Gardening Tips for a Healthy Spine

        Summer time in Alberta is a great time to get out and plant flowers, vegetables and fruits in your yard and garden. It is a great experience to get out of the house and enjoy new life, the sunshine and God’s creation. It improves your mood as well as giving you exercise while enjoying the birds chirping and kids playing outside with each other.Before bending down and kneeling to remove debris and till the soil, here are a few tips to help keep your day enjoyable:

Warm up your body- Go for a short walk, do some lunges, arm circles and squats to warm up you muscles

Stretch – Some simple stretching of your legs, back, arms, shoulders and wrists will help to avoid injury or severe muscle stiffness later. Some muscle soreness is normal as you probably have not used all the same muscle groups for other activities during the winter. This will generally subside in a couple of days as your body gets used to this new activity.

Take your time – Going too fast too soon increases the risk of injury so enjoy your time outdoors and pace yourself. Take a few days if you have a large garden or yard. Alternate your tasks between kneeling, standing, digging and planting.

Use the Right Equipment – Use a wheelbarrow to transport smaller loads of dirt or planters. Use a kneeling pad to protect your knees. Use ergonomic tools while working the soil.

Include your children and family and HAVE FUN- Work doesn’t have to be a chore, you can incorporate fun as you weed, pick flowers and water the garden- an old fashioned water fight will be remembered by your kids for a long time!

Visit your Chiropractor and Massage Therapist – Regular chiropractic adjustments and muscle therapy will help to keep your spine aligned and reduce back and joint pain while maintaining flexibility.

Enjoy the fruits of your gardening! There is nothing like healthy fresh fruits and vegetables straight from your own garden.

Happy Gardening!!

Call Dr. Joelle Johnson at Family First Chiropractic & Wellness at 403-347-3261 to book your appointment www.family1stchiro.ca, look for us on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram for more great information on your health. 

4 Ways Chiropractic Care Benefits Athletes

4 Ways Chiropractic Care Benefits Athletes

The Olympics are in full throttle in Rio and athletes are in peak performance with extensive training and kept in tip top shape with Chiropractic care. Usain Bolt is one the most decorated athletes on the Olympic track. The 6 time Gold Medalist has not become the fastest man in the world without a few setbacks. Bolt as a young man suffered from scoliosis. As he grew the curve got worse. This lead to injury every season, and in turn made the young Usain to make a choice. Use a back brace or take the risk of dangerous surgery to correct the abnormal curvature of the spine. 

Usain Bolt used Chiropractic Care not only to recover more quickly from injuries, but also to enhance his performance while healthy. Like Usain Bolt athletes use Chiropractic Care as an essential part of their strategy to remain healthy whilst competing. Here are 4 reasons athletes get adjusted and why you should too:

Punishment the body takes in sports

      In sport there is consistent twisting, compression and jarring of the spine. This may lead to spinal misalignment, resulting in subluxations and irritation of the nervous system. In turn further interfering with optimal function of the athlete.

Better Balance

       Chiropractic care restores proprioception, doing so this balances the athletes’ entire body by connecting the nerve terminals in the muscles and tendons. Removing nervous systems disturbances and allowing the communication of the CNS (Central Nervous System) to flow freely between brain and parts of the body being used in competition.

Increased Flexibility

       In order for Olympic athletes’ to perform at a top level, spinal joints need to be in proper alignment. This allows for flexibility during and after events.

Improved Movement

       Studies have shown that individuals who received Chiropractic care had an increased range of motion and response time compared to those not under Chiropractic care (Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics).

In conclusion, Chiropractic care helps with both high impact and low impact athletes. For high impact athletes such as football, hockey or lacrosse, Spinal Adjustments lowers the risks of injury and increases performance. For low impact athletes such as golf, tennis or bowling routine adjustments can help relieve the strain that’s being placed on the athletes’ body. Chiropractic care is non invasive, drug free, natural way to treat many ailments that often plague Olympic athletes today.

Dr. Elton Clemence D.C.

Dr. Elton Clemence practices at Family First Chiropractic located at 142 Erickson drive in Red Deer. Call us today to book an appointment (403)347-3261 or visit us at www.family1stchiro.ca

T'was A Chiropractic Christmas

T'was A Chiropractic Christmas

By Author Unknown (let me know if you know who it is) brought to you by Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson drive, Red Deer www.family1stchiro.ca 403-347-3261

T'was the day before Christmas, but there was no cheer.
No jingle bells jingled, no sound of reindeer.
The word had gone out that Santa was sick.
There would be no visit from jolly St. Nick.

The people were sad; no gaiety sounded.
For Christmas had come, but Santa was grounded.
He drove down the road, and what should he see?
But a sign for a doctor, who was a D.C.

Now Santa was not one to like a new tactic,
But all else had failed, so he tried Chiropractic.
He entered the office and saw at a glance,
in a place such as this, illness hasn't a chance.

The office staff smiled, the music was sappy,
with all of the patients contented and happy.
In a very short time, to judge by the clock,
he was in the adjusting room, talking to Doc.

It must be the hurry, the tension and all,
I simply can't seem to get on the ball.
Life used to be easy; just kids, toys and whistles,
now I dodge smog, spaceships and missiles.

And Doc, take a look at the size of this pack!
Have you any idea what it does to my back?
Poor Santa was miserable and just barely able,
with the help of the Doctor, to get on the table.

The Doctor was gentle; without a fuss or a tussle
he examined the vertebrae and relaxed every muscle.
He spotted trouble and then with a click,
started aligning the spine of old St. Nick.

Santa felt aches and pains slipping away
and in no time at all he began to feel gay.
The air was a tingle with new fallen snow
and a healthy Kris Kringle was rarin' to go.

As he went out the door, he threw them a kiss;
why, it had been centuries since he felt good as this!
Then once more he shouldered the bag full of toys,
his heart overflowing with true Christmas joys.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

If You Want to Live Longer—Get Moving!

High-intensity interval-type training also boosts human growth hormone (HGH) production, which is also essential for optimal health, strength and vigor. Make sure you have regular chiropractic treatment to optimize your health and wellness.

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 your kids carrying too much?

My children carry back packs to school, how does this affect their backs?

Dr Joelle Johnson

Most children carry backpacks to school.  A rule is for the child to only carry a maximum of 10% of their body weight (an 80 pound child should only carry a MAXIMUM of 8 pounds).  Look in your child’s pack and see if there are items that are not necessary to carry daily to reduce the weight.  The way your child carries the pack is also very important, both shoulders straps need to be used to balance the weight across the shoulders and back properly.  If there is a waist strap this should be utilized to maintain a proper center of gravity. There has been a higher incidence of back and neck pain due to backpack use in school children and teens.  The added stress to the spine can result in subluxation and put stress on the nervous system.
Dr Joelle Johnson is located at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson drive, Red Deer, 403-347-3261http://www.family1stchiro.ca/index.php?p=50985