Why Nutrition is the Most Important Part of Fitness

The food we eat plays a vital role in how we look and feel. Regular exercise is important but according to research, nutrition has the largest impact on our fitness. Using food as our medicine has become a popular theme for health improvement. The trend is now to focus on healthy food intake as a primary fitness goal. When healthy eating habits become a lifestyle, we are healthier and happier.

​Eating right can help us reduce body fat, lose a few pounds, feel more confident, and reduce our risk of illness. Frequent studies are indicating healthy food intake as the most important part of our fitness programs. Some physicians are teaching healthy eating habits and lifestyles as a way to improve overall health by reducing obesity and related disease. Nutrient-dense foods, or "superfoods," include lean proteins, healthy carbohydrates, and fats essential to our health. Superfoods are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants relative to the amount of calories that they contain.

Antioxidants are shown to reduce inflammation in our body helping us fight disease and illness. Inflammation is said to be the leading cause of many diseases. Powerful antioxidants in leafy greens and vegetables, for example, help protect out cells from potential free radical damage. Some superfoods contain compounds that increase our metabolism for more efficient fat burning. Red peppers contain a molecule called capsaicin shown to enhance the rate we burn body fat. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant naturally occurring in a wide variety of plant foods. In fact, quercetin research indicates it to be one of the most potent antioxidants with numerous health benefits. Come by 658 N Dearborn for some more nutrition and health advice!

Strength, Endurance and Flexibility

We all know that there are so many good benefits when it comes to prioritizing exercise and physical fitness. The thing to focus on is what exactly fitness is and how to go about being successful at it. That’s where the “5 components of Fitness” come in. They are the blueprint for the American College of Sports Medicines physical activity guidelines and serve as a helpful tool for organizing and executing your own well-balanced workout program. These five components are: Cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.

Creating a workout plan that incorporates all of these components can help ensure that you get the most health benefits from your routine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links regular physical activity to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, improved bone health, enhanced mental health, and improved quality of life with age. The ACSM's physical activity guidelines call for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise.

It's possible to improve muscular strength and endurance at the same time. This can be done in conjunction with cardiovascular training. For instance, circuit-training routines that combine strength exercises and cardio into a single bout of training can make your exercise program more efficient. The ACSM's guidelines state that adults should perform strength training exercises two to three days a week using a variety of exercises and equipment to target all the major muscle groups. The extent to which you train for strength is, again, determined by your own health and fitness goals. Come in to Stiles Chiropractic Offices for all your health and exercise tips!

Weight Loss: Staying at a Healthy Weight

It’s natural to rush the process when anyone is trying to lose weight. But people who take their time losing weight and steadily (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off. Healthy weight loss isn’t just about a “diet” or “program”. It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits. Once you’ve achieved a healthy weight, rely on healthy eating and physical activity to help you keep the weight off over the long term. Losing weight is not easy, and it takes commitment. But if you’re ready to get started, we’ve got a step-by-step guide to help get you on the road to weight loss and b Even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars.

         Even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, a 5 percent weight loss equals 10 pounds, bringing your weight down to 190 pounds. While this weight may still be in the “overweight” or “obese” range, this modest weight loss can decrease your risk factors for chronic diseases related to obesity.

So even if the overall goal seems large, see it as a journey rather than just a final destination. You’ll learn new eating and physical activity habits that will help you live a healthier lifestyle. These habits may help you maintain your weight loss over time. For example, the National Weight Control Registry noted that study participants who maintained a significant weight loss reported improvements in physical health as well as energy levels, physical mobility, general mood, and self-confidence.

Benefits of Exercise

This month we will be emphasizing the importance and value of regular exercise. Doing some sort of physical activity is crucial for our physical health, mental health and overall wellbeing. It will increase the release of endorphins, help fight osteoporosis, help gain strength, flexibility and endurance; as well as promote weight loss. Reducing your health risk for heart disease is also a huge benefactor of working out regularly

Heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Following the recommendations and getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity. Regular physical activity can also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels.

Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is some combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, low High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar. People start to see benefits at levels of physical activity below the recommended 150 minutes a week. Additional amounts of physical activity seem to lower risk even more.

On top of all the great physical health benefits to exercise, it can make you look great too! And you know what they say, “when you look good you feel good and do good!” This could boost your confidence and mental health drastically and improve many parts of your life including social, love, mental capacity and clarity. Here at Stiles Chiropractic Offices we are huge advocates for good fitness, so come into the office and tell us about your goals!

Importance of Sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for helping a person maintain optimal health and well-being. When it comes to people’s health, getting regular consistent sleep is as vital as exercising and eating a balanced diet every day. There are many great benefits of getting good sleep every night and each person has different needs and necessities when it comes to their sleep; like if they need a firm or soft mattress, weather they need a full 8 hours or only 5.

         One of the top benefits from getting on a good sleep schedule is so that you’re productive and have good concentration throughout your day. If you go through your day deprived of sleep, you might be concentrated more on the time you’ll be getting out of work instead of your actual job duties and that by itself can throw your whole day off. Another benefit of getting the right amount of sleep is having a lower risk of gaining weight. Since lack of sleep could make a person more lazy or not as motivated to keep a healthy lifestyle or exercise on a regular basis. Another health benefit is avoiding risk for heart disease. A risk factor for heart disease is high blood pressure and according to the CDC, getting enough sleep each night allows the body’s blood pressure to regulate itself.

         Last but not least, getting adequate sleep every night will boost your overall immune system. Sleep helps the body repair, regenerate, and recover. The immune system is no exception to this relationship. Some research shows how better sleep quality can help the body fight off infection. Some things a person can do to improve sleep quality are:

·       Avoiding sleeping in when you have had enough sleep.

·       Going to bed around the same time each night.

·       Spending more time outside and being more active during the day.

·       Reducing stress through exercise, therapy, or other means.

Helping Anxiety and Depression

People can have anxiety and depression occur at the same time, they go hand and hand in a way. In fact, it has been estimated that about 45 percent of people who have one mental health condition meet the criteria of two or more disorders. One study found that half of people with either depression or anxiety have the other condition. Even though both anxiety and depression have their own causes, they share similar treatments and symptoms.

Physical symptoms and behavioral changes caused by depression include:

·       decreased energy, chronic fatigue, or feeling sluggish frequently

·       difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or recalling

·       pain, aches, cramps, or gastrointestinal problems without any clear cause

·       changes in appetite or weight

·       difficulty sleeping, waking early, or oversleeping

Emotional symptoms of depression include:

·       loss of interest or no longer finding pleasure in activities or hobbies

·       persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or emptiness

·       feeling hopeless or pessimistic

·       anger, irritability, or restlessness

·       feeling guilty or experiencing feelings of worthlessness or helplessness

·       thoughts of death or suicide

·       suicide attempts

Physical symptoms and behavioral changes caused by generalized anxiety disorder include:

·       feeling fatigued easily

·       difficulty concentrating or recalling

·       muscle tension

·       racing heart

·       grinding teeth

Emotional symptoms of anxiety include:

·       restlessness, irritability, or feeling on edge

·       difficulty controlling worry or fear

·       dread

·       panic

• sleep difficulties, including problems falling asleep and restless, unsatisfying sleep

You don’t have to live with unusual feelings, thoughts, or other symptoms of either anxiety or depression. Early treatment is the best way to manage the conditions and find long-term effective treatments. We will be talking about different methods to help with these issues all this week, stay tuned!

Meditation

The popularity of incorporating meditation into people’s weekly or even daily schedules is rising year after year as more people realize the benefits it has to offer. It is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. Meditation can be used to increase your self-awareness and your surroundings. People also use it to develop concentration and reduce stress. Other beneficial habits and feelings people use this practice to help develop are to obtain a positive mindset and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns and even increased pain tolerance.

            One of the main reasons people start to meditate is to reduce stress. Mental and physical stress cause increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. This produces many of the harmful effects of stress, such as releasing cytokines which are inflammation promoting chemicals. Many styles of meditation can help reduce stress. Meditation can also reduce symptoms in people with stress-triggered medical conditions. Going off that, less stress translates to less anxiety which is another benefit in practicing meditation. An eight-week study showed that it can reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders, such as panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorders, paranoid thoughts, social anxiety and other phobias.

            Overall, meditation helps and promotes mental health, which is crucial for everyone as we get older. Certain forms of meditation can lead to an improved self-image and more positive outlook on life. Two studies showed that mindfulness mediation found decreased depression in over 4,600 adults. Those who meditated showed measurable changes in activity in areas related to positive thinking and optimism. Other benefits of practicing meditation are enhanced self-awareness, lengthens attention span, reduce memory loss, generates kindness, help fight addictions, improves sleep, helps control pain and decrease blood pressure.

Calm Campaign

This months’ topic of awareness is “Calm Campaign” where we want to emphasize that our offices are places of calmness and positive energies. We want you to walk out of our office feeling refreshed and ready to conquer any challenge that comes your way! Usually any type of doctors’ office has this notion of being pain healers or fixers. While this is true; health professionals, especially chiropractors, are here to promote overall wellness and cause long term calmness effects. Being relaxed and peaceful throughout your day is very important to your physical and mental wellbeing, and we are here to help! Here at Stiles Chiropractic Offices, we help a number of conditions by allowing the nervous system, which is the master controller in our bodies, to adapt to stressors (physical, chemical, and emotional). One of our services that has great calming effects is our adjustments.

Chiropractic adjustments can help relieve stress in many ways. The act of adjusting the spine can release the tension held in muscles, which relaxes the body and increases circulation of the blood. This action will help relieve anxiety and soothe the “fight or flight” reaction in the body. Adjustments to the neck and spine move the bones back into proper order. Proper alignment is important in removing the pressure placed on muscles and bones, and eradicating nerve pain. For many patients, the relief of pain can immediately reduce emotional stress. Proper alignment can provide relief from tension headaches and other physical pains.

This is just one important facet of the Calm Campaign. We will be discussing more, like calming exercises, meditation, helping anxiety and depression, and importance of sleep. All of these subtopics help explain the same overall belief of why having a calm mind and body is so important in our daily lives. We hope that this information and different insights help, please share to your family and friends!