Keep Your Athletes Healthy

August 1^st - Summer is winding down, school supplies are being purchased, and football practice is in full swing.

For the past three years, Dr. A has helped coach his son’s middle school football team, and he’s seen more than enough sports-induced injuries over the years.

While participation in sports is a great form of exercise, it is critical to take the necessary steps to prevent injury. Below are a few of our favorite tips in preventing sports injuries from the American Chiropractic Association.

Encourage your child to:

• Wear proper equipment. Certain contact sports, such as football and hockey, can be dangerous if the equipment is not properly fitted. Make sure all equipment, including helmets, pads and shoes fit your child properly.
• Eat healthy meals. Make sure your young athlete is eating a well-balanced diet and does not skip meals. Avoid high-fat foods, such as candy bars and fast food. At home, provide fruit rather than cookies, and vegetables rather than potato chips.
• Drink water. Hydration is a key element to optimal fitness. Young athletes should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
• Avoid sugar-loaded, caffeinated and carbonated drinks. Sports drinks are a good source of replenishment for those kids engaged in long duration sports, such as track and field.
• Follow a warm-up routine. Be sure your child or his/her coach includes a warm-up and stretching session before every practice, game or meet. A slow jog, jumping rope and/or lifting small weights reduces the risk of torn or ripped muscles. Flexibility is key when pushing to score that extra goal or make that critical play.
• Take vitamins daily. A multi-vitamin and Vitamin C are good choices for the young athlete. Vitamin B and amino acids may help reduce the pain from contact sports. Thiamine can help promote healing. Also consider Vitamin A to strengthen scar tissue.
• Avoid trendy supplements. Kids under the age of 18 should avoid the use of performance-enhancing supplements, such as creatine. Instead, they should ask their coach or trainer to include weekly weight training and body-conditioning sessions in their workout.
• Get plenty of rest. Eight hours of sleep is ideal for the young athlete. Lack of sleep and rest can decrease performance. Sluggishness, irritability and loss of interest could indicate that your child is fatigued.

And remember, chiropractic care can help! Doctors of chiropractic are trained and licensed to treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system and can provide advice on sports training, nutrition and injury prevention to young athletes and their parents.

Keep your athletes healthy this season!

Getting a Grip on Stress

This week, we visited a business here in Springfield and did one of our favorite Lunch n' Learn workshops: Getting a Grip on Stress. As much as you may want to deny it, everyone experiences stress at least once a week (for some of us, it's once a day).

We're going to show you a sneak peak into our most popular workshop and give you some tips on how to live a healthier, and more stress free life.

Tip #1: Laugh more! Did you know toddlers laugh 400 times a day, while adults only laugh 15 times a day? Laughter has the ability to lower your body's blood pressure and increase your immune system by lowering your body's level of stress.

Does this do the trick?

Tip #2: Learn how to identify your stress. Instead of keeping it all bottled up, take time to identify exactly what it is you are stressed about. Then, focus on what you want instead of focusing on what you're stressed out about. Develop an attitude of gratitude as we like to say.

Tip #3: Exercise. Women who walk for 20 minutes, four days a week are much less likely to develop breast cancer. Men who walk for 20 minutes a day are much less likely to develop coronary disease. Even the smallest bit of exercise can leave you healthier and more stress-free.

Tip #4: Sleep properly. Some quick tips on sleeping well:

• Figure out what your perfect amount of sleep is and strive to consistently get that many hours of shuteye.
• Go to bed and wake up right around the same time every day and night. We promise you will feel much less tired and much less stressed each day.
• Sleep on your side or your back. Not on your stomach. 
• Make sure you're sleeping on a proper bed and pillow. Ask Dr A. about this one next time you're in the office.

Tip #5: Improve your nutrition. Make sure you're getting the proper amount of water, vegetables and vitamins a day. But you guys know that. 

Tip #6 (and our personal favorite): Get your spine checked! A minor irritation to a spinal nerve can cause tension, pain, numbness and other symptoms directly associated with stress. Chiropractic care has the ability to improve the power of the spine and help the body function at it's very best.

We hope you have a relaxing and stress-free weekend!

The Importance of Good Posture

Last Thursday, we set up shop at the annual Health and Wellness Fair at the Illinois Department of Transportation. We brought some Biofreeze, a couple of clipboards, our trusty 3D spine, and an iPhone app that does posture screenings by taking a few simple pictures (isn't technology great?)

We checked a total of 32 postures!

As the IDOT employees walked by, we eagerly asked if they wanted to get their posture checked. A common response was, "No thanks, I already know I have terrible posture." Much to our dismay, these folks not only accepted their bad posture, but were also completely unaware of the benefits of having good posture.

So what are the benefits of having good posture?

Good posture...

• Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly to avoid aches in the neck, back, arms and legs.
• Helps decrease abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis.
• Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.
• Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
• Contributes to a good appearance :)

How do you achieve and maintain good posture? Some tips from The American Chiropractic Association:

1. Visit your chiropractor! 
2. Sit properly
• Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest. 
• Don't cross your legs; your ankles should be in front of your knees.
• Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
• Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
• Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
3. Stand properly
• Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
• Keep your knees slightly bent and keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of your body.
• Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.
• Tuck your stomach in.
• Keep your head level - your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Try not push your head forward, backward or to the side.
4. Sleep properly
• Find a mattress that is right for you! Your comfort is important.
• Sleep with a pillow. Special pillows are available to help with postural problems.
• No matter how comfy it is, avoid sleeping on your stomach; sleeping on your side or back is much more beneficial.
• If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs.
• If you sleep on your back, keep a pillow under your knees.

So next time you admit to having bad posture, visit your chiropractor and make a proactive move towards living a healthier (and better looking) life!