What Professional Athletes Say About Chiropractic

There are countless professional athletes who have endorsed chiropractic. These athletes cite the power of chiropractic in their continued health and wellness, and in helping them work to prevent injury. Take a look at just a few of these chiropractic endorsements below.  

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I am very fortunate to have, so-to-speak, my in-house chiropractor…He adjusts my wife, my kids, me, everybody gets an adjustment. And we feel always great when [our chiropractor] leaves. Even when I have athletic injuries he's always there for me, and helps me. So it's really terrific, and I know that first hand. That's why I always will be traveling around, all over the world, talking highly about the profession of chiropractic.

You chiropractic doctors are really miracle workers, and that's why it's really great to have you here, part of the Arnold Classic. Because, like I said, the Arnold Classic and Fitness Weekend are about health and about fitness and preventive care.”

2. Tom Brady

“Chiropractic just makes you feel so much better. When I walk out of the clinic, I feel like I'm about three inches taller and everything's in place. And as long as I see the chiropractor, I feel like I'm one step ahead of the game."  

3. Venus Williams

"Chiropractic gives me the flexibility I need to keep in the game."

4. Dan O’Brien, Gold Medalist and World Champion Decathlete

“If I could put a percentage value on it, I think I compete eight to ten percent better from regular Chiropractic care. I think that is how much of a benefit it is–if not more.  If it wasn’t for Chiropractic, I wouldn’t have won the gold medal.”

5. Emmitt Smith, on the power of chiropractic

“If you traveled where I’ve traveled, done what I’ve done and seen the results that I’ve been getting, then you’d understand where I’m coming from.”

6. Joe Montana

”Chiropractic care works for me.”

7. John Stockton, when asked the secret to his longevity in NBA

“[Chiropractic has] been great for me, and for my family".

8. Michael Jordan

“I didn’t know how much I could improve until I started seeing a chiropractor. Since I’ve been in chiropractic, I’ve improved by leaps and bounds both mentally and physically.”

9. Johnny Damon

"Without chiropractic, I wouldn't be able to play consistently throughout the season." 

10. Evander Holyfield 

“I have to have an adjustment before I go into the ring.  The majority of boxers go to get that edge." 

Ready to make your own leaps and bounds, both mentally and physically? At CRC, we partner with you to create a healthier life, whether you consider yourself an athlete or not.  Give us a call today at 513.772.9065.

Hidden Sugars?

Did you set a New Year’s Resolution this year? If so, there is a good chance your resolution may have had something to do with eating healthier. Even if you didn’t, it still might be on your mind.

Taking a Closer Look at Your Sugar Intake

It’s always a good idea to follow the guidelines and recommendations Dr. Bradford normally provides you when it comes to nutrition, but generally speaking, we talk about focusing on low-glycemic index foods that are high in nutrients. We also encourage hydration and eating anti-inflammatory foods that provide ample energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Avoiding sugar-sweetened foods and drinks is in alignment with this approach. The problem is that sometimes, processed hidden sugar can be found in foods we’re eating— like sauces or even salad dressing—and we aren’t aware of it.

When we talk about sugar, we’re referring to sucrose/table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or even honey or fruit sugars. With our desire to find sustainable nutrition habits that we can have for the long-term, many of us want to cut down on our sugar intake—and most notably, that includes white sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages.  Just think: a 20 ounce pop has 16 teaspoons of sugar!

Yes, sugar is in nutrient-rich foods including beets and sweet potatoes, to name just two, but the area where we encourage you to cut back is when sugar has been added to foods during processing.

Keep these four facts in mind:

·      Too much sugar can mean your body is not getting the nutrients it needs. That’s because sugar contains calories that lack nutrient value;

·      When sugar is consumed in large amounts it can result in insulin resistance (1) and it can also result in craving more food;

·      Inflammation in the body occurs with elevated blood sugar levels, and that happens with overconsumption of sugar;

·      Sugar can contribute to fat gain and metabolic issues over time.

“How Do I Even Know What Sugar Is In My Food?”

The term “sugar” refers to different compounds, which is where some of the confusion can sometimes start. We recognize the following as sugars: brown sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar or confectioner’s sugar. These are more straightforward when it comes to avoiding them because those labels make it clear that they are….well, sugar!

But lately, more attention has come to other forms of sugar that are bit less obvious. Those that have received a bit more attention include sugar labeled as high fructose corn syrup or rice syrup, among other variations. But the list doesn’t stop there.

Many times, a good rule of thumb is that ingredients in your food that end in “-ose” are going to be a form of sugar.  See the list below from the Whole 9 Life’s website on more than ten other names for sugar in your food, including:

·      Dextrose

·      Disaccharide

·      Fructose

·      Glucose

·      Galactose

·      Lactose

·      Maltodextrin

·      Maltose

·      Monosaccharide

·      Polysaccharide

·      Ribose

·      Saccharose

·      Sucrose (2)

(Taken directly from Whole 9 Life.)
 
When you see these on a food label, just know that sugar has in fact been added.

Sugar is Sugar

You don’t have to cut out all (added) sugar from your diet and set yourself up to fail.

If you don’t know where to start, try to cut back on beverages with added sugar. You can also look to control any sugar cravings by eating fruit.

When you have a nutrient-dense, whole foods diet, you don’t have to constantly worry about the (added) sugars in your food. Over time, your pallet will also adjust and you won’t need food to be quite so sweet. Ask us for more information so we can help you find a diet with low-glycemic index foods (where your blood sugar levels positively respond after consuming such foods) that can help you naturally avoid many added sugars.

Sources/References

1.     http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-2-5 

2. http://whole9life.com/2010/06/sugar-sugar-sugar/

How to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions

Are you looking to eat healthier, get more sleep, exercise more often, lose body fat, save more money, spend more time with family, quit smoking, travel more often, or get a new job in the New Year? 

These are a few of the most common New Year’s resolutions people take on each year. In fact, about 45 percent of us make some kind of resolution each year, according to a study at the University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology. Even if you aren’t starting 2016 with a resolution, you still may want to change your habits or your lifestyle so that you can live the life you want.

Creating New, Long-Lasting Habits to Improve your Life

We encourage this kind of optimism and efforts to create meaningful, positive change in your life. As a result, we’ve compiled 3 tips to help you find lasting behavior change for a more fruitful life.

Tip #1: Don’t rush goal-setting and be sure you know your process for change.

It’s easy to think of all the things we might want to change, but don’t forget the importance of giving consideration to what’s realistic and feasible with your new goal.

Ever heard of creating a SMART goal? Maybe you’ve heard of it at work or in school, but there is value in implementing a goal that is aligned with the SMART framework. You can also use any similar framework; the intention is to make sure your goals are supported by motivation, that they have meaning, and that they are measurable.

SMART goals include the following:

·      Specific: can you answer what you want to achieve in the area of your life you are looking to change?

·      Meaningful: can you say with confidence this is a meaningful goal to you?

·      Action-oriented: what are the steps you will take to achieve lasting change? Aim for a system or method you can repeat.

·      Realistic: is your goal feasible, and how do you know?

·      Timely: do you have a timeframe or specific time when you want to achieve your goal? When applicable, do you know how you can track your progress against this timeline? What feedback or metrics will help you know you have the right process in place?

Creating a SMART goal helps you create an action-oriented goal and plan. This helps bring clarity—near and long-term—to where you need to start, and where you want to be. Consider thinking of your goal in a bite-sized way: what can you do today so that in several months, this will be possible?

Sometimes this kind of mindset requires us to “reverse-engineer” our goal, where we start with our objective, and work back to where we are at present. Whatever plan you create, you want an understanding on the behaviors and the process needed to create that change.

Tip #2: Reflect on your successes and your failures...and then adjust accordingly.

When it comes to changing your daily habits, you can learn just as much from your successes as your ongoing barriers to positive habit formation.

For example, if your goal is to consistently exercise 3-4 times per week, notice what keeps you from achieving that habit (or that outcome). Of course, this takes a lot of honesty with yourself!

A bit of introspection might tell you that you don’t make it to the gym if you don’t go in the morning. That might suggest that you want to dedicate time in the morning to go to the gym.  In this example, you would also consider why you tend to neglect your workout schedule when you plan to workout after work. Do you just forget altogether? Are you tired after a long day at work? Is your favorite class not available after work? Said another way, consider why that “barrier” is ruining your good intentions.

Continuing with our example, we see that for many people, they have good intentions on going to the gym after work, but once they drive home, they never seem to make it to the gym, as intended. But what if you were to bring your workout clothes to work and then head directly to the gym after work? This way, you would no longer be dependent on your mood once you drive home from work. You also eliminate other potential excuses or barriers (distraction, family, etc.) that might come your way if you don’t go straight to the gym from work.

By slightly changing your normal way of doing things, you might find you have more success and you eliminate temptations to act in ways that aren’t aligned with your goals. As this example shows, part of creating the habits you want is tweaking daily activities to avoid whatever “barriers” you have. Many times people think that only the most “disciplined” people can achieve goals and lasting change, but that’s just not true. Focus on the process, not just the end goal.

Tip #3: Share your goals with others.

Sometimes we like to think we can do things on our own, and we can even take a bit of pride in being self-sufficient. But most lasting change and new habit formation requires support and help from other people—whether that be from family members or friends or professionals that can help guide us. This feedback and reinforcement is crucial in creating new habits.

Ask yourself: will you share your objectives with others, and if so, who is best to share these goals with? Also consider whether telling other people will help you to really be “all in” with the change you want to see in yourself. If it will, then by all means, tell people so that you can be even further committed to your goals.

When we do share our goals with others, it can help us keep ourselves accountable. When we make sure others know our motivations and thought behind changing our lives for the better, other people can be more equipped to support us along the way. We know there will be obstacles and our enthusiasm towards meeting our goals may waver; it is how we set ourselves up to overcome those obstacles, and how we act after we have a setback that matters.

Create the Habits You Want—Not Just the Goals or Resolutions You Want

All of these tips recognize that goals can be a great place for us to start, but a serious plan with a proven process and a system for support help us once the newness of a resolution wears off.

The focus is on changing habits, including the environment that triggers so many of those habits.

We have this focus so that we can act in ways that are consistent with the habits that put us on the path to our goals. Changing ourselves for the better and resolving to grow ourselves is not something that has to happen at the beginning of the year. These tips are ways we can think and approach positive behavior change whenever we are ready and motivated to do so.

While you may be looking to create a new you in the new year, have you noticed some of the changes around CRC? We have a new website and a revamped Facebook page. We also have new service offerings that include physical therapy and Reiki. Be sure to ask us about how we can partner with you in the New Year to create a healthier life. Let us know if you are interested in coming in for chiropractic, massage, sports injury, nutrition counseling, Reiki & more. See our list of services here.

References/Further Reading

http://topachievement.com/smart.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2015/01/08/smart-goals-can-sometimes-be-dumb/

The Connection Between Posture, Your Neck & Your Health

No matter if you’ve come to us for relief care, corrective care or ongoing wellness care, you’ve heard us talk about your spinal health. In particular, one of the first things we tell our patients about is the health of their cervical curve.

Located in your neck area, the cervical curve is where the first seven vertebrae of your spine are located. A healthy cervical curve would resemble a “C” shape, but as we place stress on the body—both major stressors such as trauma to the neck and incremental stressors—we can lose this optimal and natural curve.

Across the spectrum of neck curvatures, we see the following:

·      Lordotic: This state is the “C” shaped curvature that is your natural, desired and healthy curvature in the neck, which is about 42 degrees when standing upright.

·      Hypolordotic or Alordotic: This state is where you have a decreased curve or no curve, as reflected in an X-ray.

·      Reverse Curve or Kyphotic: This state is when the neck is curving in the opposite direction of your natural and intended curvature.

·      “S” Curve: Having an “S” curve means your spine has both a lordotic and kyphotic curve.

Our Natural Neck Curve: Holding & Transferring Stress Throughout the Body

Your neck has a “C” shaped curve so that it can absorb and manage forces we experience throughout the day. In a healthy spine, we’re able to efficiently reduce the stress that is placed on our spinal joints on a daily basis.

For people without a lordotic curve, they often experience headaches or migraines. That’s in part because when we lose our ideal shape in our neck it can result in increased stress in the neck, upper back and head. The natural curve in your neck is what allows for “shock absorption” to reduce the stress to those areas. 

The discs can also begin to lose their overall integrity, wear out or degenerate quicker. They are not able to receive as much nutrition from our blood, which keeps them healthy, and in turn they become more susceptible to injuries. Holding an increased amount of weight, our discs can then get worn out, dehydrated, and injured more easily, increasing the odds of a bulge or herniation.  

At the same time, the Central Nervous System, as it runs through the spinal column, gets pulled and stretched in ways that also cause pain. This can cause pain to radiate or travel into the arms or legs and other areas. The good news is that through corrective treatments, including chiropractic, and improving our posture, we can work to restore an optimal curve in our neck.

What Can You Do To Restore a Healthy Curve in Your Neck?

Now that you are ready to start being more mindful of your posture, here are a few of the top ways to improve or maintain your posture:

1. If you haven’t already, visit your chiropractor for an exam and possible X-ray to discover the current health of your spine. Dr. Bradford will walk you through an approach that can examine your spine, your nervous system, and other major factors of your health to identify, correct, improve—or maintain—your overall health.

We like to point out that not all our patients are experiencing pain or health ailments when they visit us; in fact, many come because they want to maintain wellness, improve performance and longevity and continue to encourage habits that help them reduce the likelihood of injury.

2. Take time out to examine your posture throughout the day. Examine your posture while standing, sitting, driving and even evaluate your posture when you sleep.

3. Don’t forget to stay hydrated. When focusing on improving posture, don’t forget about water or other nutrient-packed sources of hydration. Part of the big picture is that your body does require water to maintain soft tissue elasticity and the optimal amount of fluid in your joints.

4. Consider replacing or adjusting how you wear your purse. If your bag is heavy (say, more than 10 pounds for the average person), it can add unnecessary stress to your body, and it can also cause your spine to curve over time. If you wear a purse or bag on the same shoulder each day, your body may be elevating that shoulder to compensate as it carries your bag. Over time this can lead to asymmetry in your posture. At the very least, aim to make your purse less heavy, and switch sides if you can’t avoid using a single-strap purse.

5. Check for proper posture when standing by taking advantage of a mirror. In front of your mirror, face your body sideways and see how it feels to have your ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles aligned. Ensure your shoulders are not rounded and your back is not arched. Consider starting each day this way to serve as a bit of a benchmark to remind yourself of what it feels like to have proper posture when you stand.

6. Ask your Chiropractor to give you feedback on your sleep posture. It’s not ideal to sleep on your stomach, so try to avoid doing so for the health of your neck and back. Talk to us about your particular sleep position(s) so we can evaluate how this is affecting your posture. 

Maintaining Proper Posture Is Not Easy!

Working on having proper posture is an ongoing effort. Schedule an appointment with us today if you’d like to learn more about what you can do to improve the health of your spine, including how we can help you setup your workspace to be ergonomically optimized.