Dennis Newhook RMT, CYT
For many people, my self included, the holiday season involves some form of travel. Regardless of the mode of transportation, we are often required to sit for long hours in less than desirable seating. This combined with the usual stressors of travel (long line-ups, flight delays, winter driving conditions) can leave us exhausted and susceptible to back pain, headaches, and digestive upset. The following tips can help make travelling more enjoyable and allow you to keep your focus on enjoying the season:
• Consider bringing your own pillow to relatives’ homes, especially if you suffer from chronic neck pain.
• Wear comfortable, non-restrictive clothing for those long flights or car rides. Be certain to stand up and stretch at least once per hour.
• Eat lightly while travelling, and stay well hydrated. Many airlines recommend drinking 8 ounces of fluids for every hour in the air. Not only will it keep you hydrated, but getting up to use the washroom will give you a chance to stretch! Avoid dehydrating alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.
• Applying moisturizer before a long plane ride can go a long way in helping prevent dehydration.
• If you regularly experience air sickness, request a window seat above the wing and sip water throughout the flight.
• To cut down on the spread of colds, try wiping down your arm rests, monitor, and food try with a soapy paper towel from the washroom.
• Try getting outdoors when you arrive at your destination; exposure to sunlight will help your body’s clock to adjust to a new time zone.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Healthy Living during the Holidays
Peter Wilansky-Traynor CHNP, PTS
During the holiday season healthy eating appears to go out the window. We tend to indulge a little too much (…or a lot). We eat those office chocolates with abandon, take that second (or maybe third) helping, and will likely have one-too-many yuletide cocktails – we all do it! The problem is most people don’t think about just how detrimental these behaviours can be to our health. Do yourself a favour this year and try following these healthy tips over the holiday season. Your body will thank you!
Before going to a party or family function, try eating a small portion of something healthy before you leave home. At the party, try filling up on vegetables and healthier choices before heading to tasty sugar laden foods.
Avoid skipping meals. Starving yourself before a get-together increases the odds that you'll overeat once you get there.
If the holiday party is at your house, try sending the leftovers (especially the desserts) home with your guests.
Stay hydrated. Many of the beverages we drink actually dehydrate our bodies (i.e. alcohol, coffee, and mulled wine). Be sure to drink at least 2 – 3 litres of water per day to keep your body working efficiently.
Take your kids on winter outings. Ice skating and tobogganing are fun choices that also burns calories. Spending the day trekking a sled up the hill is a great workout.
During the holiday season healthy eating appears to go out the window. We tend to indulge a little too much (…or a lot). We eat those office chocolates with abandon, take that second (or maybe third) helping, and will likely have one-too-many yuletide cocktails – we all do it! The problem is most people don’t think about just how detrimental these behaviours can be to our health. Do yourself a favour this year and try following these healthy tips over the holiday season. Your body will thank you!
Before going to a party or family function, try eating a small portion of something healthy before you leave home. At the party, try filling up on vegetables and healthier choices before heading to tasty sugar laden foods.
Avoid skipping meals. Starving yourself before a get-together increases the odds that you'll overeat once you get there.
If the holiday party is at your house, try sending the leftovers (especially the desserts) home with your guests.
Stay hydrated. Many of the beverages we drink actually dehydrate our bodies (i.e. alcohol, coffee, and mulled wine). Be sure to drink at least 2 – 3 litres of water per day to keep your body working efficiently.
Take your kids on winter outings. Ice skating and tobogganing are fun choices that also burns calories. Spending the day trekking a sled up the hill is a great workout.
What’s the Scoop on Probiotics?
Karen Baker BSc, DC
There seems to be a lot of media chatter recently about “good bacteria” and probiotics. Many of my patient’s have been asking me: what’s the inside scoop?
Well, probiotics are species of health promoting bacteria that we require for proper digestion of food and for immune defense against illness promoting bacteria, viruses and fungi. The term “probiotic” derives from Latin and Greek, meaning “for life”. The World Health Organization has defined probiotics as: live “micro-organisms” which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. In fact, to have optimal health we need to be home to over 100 trillion of these health-promoting bacteria! That’s 10 times the amount of cells you have in your entire body!
Having the proper probiotic bacteria in your digestive system is essential for your health and wellbeing, and being deficient can lead to severe health problems. Intestinal microflora (probiotics) promote balanced gastrointestinal function and are essential for many metabolic requirements such as synthesizing vitamins and short chain fatty acids and digesting fiber and proteins. Probiotic bactieria are also important for immune function. They directly protect from infection by competing with the unhealthy bacteria, viruses and fungi we are exposed to every day.
Research shows that we now consume one-millionth of the healthy probiotic bacteria that we did before pesticides, herbicides and industrial farming. Much of our healthy bacteria are destroyed by eating sugars, grains, and by consuming alcohol, antibiotics, and other prescription drugs. The North American diet is dangerously deficient in probiotic bacteria. This deficiency is implicated as a causal factor in alarming numbers of preventable illnesses from infancy to old age.
There seems to be a lot of media chatter recently about “good bacteria” and probiotics. Many of my patient’s have been asking me: what’s the inside scoop?
Well, probiotics are species of health promoting bacteria that we require for proper digestion of food and for immune defense against illness promoting bacteria, viruses and fungi. The term “probiotic” derives from Latin and Greek, meaning “for life”. The World Health Organization has defined probiotics as: live “micro-organisms” which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. In fact, to have optimal health we need to be home to over 100 trillion of these health-promoting bacteria! That’s 10 times the amount of cells you have in your entire body!
Having the proper probiotic bacteria in your digestive system is essential for your health and wellbeing, and being deficient can lead to severe health problems. Intestinal microflora (probiotics) promote balanced gastrointestinal function and are essential for many metabolic requirements such as synthesizing vitamins and short chain fatty acids and digesting fiber and proteins. Probiotic bactieria are also important for immune function. They directly protect from infection by competing with the unhealthy bacteria, viruses and fungi we are exposed to every day.
Research shows that we now consume one-millionth of the healthy probiotic bacteria that we did before pesticides, herbicides and industrial farming. Much of our healthy bacteria are destroyed by eating sugars, grains, and by consuming alcohol, antibiotics, and other prescription drugs. The North American diet is dangerously deficient in probiotic bacteria. This deficiency is implicated as a causal factor in alarming numbers of preventable illnesses from infancy to old age.
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