Waterslides:preventing injuries

Waterslides

Waterslide parks are awesome family fun during the summer months, on tropical vacations or even during the winter at indoor parks and pools. The speed of the waterslide and the cool water during a hot day provide great enjoyment for all members of the family. It is also a great way to help you and your family members get some physical activity and exercise.

On occasion, injuries may happen due to the speed or turns of the slide resulting in a sore neck or back. Your chiropractor can realign you or your child and get you back to enjoying an active and healthy lifestyle. A therapeutic massage is also a great idea for mom or dad for those aching muscles after a day of climbing stairs.

Call us at Family First Chiropractic & Wellness 

 403-347-3261 to book your appointment

www.family1stchiro.ca

Dr. Stephen Kelly and Dr. Joelle Johnson will be happy to help you and answer your questions.

CranioSacral Therapy and Children

Jeannette Raskin CST,RMT works at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson Drive, 403-347-3261 to book and appointmetn today! www.family1stchiro.ca

CranioSacral Therapy and Children

I often hear from parents that they would like for their children to receive CranioSacral therapy but are not sure how that is possible.  Adaptability by the therapist is probably the most important thing when treating children.  There are many ways in which I adapt my techniques to effectively treat children.  Most importantly the child needs to be comfortable.  Often that is in their parents arms or with them close by.  They can be lying down, in a chair or I have even spent half an hour following toddlers around the room.  Toys, books, etc, are also great distractions that can aid the practitioner in getting effective work done.  When working on children I often shorten the treatment to half an hour.  For most children that provides enough time to get an effective treatment and not to over stimulate the system.

The benefits of SQUATS

If you're looking for a powerful way to boost your overall fitness and get some serious results -- fast --from your workout routine, look no further than the squat.

This is one exercise that should be a part of virtually everyone's routine, as it's relatively simple to perform, requires no equipment, and can be done just about anywhere.

More importantly, although squats are often regarded as "leg" exercises, they actually offer benefits throughout your entire body, including deep within your core…

The Top 8 Benefits of Squats

Suffice it to say, a varied workout routine of appropriate intensity is one of the smartest health moves you can make, and adding squats to your routine is a must.

What makes squats such a fantastic exercise?

1.Builds Muscle in Your Entire Body

Squats obviously help to build your leg muscles (including your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves), but they also create an anabolic environment, which promotes body-wide muscle building.

In fact, when done properly, squats are so intense that they trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body, which are vital for muscle growth and will also help to improve muscle mass when you train other areas of your body aside from your legs.

So squats can actually help you improve both your upper and lower body strength.

2.Functional Exercise Makes Real-Life Activities Easier

Functional exercises are those that help your body to perform real-life activities, as opposed to simply being able to operate pieces of gym equipment. Squats are one of the best functional exercises out there, as humans have been squatting since the hunter-gatherer days. When you perform squats, you build muscle and help your muscles work more efficiently, as well as promote mobility and balance. All of these benefits translate into your body moving more efficiently in the real world too.

3.Burn More Fat

One of the most time-efficient ways to burn more calories is actually to gain more muscle! For every pound of additional muscle you gain, your body will burn an additional 50-70 calories per day. So, if you gain 10 pounds of muscle, you will automatically burn 500-700 more calories per day than you did before.

4.Maintain Mobility and Balance

Strong legs are crucial for staying mobile as you get older, and squats are phenomenal for increasing leg strength. They also work out your core, stabilizing muscles, which will help you to maintain balance, while also improving the communication between your brain and your muscle groups, which helps prevent falls – which is incidentally the #1 way to prevent bone fractures versus consuming mega-dose calcium supplements and bone drugs.

5.Prevent Injuries

Most athletic injuries involve weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments and connective tissues, which squats help strengthen. They also help prevent injury by improving your flexibility (squats improve the range of motion in your ankles and hips) and balance, as noted above.

6.Boost Your Sports Performance -- Jump Higher and Run Faster

Whether you're a weekend warrior or a mom who chases after a toddler, you'll be interested to know that studies have linked squatting strength with athletic ability. ⁱ Specifically, squatting helped athletes run faster and jump higher, which is why this exercise is part of virtually every professional athlete's training program.

7.Tone Your Backside, Abs and Entire Body

Few exercises work as many muscles as the squat, so it's an excellent multi-purpose activity useful for toning and tightening your behind, abs, and, of course, your legs. Furthermore, squats build your muscles, and these muscles participate in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, helping to protect you against obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

8.Help with Waste Removal

Squats improve the pumping of body fluids, aiding in removal of waste and delivery of nutrition to all tissues, including organs and glands. They're also useful for improved movement of feces through your colon and more regular bowel movements.

What's the Proper Way to Perform a Squat?

Squats have long been criticized for being destructive to your knees, but research shows that when done properly, squats actually improve knee stability and strengthen connective tissue.

 Warm up

Stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart

Keep your back in a neutral position, and keep your knees centered over your feet

Slowly bend your knees, hips and ankles, lowering until you reach a 90-degree angle

Return to starting position -- repeat 15-20 times, for 2-3 sets for beginners (do this two or three times a week)

Breathe in as you lower, breathe out as you return to starting position

Adding Squats to Your Comprehensive Fitness Routine

Exercise is a key player in disease reduction, optimal mental, emotional and physical health, and longevity. It's really a phenomenal way to get the most out of your life! After reviewing 40 papers published between 2006 and 2010, researchers found that exercise reduces the risk of about two dozen health conditions, ranging from cancer and heart disease to type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia and depression. Exercise also slows down the rate of aging itself, even stimulating the regeneration of the energy-producing mitochondria in your cells, providing perhaps the closest example of a real life fountain of youth as we will ever find.As with most things in life, a balanced routine works best, so you'll want to avoid placing too much emphasis on cardio, strength training or any one type of activity. Many public health guidelines still focus primarily on the aerobic component of exercise, but this limited activity can lead to imbalances that may actually prevent optimal health. This is why it's so important to maintain a well-balanced fitness regimen that includes not just aerobics, but also strength training, stretching, and high-intensity interval training like Peak Fitness. We recommend beginners do 2-3 sets of squats just two or three times a week -- do it more than this and you will miss out on important recovery time. As always, as you develop a workout routine that works for you, remember to listen to your body so it can guide you into a path that will provide you with the most efficient and effective benefits.

This blog re post is brought to you by Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, Dr. Stephen Kelly, 142 Erickson Dr, T4R2C3  403-347-3261

www.family1stchiro.ca

Roller Coasters and Chiropractic

Roller Coasters and Chiropractic

Roller Coasters and amusement parks are great fun for the whole family. However, have you ever gotten off a roller coaster and felt dizzy , had neck or back  pain and feel nauseated? I am sure that almost everybody has at some point in the lives. The neck trauma caused by roller coasters and other rides at the fair or theme park can cause a subluxation of the vertebrae causing these symptoms, often called whiplash.This forward-backwards motion of the neck can cause soft tissue injury to the neck muscles and ligaments. A simple, gentle adjustment to the neck may be all that is needed to eliminate the dizziness and nausea. Similarly, falls taken by kids or motor vehicle accidents can cause dizziness, neck pain or nausea. Proper assessment and treatment by your chiropractor can get you back to feeling great.

Call us at Family First Chiropractic & Wellness at 403-347-3261 to book your appointment.

We are located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, T4R 2C3

www.family1stchiro.ca

Super Slow weight training info-what you may not know!

Dr.Stephen Kelly practices at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer. www.family1stchiro.ca
call 403-304-7980 to book an apointmetn today

A new study examining the difference between lifting heavy weights, as opposed to a lighter load, to the point of muscle failure, has shown that there is no difference in the way your body responds to the weight usedⁱ.

The key to increase muscle and improve fitness lies in working your muscle to fatigue, but you don't need to lift heavy weights to do so.

There is a Goldilock's zone, however, where the weight is heavy enough to bring you to fatigue within a certain amount of repetitions, but not so heavy that you cannot complete the set within a minute or two.

Principles of Super-Slow Weight Training

There is a type of training called super-slow weight training, which actually produces many of the same health- and fitness benefits as high-intensity interval training.

But instead of using a stationary bike or elliptical machine, you're lifting weights . These two forms of exercise may at first sound like complete opposites—super-slow versus high-intensity—but the combination of slowing down your lifts and lifting to failure turns it into a high-intensity exercise. Metabolically speaking, both forms are very similar to each other, because you're producing metabolic byproducts of that fatigue.

One such byproduct is lactic acid. Whether you're doing high-intensity interval training on an elliptical or doing super-slow weight lifting, the lactic acid produced generates a cascade of metabolic adaptations that improve your muscle strength and fitness level.

Your genome governs how large your muscles can become, and how responsive your muscles will be to exercise. However, regardless of how large your muscles become, your body will get stronger as a result of these types of exercises. Some people can be enormously strong without looking like Schwarzenegger, and some who are very muscular might not have great strength.

Another adaptation that occurs is the improvement of your glucose storage capability. Regardless of the increase in actual muscle mass, your glucose storage capability will increase, and that is a very important factor for overall health. And, just like high-intensity interval training, super-slow weight training promotes the production of human growth hormone (HGH), aka "the fitness hormone," which plays an important role in maintaining optimal health, fitness, and longevity.

How to Perform Super-Slow Weight Lifting

To summarize, by aggressively working your muscle to fatigue, you stimulate muscular adaptations that improve the metabolic capability of your muscle, which causes it to increase in strength and size.

Use four or five basic compound movements for your exercise set. These exercises can be done using either free weights or machines. The benefit of using a quality machine is that it will allow you to focus your mind on the effort rather than your form. The following five movements are a good place to start:

1.Pull-down (or alternatively chin-up)

2.Chest press

3.Compound row (A pulling motion in the horizontal plane)

4.Overhead press

5.Leg press

Next is a summary of how to perform each exercise. If you're using the appropriate amount of weight or resistance, you'll be able to perform four to eight repetitions for each exercise set. When done properly, your workout will take no more than 12 or 15 minutes.

1.Begin by lifting the weight as slowly and gradually as you can. The first inch should take about two seconds. Since you're depriving yourself of all the momentum of snatching the weight upward, it will be very difficult to complete the full movement in less than 7-10 seconds.

This super-slow movement allows your muscle, at the microscopic level, to access the maximum number of cross-bridges between the protein filaments that produce movement in the muscle. When pushing, stop about 10 to 15 degrees before your limb is fully straightened; smoothly reverse direction

2.Slowly lower the weight back down

3.Repeat until exhaustion. Once you reach exhaustion, don't try to heave or jerk the weight to get one last repetition in. Instead, just keep trying to produce the movement, even if it's not 'going' anywhere, for another five seconds or so

4.Immediately switch to the next exercise for the next target muscle group and repeat the first three steps

When Pushing to the Point of Failure is Just Too Much

For those of you who feel that pushing yourself to the point of muscle failure is just too much sometimes, there's another study out that explains that too. In this study, researchers found that the old adage, "it's all in your head" is true in that, typically, it's your mind that limits you from pushing to failure, not your bodyⁱⁱ. It's taken more than a century for scientists to figure this out, and to explain how your brain works in conjunction with your body to ensure that you stop exercising before physical harm develops—a key to overall improvement in your exercise routine.

The Importance of Recovery

The idea that fatigue is an important regulatory function to maintain physical homeostasis makes the advice to make sure you fully recover between workouts even more important.

So when should you back down on your exercise?

An important piece of information is that as long as your intensity is high enough, you can cut back on the frequency of the exercise without diminishing the results. In fact, if the intensity is really high, the frequency may need to be reduced, in order to continue improving.

For example, as a weak beginner, you can exercise three times a week and not put much stress on your system. But once your strength and endurance improves, each exercise session is placing an increasingly greater amount of stress on your body (as long as you keep pushing yourself to the max). At that point, you would be wise to reduce the frequency of your sessions to give your body enough time to recover in between.

Once you're fit, you don't need the frequent spurts of growth hormone production. At that point, recovery takes precedence as being more important, and your recovery period could be anywhere from three to seven days. In fact, we strongly recommends NOT exercising too frequently once you are in fit condition, in order to avoid over-taxing your adrenals.

Super-Slow Weight Training Automatically Decreases Risk of Injury

Since we're discussing your body's innate intelligence to prevent you from injuring yourself, by making you feel fatigued, it's worth mentioning that super-slow weight training is a much safer form of exercise than regular strength training. The slow movement actively prevents you from accidentally harming your joints or suffering repetitive use injury, as the forces are dramatically reduced.

Golf & Chiropractic Naturally

Golf & Chiropractic Naturally

Golf season is approaching quickly even here in Alberta and driving ranges and golf courses will be open soon. The sound of the club slicing through the air then making contact with the ball with the ball screaming toward the other end of the range will be resonating at the range. You will also hear the agony and pain of some golfers groaning as they swing too quickly and use muscle groups that they haven’t used for months. Even after hitting only a bucket or two of balls, some golfers will be looking for ice for the backs or aching joints while some have their chiropractor on speed dial.

Due to rotational stress on the lumbar spine during the golf swing and the various muscle groups used, it is critical that a golfer loosen up prior to walking up to the tee box. Stretching the back, shoulders and legs will improve mobility and improve your range of motion allowing you to hit the ball more consistently and with less pain.

A shorter swing will help to reduce torsional stress on the lumbar spine while also giving you better ball control and improved scores.

Regular chiropractic adjustments before and after golf will help to keep your spine aligned and reduce back and joint pain and maintain flexibility.  Orthotic golf shoes available at the clinic reduce foot, knee and back pain while studies have shown that it can add up to 10% more yards to your swing!

Happy Golfing!!

 Call us at Family First Chiropractic & Wellness at 403-347-3261 to book your appointment.Located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer.

www.family1stchiro.ca

Mom how heavy is your baby car seat?

www.family1stchiro.ca
How Heavy is your car seat?
Written by Dr. Joelle Johnson B.sc., D.C.

I have a lot of moms complaining about low back pain and neck pain months after birth of the baby. New mothers often complain about low back pain, neck pain, arm pain and elbow pain.

 I ask them how much they think that they are carrying  with the baby, car seat, diaper bag and purse as well. Most know that they are carrying too much and moms are shocked at the amount they are carrying. We did a little experiment in the clinic where we asked all women to weigh the car seat with baby in it and found that they weighed from 23-35 pounds! WOW!The diaper bags weighed 10-15lbs and the purses were 2-5 lbs, that means you could be carrying at one time up to 60 pounds on your back, neck, arms and shoulders, with the majority of the weight out 16 inches from your side.
The combination of carrying a heavy weight away from your body, postpartum spine weakness coupled with rotation is a recipe for a disc injury, low back sprain/strain and vertebral subluxations!

 With children and back packs we recommend not more than 10 to 15 % of the body weight. So why do we carry so much as a new mother? New moms have just carried a baby to full term, often putting on 35-60 lbs during the pregnancy which causes a forward centre of gravity, plus the added baby weight to the spine. This can cause weakness to the spine, pelvis, mid back and neck. After we give birth the perception is that the spine 'springs' back to a normal curve, however this takes time to strengthen the spine and the core muscles.  We all know that we have weak abdominal muscles, all new moms remember the jello jiggle belly right after birth and that it takes time to strengthen them. Over lifting, carrying heavy weights on an all ready weakened spine can cause injury, and added in the lack of rest, sleep and nutrition many women are added factors to this as well.

So how do you prevent injury to your spine postpartum?
1. Lighten the load in your purse and diaper bag. Take into the building a mini version of your diaper bag ( 1 diaper, 4 wipes in a baggy, etc). You can easily find mini baby organiser kits anywhere. Leave the bulky diaper bag in the vehicle just in case, if there is a major diaper emergency it is easy to ask for help!
2. Just carry your wallet in the mini bag, not all your other 'stuff' to lighten the load
3. Baby wear your child, leave the seat in the car. We all know that when lifting something heavy to lift with your legs and keep the heavy load close to you to prevent disc injuries and rotational sprain /strains. Baby wearing keeps the heavy baby load close to your body, helps keep mom and baby close thus helping with cuddling and bonding with your baby- a WIN-WIN. There are many baby wearing 'devices', slings, wraps, carriers, talk to someone who knows all the types and what would work best for you, and your baby and body shape with out causing further injury.
4. Ask for help from loved ones ( Dads, aunties and uncles can help by carrying some heavy items!)
5. Stay home and rest- sometimes we do things as moms that can wait, if you are sore, get adjusted rest and stay home, avoid heavy lifting of those car seats, diaper bags and purses.
6. Use an angel arm strap to carry the car seat as it redistibutes the weight across the shoulders and spine.

If you have any questions please feel free to call us at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness 403-347-3261, we are located at142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, T4R 2X3
www.family1stchiro.ca

CranioSacral Therapy and Caesarean Birth

CranioSacral Therapy and Caesarean Birth

Caesarean births are on the increase.  Whether it is elective or because of medical or obstetrical problems a caesarean birth can be hard on the baby’s craniosacral system.  CranioSacral Therapy can help correct problems that may be caused by a caesarean birth. 

The first concern is the rapid change of pressure.  There is a significant pressure differential between the inside and the outside of the uterus.  A quick, dramatic pressure change subjects the fetus to a very rapid decompression, which in turn induces abnormal expansion of the fetal head within the decompressing uterus.  This rapid increase in head volume can suddenly stretch the intracranial membranes.  The result may be tissue strains, tiny hemorrhages within the membranes, and/or actual membranous tears.  These problems can wreak havoc with the craniosacral system and its function.

Another concern is the deprivation of the newborn’s trip through the birth canal.  This passage through the birth canal is equivalent to its first spinal adjustment and mobilization treatment, its first CranioSacral treatment, and its first skin-stimulation treatment.  It also facilitates draining the lungs from the amniotic fluid that has filled them during the pregnancy. 

CranioSacral Therapy can gently and effectively resolve the occurrence of symptomatic problems that may arise due to caesarean birth.  This is just one of the many natural ways you can ensure your baby is happy and healthy.

Jeannette Raskin Is located at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer

Call 430-347-3261 to book and appointment today

www.family1stchiro.ca

Foot Facts

• Most people have 26 bones in each foot, but some people have 28. These extras, called supernumerary sesamoids, are found on the bottom of the foot just behind the big toe.
• Fourteen of the 26 bones are found in the toes. Each toe has three bones, except the big toe, which has two.
• The skin on your feet is thicker than it is anywhere else on your body.
• When you are stressed, you are more susceptible to the virus that causes warts on the foot.
• When buying shoes, it is always a good idea to buy them late in the day, when your feet are tired and may be slightly swollen. In this way you are unlikely to buy shoes that are too small.

For a complimentary gaitscan please call us at 403-347-3261 at family First Chiropractic and wellness, 142 Erickson Drive, red Deer www.family1stchiro.ca

Are you sleep Deprived

Are you sleep deprived?

More and more research is pointing to lack of sleep as one of the reasons for the onset of several diseases. That sleep is rejuvenating, is a well known fact. There is nothing like a perfect night’s sleep, to kick start another day’s work.

We all know what happens when sufficient sleep is not available

• Tendency to commit mistakes
• Increased feeling of irritation
• Friction between husband and wife
• Ill-natured towards the children
• Feeling of drowsiness
• Decreased reaction times
• Increased risk for accidents while driving
• Poor decision making capacity
• Decreased performance levels
• Finding fault with others
• Picking unnecessary and unwanted quarrels
• Decreased immune function
• Impaired memory
• Weight increase and obesity
• Acquiring hypertension and diabetes

Reasons for lack of sleep
Insomnia is a term associated with the condition of disturbed sleep. While there are several causes for disturbances in sleep pattern, some of them are man-made. For example, some people have a tendency to stay up late at night. On top of that, you have to wake up early for the next day schedule. This means that you will be sleep deprived. Some other reasons for lack of sleep are:

• Restless legs syndrome
• Sleep apnea
• Depression
• Polyuria associated with diabetes
• Hormonal changes as in menopause
• Disturbances in circadian rhythm as in jet lag
• Eating just before going to bed
• Exercising just before bed time
• Intake of caffeine before bed time (Drinking coffee)
• Sleeping in the presence of bright light

It is generally agreed that people need to sleep between seven and eight hours every day. The maximum amount of time spent in deep sleep is called the core sleep. This is the time when you are not aware of your surroundings. The period of core sleep varies from individual to individual, but is essential for normal health. The sleepiness gradually wears off as the period of core sleep is crossed. Generally, it is good if you wake up at least thirty minutes after the core sleep. Studies have shown that too little sleep or too much sleep can be deleterious to health(2,4). Research has shown that either of these two habits can lead to increase in abdominal fat(4) . This can also increase the risk for acquiring cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Optimum sleep is invigorating. Too little sleep or too much sleep is debilitating.

Producing ideal conditions for sleep

A tired body produces good sleep. On the other hand, too tired a body can produce only disturbed sleep. If you eat just before going to bed, your level of sleep will not be satisfactory. Good bed room environment produces good sleep. But, we pay little attention to such matters. Even the height of the pillow can influence the way we sleep. Night lamps play an important role in sleep. Too bright a light can be disturbing. Recent research also shows that sleeping in the presence of light can lead to weight gain because of disturbances in melatonin secretion. Reading a book is the best sleeping pill one can come across. The most important thing is to have a clear mind. After all, the sleep center is located in the brain. Family feuds before bed time or carrying worries from the workplace to the bed, is not going to help the cause of good sleep. The best policy is to forget the past and to look forward to a rosier tomorrow. Sleep will automatically embrace you.

Brought to you by Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson Drive, 403-347-3261 www.family1stchiro.ca
References:

1. Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep:National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm. Last updated:May 21, 2007 Accessed on: Feb 23, 2011

2.Gottlieb DJ, Redline S, Nieto FJ et al.Association of usual sleep duration with hypertension: the Sleep Heart Health Study.Sleep. 2006 Aug 1;29(8):1009-14.

3. Gottlieb DJ, Punjabi NM, Newman AB. et al.Association of sleep time with diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance.Arch Intern Med. 2005 Apr 25;165(8):863-7.

4.Chaput JP, Després JP, Bouchard C et al.The association between sleep duration and weight gain in adults: a 6-year prospective study from the Quebec Family Study.Sleep. 2008 Apr 1;31(4):517-23.