"I'm too stressed!"

If you have ever felt this way, here are three scientifically proven ways to decrease stress before the holidays.





1. Eat Right
Stress levels and a proper diet are related closer than you might think. Unfortunately, it’s when we have the most work that we forget to eat well and resort to eating sugary, fatty snack foods as a pick-me-up especially when they are readily available during the holidays. Try to avoid the easy cookie on the tray and plan ahead. I like to carry a container of almonds in my car. Fruits and vegetables are always good, and fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the symptoms of stress. A tuna sandwich anyone?

2. Exercise (Even for 60 seconds!)
Exercise doesn't necessarily mean power lifting at the gym or training for a marathon. A short walk around the office or simply standing up to stretch during a break at work can offer immediate relief in a stressful situation. Physical activity pumps up your feel-good endorphins and other natural neural chemicals that enhance your sense of well-being. Exercise also refocuses your mind on your body's movements, improving your mood and helping the day's irritations fade away. Consider walking, jogging, gardening, housecleaning, biking, swimming, weightlifting or anything else that gets you active. My 60 second exercise is sometimes a quick set of pushups or wrestling with my boys on the floor after work.

3. Count Your Blessings
There are many studies showing the benefits gratitude and happiness. They are definitely correlated. Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to count your blessings. In our house this year we made a "Thankful Tree." Instead of the leaves falling off the tree we are putting them up. Every day we add a leaf with something we are grateful for.

Some thankful leaves that made the tree this year include: Squirrels, trees, chiropractic, my bed, family, cars, mail, pjs, music, church, Jesus, toilet paper, computers, yummy food, eggs, BYU football/rugby, hugs, shoes, Christmas trees, water, trains, bikes, flowers, exercise, snakes, and sunshine.

One more thing I'm thankful for is our PATIENTS!

We have the BEST patients. They voted us best chiropractic practice in the New Smyrna/Edgewater area so I guess the feeling is mutual. They are always willing to share their positive experiences and share chiropractic with their friends.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

How is your hygiene? I recently went to the dentist for a teeth cleaning and check up. No cavities, yay! The dental hygienist said that I have healthy gums and teeth (she also said I have a nice smile, but I think they say that to everyone). So, what's the difference between no cavities and hippo man pictured above? Easy answer, brush and floss everyday.

As I was getting my teeth cleaned the parallels between dental hygiene and spinal hygiene were too large to ignore. Avoid cavities (pain/back surgeries) by brushing and flossing (moving/stretching) and getting regular check ups and cleaning (chiropractic adjustments).

    The difference between  a healthy back and one that suffers from pain is in the day to day care of the spine. If you are in pain or know someone in pain, the good news is that there is help! We focus on getting people out of pain and teaching proper spinal hygiene to keep the pain away.
  
     Our bodies are designed to move and be pain free. Everyone deserves to enjoy life. If a joint or muscle is hurting, it is because something is not right with the alignment of the joints or muscles. The first thing we do with new patients is check the posture. This gives us clues on where the real problem is coming from. Once corrected, the pain goes away!

Call today to get your alignment checked and prevent pain!

I have a terrible weakness. I love chocolate. I have a hard time saying no to chocolate. I try to justify my guilt by finding research about the health benefits of chocolate. click here  

I know I shouldn't eat the amount of chocolate I do. Fortunately I've found a substitute that will change me forever. Raw brownies! I have to give credit to my friend Aaron who introduced me a couple weeks ago. I've been hooked ever since. If you google "raw brownie recipes" there are a bunch and I'm still experimenting with which I like best.

The best way to improve our health is through small changes that will last. Starting a diet does no good if you don't stick with it. Make lasting changes by changing small habits. I eat healthier brownies now. Small change, but it will have a lasting impact on me and my family. Drinking more water is another simple change we can all apply to our lives. Drinking more water has incredible health benefits. Click here to see some.  How do you make those changes?

One step at a time. Here are some more tips to help with your healthy habit changes. What will you change to improve your health? Exercise? Diet? Mental stress? You decide!

__
ob·sta·cle/ˈäbstəkəl/Noun:A thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress.

    Saturday was a day of overcoming obstacles. I participated in a "mud run" with my brother and a friend currently in chiropractic school. This mud run was about 4 miles and filled with obstacles like climbing over an 8 foot wall, 20 foot drops into a lake, monkey bars over mud pits, crawling through mud under barb wire, and lots of other creative fun ideas the race directors came up with. Each obstacle was a challenge to overcome. At the finish line I was tired, but the feeling of accomplishment was great. Why would running through cow pastures and overcoming obstacles (the race is called FL Running Obstacle Course) feel so great?

    It feels great because it was difficult. Most things in life are difficult. It feels so GOOD when we accomplish them!

Every calamity is to be overcome by endurance.
- Virgil

    This quote refers to the patience often necessary to reach those goals. With most patients in the office we start out with goals to decrease pain, improve function, and achieve optimum wellness. It doesn't happen overnight. When it does happen, we celebrate.

    We are here to help you overcome your obstacles andachieve your goals, whatever they are. Here is a link to a great article on how chiropractic can help with weight loss goals.

p.s. On a side note I did pretty good finishing 5th overall in the race and first in my age group!