Some of you have heard my campfire saying that when it comes to energy and the body, “Carbohydrates are like the kindling of a campfire that burn up quick and fats are like the slow-burning log for sustained energy”. We need both, carbohydrates and fats, to have energy, feel full and satiated, and for processes in the body to run. But, it is important to provide the right types and amounts of these nutrients. Glucose is the bodies fuel of choice for short term energy. Fats are needed for brain health and for the absorption of certain vitamins. Even on a cellular level fats play a roll by keeping cell membranes from becoming too rigid for nutrient transfer. As you can see, both Carbs and Fats deserve a good reputation not a bad one.

If you’ve had a massage from me, you already know what I am going to recommend when you get home: drink water, take a hot bath, and stretch!! What happens off the massage table is just as, if not more important than what happens on the table. In order to reap all of the benefits of your massage, it’s important to follow these quick tips so your body stays healthy and happy. Here’s how to make the benefits of a massage last longer.

Growing up, I was fortunate to always be involved in some sport... competitive swimming, basketball, cross country, and track. I've always felt most at ease when I'm involved in some kind of movement.This all came to a halt around my 16th birthday due to a shoulder injury. My confidence plummeted and I lost my love of movement, thinking that I couldn't do it anymore. Fast forward a few years and, with the encouragement of a friend, I walked into my first yoga class. There was a lot of "self-reflecting" and maybe a couple cuss words as I awkwardly moved through the poses.

This month, when I sat down to think about what Chiropractic tip, mindfulness technique or just health tip in general that I wanted to share with you all, I instead was pulled to the thought of, not what I can do for you, but what you have done for me, and felt the need to say THANK YOU from the depths of my soul! See 3 years ago, I was dealt a very difficult blow. My relationship of 23 years came to an end. She was my first love, the mother of my then 3 amazing children, and essentially my best friend. I felt lost, confused, and for the first time, I questioned my purpose. Why am I sharing this with you? Well, I’ll tell ya.

We’ve seen a lot of pregnant Momma’s coming in lately, so I wanted to touch on a subject that really needs to be talked about more. If you’ve ever been pregnant, then hopefully you are familiar with the term Diastasis Recti, also known as '“Mummy Tummy”, and ways to heal from it, if it happens to you. The good news is, that no matter how long ago you were pregnant (yes even years), you can correct Diastasis Recti. But let’s first dive into what it is.

Diastasis recti, or ab separation, is a fairly common condition experienced by women during and after pregnancy, in which the right and left halves of the rectus abdominis muscle (your abs) spread apart at the body’s midline.

Before scheduling a Lymphatic Drainage Massage, it is first important to understand the purpose of lymphatic drainage and if it’s the right massage for you. But first, what is our Lymphatic System and why would it need drained?

The Lymphatic System is more like the body’s cleaning service.

It is safe to say that we all have had lower back pain at some point in our life, whether it be from doing hard work, standing on our feet for extended periods, or even stretching incorrectly. Back pain has made its way into our lives one way or another. What if you are experiencing lower back pain daily? It could be caused by a few different things such as your sitting/standing posture, tight or weak hamstrings, or signs of a weak core. Most of these issues can be corrected with just a little bit of awareness.

Did you know that 70-80% of our immune cells are located in the gut?! We’re in a time right now that we want to have a healthy immune system more than ever. Having a healthy immune system directly relates to a healthy digestive system. The immune system is typically used to protect the body from invaders like a virus, fungus, bacteria, etc. The body needs the right nutrients, healthy lifestyle, and plenty of rest to accomplish the body’s natural response to stressors.

So what can we do to support a healthy digestive system?

Can you believe it’s February already! And 2022 to boot!

We are celebrating our 18th year in practice, and I can still vividly remember delivering my first adjustment in our current location on February 29th, 2004! (Yes, that’s right it was a leap year!)

What’s even more crazy, is my oldest daughter was about 8 months old at that time, and now, today, my youngest daughter is 11 months old! It’s like déjà vu for me as we vision, plan, and dream about what’s next for Elevation Now Wellness Center for the next 18 years!

Last year, we poured our hearts into transforming our chiropractic practice into a wellness center, and we have been so grateful to all of you for being a part of that journey with us. Many of you dove ALL IN to our 8 weeks to wellness program and have experienced amazing benefits to your overall health and wellbeing. We are grateful to so many of you who have explored our additional services that we’ve added to our “menu.”

As we now look forward in what many would say are tumultuous times of divisiveness, media hype, chaos, uncertainty, inflation, and all that other “out there” stuff we observe and are bombarded with, there happens to be another path worth exploring and pursuing.

As 2022 emerges, millions of people all across the country are preparing themselves, as has been the case for years, as Americans use the new year as an opportunity to "start fresh". Millions of New Year’s Resolutions are set with the hopes of improving someone’s life. Arguably the most common resolution you will hear about in the coming weeks is to exercise more.

Everyone has their reasons for setting goals at the beginning of the year. They may be for personal reasons or even health reasons. It’s important to ask yourself why you want to engage in them. Why is this New Year’s Resolution so important to you? What motivates you to take this massive leap to make a change in your life? Once you find the reason that drives you, you will have a better mindset to complete your goals.

As we roll over into the new year, we often think about making new resolutions, creating new habits or setting new intentions. It’s a time for personal reflection and making positive changes we can make over the next year.

What might this look like for you? Okay, I’ll go first. Here are three of mine in no particular order

Outside of stretching before and after your workout, doing a quick stretch every morning as you wake up will prove to be very beneficial on your flexibility and mental alertness, and doing a good stretch at least two to three times a week is a good range for optimal results. When you do stretch make sure to hit all major muscle/ tendon groups, which would be neck, shoulders, chest, trunk, lower back, hips, legs, and ankles.

What favorite childhood holiday memories come to mind during this time of year? Mine include trudging through the snow with my dad, looking for the perfect Christmas tree to cut down; smells of baking cookies and holiday spices, making holiday treats with my mom; looking through Christmas catalogs and circling all the toys I wanted to find under the Christmas tree. As adults, the holidays might demand something more from us- the pressure of cooking a big family meal, purchasing presents for everyone on your list, being overwhelmed by family gatherings- the list goes on. How can we manage the extra pressures and stress the holidays may present this time of year?

Surround yourself with winners and you’ll become one; surround yourself with losers, you’ll become one of those as well. Surround yourself with fear-based people, you’ll become fear-based. Surround yourself with faith-based people, you got it. Surround yourself with people who do drugs, you’ll start doing drugs eventually. Surround yourself with healthy people who like to eat well and work out, you’ll probably start to get healthy and lose some weight yourself. Surround yourself with people that like to read, you may pick up a book and start reading.

Last week I had a few people come in to see me and they were really struggling. They weren’t struggling physically; they were struggling emotionally. They are caring for their parents who are declining in health. I could see the life being drained out of them as overwhelmed caretakers.

It reminded me awhile back listening to parents coming in to see me, who were also struggling emotionally, not because of their parents, but because they were worried about their own kids.

There is a test that we use in our office that predicts mortality, not only if you happen to get Covid but from all causes. It’s called an In-Body 570 test and I’m going to explain what it tests. However, before I do that, let me explain WHY this test is so important.

If you have been exercising consistently, you more than likely will hit a proverbial fitness roadblock at some point in your training. Hitting a fitness plateau can be frustrating, but it is common and completely normal.
Each body responds differently to exercise training. You can optimize your individual potential by manipulating training variables. Here's some ways that you can overcome the proverbial plateau.

We hear all the time that working on our mindfulness is beneficial for our overall mental health, but what does that actually mean? Let’s dissect the word Mindfulness for starters…

Mind: the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.

Fulness: the state of being filled to capacity.

Based off of this, you can assume Mindfulness means to be completely filled by the awareness and feelings of your experiences.

With our daily lives being constantly filled with decisions, information overload (thanks to the internet), other people’s opinions, work, hobbies, etc., it’s hard to get in a state of mind to fully indulge in the present moment. Trust me, I get it. Life with a baby has proven to be quite the challenge when it comes to re-centering myself. Until the day I started to see the world the way my 7 month old does.

Let’s talk about the power of acceptance, and how to intensify its healing affects using EFT (emotional freedom technique) also known as tapping or psychological acupressure.

So, what is EFT and why does it work? EFT works by stimulating the same meridians used for centuries in Chinese medicine, clearing out our energy pathways which clears toxic emotions like shame, guilt and anxiety. EFT can also help physical pain.

We all have heard how challenging it is to remodel, or build a home, yet many of us go for it anyway. All the initial planning is exciting, the drawing up of ideas, new furniture, flooring, the excitement of the “upgrade” builds until one day you decide, “Okay, let’s do this!”

Then reality hits. All the “surprises,” the “estimates” that end of being a bit (or a lot) higher, the phone calls, the miscommunications, the juggling of multiple contractors and their busy schedules, the “living in chaos,” the adapting to unforeseen circumstances…