Food That Will Replenish Your Energy
September 30, 2010
Photo Credit: slave2thetea
Have you been working on getting up out of your chair and becoming more active? Great job! Beyond standing up and moving, it’s important to make sure you’re giving your body food that will replenish your energy, too. Here are a few suggestions:
- Add more legumes to your diet. Foods such as black beans, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans are all great sources of non-animal protein.
- Eat as many dark green leafy veggies as possible. Kale, chard and spinach all can be juiced if you prefer.
- Chow down on wild salmon. It’s a great source of protein and, because it’s rich in omega 3s, it has anti-inflammatory properties, too!
Remember: Make sure to consume enough water. Forget the sugary beverages, our bodies love water best. A good guideline is take your body weight and divide in half- that’s how many ounces to consume every day.
What additional food do you eat to give your body the energy it needs?
Do YOU Need A Flu Shot?
September 28, 2010
It’s that time again, where flu shots are being encouraged for everyone.
Are There Healthier Ways To Protect Yourself?
When considering a medical procedure, I always ask two questions.
1. Is it effective?
According to Sheri Tenpenny, DO , vaccine researcher, “The fact that the flu shots are ineffective in every age group hardly seems to matter to those who continually promote their use. Multiple studies published in highly reputable publications have documented that flu shots are ineffective in all ages”
2. Does it do any harm?
Do you know what is in a flu shot? Mercury is in flu shots and is a potent neurotoxin that damages brain and nerve cells. The flu shot has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease by Hugh Fudenberg, MD, the world’s leading immunogeneticist. The flu shot is not completely tested, is does not save lives in the elderly and it can be dangerous to pregnant women. Reading the list of ingredients might be enough to turn you off entirely!
Are there benefits to illness?
Hippocrates, often referred to as the father of medicine, recognized the role illness plays in the bigger picture of health. He wrote “Diseases are crises of purification, of toxic elimination. Symptoms are the natural defenses of the body. we call them diseases but in fact they are the cure of diseases. ”
Researchers also found that those who had illnesses as a child ( fever, flu, colds) have less cancer as adults.* Another study discovered that “a history of common colds or…influenza…was associated with a decreased risk of stomach, colon, rectum and ovarian cancer.”**
Get informed, don’t let fear dictate your decisions. If you do come down with symptoms, drink plenty of fluids, rest and get checked by your chiropractor!
*Albonico HU, Braker HU, Husler J. Febrile Infectious childhood diseases in the history of cancer patients and matched controls. Medical Hypotheses. 1998;51(4):315-320.
**Abel U, Becker N, Angerer R et al. Common infections in the history of cancer patients and controls. Journal Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1991;117(4):339-344
Thanks to Dr. Tedd Koren for making this information available to all of us!
Men and Their Wallets
September 23, 2010
It’s true – guys’ wallets aren’t heavy like a woman’s purse can be. But did you know that something as small and light as a wallet can still create a degenerative change in the spine?
A lot of men carry their wallets in their back pocket, which is probably one of the worst places for it to be – especially when sitting! When you sit on a wallet for just a few hours it produces imbalance in the pelvis then the lower back. The body then tries to adapt which can affect the entire spine.
When we create imbalance from external stressors, our bodies start to incorporate that imbalance as normal posture. This produces imbalanced messages from body to brain and can cause premature degenerative change in the spine.
So how can you protect your spine? Carry your wallet in your front pocket, cargo pocket or jacket pocket. If you must carry it in your back pocket, make sure you take it out whenever you sit down.
Sharing A Couple of Favorites
September 21, 2010
Many of you have asked how to buy organic food in a cost effective way. In our household we use two online vendors that cover almost all of our needs!
Check it Out!
Azure Standard is an online food company carrying many organic foods in bulk. The company reduces their prices because they do not have a middle man grocery store to pay and you can buy many of the items you need in bulk! Please note that Azure also carries non-organic foods so you do have to look. You can order once a month and your order is shipped to a drop point in your area.
Frontier Co-Op is another source for many products- food and non-food items in bulk. You order directly from the site and it is shipped to you.
My goal is to only go to the grocery store once a month because it prevents my impulse buying of items I may not need and don’t want to consume.
Do you have any great companies that you can recommend? We are always looking for other great resources!
10 At-Work Sitting Tips
September 16, 2010
As we’ve said before, sitting all day isn’t good for your body. Unfortunately spending 8 hours at a desk has become an expected part of work for most adults, though. What can you do to help? Here are 10 at-work sitting tips that can help:
- 50/10 Rule. Don’t sit for more than 50 minutes. Set a timer and take ten when it rings.
- Take your lunch break. Get up and go somewhere – even if you bring your food from home.
- Go mobile. Attach a portable unit to your stationary phone or use a cell phone.
- Hold meetings on the move. Meet clients on a hiking trail or outdoors.
- Put a lumbar pillow in your chair.
- Stand up and surf. Raise your work station or monitor so you can use your computer while standing.
- 90 degree rule. Your hips and knees should make 90 degree angles when you are sitting back in your chair. Usually you will have a fixed desk height so you may need to add a block under your feet if you are shorter.
- Support your arms. Use a chair with adjustable armrests. If this is not possible, move your keyboard into your lap so your arms can rest comfortably in your lap on the keyboard.
- Make sure your monitor is at eye level. Have a co-worker look at you from the side and confirm that you are not looking down at your monitor. Looking down all day will cause undue stress and strain on your neck.
- Make sure to drop your shoulders when you are sitting and remember to breathe! When stress hits, our shoulders come up to our ears and we breathe very shallowly. To reduce the effects of stress on our bodies, we need to be mindful of our breathing at all times.
Exercise Benefits Undone By Couch Potatoes?
September 14, 2010
Now it’s not enough to exercise regularly, you also have to stay off the couch! This recent study indicates that even if you get regular exercise, that those benefits may be undone by sitting more than 6 hours per day outside of work.
These effects are even more drastic in women.
“Several factors could explain the positive association between time spent sitting and higher all-cause death rates,” Alpa Patel, researcher at the American Cancer Society, said. “Prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.”
So ladies, this means get up out of your seats and do something….anything!!
What can you do today that will increase your quality of life today and for the future?
Is Your Purse Weighing You Down?
September 9, 2010
Photo Credit: Chelsea McNamara
Have you looked in your purse lately? For a lot of women, their purses turn into a giant black hole that they need to dig through to find their keys, phone, cash, etc. Sure, it’s nice to be prepared, but is your purse weighing you down? The problem with stuff accumulating is the weight factor – it’s not good for you!
Wearing a heavy purse creates uneven balance in your structural system. Adding extra weight to one side of your body increases wear and tear on that side and creates an overall imbalance, which the brain adopts as its “regular” posture over time.
Subluxations or misalignments occur because of these uneven stresses and nervous system irritation can develop. Pain is one sign that your nervous system is being compromised, but the nerves in the area of the body that connect the neck to the shoulders control and coordinate the function of the arms, heart and lungs as well.
So what can you do about this?
- Alternate shoulders that you carry your purse on every day.
- Dump your purse out every month and take out what you haven’t used in the last 30 days.
- Carry a small enough purse that you can only fit the essentials in and aren’t tempted to “fill up” with more stuff.
- Backpacks should weigh no more than 5% of your body weight- the SAME goes for purses!
Ladies, what other suggestions do you have for avoiding a heavy purse?
Back To School: Tips for Playground Safety
September 2, 2010
- Drink plenty of water. Even if it’s not hot out, it’s important kids get enough water – it helps with everyday bodily functions and keeps soft tissue more pliable and less prone to injury.
- Wear a hat outside. During recess and lunch, it’s good for kids to put a hat on to protect your head from the sun, even if it’s cloudy.
- Think about how you’re moving. Tell your kids to be careful not to twist their legs, arms, neck or back in any unnatural directions as they can potentially do long-term damage.
- If you’re doing something that hurts, stop. The phrase, “no pain, no gain” isn’t always true. Pain can be a good indicator that you’re doing something harmful to your body, which is something kids need to know, too!
- If you get hurt, tell an adult. Whether it’s a scrape or a bee sting, make sure your kids know to tell an adult if they get hurt.
Thank You Silicon Valley
