Exercise: An Essential Element of a Healthy Lifestyle

Exercise: An Essential Element of a Healthy Lifestyle

That dreaded eight-letter word: exercise.

Just like drinking enough water or getting plenty of sleep, we know that exercise is good for us, but it's easy to put it off, to make excuses, or to simply forget about it.

However, the benefits of regular exercise are so great that it should be an easy decision to make it part of your regular routine and healthy lifestyle!

Regular exercise can:

• Improve sleep
• Increase energy
• Help with weight loss
• Improve digestion
• Improve blood pressure
• Reduce stress

You don't have to spend an hour in the gym every day or run five miles three times a week to get these benefits. Even simple exercise can give you noticeable improvements in your health.

However, there are exercises that can be damaging to your spine. Therefore, it is important to exercise carefully and properly so you don't undo all the work your chiropractor and you have done to get your spine healthy!

• DON'T do any exercises or stretches which involve a forward-bending motion: full sit-ups, toe-touches, reaching for your toes in a sitting position, etc.
• DO always keep your back straight and only curve it the way it is meant to be curved.
• DO exercises that are gentle on your spine, such as walking (with good posture!) and swimming. Running and jogging are both hard on the spine and can be damaging to it.

Questions? Ask Dr. Hackbart or Dr. Folkers, or request a copy of our handy exercise guide next time you're in the office.

We also conduct a class for new patients most Monday nights, but anyone is welcome to attend! Learn what good posture really is and how to get it, how to exercise, lift, and even sleep in ways that won't damage your spine, and hear about people whose lives were changed because of chiropractic--and how yours can be changed for the better, too. Just call and let us know that you'd like to attend class so we can be expecting you!

The Gonstead System of Chiropractic

What's so special about the Gonstead System?

You'll hear us talk about the Gonstead method or system. What is this, and what makes it unique?

The Gonstead System was developed by Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead, known as the “chiropractor's chiropractor.” He practiced chiropractic from 1923 until 1978. Several things make his system unique:

• It is thorough. The doctors use a variety of means to examine your spine in order to determine where your problem areas are.
• It is specific. X-rays are used to see exactly which vertebrae are out of alignment. An instrument called a Nervoscope detects increased heat along the spine, which indicates inflammation and nerve pressure. The chiropractor uses his fingers and hands to feel for swelling and tenderness along the spine, and will visually identify changes in posture and movement which could be indicative of problems.
• It is precise. Unlike other chiropractors, Gonstead chiropractors adjust with their hands directly on the patient's back, which prevents mistakes that can occur by adjusting through clothing.

Gonstead chiropractors only perform adjustments by hand. They will not use other tools to adjust the spine. Nor do they practice anything such as acupuncture or massage. However, we do have a licensed massage therapist in our office who is highly recommended by our doctors.

If you have any questions about the Gonstead system or how we practice in our office, stop in or call us at 402-646-2020. Visit the Gonstead Seminar website or gonstead.com for more information.

Healthy Family Living: Routines and Habits

Routines and Habits What is the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning? Do you turn on the news or pick up the news paper and start reading? Maybe you dive into your favorite scripture for some uplifting words.

How you start your day is going to play a major role in how the rest of your day goes. You choose if you want to wake up and start reacting to the world and filling yourself with stress by reading or watching the news, which is typically full of bad news and chaos, creating stress in yourself before your day begins.

Try a new morning ritual that involves a positive and uplifting start to your day with less stress so you can attack the day with a positive attitude and outlook.

Start your new morning ritual 30 to 60 minutes before you normally get up. This will allow for some alone time before anyone else is up distracting you. Start by reading some words of affirmation. This can be a simple two or three word phrase or maybe an entire sentence. If you don’t know where to look search the internet. Say it out loud to yourself and listen to what you are saying.

Next, think about what your purpose is. This can be your purpose in your family and or career. Write it down and say it out loud. Remind yourself why you exist or your purpose on earth.

Third, have a list of goals written out and go through them each morning reading them out loud to yourself.

Fourth, what are you thankful for? Say out loud all the things you are thankful for. Family, kids, wife, job, finances, health, etc...

Finally pull up a calendar or schedule book and see what you have planned for your day. Have an idea of what you want to get done today and set ways to get these things done. This is also when you can go and check emails and voicemails. This short routine will only take 10-15 minutes leaving you enough time to go and exercise and get the blood flowing before your day begins.

Remember this isn’t going to work if you only do it once in a while. For example, if you were to go into the gym and workout one time for 45-60 minutes you wouldn’t walk out after that first time looking like Mr. Olympia!

Or, if you decided you wanted to be healthy and you ate healthy food one time, you wouldn’t be healthy. Chiropractic is the same way. You can’t get one adjustment and expect long term benefits right away.

Anything you do that is going to benefit you has to be done consistently over a long period of time. What you do as a habit works, not what you do once in a while. This saying or idea can be applied to your health, job, family, relationships, religion, and any other area of your life that you want to improve.

All successful people have specific daily routines or habits they perform on a regular basis to improve their quality of life. Sit down and decide as a family what is important and start a routine together. The sooner a child develops these good habits the more likely they are to use them when they get older.

What are some of your daily habits? How do these shape your thinking, your mood, and the way your day goes? What are some ways you can improve your habits and so improve your whole life? If you have any questions, or if you want some accountability for changing your habits, stop in and see us! We'd love to help you improve your life by creating healthy routines and habits.

Happy 2014.5: Make the second half count!

Happy 2014.5!

Struggling with your New Year's resolutions this year? Make the second half of the year count!

Welcome to 2014.5: your second chance to keep your New Year's resolutions! Listen to our most recent teleseminar for tips and ideas to make the most of the rest of this year.

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