting to the external environment. Many people think that in order for there to be stress on the nervous system there must be pain. In fact a person could have significant stress on their nervous system with zero pain just like they could have Stage 3 cancer and have zero symptoms. The key is make sure you have a chiropractor on your team regularly that checks your spine for interference and determines if there is blockage from the brain down the spine and out the nerves.

2) Load Up on Omega 3’s 

Omega 3’s as many of you have seen in your fish oil, tuna oil, or krill oil are packed with a punch to help reduce inflammation in the body. As pollen keeps soaring it is crucial we are on the right brand of Omega 3 and taking the correct dosage to reduce inflammation. When pollen counts are through the roof you want to up your dosage to between 2,000-3,000 mg. We recently placed an order of Tuna Oil from Standard Process so please reply if you would like us to hold a bottle of this high quality Omega 3.

3) Load up On Vitamin D3

The next supplement that will be crucial and is very low in a lot of people right now is Vitamin D3. The primary source of this is in the sun but if you are experiencing many symptoms from allergies then you most likely do not want to be outside. Over the past 4-5 months many of us have been indoors because of the cold weather so our body’s are deficient in this vital nutrient that can affect over 2,000 genes in the body. The key is to make sure you are getting D3 AKA Cholecalciferol and not getting it from processed products such as pasteurized milk from grain-fed cows. The amount of vitamin D3 to take right now should be between 60-90 ng/l. Please let us know as well if you would like a bottle of these as we ordered these with the Tuna Oil.

By implementing all 3 steps, you are giving your body a much better shot at beating allergies and living an super-charged pollen season. Don’t forget your regular visit to chiropractor for prevention or ease of your allergy!

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31 Lessons I’ve Learned in 31 Years

31-year-old-card

As today marks my 31st birthday, I wanted to share 31 lessons I have learned and how they have played an integral role in my life. I feel truly honored to have learned so many valuable principles in such a short time and I believe it was so I could expand my mission to the whole community.

I sat down for a while to truly think how I am living my life and these concepts were the ones that came to my head. There are times when I may not 100% be being in action with all of these principles but my life is committed towards working on them.

I would love to hear your feedback on these and if you have any principles that should be shared. Please comment below.

 31 Lessons I’ve Learned in 31 Years

1) Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal

2) #1 Trait of All Successful People is Decisiveness

3) The body is a self healing, self regulating, and self  organizing system

4) The Nervous System is the Master Control System

5) Never Worry About What Other People Think About People

6) There is NO Scarcity of ANYTHING in This World, Only Abundance

7) Winners are Proactive in EVERY Aspect of Their Life

8) Always Come From a Place a Love

9) The Only Recessions are the Ones You Buy Into

10) All Processes Require Time: Financial, Health, Business, Relationships, Etc

11) Interference to the Nervous System Can Shut Down Life in the Body

12) Creating a Holy Hour Creates a Vacuum For Success

13) Create Life SYSTEM (Save Yourself Some Time Energy Money)

14) Never Judge Anyone

15) Life is Not About Me but We

16) Honor My Word

17) We Will Not Get Buried With Our Money

18) TV and Newspaper = Negative Energy

19) The Body Vibrates at the Level We Create For It

20) If the Germ Theory Was True We Would All Be Dead

21) Live Life With an Attitude of Gratitude

22) When Something Goes Wrong it Becomes a Lesson

23) We Have the BEST Pharmacy Inside

24) Best Investment is in Yourself

25) You Cannot Serve Others Until You Help Yourself

26) You are 100% Responsible For Your Life

27) There Are no Coincidences

28) The Best Time to Plant an Oak Tree Was Yesterday

29) Exercise is More About Quality Than Quantity

30) Great People Take Great Care of Themselves

31) We Are An Average of the 5 People We Associate With

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