Richmond Chiropractic Centre

Prepare yourself for Gardening

      Begin exercising now if you haven’t been active all winter.

      You may be tempted to spend the whole weekend in the garden when it’s mild and sunny.  But if you haven’t prepared yourself physically, you  could end up with aching muscles, a sore back and painful joints.

      Gardening may not be an intense sport but it’s lots of hard work.  One can burn up to 300 calories per hour.  With all the lifting and squatting involved, it can also be an effective method for muscle conditioning.

Most people garden for fun and for stress relief, but gardening can also have lots of health benefits.  If done regularly, it can provide enough activity to reduce the risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Be Proactive

• Try to exercise all year long!
• Begin with aerobic activities such as walking, stairclimbing or fitness classes 3 times a week and strength training twice a week
• Exercises like lunges, squats, rows, lat-pulldowns, push-ups, tricep and bicep curls, crunches and spinal stabilization exercises.  Two sets of 8 repetitions of each exercise will help aviod extreme stiffness.

Go Slowly

• Don’t do too much, too soon!
• Plan your gardening 20-30 minutes at a time in the beginning about 3 times a week, then slowly increase the duration.  In time, you will be able to safely spend the day in the garden

Warm Up First

• Go for a 6-12 minute walk and stretch out muscles you will be using that day.  Arms, legs, back, and even fingers.

Move Around

• Don’t stay in one position too long!
• Avoid kneeling or bending forward for extend period of time.  Get up and walk around.  Take a few more breaks

Tuck in that Gut

• Always keep your core, abdominal muscles, contracted while gardening.  This will help you support your back and decrease the risk of injury.  This may require some practice but strengthening your core is essential for any health spine.

Use your Legs

• Bend your knees and use your leg muscles when lifting, bending, pushing or pulling.  Always use good lifting technique and avoid twisting when diggin, lifting or carrying.

Water Yourself

• Keep yourself hydrated especially in the sun. Just like exercising in the gym, have a sip of water every 15 minutes.  If you are thirsty, drink more.  Depleted water levels will tighten your muscles as well. 

Cool Down

• After a long day of gardening, you’ll have used many muscles throughout your body.  It is now important to stretch out those muscles groups to decrease the chances of muscle cramps.

Enjoy your garden and remember to stop and smell your roses!!

Vitamin D-3

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin needed in bone formation, insulin regulation, muscle function, immune health, and the balance of phosphorus and calcium in the body. Adults should take in 600 IU of vitamin D every day.

Eat foods rich in vitamin D, such as shrimp, eggs and salmon.

Because natural food sources of vitamin D are rare, choose fortified versions of orange juice, butter substitute, yogurts, cereals and milk.

Magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin K, zinc and boron are all necessary to bring up levels of vitamin D. Magnesium has the greatest effect on vitamin D, so include nuts, beans and fish in yours daily diet.

Spend about 15-20 minutes of sun exposure daily can prevent vitamin D deficiency in most people. Those with darker skin tones might require more time in the sun.

Take a vitamin D supplement if your food sources of vitamin are insufficient or if you are unable to spend time outdoors.

Consult your doctor or pharmacist about medications that may interfere with your body’s ability to absorb or use vitamin D. eg. Anticonvulsants, corticosteroids, hormone replacement drugs, and anticoagulants.

Vitamin D3 supplements are better metabolized than other forms of vitamin D.

Bunions – Pain in the Foot

 In many wardrobes, shoe style takes precedence over comfort. It feels good to look good.  However, this is not always the best for our bodies. Feet often bear the burden of choices in shoes.  Cramming your feet into a pair of size 9′s, when they should be 9.5s, can be detrimental – no matter how good the deal was.

 It is the same situation for tight-fitting shoes and high heels.  They look nice, but they’re harmful to the normal contour of the feet.  With prolonged usage, alterations to the normal foot pattern can lead to the formation of bony protrusions called bunions. 

 A bunion can be an eyesore, although the real sore is typically experienced on the great toe and sometimes the fifth toe (Taylor’s Bunion).  Many bunion sufferers refuse to wear revealing sandals or strappy heels in an effort to hide them.  For others, abrasion on bunions from their normal footwear is unbearably painful, so they search for larger/wider shoes that relieve pressure.

 Either way, men and women want them to vanish, immediately.

 For mild bunions, preventing the bunion from enlarging is key.  Prevention can be found with orthotics that relieve pressure on the bunion.  

Call to have your foot examined and a complementary gait analysis.  Correcting it early is just as important as getting your spine aligned.

Back to School – Proper Backpacks for Students

I can’t believe the summer is almost over.  Students will be back to school. 

It is important to know what type of backpack to use and how to use it properly.  Research has shown that wearing poorly designed or overloading backpacks has a long-term health risks in students’ growing spine.  In fact, over 50% of Canadian youths suffer from one episode of back pain once in their school year.  That is why it is important to know how to carry your loads safely and comfortably to prevent poor posture, neck and shoulder injuries.

• Elementary students should not carry more than 10% of their body weight and secondary students should avoid weight exceeding 15% of their weight? So, if your child is 80 pounds, he shouldn’t carry more than eight pounds- or the equivalent of a pair of shoes, a snack, drink and 2-3 textbooks.
• Backpacks should be made of the lightest material possible- vinyl and canvas are much better than leather.
• The top of the backpack should not extend higher than the top of the shoulder and the bottom should not fall below the top of the hipbone.
• The shoulder straps should be at least 2 inches wide and should not fit too snugly around the arms, straining muscles and affecting nerves.
• A hip strap or waist belt can take as much as 50-70% of the weight off the shoulders and spine. The waist belt will equalize the strain on the bones, joints and muscles.
• Students should pack the heaviest items closest to the body so that the weight is nearest the body’s own centre of gravity.
• A backpack that is too heavy or rides too low causes one to lean forward and put extra strain on the back.
• Both straps are critical to avoiding injury- as slinging the pack on one-side causes the spine to lean, increasing the likelihood of middle and lower back problems that can worsen later in life.
• The best way to put on a pack is to place it on a desk or table at waist height and then slip it on.  Avoid twisting!!

Have your spine checked regularly to ensure proper alignment.  Prevention is key to avoiding injuries.  Ask about the British Columbia Chiropractic Association backpack safety program, “Pack it Light, Wear it Right.”

Nutrition and Cancer Forum for Men

Men’s Health Chinese Forum

Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011

Time: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Place: Choi Hall, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Social Service Centre (28 West Pender St., Vancouver)

Programs:

Topic 1:  Prostate, colorectal and testicular  cancers – its prevention, symptoms, screening, and treatment      Speaker: Dr. Alphonsus Hui

Topic 2:   Nutrition and Cancer      Speaker: Rosalie Lung, Registered Dietitian

• Information Display
• Free healthy living and cancer prevention information

Registration and enquiry:  604-215-5204  Lee Ma