Ways To Ease Your Holiday Shopping
We’ve reached that time of year again, time to shop for the holidays!
What does this have to do with chiropractic care? Holiday shopping and preparation is practically an athletic event. The walking, lifting, stress, crowds, standing in long lines, carrying, and driving can require some thought and planning to help you avoid accidents and injuries.
If you have existing back or neck pain, it’s important to pay special attention to your body so you aren’t making matters worse.
I’ve put together a short and practical list of ways to avoid injuries, but this isn’t to replace your Chiropractic visits!
Eat Something Nutritious
Every day you should start with a high protein breakfast. Eggs, beans, lean meat, and green vegetables should do the trick. Packing snacks to go will help you avoid grabbing quick, unhealthy snacks while you’re out.
If you’re spending an entire day shopping, pre-planning a restaurant meal is a great idea. Look through menu’s online, make a reservation, and be prepared to have a relaxing and healthy dinner.
And remember the WATER! Remain hydrated throughout the day to prevent dehydration and headaches.
Take Breaks
You will prevent straining your muscles when you take regular breaks to restore your energy. Doing some quick seated or standing stretches while you take a break is a great use of your time as well.
The Purse
If you are a purse carrier, leave the heavy items at home. We all know that the bigger the purse, the more items you find to put in it. Remove all of the unnecessary items, or leave the purse at home and walk with your methods of payment and your phone.
Arrange for Help
Heavy lifting can cause damage to your back and legs. If possible, arrange for someone to help you at least remove your purchases from your car when you arrive home.
If purchasing large or heavy items, take advantage of a carry out service that will allow someone to help you to your car.
In the interim, take your bags to your car and leave them in the trunk to avoid carrying too much weight throughout the mall.
Wear Comfortable Shoes
Just like with a workout, make sure you have comfortable and breathable shoes on. You can easily develop blisters or foot pain with ill fitting shoes or shoes with heels. Preparation will prevent pain or discomfort which can ruin an otherwise good shopping experience.
Buy Online
Online shopping has become incredibly convenient. Many of your favourite stores has online sales leading up to the holidays, and will honour holiday purchase returns and exchanges the same way they are in store.
Imagine, shopping from your warm living room and having your purchases delivered to your door?
Online shopping has become the number one choice in shopping experiences, so unless the mall or in-store purchases are your happy place, you can simply shop from home.
Visit Us Ahead of Time
Before you make your trek to the mall, schedule an appointment with us. We can not only ensure you’re in alignment, but can offer specific advice to you about compensatory postures, muscle stress, and inflammation.
5 Myths of Chiropractic Care
Although you can find a Chiropractor in most communities, there are a number of those who question the validity of Chiropractic care simply because they are unsure of the role they can play in their health care. As valued health care practitioners, your health and wellness is the primary goal of their practice.
The Myths
This is in part because of common myths that float around, and here we will discuss the 5 common reasons people question Chiropractors:
- Chiropractors are not ‘real’ doctors. In fact, Chiropractors are regulated throughout North America and many countries overseas, and can use the title ‘Doctor’ after they have completed the Doctor of Chiropractic degree program. These particular practitioners are able to provide a diagnosis for their patients before moving on to a treatment plan.
- Chiropractors can only treat back pain. Chiropractors are neuro-musculoskeletal experts who are trained in assessing, diagnosing, treating, and preventing biomechanical issues that originate from the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. Chiropractors are also able to provide you with lifestyle counselling surrounding fitness, nutrition, and ergonomics that are all useful tools used to manage or prevent a variety of health conditions. This will allow you to create and maintain a well rounded lifestyle. In fact a recent study showed how Chiropractic adjustments can reduce pain and thus reduce drug addictions.
- Adjustments are painful. Generally speaking, spinal adjustments do not hurt. Contrary to what people believe about the cracking or popping sounds you may hear during adjustments, this sound is actually a result of the release of gas bubbles from your joints – which is similar to cracking your knuckles.
- Once you see a Chiropractor, you’ll have to keep going back. This is not true. Your Chiropractor will perform an assessment which includes a history and a physical examination to determine the cause of your pain before creating a treatment plan. In collaboration with you: the patient, your needs and goals will be established. Depending on your condition, this plan could recommend several visits – or not. It all depends on what your diagnosis is in relation to your treatment plan. Ultimately, the decision to continue with care is always yours.
- A medical doctor must refer you to a Chiropractor. This is another myth, because a Chiropractor is a primary care doctor you can access them directly. Your Chiropractor will perform a comprehensive assessment to determine a diagnosis and treatment plan.
Ask Questions
It is important to ask questions about your health and treatment options, but it is equally as important to find real answers to your questions before moving forward with an injury or chronic pain. You are considered a partner in your care, and my main focus is to holistically lead you to a pain free life with optimal mobility.
Some people will even argue the validity of the work that Chiropractors do. There is an abundance of research supporting Chiropractic methods for pain relief and alignment. The studies and results speak for themselves – leading millions of people to live a better quality of life.
If you have more questions, contact us and we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Travel Tips For Long Trips
If you are like me, you love to travel. But there are precautions that need to be taken or you could find yourself sore, in pain, or cramping when you should be enjoying your time away from home. The long hours spent in a car or on an airplane can be problematic for most people, and the seated positions you are forced to remain in can restrict blood flow, causing a build up of pressure in your lower legs. The solution? Getting up and moving.
Warming Up And Cooling Down Matter
Walking through an airport is an adequate warm up, but if you are travelling by car, it’s important to ensure you are at least putting in a good walk before starting your trip. When making pit stops, park further away in the parking lot so you’ll have a longer walk to get to the washroom or food stop. Try your best to avoid salty foods or sweet drinks, and drink water! If you are on a plane, get up when you can to stretch out your legs and walk a little if you can.
Again, the cool down in an airport will consist of all the walking you’ll do. But if you have driven a long distance, walking around for a few minutes will get your blood flowing.
Travelling by Car
- Do your best to sit close enough to the steering wheel so you can keep your knees higher than your hips.
- Roll your shoulders back and forth to keep you from creating too much tension in your shoulders and upper back.
- Don’t death grip the steering wheel. White knuckling your drive can cause hand cramps and fatigue in your forearms. Keep your grip loose.
- Use back support by adjusting your seat, or using a seat cover that allows your spine to rest at a natural angle.
Travelling by Plane
- Be careful when lifting over head bags. Don’t twist your back, instead ensure you are standing directly in front of the compartment before lifting.
- While seated, move around and adjust the way you are sitting to allow more adequate blood flow to your lower extremities and to avoid cramping.
- Use a rolled up blanket or pillow to tuck in the small of your back to prevent strain on your spine. Use a comfortable neck pillow to avoid a cramp in your neck if you fall asleep.
- Get up to use the washroom a few times, it will give you an excuse to move and get your blood circulating.
- Do your best to stretch out your legs and roll your ankles while seated.
Be Prepared
Long trips can be stressful, but if you are prepared the travelling piece can be quite enjoyable. Discomfort and cramping can be prevented with these few easy steps, leaving you the space to enjoy a movie, a book, or a scenic drive.
Ensure you have packs healthy snacks so you aren’t tempted to purchase and consume fast foods or salty convenience snacks. Too much salt can leave you dehydrated, which will make those cramps inevitable. Have water instead of juice or soda, and make sure you are taking those bathroom breaks!
Schedule a Visit for a Spinal Check
Coming and seeing us before a long trip can help ensure your spine is ready for the trip. We will also be able to offer you tips or exercises specific to your body’s needs as well.
When you return from a long trip, we suggest to stop by for another check to ensure the trip, sleeping in different beds and the change in schedule didn’t create any new problems.
Have an amazing trip!