Archive for healthy lifestyle
Here's another blog on exercise, my favorite topic as a Santa Barbara Chiropractor other than talking about the benefits of chiropractic treatment. And, if you've read my other blogs on exercise, you know I'm a big believe in "move it or lose it." But, if you've read the entire content of most of my blogs, you also know that I believe that exercise is just part of a healthy lifestyle. An essential part, to be sure, but eating nutritious meals, drinking plenty of water, and visiting your chiropractor (that last one may be slightly biased), along with giving up unhealthy habits like smoking, are crucial not only for maintaining good health, but in keeping body weight in check. That's why I wasn't surprised by the latest government data that indicated that more Americans are exercising, but rates of obesity and smoking have not changed.
Health experts, such as chiropractors, and the U.S. government all recommend getting daily exercise — about an hour a day of moderate exercise for most adults — to keep weight off and prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Plus, we chiropractors are well aware that keeping weight off not only helps to prevent the diseases just mentioned, but it also helps to slow down, and often prevent, arthritis and stress injuries of the musculoskeletal system caused by excess weight.
But, excess weight is not only caused by, and sustained through, lack of exercise. Here are some more "fun facts" from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics:
- The prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over has increased from 19.4 percent in 1997 to 28 percent in 2009.
- In 2009, 9 percent of adults 18 and over had diabetes, up from 8.2 percent in 2008 and 5 percent in 1997.
- 20.6 percent of adults smoked, about the same as in 2008.
- Nearly 23 percent of adults had at least one day of binge drinking in 2009, defined as having five or more drinks in a day.
- Most Americans believe they are healthy. More than 66 percent said they had excellent or very good health, down from 68.5 percent in 2008. 2.4 percent said they had poor health.
- Just over 4 percent of all Americans said they had an asthma attack in the past year
There are no shortcuts and no way to get around it: Good health and vibrant wellness is created and maintained through an overall healthy lifestyle.
Technorati Tags: healthy lifestyle, Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
First of all, if you are someone who reads my Santa Barbara chiropractic blogs, you know that as your Santa Barbara Chiropractor I am a passionate advocate of living a healthy lifestyle that, as I’ve written so many times, includes a healthy diet, good hydration, plenty of exercise and, of course, regular chiropractic care! In addition, I’m sure that if you are someone who is already concerned about your health, you don’t get your diet and nutrition guidelines from watching television. We all know that most TV advertisements that are about food, especially “convenience” food, are meant to sell, sell, sell, whether or not the product is actually good for you. That said, it always nice to take a moment to reflect on just how “unhealthy” TV ads can be. So, I read with great interest an article today in the New York Times Fitness and Nutrition section on the subject. The article detailed a study that concluded that if Americans ate only foods advertised on TV, they would consume 25 times the recommended amount of sugar and 20 times the amount of fat they need, but less than half the dairy, fiber, and fruits and vegetables.Yikes! Those statistics even shocked me!
Taping 28 days of prime-time TV (as well as Saturday-morning programming) on the four major broadcast networks, researchers identified 800 foods promoted in 3,000 ads. Then, using a nutritional software program, they analyzed the content of the items, comparing the foods’ nutritional values with the government’s food guide pyramid and recommended daily intake values for various nutrients (based on a 2,000 calories per day diet).
Are you ready for this? Not only would a 2,000-calorie diet made up solely of foods from commercials provide too much cholesterol, saturated fat and salt, and not nearly enough nutrients like iron, calcium or vitamins A, D and E, just one advertised food item by itself would provide, on average, three times a person’s daily recommended servings of sugar and two and half times the daily recommended servings of fat.
The study will be published this month in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Technorati Tags: health and fitness, healthy lifestyle, nutrition, Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
Here’s another research finding to file under “Duh, you think?” Recent scientific research found that junk food is addictive. Hey, mom, don’t blame your kid when he has a meltdown when his “fix” at McDonald’s is replaced by a nutritious home-cooked meal that includes (yikes!) vegetables! And, you dieters out there, stop beating yourself up when you find that no matter how many fresh fruits and vegetables you add to your diet, you still find yourself at a midnight In-N-Out Burger drive-thru. It’s an addiction, man!
The study found that eating junk food can actually change the chemistry in your brain. How? High-calorie foods affect your brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin, and can lead to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction. Plus, foods stripped of healthy nutrients, like junk food, make you more hungry because your body “thinks” you need more food when, in fact, what you really crave is more nutrients.
Chiropractors, like me, work with our patients to achieve overall
health through regular
chiropractic care, a nutritious diet, good hydration, and daily
exercise. If any one of these components is missing, your good health and longevity are at risk. See your chiropractor today. He or she can help you “kick” your junk food “addiction.”
For more on this study, go to
reuters.com.
Technorati Tags: food addiction, healthy lifestyle, junk food, Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
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Do you know that chiropractic therapy has been increasing in popularity for years and that it is continuing to increase yearly as the favored healthcare choice for many individuals? As a Santa Barbara Chiropractor, I am very excited that people are making a choice on chiropractic care due to the many added advantages that such therapy can provide. No other medical method is less invasive to the body and, at the same time, is able to promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself instead of masking symptoms with pills.
Let’s face it, wherever there’s a musculoskeletal structure, such as within the human body, there is the possibility of musculoskeletal dysfunction such as upper back pain and neck pain, pain in the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee joints, and ankle and foot pain. No one is immune from misalignment of the spine and joint inflammation, even though numerous health issues are often the effect of sports injuries, accidents, and the aging process. Regardless of the source, just about any type of movement on a traumatized area of the body can not just result in pain or suffering, but temporary disability. And, needless to say, certain musculoskeletal dilemmas, if left untreated, can lead to permanent disability.
It has been said of chiropractic treatment that its “many benefits surpass” merely correcting a specific problem. And, though fixing a particular condition is excellent, in point of fact, someone who comes in to see a chiropractor for lumbar pain, for instance, not only benefits from specific pain relief, but also enhanced circulation, a lowering or elimination of lactic acid, easier travel of oxygen and nutrients within the body, more flexibility, much less general pain and soreness, faster recovery time, a more tranquil feeling, and the reduction of future injuries! Is it any wonder why chiropractic care has become the treatment of choice for so many people?
In combination with offering expert musculoskeletal care, chiropractors also include education and counseling when it comes to improving your total health and wellness. Chiropractors are well aware that in order for you to become healthier and stay that way, it is important for you to decide on a natural, healthy way of life, including consuming plenty of water to keep the body hydrated, following a nutritiousl diet program, and creating a consistent stretching and exercise routine.
Chiropractic care doesn’t exactly work “miracles, ” but it can come pretty close in many areas that may possibly surprise you. For example, chiropractic care helps women that are pregnant give birth more easily. It can strengthen developmental abilities of babies, particularly increasing motor skills, and it can frequently stop scoliosis. Chiropractic adjustments for children will help lessen asthma conditions, ear infections, and even bed-wetting. Along with the positive factors just stated, consistent chiropractic management can help adults to feel more vital and full of energy, which in turn accelerates productivity and life enjoyment. And, ultimately, for aging baby boomers and the growing senior population, not only can chiropractic care assist in lowering age-related disorders and keep seniors more active in later years, it can decrease the balance problems that all too commonly end up in critical injury from falls.
If you are already visiting a chiropractor, that’s great! You have no doubt already experienced most of the added benefits mentioned above. If so, why not enlighten a pal about chiropractic? Don’t let somebody you care about fall victim to the sort of misinformation pertaining to chiropractic care that can keep them from living their life more fully. If someone you care is living with pain, tell that person about your chiropractor in Santa Barbara today! She can help and your loved one will thank you!
Technorati Tags: asthma, balance problems, bed- wetting, chiropractic care, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, healthy lifestyle, infections, pregnancy, regular exercise, Where:Santa-Barbara-CA
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chiropractic Santa Barbara believes that overall wellness is possible at any age: Doesn’t it seem that healthy lifestyle information is everywhere you look these days? There are magazines and TV shows all about healthy foods and beneficial exercises. There are even recipes for nutritious meals in the newspaper. But, even though more Americans today are aware that eating nutritious meals, getting exercise, and keeping their body weight down is essential for health and longevity, a new study reported in the June 2009 issue of the American Journal of Medicine has found that the number of middle-aged and older Americans who have adopted a healthy lifestyle has actually declined substantially in the past two decades. Using data from a large government health survey, researchers found that in 2006, only 26 percent of Americans ages 40 to 74 said they ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. That’s down 16 percent from the 42 percent who responded in the 1988 survey! When it came to exercise, the same kind of decline was reported. Only 43 percent said they worked out at least 12 times per month, versus 53 percent in 1988. Not surprisingly, the rate of obesity in the United States went in the opposite direction, from 28 percent in 1988 to 36 percent in 2006.
The findings were based on data from the National Health and nutrition Examination Survey, a regularly conducted government health survey. Researchers focused on surveys conducted between 1988 and 1994 and between 2001 and 2006, which together included more than 15,000 Americans between the ages of 40 and 74. They looked at rates of five lifestyle factors involved in preventing a range of health risks: maintaining a normal weight, getting regular exercise, eating enough fruits and vegetables, not smoking, and drinking moderate amounts of alcohol.
Though the study cannot tell us why healthy lifestyle habits are on the decline, lead researcher, Dr. Dana E. King, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, said that one reason may be that these changes are just difficult to make. “People’s increasingly hectic lives may be making it hard to fit in regular exercise, or to sit down to healthier, home-cooked meals rather than eating take-out.” He suggested some simple steps can make a difference. “It’s not hard, for example, to take some fruit to work with you, instead of going to the vending machine.” (Parking a little farther away from your destination and walking a bit can help, too.) Most importantly, Dr. King stressed that “it’s never too late” for middle-aged and older adults to make lifestyle changes for the better. In fact, in an earlier study, King and his colleagues found that when middle-aged adults newly adopted a healthier lifestyle — including regular exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables — their risk of developing cardiovascular disease or dying over the next several years fell by as much as 40 percent.
If you think about it, there aren’t many things in life that carry an “it’s never too late” guarantee. So, why not start today, no matter what your age may be? Your healthy future is depending on you!
Technorati Tags: cardiovascular disease, healthy lifestyle, middle-aged adults
