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Fitness

Why Posture Matters

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Did you know that your posture today can determine your future success in business, your day-to-day energy levels and how fast you age? Over the course of life, many of us can recall receiving posture reminders such as these:

A parent or grandparent admonishes, “Raise your chin up and quit slouching!”
A teacher demands, “Sit up straight in your chair!”
A drill sergeant commands, “Hold your shoulders back and chest out!”
A dance instructor reminds, “Find your center!”Since most adults no longer have someone nearby to dole out daily reminders, how does following – or not following – the instructions we grew up hearing early in life affect us in the coming years?

Success in the Business World

Harvard Business School recently distributed an article entitled, “The Power of Posture” stating that your stance, broadly speaking, signals to the world how energetic, confident, and powerful you are. Slumped shoulders, a slow pace, and a sagging belly are taken by the world to mean that you lack confidence, that you don’t have much energy, and that you are probably less important, successful, and powerful as a result. These impressions may be neither accurate nor fair, but they are the inevitable results of the fleeting impressions. Prior to your next meeting, take a couple of minutes to “power pose” by standing with your feet apart, hands on your hips, and breathe deep while you visualize a successful outcome to the meeting.

Depression and Energy

In the journal Biofeedback, a study found that simply choosing to alter body posture to a more upright position can improve mood and energy levels. The subjects walked down a hallway in a slouched position and then skipped down the hallway.

The whole group reported slouched walking decreased energy levels while skipping increased energy. The participants were also asked to rate their general depression levels. Those generally more depressed noted far lower energy levels after slouched walking than those who were generally not experiencing depression.

Rather than slouching, consciously bringing yourself upright can relieve dis-ease, low mood, and increase energy throughout the day. Try the 50/10 rule if you sit a lot at work. For every 50 minutes you sit, get up and move around for 10 minutes. Walk the halls with a colleague while discussing a project, take the stairs outside for a quick breath of fresh air or stand up and stretch while completing your calls at your desk.

Aging and Independence

Did you know that your posture can predict your future risk of disability? According to a Japanese study just published in Journals of Gerontology Series A the shape of a person’s spinal column may be an indicator of their need for home assistance later in life. If you knew you could do something now to change things down the road, would you do it? No one wants to require help with bathing, feeding, dressing, going to the bathroom and other simple activities of daily living later in life.

To check your posture or the posture of a loved one, schedule an appointment for a chiropractic examination today or contact our office and request a Posture Test form. It’s time to get your spine and nervous system checked for spine and nervous system imbalances whether you feel them or not.

The evidence is clear: If you want to live an active, healthy, long life, your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle, you’ve got to have a healthy spine and nervous system. Place your success, energy and independence at the top of your list by making your posture a high priority.

Cool and Crazy Crossfitters

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The cool and crazy CrossFit community continues to grow as so do the number of people wondering what the buzz is all about. So, if you’re wondering why all the craze, or you find yourself wondering what exactly is CrossFit, then look no further. We have your answers here!

What Makes CrossFit Cool?

The CrossFit.com website defines CrossFit as, “constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity.” All CrossFit workouts are based on functional movements that incorporate movements you’ll likely need to do in some capacity through every phase of life, like squatting, dead-lifting, gymnastics movements and more.

It has become all the craze in recent years as people have realized that being able to move functionally is a key component to putting off the nursing home. The high intensity portion of CrossFit is designed to give you cardiovascular endurance, increased strength, and a more supportive structure.

What Makes CrossFit Crazy?

CrossFit has an unprecedented culture that unifies people within their gyms creating an almost family-like atmosphere. As an example, the premier gym in Dana Point, CA, CrossFit Dana Point, has a rock-solid group of about 100 members who share not only workouts together, but also birthdays, cookouts and other celebrations.

Coach Zak Kepner, owner and head coach of CrossFit Dana Point, CA says, “Our ultimate goal is to bring fitness to people, [but] our first and ongoing priority is to build relationships. Healthy relationships lead to trust, trust leads to commitment, and commitment gets results.”

The CrossFit environment is not only constantly varied, but it is also constantly, very uplifting. Everyone cheers for everyone during workouts and it’s the only place that I know of where the person finishing workouts last has the loudest cheering section. This type of encouragement during a workout, regardless of your skill or fitness level, is truly unparalleled anywhere else in any other gym.

The coolest part?

“CrossFit gyms across the globe have this same comradery and family atmosphere.”
Many CrossFit gyms offer something for anyone of any age and some have members well into their 50s. They even offer CrossFit Kids classes, which teach proper movement patterns and encourage healthy activity from an early age in a safe environment.

Alright, I’ve Started CrossFit, How Can I Optimize My Performance?

CrossFit gyms offer a structured nutritional program to enhance results and teach healthy eating and lifestyle habits. This program will help you focus on fueling your body properly so that you have the energy to perform both in the gym, while spending time with loved ones, and while at work producing results.

In addition to exercise and diet, keeping your nervous system clear from interference is a safe bet to keep you moving and recovering properly. When you eat a healthy diet, your nervous system coordinates the digestion and absorption of nutrients into your blood stream, building every cell in your body healthy and strong. The nervous system controls how your body recovers after a workout, and how well your body absorbs those healthy nutrients; a healthy nervous system is essential so that these nutrients are available for better workouts and recovery post-workout.

Having an optimized nervous system allows for better coordination, better balance, and more strength – increasing your potential to set PR’s (Personal Records) time and time again. Optimizing your body’s nervous system with Chiropractic Lifestyle Care at the core of your already healthy lifestyle is of utmost importance.

Schedule an appointment for your family today.

Contributed by Dr. Daniel Kimbley, 100 Year Lifestyle Affiliate Doctor in Dana Point, California

Getting your ESS in Shape

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Getting your ESS in Shape is important for your health, quality of life and longevity, so get moving.

Regular exercise is an important part of self-care and nobody can do it for you. Exercise keeps our minds and bodies healthy. You can do this at any level and any age to make the fitness part of self-care fun and exciting. If you are not currently exercising, are you waiting to be forced into it by a crisis? If you are already exercising, take it to the next level and Get Your ESS in Shape. Your ESS is made up of your: Endurance, Strength, Structure.

Endurance = Longevity

Life is a marathon one sprint at a time. Based on your current habits and health, would you trust your body to take you on a long-distance trek in an emergency? If you had to count on your body to save a loved one, would you be able to? If you had to run away to escape danger, could you? Your endurance is important for all these activities, and it is important for longevity.

If you have good endurance, you will enjoy a great sense of stamina and activity now and while you age. Your energy will be high and you will feel like doing things. You will not be left home alone while your partner goes off to experience the world. You can increase your stamina through cardiovascular, aerobic, exercise that strengthens your heart, burns calories, and increases your energy. Running, cycling, swimming, and power walking are just a few examples of types of exercise that will increase your endurance.

Endurance training is very important to keep your heart and lungs healthy, eliminate stress, and strengthen your immune system. Always exercise with a heart monitor to maximize your results and achieve your goals, while also ensuring that you exercise safely within the normal ranges for your age.

Strength = Independence

Strength training is also important for healthy aging because you are going to want and need strong muscles to keep you confident and maintain your independence as you age. We’ve all seen an older person struggle to get out of a chair. If you have good strength, you are more likely to remain self-sufficient and independent. Strength training can be done through weights, yoga, and Pilates. When you set goals for strength training and continually strive to achieve them, you will be excited to see that your strength can increase as you age. Your muscles can stay strong and defined. The sagging skin and muscles often come from not keeping your body toned through strength-training exercise.

If you are already an experienced strength trainer and have a routine, shake it up a little bit. Try increasing your weight by 10 percent to 20 percent. Get somebody to spot you if necessary and try to squeeze out a few more reps. Vary your exercises on each body part. Personal Trainers and many of the neighborhood fitness centers and chains, like CrossFit, have become extremely popular because they set up your routines and vary them for you. Work out with a partner and challenge each other. You will begin to see a better result. Always maintain good posture when you strength train to ensure that your form is good and your spine stays healthy during your training.

Structure = Activity

In countries where longevity is much higher than the U.S., good posture and a healthy spine are a very high priority. Your structure includes your body shape and physical frame. Keeping your structure aligned and balanced will keep you looking good and help to prevent injuries while you exercise. This will also help insure that your nervous system stays healthy whick will keep you healthier on every level.

How is your structure now? Have you measured yourself lately and set goals for your structure so that it is in the shape you desire over your lifetime? You can measure your structure with your eyes at first and decide how you want to change your shape, or get a tape measure and record your specific measurements. This will give you a starting point for goals that you want to set.

Another important way to evaluate your structure is through a posture test. Stand in front of a full length mirror with your eyes closed. March in place for five seconds, stop, hold still and open your eyes. Is your head tilted to one side? Are your shoulders and hips level? Are your feet straight, turned in or pointed out? Are you hunchback or swayback?

If you are unbalanced, you will be putting unnecessary strain on your structure, spine and nervous system when you exercise and run the risk of injury to your structure and nervous system. Don’t wait for a crisis to force you to take action. Now is the time for a chiropractic checkup.You are way overdue for a chiropractic check-up.

Take it to the highest level: Neurology and Nutrition

Neurology = Function – Nutrition = Fuel

Neurology comes first! Your nervous system controls and coordinates all of your body functions including your muscles, organs and systems. You must have a healthy nervous system for your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe and your balance to be stable. This is why many of the top athletes and performers in the world utilize chiropractic care as a central part of their fitness program.

Your nutritional habits will fuel your life. Consuming a diet filled with organic fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, very low in sugar and processed foods, should be the way you eat as a lifestyle. Isn’t it time you get off the weight loss roller coaster, cleanse, and make healthy eating a daily habit? This will sustain you not just while getting into shape but will keep you healthier as you age.

We’ve all heard the expression “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” This is absolutely true with your fitness. It’s time to get your ESS in shape and live your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle.