Decreasing Heart Stress

“How To Decrease Your Heart Stress While Exercising”

Last time we talked about how people should be aware of the excess stress and strain that running can place on your heart and skeletal joints.

So, today I am going to give you another option or alternative to long distance running.

Now, what you may want to consider is shifting your focus from ‘quantity’ of work to ‘quality’ of work.

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It has been well documented that you can gain excellent cardiovascular benefits by doing something called burst training or interval training.

And how this works is after warming up, you would run as fast as you can for 30 seconds (for example) and then slow right down and walk for 30 seconds, then run again for 30 seconds.

You would repeat this cycle 4 or 5 times and then you are done! That is all you need to do.

Now of course depending on your fitness level, you could increase the number of cycles and you could also increase the time from 30 to 45 or even 60 seconds.

Or this is something you could work up to but I always recommend starting with 30 sec intervals and no more than 5 cycles to begin.

Not only do you gain superior cardiovascular conditioning from this type of training, but it is much less stressful on your heart, your skeletal joints, it is much more time efficient, it does not deplete your immune system like long distance running does ( or any form of sustained exercise ) and it turns your body into a fat burning machine for up to 36 hours afterwards!

And because your metabolic rate is ramped up for up to 36 hours afterwards, you only have to do this every other day!

Quality vs quantity !!

We will continue more on this next time, but in the meantime if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available because subluxations and spinal problems tend to run in families.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email us at lifechiropracticcentre@hotmail.com.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Health Impacts From Running

“Caution – Runners Beware – Negative Health Impacts Associated With Running”

Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise there is. Easy to do and all you need is a good pair of shoes. But as with anything, too much of one activity is never a good thing.

Recent studies show that excessive running can cause a strain on your heart especially in older generations which will obviously negate all the cardiovascular benefits.

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Here are the highlights of the study:
• People who exercise o a regular basis have markedly lower rates of disability and a mean life expectancy that is 7 years longer than those who do not exercise. But, a safe upper dose exists beyond which there can be adverse effects.
• Regular, intense and sustained exercise can cause patches of scar tissue in your heart muscle creating the potential for arrhythmias and fibrillations.
• Regular , excessive and sustained exercise may also be associated with calcification of the coronary artery and stiffening of the walls of the large arteries.
• Veteran endurance athletes (marathon runners, professional cyclists for example) have been noted to have a 5-fold increase in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation. Atrial Fibrillation

(AF) increases your risk of blood clots and strokes.

This study primarily focused on people who trained at very high volumes for very long distances which takes most of us out of the risk category.

Unless you are training for marathons or triathlons or some other endurance event on a consistent basis, you probably don’t have much to worry about.

The study also did not account for other variables such as diet, sleep habits, lifestyle and occupation.

But, the study does make an interesting point and it is something you should seriously consider especially if you are older and long distance running is your predominant form of exercise.

And, always keep in mind that your body has to absorb the shock from pounding the pavement over and over which is very taxing on your feet, knees, hips and lower back leaving you prone to repetitive strain injuries.

So, if excessive strain on your heart and your skeletal system is a concern for you, mixing up your routine may be just what you need.

And this we will cover next time.

(ref. S. Ohtake)

If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you or your family may have, please give us a call at 905 335 LIFE (5433), or you can email us through the contact form on our website.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available.

Life Chiropractic …helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Treating Stress With Chiropractic

“Chiropractic Adjustments Helps The Body Defend Itself Against Stress”

Today we are going to conclude our discussions on stress.

To recap, there are 3 types of stress that affect each and every one of us. And they are physical, mental and chemical.

Remember that stress will have a negative effect on your physical body, your behavior and your emotions.

And this is because stress is the number 1 cause of subluxations ( spinal misalignments ) in your spine.

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Amongst other things, subluxations will interfere with the function of your nerve system.

Remember that your nerve system controls every organ, muscle and function in your body and when subluxations are left undetected and uncorrected, there will be a ripple effect throughout your entire body.

So, the secret to managing stress without relying on drugs or prescription medication is the chiropractic adjustment.

Remember that adjustments reduce the interference on your nerve system which will allow your body to better defend itself against the negative effects of stress, and they will promote healing and balance within your body.

If you would like to find out how much stress you and your family are really under, you can request our comprehensive stress survey.

All you have to do is call us at 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email your request to lifechiropracticcentre@hotmail.com.

You will receive further instructions along with the survey itself.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build healthy, vibrant, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Managing Stress

“The Secret To Managing Your Stress More Effectively”

Today I am going to share with you a little known secret that will help you manage your stress levels much more effectively without relying on drugs or prescription medication.

For those of you who visit our website on a regular basis, you have often times heard me refer to something called a subluxation.

Remember that a subluxation is a partial or incomplete dislocation of one or more of the vertebrae in your spine.

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These will pinch and irritate your spinal nerve roots, they will cause postural distortions in your spine and they will cause degenerative arthritis in your spine.

All of these will impair the function of your nerve system.

What you need to know is that stress causes subluxations. Physical, mental and emotional stress all will cause subluxations in your spine.

So, the secret to managing your stress more effectively is to minimize your subluxations.

This is done with the chiropractic adjustment.

Remember that the chiropractic adjustment will realign your vertebrae into a better anatomical position which will allow your nerve system to work better and stronger, allowing your body to defend the negative effects of stress much more effectively.

We will continue with more on this next time, but in the meantime if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available because spinal problems tend to run in families.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Types Of Stress

“The Three Types Of Stress
That Can Negatively Impact
Your Health And Wellness”

Today as we continue our discussions about stress, you are going to learn about the 3 types of stress that affect each and every one of us; man, women and child.

The 3 types of stress are physical, mental and chemical.

Let me explain.

Physical stress is any type of force that will negatively impact or harm your body.

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Examples of physical stress are sporting injuries, whiplash injuries to your spine from a whiplash car accident, lifting injuries to your lower back, poor posture, giving birth to a child and even the birth process itself.

Mental stress are those things which can weigh heavy on your mind.

Common sources of mental stress these days are job insecurity, unhealthy relationships with family members or friends and what I like to call “ stinkin’ thinkin’ “.

Stinkin’ thinkin’ is self-talk (and we all do it) but it is negative, depressing and destructive.

The 3rd kind of stress which is chemical stress results from toxins that enter our body either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Common sources of toxins are smoking, alcohol, recreational drugs, prescription medication and a diet full of sugar, refined and processed phones.

To find out how these 3 types of stress really affect your health, please refer to last week’s video/text and next time, I am going to share with you a little known secret about stress that just may be what you need to know to help manage your stress more effectively.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this topic or any other health concerns you or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available because subluxations tend to run in families.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email us at life[at]lifechiropracticcentre.com.

Life Chiropractic .. helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Understanding What Stress Is

“This Is How Stress
Really Affects Your Health”

Let’s start today’s discussion by reviewing what stress really is.

Stress is your body’s response to ANY demand placed upon it whether the demand is pleasant or not.

Positive stress allows us to accomplish difficult tasks and rise to the challenge.

But, negative stress will cause physical damage at the cellular level and impair the function of your immune system.

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So, how can you tell if you or someone close to you is suffering from too much stress? Well, there will always be clues.

And these clues will either be EMOTIONAL signs, BEHAVIOURAL signs or PHYSICAL signs.

Let me clarify.

For example, common ‘emotional signs’ of too much stress would be worry, insecurity, nervousness and depression. Common ‘behavioural signs’ of too much stress would be eating disorders, sleeping disorders such as insomnia, short of temper and drug/alcohol overuse.

And common ‘physical signs’ would be headaches, grinding of the teeth, stiff muscles and joints, and lowered resistance to infections.

So, if you have determined that you or someone in your family is having health issues due to too much stress, this is the point where you need to think very carefully and understand the difference between cause and effect.

Why?

Because it is so easy to get all caught up in treating the signs and symptoms while totally ignoring why the stress is there in the first place.

More on this next time, but in the meantime if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available because spinal problems tend to run in families.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives in Burlington for over 25 years!

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Personal Stress Survey

“Take This Survey To Determine Your Personal Stress Level”

Today we are going to continue our discussion on stress but before we really get into this, I think it is important that you take this brief stress survey to find out how much stress you really are under.

What I would like you to do is answer each of the following 5 questions and place the following numerical value to each of your answers.

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If your answer to the question is ‘always’, answer with the number 4.

If your answer is ‘often’, answer with the number 3.

If your answer is ‘sometimes’, answer with the number 2.

And if your answer is ‘never’, answer with the number 1.

Here are the 5 questions:

1. Do you find yourself with no time to do the things you really enjoy?

2. Do you feel people expect too much from you?

3. Do you feel overwhelmed more often than not?

4. Do you fell exhausted at the end of the day?

5. Do you feel that there are not enough hours in the day to do what you need to do?

Now what I would like you to do is total up the 5 numbers you have written down.

If your total is 5 to 10, your stress level is low. If your total is 10 to 15, your stress level is moderate.

If your total is 15 to 20, your stress level is high.

If you are in the moderate to high stress level range, you need to be sure to visit us again next week as you are going to learn how stress really affects your health and what you can do to manage stress more effectively.

If you have any immediate questions on this topic or any other health concerns you or your family may have, please give us a call.

You can also send us an email.

Our contact information is found on our home page.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available. Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

stress management

“What You Can Do To Better Manage Your Stress”

Over the next few weeks we are going to talk about stress.

A while ago I remember reading on the front page of USA Today that ‘stress’ was becoming the #1 killer in America.

And it has been my experience that things are really not that much different here in Canada.

A lot of people remark on how they are ‘so stressed out’ these days but very few understand what stress really is and especially the consequences that stress can have on your health.

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So we are going to discuss natural remedies and approaches to managing your stress effectively and how chiropractic care has helped thousands of patients all over the planet cope better with their stress.

This is how Dorland’s Medical Dictionary defines stress; stress is the sum of all biological reactions in the body to any adverse stimuli. Adverse stimuli can either be physical, mental/emotional or chemical in nature and they can affect the body either externally or internally.

Let me clarify …. a whiplash injury to your neck from a car accident would be a form of physical stress from the outside (external ).

An ulcer in your stomach from taking too much aspirin would be a form of chemical stress from the inside ( internal ).

Spilling battery acid on your skin causing a chemical burn would be a form of chemical stress from the outside ( external ).

Let’s say you are worried about your job security and this is causing you mental/emotional stress.

As a result your blood pressure is starting to elevate. The ‘worrying’ is internal but the cause of the worrying is external ( job security ).

Now, when your body has trouble dealing or coping with these adverse stimuli, this is when stress starts to have a negative impact on your health.

And it is no secret that stress can cause anything from a minor headache to heart disease and even cancer.

We will get more into this next time but if you have any immediate questions on this topic or any other health concerns you or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are also available as subluxations and spinal problems tend to run in families.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE ( 5433 ).

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here For A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Treating Anxiety With Chiropractic

“Here’s How Chiropractic Care Can Help With Anxiety”

Today we are going to conclude our discussion on natural remedies and treatment options for GAD (general anxiety disorder) .

If you or someone close to you is suffering from anxiety, you are about to learn how chiropractic care can help.

I would like you to refer to the Chart of Effects of Spinal Misalignments found on the right side of our home page. The very first vertebra at the very top of your neck is called your atlas.

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This is the most important vertebra in your entire spine because if it is misaligned or subluxated, this can negatively impact the function of your entire nerve system. How? … remember that the spinal cord at the top of your neck just beneath your skull is a bundle of every single nerve in your body.

So a subluxation here can affect every single nerve in your body.

You will also see that the atlas vertebra is also connected to the sympathetic part of your nerve system. And when your sympathetic nerve system is out of balance and not functioning properly due to subluxation of your atlas, this can cause anxiety and anxiety-like symptoms.

And this is why so many people who suffer from anxiety have benefited from chiropractic care because adjustment of the atlas will restore normal balance and function of your sympathetic nerve system.

For those of you who want to learn more about natural remedies and treatment options for GAD, I strongly urge you to attend our Free Anxiety Workshop on Monday, April 28th right here at Life Chiropractic Centre.

All you need to do is call 905 335 LIFE (5433) to RSVP your attendance as seating is limited and this workshop always fills up very quickly.
Start time is 7 PM sharp.

You will find more information on this workshop and others also on the right side of our home page.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives in Burlington for over 25 years.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Treating Anxiety With Diet And Exercise

“Treating General Anxiety Disorder Through Exercise And Diet”

Today we are going to continue our discussion on alternative and natural remedies for the treatment of GAD ( general anxiety disorder).

Even though medication may be necessary in some instances, it is always a good idea to keep the following in mind in the event that you would like to try managing your anxiety with less medication or without medication.

But if you are under the care of a doctor for the treatment of GAD specifically, you must consult with them regarding any changes you want to make regarding medication.

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Two other deficiencies that can lead to anxiety are lack of aerobic exercise and lack of stretching.

And of the two, the greatest lack in North America is that of stretching.

So, with any of my patients who suffer from anxiety, I always recommend 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day (even if just brisk walking on a treadmill or outside when the weather is nice) and 30 minutes of stretching per day.

I have a very effective stretching program that I teach all of my patients who are suffering from this condition.

Regarding your diet, it is very important to avoid things such as sugar, alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs and coffee as all of these can increase your levels of anxiety.

When we continue this discussion next week, you are going to learn how chiropractic care has helped countless numbers of patients who suffer from GAD.

Now, for those of you who are serious about learning more about this condition either for yourself or a family member, you are more than welcome to attend our Free Anxiety Workshop on Monday, April 28th at 7pm sharp right here at Life Chiropractic Centre.

All you need to do is call 905 335 5433905 335 5433 to RSVP your attendance because seating is limited and this workshop always fills up very quickly.

This is certainly one workshop not to miss if you have any concerns about anxiety.

You can find more details about the Anxiety Workshop and other workshops on the right hand side of the home page of our web-site.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad