10 Tips for Safer Exercise

It's crucial to our health to stay as physically active as we can, and it’s important to choose exercises and sports that build our bodies while minimizing the risk of injury. Here are ten tips for safer exercising.

1. Have a physical exam or fitness test. Visit your doctor or chiropractor before beginning a new exercise program, to uncover any problems that might alter your approach to getting fit. Find out from experts what your limits might be, and get them to suggest an appropriate exercise routine for you.

2. Gradually increase time and intensity. It’s common to be too enthusiastic and try to do too much too soon. Begin with moderate exercise, maybe about 20 minutes 3 times a week, and gradually build up your stamina and strength.

3. Visit a personal trainer. If you just don't know what to do or where to begin, a good trainer will get you started safely and help you learn enough to work out on your own if you choose. A few initial sessions may be all you need, or you can follow through if you respond to the structure and commitment.

4. Warm up before exercise. A proper, gradual warm up makes your muscles more flexible, your structure more mobile and gets you in the mood, too. Walk, jog, stretch or just do your regular activity slowly and easily until you feel ready to get in full gear.

5. Don't work out on empty.Exercising on a full stomach may be uncomfortable, but if you eat about 2 hours before exercise, it can help fuel your exercise and keep your energy up through your workout.

6. Drink water prior to exercising. Dehydration is dangerous and interferes with your best performance, so stay well hydrated. Try to drink 16-32 oz. of water in the two hours before your workout and then drink water during your workout to replace any lost fluids.

7. Listen to your body. If you experience any sharp pain, weakness or light-headedness during exercise, pay attention. This is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong and you should stop exercising, at least until you understand why you are feeling the way you do. Pushing through acute pain or illness sometimes leads to a severe or chronic injury or condition. If you don't feel well, usually you should take some time off until your body heals.

8. Take time for rest and recovery. In addition to getting enough sleep, it is important to take some rest days. Working out too much for too long can make you exhausted and deplete your vital energy, the opposite of why you are exercising in the first place.

9. Cross train. It prevents boredom, and allows you to get a full body workout without over-stressing certain muscle groups.

10. Dress properly for your sport. This includes using appropriate safety equipment, choosing proper footwear, replacing running shoes as needed and wearing clothing that wicks sweat and helps keep you cool and dry. For cold weather exercise, dress in layers so you can shed as needed.

It’s good for you to exercise – to get the most out of it, and to avoid unnecessary problems, follow these simple guidelines and have fun!

(adapted from about.com, E. Quinn)

What Is Pain?

No one likes to be in pain. It hurts! But what is pain, why is it there in the first place, and what is it trying to tell us?

Pain is a signal the body uses to alert us when something is going wrong that needs our attention. It’s really a good thing that the body can “talk” to us this way, even if it’s uncomfortable – it lets us know when we need to do something to change for the better.

When we’re in pain, we tend to believe that the pain is the problem, but actually, this is most often not the case. The pain is not the problem – the pain is your body’s way of letting you know that you HAVE a problem. It’s like a fire alarm – is the fire alarm the fire, or does it tell us that there IS a fire? If the fire alarm is ringing, and we shut it off, the fire will continue to burn – can you see how it’s the same with your pain? If we just shut it off without fixing the underlying problem, that wouldn’t work, would it?

This is one of the reasons doctors of chiropractic have been saying for over a hundred years that anyone with a spine and nerve system needs a check-up.

Why the spine and nerve system? It’s the control system of the body. Usually, the body runs itself and heals itself – that’s the way we were designed. But if the control system isn’t doing its job then the body can’t heal itself, so chiropractors specialize in finding and fixing disturbances and interference with the nerve system and restoring normal control, so the body can heal itself again.

It’s a bit like a garden hose. The hose carries the water from your house to your garden, so the plants can thrive. Your nerves carry energy from your brain to your body parts so they can thrive. If the hose is crimped, the water can’t flow, and the plants suffer. If your nerve gets crimped, the energy can’t flow, and your body parts suffer. Keep your nerves free flowing, and your body works that much better.

Or, you could say it’s like the power company. There’s a big power plant in town, where all the power for the neighborhood comes from. There are power lines that connect the power company to our houses, so we can use the power in our daily lives, for our lights, our appliances, and so on.

In your body, the power comes from the brain, which also uses power lines, called nerves. The nerves connect to our body parts so we can use the power in our daily lives, for our muscles, our organs and so on.

If anything interrupts the power lines from the power company, the power is shut down, and the lights and appliances in your house can’t work right. If anything interrupts the power lines in your body, the power is also shut down, and your body parts can’t work right.

Chiropractors find and fix these areas in your body that need the power turned back on.

Why wait until the pain begins? Just like getting regular dental and physical exams, make sure you and your family get periodic spine and nerve system check-ups from your doctor of chiropractic. It gives you a better chance of living pain free, and improving the quality of your life, too.

Ten Health Benefits of Drinking Enough Water

We all know that we're supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day... but what are the real benefits? Here are ten quick health benefits of drinking enough water.

1. Drinking enough water gives you healthier skin with fewer blemishes or wrinkles

2. Drinking enough water gives you a healthier mind and body with better nutrient absorption and more efficient chemical reactions in the body for better overall health, including proper brain function and improvements in memory.

3. Drinking enough water gives you more energy, since water is the medium in which all energy reactions take place.

4. Drinking enough water gives you a healthier digestive system, with better processing of food, better bowel function, and fewer digestive complaints. Drinking sufficient water helps the body process and transport nutrients and get rid of any waste products.

5. Drinking enough water reduces fatigue by making your body’s chemistry work more efficiently. If you become dehydrated you will become lethargic, experience cramping and endurance and strength performance will suffer.

6. Drinking enough water helps you lose weight. Water is a natural appetite suppressor and increases the body's ability to metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

7. Drinking enough water gives you healthier, stronger joints, since the fluid in your joints requires water to keep them lubricated and moving properly.

8. Drinking enough water reduces joint pain. Back pain can be improved with hydration, since water lubricates the joints. Cartilage found at the ends of long bones & between the vertebrae of the spine hold a lot of water, so increasing water intake replenishes the water in these tissues. When the cartilages are well hydrated, the joint glides freely, and friction damage is reduced. Not enough increases the rate of "abrasive" damage, leading to joint deterioration and increased pain.

9. Drinking enough water helps in weight loss, reduces fluid retention, helps build muscle, and increases muscle tone. Preventing dehydration will also help prevent sagging skin, since water will fill out the muscles, resulting in clear, healthy and resilient skin.

10. Drinking enough water reduces the risk of disease. Studies have shown that increasing daily water intake has shown to decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer. It is also believed that water may prevent many kidney stone and urinary tract infections.