Ask Dr. Richard: Three Tips for Making 2010 Your Healthiest Year Ever

1. Eat Whole Foods

We have all heard that – “You are what you eat” – but what does that really mean, and more importantly what can we do to eat healthier?  The main key is eating healthy foods filled with whole foods, while avoiding over processed foods. So what are whole foods? Whole foods are those foods that are unrefined or unprocessed, or refined as little as possible before being consumed. They generally don’t contain added ingredients, such as sugar, salt, or fat. They include fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains, dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt), butter, meat (preferably grass fed), fish, nuts, seeds, and minimally processed oils (olive oil and canola oil).

Research shows that the consumption of high amounts of fruits and vegetables is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD), asthma, chronic bronchitis, and arthritis; and, the consumption of whole grains and soy foods offers protection against cancer and CVD.

By eating 3-4 fruits and vegetables a day you can protect yourself and live a healthier life. For the majority of people you’ll find that morning breakfast is the best time for fruit, but fruits can also be used as a great desert. Fruits, especially berries specified strawberries and blueberries, make a great snack.

2. Exercise

– Exercising a minimum of 20 minutes a day is important. Walking, jogging, aerobics, Stairmaster, swimming, dancing, even playing Wii Fit, but exercising on a daily basis.

– Exercise helps prevent chronic diseases specified osteoporosis, headaches and even back pain.

– Daily exercise can help you prevent — or cope — increased blood pressure or hypertension. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular exercise boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol while lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. This one-two punch maintains your blood flowing smoothly by decreasing the build-up of plaques in your arteries.

– Exercising, just 20 minutes a day, can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancers.

3. Take care of your back

Back pain effects 80% of us at some point in our life. Back pain not only reduce your quality of life but also weakens crucial back muscles, support ligaments and the ‘shock absorbing’ vertebral disc between the vertebrae– resulting in a cycle of chronic back pain.
There are numerous symptoms connected with back pain such as:
• Persistent back ache or stiffness or loss of range of motion through your spine.
• Back pain that radiates from the low back to the down the back of the thigh, and into the calf and toes.
• Difficult to stand straight without having severe muscle spasms or cramps in your lower back.

To prevent back pain, one of the best things to do is regular back exercises.  For the 8 best exercises/stretch’s designed to help prevent back and neck pain simply go to www.cork-chiropractor.com/back and fill out the online form. Or get a your spine checked by your local chiropractor.

It’s much easier to prevent a problem than to correct one!