5 EASY WAYS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM

Metabolism refers to the rate at which your body burns calories. Your metabolic rate is your personal “calories-per-hour” number. Your metabolism is lowest while you sleep and highest during and right after vigorous exercise. Here are a few tips for raising your metabolism:

1. DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST

The morning meal jump starts your metabolism and helps to prevent bingeing later in the day. A cup of coffee does not count – the caffeine and added sugar may give you a bit of energy and suppress your appetite for a little while, but generally backfires causing severe hunger and overeating later in the day. Breakfast should include a source of protein, fruits and vegetables, some complex carbohydrates like whole grain (granola or oatmeal), along with a source of healthy fat (olive oil or nuts) to keep your energy levels even and hunger in check. Think that's too much volume? Try a green smoothie with protein powder and omega-3 supplements!

2. EAT MORE OFTEN

Get into the habit of eating every three to four hours or at least four times a day. Eating frequently stabilizes blood sugar. When blood sugar drops too low you want to eat…a lot. By keeping your blood sugar stable you can control your appetite and keep you metabolic rate high. When you go many hours without eating your body will compensate by slowing down your metabolism to conserve energy.

3. EAT PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL

Protein takes more energy and time to digest, and will leave you feeling full longer than eating carbohydrates alone. Research shows that eating more protein can help you lose weight without cutting calories. Try these protein possibilities: turkey on whole grain bread; hummus and pita; vegetarian bean chili; nut butter and veggies; or even biked eggs (6 grams of protein per egg). Avoid protein snack bars that are often loaded with unnecessary sugars.

4. HOLD OFF ON SNACKING

Many of us grab a snack for quick energy when we are feeling tired, but do not confuse true hunger with fatigue. If you are feeling tired go for a 15-20 minute brisk walk and stay hydrated with water. This will raise your heart rate and give you a boost of energy. If you are truly more hungry than tired, you may not be eating enough at your meals. Consider a protein snack like half a boiled egg or hummus and veggies.

5. CONSUME ENOUGH FOR YOUR BODY’S NEEDS

Eating too little slows your body’s metabolism the same way eating too infrequently does. If you want to lose weight, do not slash your calories. Instead, choose to eat an abundance of healthy foods and avoid things like soda, juice, packaged goods or candy. Processed foods tend to be high in fat and calories and low in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Also consider eating 3 servings of vegetables for every serving of fruit.

Although a healthy diet is one step towards a healthy metabolic rate, a healthy nervous system is even more important as it controls digestion, heart rate and the movement essential for a healthy body.

The Role of Antioxidants in Good Health

Everyone has heard about the importance of a balanced diet for maintaining good health. Similarly, everyone knows that they should be getting exercise - or at the very least adding more activity into their days. Getting a good night's sleep is essential - without it, you'll find that your immune system starts to slack off a bit and you put yourself at a greater risk for catching a cold or coming down with the flu.

We all know what we should be doing, but let's be honest: very few of us eat a balanced diet all of the time. Many of us make the choice to take the elevator rather than the stairs and we try to find a parking place that's as close as possible to our destination rather than taking the opportunity to walk a little further. We also tend to let stress, work, social gatherings and more interfere with the amount of sleep that we're able to get each night.

When we don't go the extra mile to take care of ourselves, and when our immune systems start to falter because of it, we may not feel it right away. Soon, sluggishness starts creeping in. This sluggishness not only slows us down, it also ages us prematurely.

Fortunately, there's something that we can do to counteract some of these effects. We can maintain our vigor and reduce the risk of disease simply by adding antioxidants to our diet.

What are antioxidants? The simplest answer is that antioxidants are plant-derived compounds that help prevent and repair cellular damage. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium, lycopene and resveratrol are all examples of antioxidants that are found in fruits and vegetables. By making an effort to add antioxidants to our diet, we can slow the cellular damage that leads to disease.

Antioxidants are, in effect, sponges that soak up the free radicals in our systems. Excess free radicals are generated by the less healthy foods that we eat, alcohol that we drink, smoke that we're exposed, and stress that we endure.

Free radicals damage our DNA and other cellular structures at the molecular level. Antioxidants roam around the body inactivating the free radicals and also assisting in damage repair. Damage that isn’t repaired can cause a cell to die, malfunction or replicate uncontrollably (such as in a tumor).

You can fight back against free radicals by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

Sleeping On Your Stomach!

Research shows that sleeping on your stomach has numerous health benefits. Sleeping on your stomach causes you to slightly extend your neck, supporting the natural curves in your spine and opening the air passages. This is a great position for individuals who have snoring or breathing problems or for those who have a difficult time getting a restful sleep at night.

Sleeping on your back tends to flex your neck forward and places undue stress on your spine and airways. Research indicates back sleepers have a higher incidence of snoring, sleep apnea and cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes.

A chiropractic doctor can evaluate your nerve system and may order x-rays to determine if there are any signs of stress on the spine. We may also educate you on correct sleeping positions and supports as well as provide specific, gentle adjustments to help you restore proper function of the spinal joints. Alleviating nerve stress in the neck can enhance communication from the brain to the muscles of the neck and upper extremities, the throat structures including the thyroid and parathyroid glands, your heart and your digestive organs, to name only a few. Since the neck also contains nerves responsible for calming your stress, chiropractic care may help with insomnia challenges and lowering your blood pressure as well.

Healthy individuals do not need to use pillows unless they sleep on their side. A common mistake for side sleepers is to use a pillow that is not tailored to support their spine. Check your pillow – when you sleep on your side, is your neck tilted up or down? Side sleepers need to support their neck so their spine lies like a straight line from their neck to their lower back. Putting a pillow between your knees will also help maintain proper side posture when you sleep.

If you currently sleep on your back, make sure your neck is extended back so your chin and forehead are parallel to the ceiling. Often people do not use their orthopedic pillows correctly and sleep with their neck in a flexed posture. Adjust your pillow and seek professional advice for custom fitting and positioning. The solution need not be expensive; sometimes a rolled towel is all you may need.

If your child uses a pillow, transition them to sleep on their side with a very flat pillow that offers good neck support.

If you are unsure about your family’s specific needs, contact us for a no charge sleeping consultation.

Backpack Safety Tips

1. Choose a carrier that is right for your child. Backpacks must be worn over both shoulders otherwise it’s best to consider getting an alternative bag. Satchels can be worn with the strap crossing over the head and shoulder to distribute the weight across the body and not just on one side. Some backpacks can be wheeled about like luggage, the best option when you need to carry heavy loads.
2. Adjust shoulder straps to avoid compressing the delicate nerves and blood vessels that pass to the arms. You should be able to slide two fingers easily in the armpit areas.
3. Rest the bottom of the backpack no lower than the hips so your child can maintain a healthy posture and not arch their head and body forward to balance the load.
4. Stabilize side-to-side movement by choosing a backpack with belts that can be fastened across the chest and/or waist.
5. Pack your backpack so the heaviest items sit closest to the spine.
6. Find a friend to share your load. Take turns bringing texts home and do schoolwork together.
7. Use a small homework binder that will contain only essential information for your assignments instead of carrying all your materials home.
8. Complete assignments from heavy books before or after school or over lunch so you don’t carry these items home.
9. A full backpack should not weigh more than 10% of your child’s body weight (15% if over grade eight). Choose lightweight fabrics to further minimize loads on the spine.
10. Avoid twisting and lifting motions. Bend knees when lifting a backpack and rest it on a table so you can put it on properly.

Alarming facts about Cell Phones, TV’s & Computer Games!

Research shows alarming facts when it comes to the effects of cell phones, TV’s and computer games on the brain. The brain and spinal cord are so delicate they are the only structures in your body completely encased in bone. Every cell in the body relies on a direct link to the brain, healthy nutrition and stimulation. Cell phones, TV’s and computer games should be avoided as they interfere with healthy development of the brain and can cause health concerns such as attention and hyperactivity disorders, obesity and even cancer.

When it comes to cell phones, children and teens are more at risk since their brains are still developing. Teens on cell phones are five times more likely to get brain cancer by the time they reach their mid-twenties. A two-minute cell phone call can disrupt the electrical activity in a child’s brain for up to two hours! If you have a child who has trouble focusing and paying attention, look at the time they spend on their phones. Research shows American teens spend an average of 43+ hours using their cell phones. How much time does your family spend?

As for TV, there should be no TV for children under the age of two! Yes this goes for educational programs as well! Research shows that for every hour a preschooler spends watching TV, their risk of developing 
ADHD later in life increases by 10%. Children who watched TV for 4 hours or more a day have a higher ratio of body fat than those who watched 1-3 hours. Lowest body fat ratios were in kids who watched less than 1 hour of TV.

Your intelligent brain responds differently when playing sports on your WII versus really playing sports. Children playing computer games are on virtual autopilot and are unable to separate themselves from the game. They experience real life stress symptoms of increased heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature as if they are really part of the game. Watching violence reduces brain activity in the area that controls behaviour. Really, there is nothing healthy about computer games for children; general computer use should also be limited. Research shows there is no activity in the area of the brain responsible for planning, problem solving, short-term memory, behavior, socialization and altruistic behaviours, when playing computer games, no matter how complex. Again if you don’t use it, you risk losing it!

You may be thinking how do you undo history when it comes to your family’s exposure to these devices? First find comfort that no matter your age, you can always improve your brain! Anything that challenges balance and improves posture is a key in improving brain health. Eat well, sleep well, get regular spinal check ups and create opportunities to be outside with the family.

Also don’t look at making changes as taking “drastic measures,” Find ways to minimize exposure, Consider keeping cell phones off and set regular times in the day to turn them on to make quick calls when land lines are not available. Be responsible with social media, it’s easy to get out of control! Forward your phone and media messages to email so you reduce the number of devices you rely on. Limit your time on devices, whether for work, school or play, and bank unused time as currency towards bigger rewards. Get yourself checked to see if you need to invest in electromagnetic protective devices, although many may benefit, not everyone needs them!

Stimulating brain activity in appropriate areas is the key to nurturing healthy brains and raising smarter kids. I challenge every family to have a 48 hour electronic cleanse once a month - for health’s sake!

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Adapting to Stress

Our ability to adapt to stress is a good measure of how healthy we really are!

Physical stresses can result from injuries like heavy lifting and motor vehicle accidents, improper walking and even poor posture such as from slouching at your computer! Nutritional stresses result from poor eating habits, pesticides, toxins and even eating vitamins you don't need. Emotional stresses might be the result of a bad relationship, being dissatisfied with the direction your life is taking, or even from grieving the loss of a loved one.

When physical, nutritional or emotional stress impacts your nervous system, it can effect how well your brain controls your body. Symptoms of low energy, chronic/recurrent pain, hormonal imbalances, body fat, poor digestion, anxiety and even poor sleep are just a few signs that there may be a problem in the brain-body communication system and in the body's ability to adapt.

Obtaining a correct diagnosis of the underlying cause of your stress is the first step in fixing communications. Removing the barriers to your healing is the next step in enabling all the parts of your body to work at their 
best!