Where's the Opportunity Here?

Dr. Charles Majors was given 6 weeks to live. Terminal diagnosis of stage 4 brain cancer. No hope. No cure. Nobody had ever survived that type of cancer before. His response: “Great, I’ll be the first to beat it.” And he did. He overcame impossible odds, beat cancer naturally, turned 6 weeks into 6 years of living fully alive, as an amazing dad, doctor, and mentor of mine. He was able to teach millions how to become a “Cancer Killer”. All because he had trained his mind that whenever there was a challenge in his life, he would always ask the question, “Where’s the opportunity here?”

Today -- all schools are closed... all sports are cancelled... grocery stores have ridiculous lines out the door... work schedules are uncertain, businesses are bracing for a downturn, and some people are freaking out. This is a bit of a challenge. So where’s the opportunity here?

Well what if we saw this “quarantine”-like season as a catalyst for personal growth. For connection. For our health. For our faith…It’s in the difficult moments of life that we find out what we’re made of. And only then can we grow. Comfort breeds complacency -- and complacency breeds failure. Here’s a chance to get uncomfortable and grow! And when this season blows over (and it will), we’ll be better than ever.

This is a chance to catapult your health to a whole new level. This is a chance to hit your 2020 health goals (and surpass them) in record time. The actions you take to boost your immune system are the same actions you take to lose weight, sleep better, increase energy, lower inflammation, repair hormones, beat anxiety and depression, and reverse chronic disease. Following the 5 Essentials as if your life depended on it is the key to real health long-term.

So guess what!! You’ve got an excellent opportunity this month to re-wire your metabolism, to become a fat-burner, to exercise daily and get stronger and fitter than you’ve been in years. Great opportunity to cut the sugar, eat a keto diet, increase veggies and greens, take up intermittent fasting, go outside, do your spinal rehab, get adjusted (boosts immunity), start a new project, pray more, get off the news, get off social media, practice gratitude, and smile doing it! What an opportunity this could be…

When you go to the grocery store, don’t give into fear. Flip the script in your head. Instead of stocking up on emergency junk food, go in there and grab life-giving nutrients to promote extreme health in your body!

Parents, a chance to reconnect with your children. To lead them and guide them. To teach them something new each day. And strengthen your family bonds more than you’ve ever been able to in the spring season.

This is a chance to shake things up. Break your state of mind. A catalyst for new life this spring.

How will you look back on this event? This season? Will you remember it as a “downturn” in your life? Or as a unique opportunity that you seized to grow and change for good. You decide...

In Health,

Zach Zovath

MOVE IT, OR LOSE IT.

How great would it be if getting adjusted alone was enough to fully let the body heal? It is the most important ONE of the five essentials, but not the only one. If responsibility to move the spine isn’t taken, then the results of healing will more than likely be less than expected. Home care exercises are designed to help strengthen and stabilize the muscles surrounding the spine into the correct position to better hold the adjustment.   

Often times, it is easy negate performing these exercises daily because of the busyness of life. However, movement of the spine is a key component in promoting healing. If your job involves you working in an office setting, there more than likely is a commute to work whether short or long. So it is safe to say that sitting happens for AT LEAST a period of 30 minutes to an hour throughout a day OR there is a time where minimal movement is taking place in a days work. This leads to stress on the spine.   

We have two types of muscles that we tend to switch between engaging. During activity we use our phasic muscles, during moments of rest we use our postural muscles. But what tends to happen over a period of time when holding the same position for a long time, is compensation. We start recruiting muscles that should be resting to work, and muscles that should be working to rest. And that can distort the function of muscle groups which lead to patterns that should have never been created in the first place.   

That’s where home care exercises come in. Yes, you should definitely be consistent with keeping up with your adjustments. However, if you’re not consistently doing your home exercises daily, the reality is, you are prolonging your healing. Muscles have memory and getting them to learn the new positioning that they are transitioning into with the adjustments is not an overnight gig. It is a repetitive training process that needs to be engrained and learned.   

If you know you have long days where you don’t have energy to do your home care exercises after work, take your home care equipment with you to work. Many patients find leaving their equipment at work is more convenient to fit into their schedule.  So plan to get your exercises in on your lunch break or a quick 10-minute mental break. It is essential that our spines move daily.  And it’s not something that can be done for you.   

So I challenge you, alongside keeping consistency with your adjustments and implementing the other 4 essentials, step up your home care game. The prize is in the process.

Better. Faster. Stronger.

When we think about athletic performance, athletes are doing what ever they can to give them that competitive edge. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of what’s fueling their competitive edge? More than likely you’re already thinking about the numerous hours they put into an extensive training program, but let’s look at another aspect, their recovery. Outside of the training that they’re doing, athletes are putting in the effort to make sure they are properly fueled, rested, and restored, so they can function optimally.  90% of all world class athletes actually use chiropractic to help them to stay ahead. Some major athletes such as Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, and Usain Bolt all incorporate chiropractic care into their recovery regimens. These athletes use chiropractic care because they understand if they want to be better, faster, and stronger they have to support their bodies, primarily their nervous system which controls every function within the body.

When we look at chiropractic, it supports the neuromusculoskeletal system, primarily by focusing on the spine. A chiropractor looks for areas of subluxation; which is a misalignment in the spine creating interference within the central nervous system (CNS). With an adjustment, a chiropractor removes the subluxation, which restores alignment in the spine and removes the interference in the CNS. This allows the brain to communicate properly to all the muscles and organs within the body. Haavik, a neurophysiologist, actually found that after an adjustment, there is an increase in activity in a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is where our body integrates and coordinates operations of the nervous system. An increase here, actually means our bodies are better able to solve problems, achieve goals, and perceive the environment around us. When we are engaging in any athletic activity you think about how the body is adapting to the stimuli around it, some key factors that are affected are proprioception, hand-eye coordination, and reaction times. After an adjustment, one study found that a group had a 14.8 % faster reaction time. Think about how significant that is, a millisecond can determine the difference between first and second place when we think about sports such as track, drag racing, or even barrel racing. It also has been found after chiropractic care, that performance improved by 6.12% and hand-eye coordination improved by 30%. A difference in hand eye coordination could be the difference between a ground ball and a home run when we think in terms of baseball. Studies have also recorded an increase excitability in the corticospinal pathway following an adjustment. This pathway is how the CNS controls the function of our limbs and trunk. Excitability within this pathway has been correlated with an increase in muscle strength with the upper and lower limbs. More strength means the ability to lift more weight which can help in not only generating more power but and also be exactly what an Olympic weightlifter needs to win a gold medal.

So in terms of having a competitive edge, chiropractic only makes sense to be a primary ingredient in recovery. And let’s not only view this for professional/amateur athletes, but it is also important for all of us recreational athletes too. As we put in the work to train we want to see results from that training, chiropractic care is not just a luxury for the professionals and amateurs, it’s available to you too. If you’re already seeing a chiropractor, great, you’re already on track to unleashing your full potential. However, if you are not, I encourage you to make an appointment to get checked and see how your nervous system is affected. Because as you’ve read, you’re only an adjustment away from becoming a better, faster, and stronger you.

Sugar, alcohol and drug addictions

Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/ high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability.   "Our research supports the theory that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do," [neuroscientist Joseph] Schroeder said. "It may explain why some people can't resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them."

The neurological pathways involved in addiction are complex but the brain’s limbic system, which is the driver of human behavior, becomes taken over by addictions.  Research has shown that patients in treatment for addiction who receive certain types of spinal adjustments have higher rates of recovery than those who undergo only standard addiction therapies.  Dr. Russell Surasky, who is the only triple board certified physician in the nation in neurology, addiction medicine and preventative medicine, stated this is a “major leap forward” in the science addictive care.  Surasky conclude, “we also have evidence that spinal adjustments actually accelerates the healing of the brain from addiction.”  Most significantly, during the study 100% of the patients who received chiropractic care completed the inpatient program, while about half of those who did not receive spinal adjustments dropped out prior to completion.  

The atlas bone (C1 at the top of the neck) is what protects the limbic system and brain stem.  When the atlas bone is out of alignment, it can interfere with proper function of the brain and its limbic system.  Adjustments to the upper cervical spine allows the body to normalize the brain’s limbic system.  According to Surasky, “Researchers have hypothesized that not only can an upper spinal adjustment help patients suffering from addiction, but it may also help prevent neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease”.

This is why we have so many people who have tried to make lifestyle changes but were never able to initiate long term change see the results when they incorporate the missing component of supporting the neurological side of change through specific spinal adjustments.  Who do you know that wants or needs to make changes with their health, but is not receiving regular adjustments to support change?

Stop Resolving to Fail. Start Promising Success

Every year, millions of Americans look at themselves in the mirror on January 1st and resolve to change something in their life.  Most resolve to improve some aspect of their health.  On the first day of the year, everything is in your favor.  You have all of the momentum.  #NewYearNewYou.  We can start with the best intentions, we might have a great plan, we could even have someone we trust for accountability, but statistically, that’s not working.  According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 8 percent of Americans fulfill their New Year’s Resolution.  Even worse, the other 92 percent give up relatively fast.  By the end of February most of have thrown their beginning of the year resolve to the side or turned it into a punchline to a joke, laughing off their failure. 

The way our ego protects us when we fail is to make light of the situation.  We make light of the failure like it’s not that big of a deal, but it is.  It was important to you when you decided to change something in your life, and there is a good chance it will be important on January 1st the next year.  Having a desire to improve yourself is no joke.  Improving your health is not a joke.  

Stop making resolutions and start making promises.  If you made a resolution this year, change it to a promise.  Make it a promise to yourself.  You have to be willing to put your reputation on the line.  Treat the promise you make to yourself with dignity, respect, and honor.  If you run into an obstacle or have a setback, don’t give up on it.  Don’t let yourself, or the people around you, minimize it.

Want to take it to the next level? Share online with your family and friends. Make a post starting with "I PROMISE ..." tag us for extra credit. 😜  

MANIFEST MINDFULNESS OR MAGNIFY MINDLESSNESS

Today’s society demands constant disengagement from the present moment. There is continuous inundation of multiple avenues of technology. Whether it’s the smart phones, the televisions, the computers, the smart cars or household appliances, there is no escaping the bombardment to “think less”. These luxuries make it extremely easy to forgo the ability to exercise free thinking. In return, leaving one withdrawn from mindfulness and less connected to their immediate surroundings.

Mindfulness is a powerful grounding tool that connects to gratitude and requires conscious effort to appreciate what is happening in real time. With the busyness of life, it is extremely easy to become scatter brained or disconnected from things that matter. Mindfulness is a superhero that rescues people from their own destruction, a checkpoint that helps to refocus and re-center. Research shows that the advantage of continuous connectivity reaps the repercussions of restlessness, exhaustion and loneliness.

Although the last 20 years have set some monumental technological advances into trajectory, they have also increased the rate of anxiety and stress leading to emotional overload, and a huge deficit in coping with the cognitive overwhelm. Andy Puddicombe, one of the co-creator of a meditation app Headspace, states, “While the practice of meditation has been around for thousands of years, the modern-day world feels a lot busier than it used to. More people are becoming aware that they need to pause and look after their mental health.”

As individuals, taking responsibility for protecting thought life comes down to one’s discretion overall. It’s not something anyone can do for you, besides you. And there are many ways to approach it; varying from seeking out a therapist or mental health counselor, running, meditating, journaling, praying or seeking out solitude and silence. Disconnecting to reconnect to the source is a powerful and important task. In fact, research shows that, “long-term meditators had better-preserved brains that non-meditators as they aged.”  When time is dedicated to the conscious effort of refocusing, recall time increases, short term memory increases and anxiety and stress decrease. The mind can better process, and make coherent and clear decisions. 

So do yourself a favor. Before starting your day, take 15 minutes and create mindful habit. I promise you won’t regret it!

Avoid the February Fail

We’re approaching that time of the year, where everyone is starting to set resolutions. 22 days to go until “I’m going to start this or until I’m going to make this change.” Realistically speaking, what changes on January 1st, other than the day or the year? When we look at resolutions, research has found that 1/2 of all Americans make them, but only 8% actually keep with them. Small percentage, right? So what can we do to avoid the “February Fail” and keep our resolutions in action?

First, when you're addressing resolutions, instead of resolving to do something, commit to yourself to make the change. As you commit to these changes, use a growth mindset. Understand that as you work towards your goal, you will develop abilities and intelligence, but you will also encounter failure. When you encounter failure, don’t let that hinder you, it's part of your growth. The mindset you have as far as the belief, attitude and certainty towards your resolutions will largely determine your success with them.

Secondly, when we think about resolutions a lot of the time we think mainly about these big goals we want to accomplish. We tend not to take the time to dissect these big goals down into smaller attainable goals. I mean think about it, if you plan to run a marathon it takes months of preparation. It’s not just something that you decide to do the next day. You make small specific goals as far as your distance and speed, and you track your progress as you're moving towards the ultimate goal, the marathon. So when making these resolutions use the acronym: S.M.A.R.T.

Specific- Be as specific as you can. Know the who, what, when, where, and why for your future vision.

Measurable- Quantify what success will look like. For example, how many pounds will you lose? Or how many miles will you run?

Attainable- Break your goal down into measurements you can reach every few months. With each measurement met, celebrate the success of it.

Relevant- Know that your goal is possible and make sure it is a goal that you are willing to attain.

Time defined- Make a clear schedule on how you will complete the goal, i.e. check ins, deadlines, etc. Keeping a timeline with help you to stay motivated and on track in completing your resolution.

Lastly, take your time when making these resolutions. Reflect on where you have been in 2019 and focus on where you want to go in this next year. Taking the time to plan out these resolutions now will only prepare you for success. If you are looking to focus more on your health goals for your resolutions, I encourage you to sign up for our 20/20 Blueprint workshop, December 13th at 6:00 p.m. At the workshop, you will not only hear about nutrition and exercise, but you will also be provided with a guide to follow as you enter into the New Year. This will only help to ensure that 2020 will be the best year yet for you!

Sugar & Heart Disease

The Sugar Research Foundation sponsored its first heart disease research in 1965.  The literature was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and blamed fat and cholesterol as the dietary causes of heart disease and downplayed evidence that sugar was also a risk factor.  The Journal of the American Medical Association put out a review of industry documents in November of 2016.  They found that the research put out by the Sugar Research Foundation in the 1960s and 1970s highlighted the idea that fat causes heart disease while “refuting” concerns of sugars role in heart disease.  This shaped the overall scientific discussion that “fat caused heart disease” and influenced policy making, medical education, and decades of nutritional advice.  Since the 1960s, we’ve been taking fat out of our diets while heart disease and deaths continue to skyrocket.   

When something isn’t working, you have to try a different approach, yet most doctors continue to push the low fat or fat free diets on patients.  While I am glad the truth is being sought after from a prominent medical journal, it will still take time for new information to trickle down influence policy and education.  Industry-funded studies should always be taken with a grain of salt and consideration put into where the funding was coming from and who benefits from the result.  This is why knowledge is power.   We should be seeking  truth instead of blindly following what we are told to believe.  

I can tell you that it is easier and more comfortable to turn a blind eye and go with the crowd not questioning things, but easy and comfortable will never allow us to reach our God-given potential.  Just because something is common in our culture, doesn’t mean it is right.  It is important that as adults we remember that and we teach it to our children and grandchildren.  This is why we talk you about constantly coming to workshops to teach you the right information when it comes to your health.  As the holidays come around and we have time with our families, think about you know and love that is close to you but far from health.  

Who wants to be well but doesn’t have the right information?  Who needs to be exposed to truth?  Who is continuing to suffer with sickness and disease as a result of the wrong information?  Pick them up and bring them to the next workshop and lead them to another approach and another option when it comes to their health.  If you have someone on your heart, let us know.  We have a friends and family week coming up to make it easy for them to get introduced to the information you have learned here!  Let’s make 2020 about being uncomfortable to be the best version of ourselves.  Lets make 2020 about seeking truth and getting better with age.  “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” -Tony Robbins 

In Health,

Dr Erin Zovath

Kearns CE, Schmidt LA, Glantz SA. Sugar Industry and Coronary Heart Disease Research: A Historical Analysis of Internal Industry Documents. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(11):1680–1685. doi:

Diet and Exercise Doesn't Work

“Diet and exercise” is possibly the most common recommendation given to people before, during, and/or after a health crisis! While a healthy diet and consistent exercise can have a profound positive impact on overall health, the combo alone will never work to completely prevent or reverse disease for two HUGE reasons. First, and probably the most obvious reason, is the fact that health care providers and fitness professionals never seem to agree on the most effective way to eat right and exercise. Second, and the least obvious reason, is that healing doesn’t come from only focusing on diet and exercise. I have never met a person that hasn’t wanted to improve their overall health, but I have met, and worked with, hundreds of people that were given the wrong information to get there.

Imagine this scenario, you go to your primary to review your bloodwork, you get some not so great results, and you leave with two things (a prescription and the recommendation to start eating better and begin exercising). So you go home and search “BEST WAY TO EXERCISE,” and you will literally get 570 MILLION results. Then you search “BEST NUTRITION PLAN,” and you get 269 MILLION results! The problem in this scenario is that beyond giving the advice of eating better and exercise, most doctors are not able to give good advice on how to do so. When you take the search into your own hands, there are millions of results to sift through. While it is unrealistic to expect to find a single cookie cutter approach to diet and exercise that works the same for every person, it is fair to expect a logical approach that will work regardless of where you are starting from. Our Essentials Foundation class is a monthly class that explains where to start with nutrition and exercise and will give you solid action steps to begin making positive changes whether you’re an experienced pro or totally inexperienced with eating healthy and incorporating exercise into your life.

Now let’s fast forward the scenario from before. You find and exercise program and nutrition plan that helps you lose weight. You begin feeling better and even start to look better. You continue this approach to your newfound health regimen and rely only on how you look and feel. This approach is common for many fit people. The problem is that we commonly mistake fitness for health. How we look and how we feel is the barometer for many in regards to health, but it doesn’t give all of the information. Health is NOT the lack of symptoms. In reality, the symptoms are telling you something is not right, but a lack of symptoms, a great number on the bathroom scale, or the ability to run a 10K does not mean that everything is perfect. Many people are never taught that our body was created for life! It was designed to heal! The only thing it needs to heal is no interference and time. Your body doesn’t know the difference between a cut, a pimple, or cancer… its job is to heal regardless of what’s going on. Our choices and actions every day should be based on removing interference to allow healing. Nutrition removes interference by correcting deficiencies. Exercise removes interference by helping to increase oxygen and blood supply. Most importantly, chiropractic removes interference between the brain and body by ensuring there are no misalignments in the spine. None of the Five Essentials are about removing symptoms. They are about removing interference! If you know someone that has been running around in circles (maybe literally) looking for answers with their health, suggest that they find a doctor that will help them find the cause and remove interference so that the body can do what it was created to do. HEAL!

GUT CHECK YOUR GUT FEELINGS

             It’s more than just a feeling, it’s an actual reality of the communication between the brain and the gut aka the digestive system. It’s not just a metaphor when we experience those “gut feelings” or “gut instincts”; the mind and gut is connected through a vast network of neurons, hormones and chemicals. The gut, also known as the second brain encompasses the enteric nervous system which spans from top to bottom literally and figuratively. It promptly reports when hunger arises, when stressors are present, or when the microbiome has been compromised.

            The communication of the gut happens through a branch of the Central Nervous System (CNS) called the Autonomic Nervous System made up of the sympathetic (fight or flight response) and parasympathetic nervous (rest and digest response) systems. Functions of this system include regulating breathing, heart rate and digestion. Through this system, the body is able to moderate how and when to digest food. This part of the nervous system works involuntarily and does so to maintain balance throughout the body. The gut responds based off what the body is experiencing: emotionally, physically, and environmentally.              

            Although the second brain is not responsible for decision making or thought processing, it does have a huge role in influencing emotions. Point in hand, when someone becomes excited or nervous about something, the extensive neuron network can stimulate that butterfly feeling or pit feeling within the abdomen.  Recent studies have found that not only the brain has an understanding of what the gut bacteria are doing, but these bacteria can affect mood, perception and even influence behavior. Hence the importance of mindful of nutrition consumption. How the body breaks down these nutrients will directly affect the microbiome and neurotransmitters such as serotonin which heavily influences mood regulation. Food for thought (pun intended): individuals who are on antidepressants should be warned that a common side effect of something that is supposed to affect your mind, may cause gastrointestinal issues due to the large amount of serotonin receptors found in the gut.

            Not only does the gut control digestion and affect mood regulation, but it can also be one of the foundations where many diseases originate. Because of its close interaction with the CNS, it’s important to ensure that all interference within the nervous system is cleared first. However, if it is not, diseases can become more prevalent. Seventy percent of immune function is sourced from the gut. When gut health is compromised by either food choice or stress, it lowers the immune response making the body extremely susceptible to any attack that was previously kept at bay. So a word to the wise, make sure your nutrition is up to par, your nervous system is in check and your stress is well managed to ensure that your gut is helping to defend you in all the right ways.

IN HEALTH,

DR. GABRIELLE SHAW

Heart Attacks Don't Stop for the Holidays

Once, a large truck was driving through one of the busiest tunnels in New York City. The truck was so large, in fact, that it got stuck in the tunnel and could not back up or move forward. Traffic eventually got backed up for miles and miles. Dozens of traffic, accident, bridge, road, and truck experts were on the scene for hours trying to figure out what to do.  Just as the situation and the frustration of the experts were beginning to get out of hand, a 10 year old little girl poked her head out of the window and said, "Why don't you just let the air out of the tires." The dilemma was resolved.       

THEME:  When life and the world are not working out, re-assess everything!    

Even though Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years make up a total of 3 days, most people just call November, December, and the first part of January "The Holidays." Since it is "The Holidays," you can be irresponsible and careless. You can eat mass quantities, put all sorts of horrible "Holiday" items in your body, stop exercising, miss adjustments, spend too much, and put important things off because, after all, it is "The Holidays." In total, you end up with a 6-10 week reign of terror on your life and body.       

If you add these two months to all of the other times you tend to abuse or ignore your health, such as parties, anniversaries, other "holidays," birthdays, weddings, weekends, secretaries day, etc,  you are basically being irresponsible for your health (and many other areas of your life) conservatively three months out of every year. (25% of every year)       

By the time you are 40 years old, most will have spent 10 years doing serious, considerable irreparable damage to your body, your finances, and possibly their whole life. This is another reason why people are supposed to live to 100, but only make 75. (25% off)      

"The Holidays," are a time designated to celebrate and appreciate God's blessings. However, they have become a time dedicated to shortening life and falling short of your God-given potential.  We destroy our temple and blame this time of year for our actions.  Clearly, it is time to look at "The Holidays" from a new perspective.      

Of the tens of thousands of sick and suffering people I have met, examined, and consulted, not once have I heard one of them say, "I wish I had done less for my health all of these years."        

What they do say, in every case, is "I wish I had met you _______ years ago."    

You are on this journey of health, push on more during this time of year and help others come along with you.  This year, going into the holidays, look at it from a new perspective.  Reassess what you do and why you do it.  We have stripped down the unnecessary over the years and find more joy in the simplicity.  Remember what this time of year is about and if something doesn’t align with it, change it.  You don’t have do do something a certain way just because “you have always done it that way!” Enjoy the Holidays (6-10 days). Yet, keep you and your family thriving in the process stop December 25th from being the day with the highest heart related deaths!

Adjustments over the holidays:  If you are around a lot of people and your immune system is being challenged, schedule an extra adjustment to support your body.  If you are leaving town, come in for your adjustment before you leave and schedule your make up adjustments when you get back to stay on track both physically and mentally.  Pack a minimum of your rolls and wedges when traveling and increase spinal rehab exercises when you get back along with your increased adjustments.

In Health,

Dr. Erin Zovath

You Can't Outrun Your Fork

The statement “I’m gonna read a few extra bible verses today so I can steal that watch I’ve been wanting” is an absurd way to think, but many people apply this way of thinking when it comes to their health.  “I’m gonna workout extra hard today so I can eat whatever I want this weekend” is said every Friday by many people getting ready for their football tailgate/holiday party/just because it’s the weekend routine.  According to the Snack Food Association (yep, that’s a real thing), Americans eat 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn, and 3 million pounds of nuts during football games.  The day of the Super Bowl actually has become a day where more calories are consumed than on Thanksgiving!  If the goal is to get to a healthy weight, or maintain a healthy weight, breaking bad food habits will ALWAYS be more important than trying to exercise the calories away.  

Below are a few examples of typical cheat foods consumed on the weekend and the length of time doing burpees needed to offset the calories you get from them: 

• 2 slices of pepperoni pizza: 626 calories – 90 MINUTES

• 2 cans of regular beer: 300 calories – 30 MINUTES

• 4 chicken wings: 473 calories – 45 MINUTES

• 2 donuts: 450 calories – 45 MINUTES

Based on the information above, it is technically possible to “outrun your fork,” but most people that use this thinking don’t do nearly enough work to offset the food they want to cancel out. There is a disproportionate amount of time required to do something nonstop to offset just one of the items above.  

The problem with looking at exercise as this thing you have to do to undo the things you want to do is the unhealthy outlook it creates for exercise.  Exercise is as much of a requirement humans have for optimal health as quality nutrition.  Instead of starting your week at a disadvantage, because the extra calories are almost never offset, use the following tips to create the greatest outlook for long-term success:

• Incorporate movement throughout your day. Every 15 minutes, get up to walk around, do some squats, jumping jacks, or stretch to get your blood flowing. Think of ten thousand steps as the minimum amount of movement you need each day.

• Pick three to five days of the week to add in more intense exercises like burpees, kettlebell swings, and interval rowing. The goal is to get your heart rate elevated to 80 percent of your maximum for 15 minutes.

• Get a grasp on appropriate portion sizes of the foods you’re currently eating and remember that it takes 30 minutes of nonstop burpees to burn about 300 calories.

• Refer to the recipe section of your Align Your Health book for the healthy recipe for things you commonly cheat with.

If this is something you struggle with, just know that you are not alone.  You aren’t even in the minority.  However, if we are going to live to our fullest potential, we have to do things that make us uncomfortable.  We need to be willing to pass on the immediate pleasures for the longterm reward.  Most importantly, we have to acknowledge that we have the opportunity to lead the people we love and care about by example.  

In Health,

Zach Zovath

STRESS: THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT SNATCHER

As the holidays approach, there is one thing that always seems unavoidable: stress. Whether it’s making travel arrangements, planning events or buying presents, these next couple of months can be extremely taxing on our health. The effects of stress can be devastating not only emotionally, but physically and mentally as well.

 Let’s talk through what happens in the body when we undergo stress.

• Our muscles will tense up as a defense mechanism to guard against injury or pain

• Our airways will constrict causing an increased effort to breath, ultimately leading to rapid breathing or shortness of breath

• Our blood vessels dilate increasing the force at which our heart muscle contracts, increasing the amount of blood going to our limbs, and elevating our blood pressure

• Our hormone production will increase: resulting in production of higher amounts of cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline- which are directly responsible for activating our immune system and play a critical role in regulating our energy reserves

• Our gut bacteria changes which directly impacts our neurotransmitters which affects our mood

• Our eating habits are influenced resulting in us over-consuming or under consuming food, which can impact our nutrient intake

• Stress can impair our intestinal function reducing the time in which our body digests food and assimilates nutrients leading to episodes of either diarrhea or constipation

All of these actions taking place are a direct result of our sympathetic nervous system being activated and staying in a constant state of activation. When we face repeated stressors, our body will shift into this flight or fight response to deflect danger at hand. However, our sympathetic nervous system is designed only to deal with short term stressors. If we stay in a constant state of stress, all of these physiological functions will continue carrying out and eventually lead to the onset of disease processes. Research shows that there is an increased risk of heart attacks during the holidays due to emotional stress, dietary changes, more sedentary behavior and higher incidences of exposure to illness.  All of which can pose as a stressor to the nervous system. That is why it’s important to make sure we are taking the necessary steps to support our nervous system by creating the correct balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic activation.

What can you do to prepare for the inevitable stress that comes not just with the holidays, but life in general? Here are some proactive tips!

• Keep your nervous system in check, by getting adjusted and doing specific spinal rehabilitation exercises

• Make sure that you are getting adequate rest every night

• Stay hydrated! Replenish minerals and electrolytes regularly

• Eat balanced meals consistently

• Exercise at least 3 times a week, ensuring that you’re raising your heart rate to a level of 80%-90% of its maximum capacity for 15 minutes throughout your work out

• Set aside time to meditate, pray, recite affirmations or read to help mentally prepare you for each day

• Be proactive in planning out your days, make sure you are capitalizing on your time to avoid the stress of misusing time appropriately

• Plan out your holiday meals in advance to ensure you’re not deviating from your normal diet

• Plan ahead! Get your holiday shopping completed early. Avoid busy stores during the holiday season and utilize alternative means of shopping

IN HEALTH,

Dr. GABRIELLE SHAW 

Sitting is More Dangerous Than Smoking

Dr. Levine, a professor at Mayo Clinic, stated, “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking…” The average American spends about 13 hours daily sitting, that’s over half a day sitting! It makes sense; we sit when we eat, when we travel, and some of us at our jobs all day. Our bodies were never created to remain in a static position they were designed to MOVE. Dr. Levine explained that with every hour we sit, we lose two hours of life. Why is that? Sitting for two continuous hours daily increases your risk for heart disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, back, and neck pain. Scary to think about right?

Something as simple as sitting is detrimental to our health! When we sit for long periods of time, most of us tend to fall into a rounded forward position, a compromised position for our spine. And we know that structure dictates function, if the structure of our spine is compromised that means the function of our body is also compromised.

How the structure of our spine compromised with sitting:

• Increase in forward head posture (forward translation of your head in front of your shoulder). Ideally, your ear should remain over your shoulder. With every inch forward, ten pounds of weight is added to the spine. Most people will notice this additional stress at the base of their neck and across their shoulders. The additional stress creates more tension on the nervous system; specifically where the nerves originate that innervates the muscles of the upper limb. If the tension is not relieved, numbness and tingling may start to appear.

  1. Shoulders round forward, moving the spine into a more kyphotic (reverse C shape) position. In this position, more tension is placed on the nervous system again. This time, it affects the nerves that control your body’s pulmonary and cardiac function. To feel the difference, try this. Take a deep breath while you are seated upright. Now, take a deep breath while you are slouched forward. Huge difference in the volume of air you could inhale right?

  2. The pelvis rotates backward, reducing the lordosis (c shape curve) in the low back. The lack of curvature impacts how your nervous system controls your digestive and reproductive health, as well the function of the muscles in your lower limb. This position creates a lack of stability, the gluteal and abdominal muscles become weak. Go ahead and try activating your glutes in this position. It feels almost impossible right? With these muscles inactive, the hip flexors and the low back muscles (the erector spinae) must shorten and they become tight.

  3. The intervertebral discs function as a shock absorber for the spine, making up ¼ of the height in our spine. The height is due to the hydration of the disc. If a continuous load is applied to the disc, such as sitting, the hydration of the disc decreases. Each day, a person loses at least 2 centimeters in height due to the load applied. Andersson found the following pressure placed on the discs of the low back in these various spinal positions: laying down: 300 N, standing: 700 N, sitting: 1000 N. Sitting had the most compressive force, and some of us spend over half the day seated!

Sitting, the "new smoking" isn’t an exaggeration! This is why we have so many families continue on lifetime maintenance care for their spine after going through correction because sitting has become a part of our lifestyles! It is extremely important to have your spine and nervous system evaluated if you currently sit longer than 2 hours per day or if you have in the past. For the younger generation, we need to be proactive taking action to counteract the damage from ongoing time sitting. If you haven't already, a specific evaluation and x-rays are important to determine any spinal misalignment that may already be there, find out what degenerative changes are there from those misalignments, and get a plan to correct them in order to function at your best.

IN HEALTH,

Dr. April Swanstrom

1. Andersson, G. B. J. (1990). Intradiscal pressure changes and the clinician. Back Pain, 12–20. doi: 10.1007/978-94-009-2165-8_2

2. Hall. (2012). Basic biomechanics(6th ed.). Place of publication not identified: Mcgraw Hill Higher Educat.

3. Levine, J. A. (2014). Get up!: why your chair is killing you and what you can do about it. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

4. Starrett, K. (2016). Deskbound: Sitting Is the New Smoking. Victory Belt Publishing.

TV Shows and Your Health

It has been a long time since I have seen live TV with commercials, but this past weekend we were out of town and turned on the TV in our hotel room. After 2 sets of commercials, I could not believe the number of drug commercials and the repetition of them in such a short time frame. (The US and New Zealand are the only countries in the world that allow direct to consumer advertising for drugs- this should be illegal in our country as well). 

Drugs that have been heavily promoted to consumers have also been linked to safety advisories, FDA black-box warnings, and withdrawals from the market. J. Michael Pearson, the CEO of Valeant Pharmaceuticals has enraged the internet after saying in a recent interview with MSNBC that “his company’s responsibility is to its shareholders, not the customers who rely on his drugs...” The average American television viewer watches as many as nine drug ads a day, totaling 16 hours per year, which far exceeds the amount of time the average person spends with a doctor guiding their health decisions. 

There is a time and place for medication in crisis care, but there is no place for medication when it comes to health. It is important to remember that every medication comes with a list of side effects. The goal with medication should be to get off them as quickly as possible by taking responsibility for every aspect of your health that you can control.

In Health,

DR. ERIN ZOVATH