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Pilates chiropractic benefits

What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Pilates

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Everyone knows that exercise is great for overall wellness, better health, and a strong body. Many chiropractors will often recommend regular exercise to their patients who need to lose weight, want better mobility, or are seeking relief from depression. A number of chiropractors are turning to Pilates to help their patients get stronger, more flexible, and more mobile.

What is Pilates?

In the early 20th century Joseph Pilates developed the exercise program to help World War I soldiers improve their physical fitness. It was used to rehabilitate patients who had been injured. By incorporating resistance, stretching, and target strengthening exercise, Pilates uses resistance bands, special machines, and floor work to reshape and rehabilitate the body. Dancers, gymnasts, athletes, and celebrities use Pilates to stay in shape. However, anyone can do it for a healthier, more supple spine.

Care of the spine is at the core of Pilates. By keeping it in a neutral, or natural, position, this exercise can prevent back pain as well as help ease it. When done correctly, Pilates can:

  • Improve muscle control and movement efficiency through mental focus.
  • Make you more mindful of your body’s position, specifically, remaining aware of the spine’s position and keeping it neutral
  • Improve centering and mental focus through special, breathing techniques
  • Support and improve posture by strengthening abdominal and back muscles.

Benefits of Pilates for Chiropractic Patients

The benefits of Pilates tremendous, but for chiropractic patients it is even more so. By regularly incorporating Pilates into your exercise routine, you can enjoy these incredible benefits.

You can adapt Pilates to your fitness level and needs. Whether you are just starting a fitness program or you’ve been working out for years, Pilates can be adapted to your fitness needs and level.

It helps you strengthen your core. The deep muscles of your abdomen, back, and pelvic floor make up the core muscles of your body. Many of the Pilates movements focus on these muscles, making a body that is strong and the frame is supported.

Allows you to strengthen your muscles without bulking up. With Pilates your muscles get strong, but it also stretches the muscles so that they are lean and long. You will look toned and tight but not bulky and muscular.

It focuses on whole body fitness. Many types of exercise only work certain parts of the body, but Pilates focuses on whole body fitness. It works every part of the body so that the muscle development is balanced.

It helps to improve your posture. Pilates strengthens your body and helps to keep your spine in proper alignment due to a strong core. As a result, your posture naturally improves. By incorporating it into your exercise routine, you will find yourself standing taller, stronger, and more graceful.

You can become more connected through your mind and body by increased awareness. Pilates engages your mind and increases body awareness. It unites mind, body, and spirit for complete coordination. Each movement is done with complete attention.

It improves your flexibility. Pilates is a gentle but powerful exercise that works to safely stretch the muscles, making them longer, and increasing the range of motion in the joints.

It can protect you from injuries. By strengthening your body, Pilates can help protect you against injury. It conditions your whole body so that your muscles and strength are balanced. This reduces your risk of injury.

You get a natural energy boost. Just like with any exercise, Pilates will give you an energy boost. However, it is increased even more thanks to the focused breathing and increase in circulation stimulating the muscles and spine.

It can help you lose weight and attain a lean, long, strong body. Pilates tones and strengthens the body and if you do it regularly it will reshape you. The body is leaner and more balanced. It also helps you move with more grace and ease.

Give us a call at (780)455-2112 to book your one on one session with our amazing instructor! Visit www.ocwc.ca to learn more about our wellness clinic.

Goals health wellness

How to Set Realistic Goals that’ll Change Your Overall Health

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New Year’s Resolutions made by well-meaning but, unfortunately, less than 10 percent of people who make resolutions feel that they successfully achieve them and only 45 percent last past six months. Self-improvement goals like lose weight, eat healthier, quit smoking, and life improvement rank in the top five more popular resolutions. So, what is that 10 percent doing that makes them successful at achieving their goals? What sets them apart?

SMART Approach to Successful Goals

The SMART approach is a guide for setting realistic goals and attaining them. It is an acronym that outlines a success focused strategy for goal setting:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Accountable
  • Realistic
  • Timeframe

Each step will bring you closer to achieving your goals and improve your health.

Be SPECIFIC about your goals

Vague, ambiguous goals can’t stand up to time and temptation. Get specific.

Say you want to lose weight. How much do you want to lose? How do you plan to accomplish it? What are your reasons for setting this goal? Whatever goal you are setting, ask why and get specific about the details.

Set Goals that are MEASURABLE

If you set a goal that you can’t measure, how will you know when you reach it?

Any goal that you have can be measured in some way. Weight loss is measured in pounds, how your clothes fit, or how many inches you’ve lost. Eating healthy can be measured by what foods you incorporate into your dies, getting the junk food out of your pantry, and finding healthy recipes.

It helps to break your main goal into several smaller, attainable ones. It lets you see success very early and you keep seeing success which spurs your motivation, making you less likely to abandon your efforts.

Hold Yourself ACCOUNTABLE

Accountability is a great motivator for helping you stick to your goals. Keeping a journal has long been a great way to keep yourself accountable, but there are many website and software programs that you can use to track your efforts that may prove to be even more effective.

Partnering up with a buddy is also a great strategy. Choosing someone who has a goal similar to yours allows you to hold each other accountable. Plus, success is always better when you can share it with a friend.

Keep Your Goals REALISTIC

Unrealistic or unattainable goals are motivation killers. Even goals that are too difficult or require high pressure effort over a long period of time can be difficult to stick to.

As you sit down to set your goals, think about not only what you want to achieve, but what that looks like in your life. In other words, consider your personality and lifestyle, structuring your goals to accommodate those factors.

If your goal is to lose weight, setting a goal of 30 pounds in 30 days is not only unrealistic, but unhealthy. On the other hand, setting a 2 pound per week loss is a goal that you will likely find to be much easier.

Set a TIMEFRAME, but Keep it Flexible

Creating a timeframe for meeting your goals gives your efforts structure which helps to keep you motivated. Make sure your timeframes are realistic; give yourself enough time.

If the constraints are too tight you could find that you veer off the path and even lose sight of your goals. Stay flexible, though. If you don’t reach a goal within a given timeframe, don’t be afraid to move it a little.

As long as you are moving forward, toward your goal you don’t need to limit yourself just because you didn’t complete it within the time you originally allotted. It’s about meeting your goals and making lasting changes that will affect your overall health for the better. Cut yourself some slack.

fitness trackers benefits chiropractic

What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Fitness Trackers

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Exercise is usually a great compliment to chiropractic treatment. In fact, many chiropractors recommend regular exercise to their patients. It helps with pain management and speeds healing as well as give your mood a healthy, natural boost. Where does fitness trackers come in?

Fitness trackers are a popular workout tool that helps people set fitness goals, track their progress, and get healthier. How can they help chiropractic patients though? What can they offer that patients will get more out of their treatments? Find out what you need to know about chiropractic and fitness trackers.

It takes more than the tech to get you fit.

All the flashy, high tech bells and whistles in the world won’t roll you out of bed in the morning and place you on the treadmill. No fancy wristband will get you up and moving, getting exercise and getting fit. The tech is cool. It is fun and exciting, but it won’t get you fit. Only you can do that.

So if you are getting a fitness tracker with the belief that it is going to be some kind of fitness magic bullet, that just won’t happen. It is great as a fitness buddy, a tool, a nifty gadget that may help motivate you and help you achieve your fitness goals. In the end, though, you are the one driving that car. You are in control.

Is a fitness tracker for you?

There are so many fitness trackers on the market with an almost endless list of features. Finding the one that is right for you, or if you could even benefit from a fitness tracker takes a bit of research. Look for features that work for you and the activities you will be pursing.

For instance, if you enjoy water-based fitness activities you might want a waterproof model. There are also data limits, screen sizes (or no screen at all), heart rate tracking options, and whether you want a clip on tracker or one that straps on your wrist.

Before making your purchase, take some time to research all of the features that are available to you then decide what you like and what features would best help you meet your fitness goals.

How to get the most out of your fitness tracker.

Once you have your fitness tracker you will want to make a plan to ensure that you get the most out of it. Try these tips to make your fitness tracker work its best for you.

Identify clear cut goals. When you begin your fitness quest, the first thing you need to do is know where you want to go with it. It is a good idea to record your stats at the beginning and then update them every month or so. This will let you see how many more steps you are taking, how much weight you’ve lost, or whatever else you wish to accomplish.

Set attainable benchmarks. Benchmarks help you along as you work toward your goal. The key is setting them so that they are attainable but still present a bit of a challenge. If weight loss is your key, you might set benchmarks for every two months. For fitness goals, you may set benchmarks for a certain number of steps in a given time or a certain number of workouts each week. When you reach a benchmark, celebrate a little.

Wear it on your non-dominant wrist. The Journal, Medical and Science in Sports and Exercise published a study that revealed participants who wore fitness trackers on their wrists throughout the day found that they were more accurate when worn on the non-dominant wrist. The theory is that the non-dominant wrist moves less, giving a more accurate reading.

Calibrate your tracker to match your stride. Not everyone has the same stride. You may be very tall or very short; you might take longer strides or time steps. Whatever the case, you’ll get the most out of your fitness tracker by calibrating your stride. Most trackers will provide instructions for doing the calibration. It is well worth taking the time to complete it.

Incorporate other apps to boost your fitness efforts. Many fitness trackers will recommend other apps that can help you meet your goals and you can sync them to your tracker. However, you can also look for apps on your own that can help. There are so many different fitness apps out there from food tracking to apps that use your phone’s GPS to provide more accurate measurements on your runs, walks, or bike rides.

The more fit you are the better your chiropractic treatments will typically work. Fitness trackers can help you reach your goals and get the most out of your chiropractic care.

Visit www.ocwc.ca for more health information and fitness tips in our various blogs!

acupuncture benefits points

Acupuncture Points You Should Know

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Acupuncture has become a form of therapy that allows individuals to release energies from within their bodies so all pains can be released by targeting specific points. Regardless of what an individual’s age may be, he or she can gain the most benefits out of this therapy. For this reason, it is important for people to opt for this therapy, as there are no side effects!

The best part is that there are only five acupressure points for you to focus on. To apply pressure for yourself on these points, you do not need to have in depth knowledge about acupressure or acupuncture; you just need to know where the point is located and what symptoms you can fight  by having acupressure done.

How Is Acupressure Done

You need to deeply press the point for at least 2 to 3 minutes or until you begin to feel strong sensations. Sometimes, individuals feel warmth when the point releases energy in the energy channels (meridians) that is then directed to the rest of your body.

When this warmth takes over your body, it means you are doing it right!

1.     LI 4 (Large Intestine 4) – Common pain point

This point is connected with the face and head, which is why it helps with sinus problems, toothaches, and headaches. Since this point is powerful, it must not be done on pregnant women as it can stimulate contractions. However, if you are not pregnant and are suffering from pains, then you can use this point and calm your pains without having to resort to medication.

Uses:

  • Constipation
  • Neck pains
  • Sinus infections
  • Headaches
  • Toothaches
  • Migraines
  • Red/swollen eyes
  • Pains on your entire body

Location: The webbing between your index finger and thumb

2.     PC 6 (Pericardium 6) – Common calming point

This point is the best point to help calm an anxious person.

Uses:

  • Opens up and relaxes the chest: palpitations, asthma, angina
  • Nervousness
  • Poor memory
  • Nausea, motion sickness, seasickness
  • Sleeping disorders
  • Poor memory
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome

Location: In the wrist in between two tendons that are up from the wrist

3.     Taiyang – Common headache and stress relief point

This is another point that will help relieve pains all over your body.

Uses:

  • Toothaches
  • Dizziness
  • One sided headaches
  • Migraines
  • Facial paralysis
  • Sinus issues

Location: The crease below and away from the eyebrow

4.     LV3 (Liver 3) – Common pain and stress relief

This point is beneficial in eliminating pain and stresses from your body.

Uses:

  • Eyes issues – pain, redness, swelling, or blurred vision
  • Genital issues
  • Calming point
  • Canker sores, headaches, dizziness
  • Menstrual issues
  • Digestive issues

Location: The webbing between the big toe and second toe (between two tendons)

5.     GB 20 (Gallbladder 20) – Common point for flu, cough, and cold

Uses:

  • Twitching, numbness, vertigo, paralysis, tremors, dizziness
  • Throat, face, and “sense organ help”
  • Eye issues
  • Hypertension
  • Fevers and chills
  • Stiff neck
  • All issues related to the head
  • Headaches that occur at the back of the head

Location: Back of the head, below the skull bone, on either side of the spine

 

You can apply pressure on these points at home or ask an acupuncturist to do so! Simply by incorporating it in your life will allow you to live a healthy life!

Our clinic is home to some of the best registered therapists in town. Give us a call at (780)455-2112 to schedule your appointment today! Visit www.ocwc.ca to learn more about our therapists or to book online.