ja_mageia

10 Weight Loss Tips to Help Shed Pounds. 

If you are like me you tend to gain a little weight around the holidays. Too many exceptions are usually made at parties or for traditional holiday foods that bring back good memories. The danger is that these exceptions carry on longer than the holidays and lead to making more exceptions and can gradually turn into habits. We tend to develop a taste for high fat and sugar foods that have very little nutritional value but are loaded with calories and can rack up the pounds very quickly. 

I have developed some basic strategies and tips to help you turn around any bad eating habits that may have developed over the holidays. 

1. Weigh yourself every day. This will help you be committed to losing the weight.
2. Drink 6-8 glasses of water per day. Sometimes we think we are hungry but it may be because you are thirsty and really craving water.
3. Increase physical activity. A good goal would be 10,000 steps per day. Not only will this burn more calories but you will also feel better and have more energy
4. Be very choosey with any late night snacking. Since you have minimal energy requirement while sleeping your body stores those extra calories as fat.
5. Sleep at least 7 hours per night. Lack of sleep leads to daytime drowsiness and poor eating for quick energy.
6. Cut out bread rice, pasta and processed foods. These are all high carbohydrate. Lean toward high protein foods which tend to be much more satisfying.
7. Eat more frequently. Try eating every 2-3 hours. Eat some fruit or a vegetable snack. This can help stave off the hunger pains.
8. Tell your family that you are going to lose weight. This will help keep you accountable.
9. Think ahead and plan meals. The battle begins at the grocery store.
10. Limit fast food. Most fast foods are very high in fat. Try bringing leftovers from home for lunch. 

Remember this is not a diet plan. This is a lifestyle modification. I f you can make these healthy habits part of your usual routine you do not need to “diet” to lose weight.

Spinal decompression therapy is used on patients that have spinal disc problems such as a herniated, bulging, ruptured, prolapsed, protruding or “slipped disc.”

Spinal decompression is a non surgical treatment for spinal disc disease that works on the affected disc by significantly reducing the pressure inside the disc. This negative pressure in the disc helps remove any pressure from the affected nerves and allows nutrients, water, and blood to flow into the degenerated or herniated disc and facilitates the normal process of healing.

A recent study evaluating the effectiveness of non surgical intervention on patients with herniated and degenerative discs showed that 86 percent of patients who completed the therapy reported immediate resolution of symptoms, while 84 percent remained pain free ninety days post treatment.

This study showed that this disease, the most common cause of back pain which cost the American Health System more than 50 billion annually can be cost effectively treated using spinal decompression. The cost for successful non surgical therapy is less than a tenth of that for surgery.

A recent study was released by Mercer health and benefits, a San Francisco Bay resource and financial advisor. The report was titled “Do Chiropractic Physician services for treatment of low back and neck pain improve the value of health benefit plans?” concludes Chiropractic care is likely to achieve equal or better health outcomes at a cost that compares very favorably to most therapies that are routinely covered in US health benefit plans. Covering chiropractic services for neck and low back pain will likely increase, value for dollar, by improving clinical outcomes and reducing total spending. 

Highlights: 

• Chiropractic care is more effective than other modalities for treating low back and neck pain.  
• Chiropractic care for the treatment of low back and neck pain is highly cost effective, representing a good value in comparison to medical physician care into widely accepted cost effectiveness thresholds. 
• The authors suggest insurance coverage for Chiropractic physician care is likely to drive improved cost effectiveness of US care.  
• These findings support the value of health insurance coverage of Chiropractic care for low back and neck pain.

The International Chiropractors Association (ICA) has issued helpful holiday hints and recommendations to ward off health problems over the holidays. Overeating was of particular interest as it related to physical stress placed on the spine.  According to the release, "A bulging stomach can put pressure on your body support systems, including your spine and spinal nerves.  Every extra pound in the abdominal region could put 10 pounds more stress on the lower back.  This stress can last a short time, such as just after eating a heavy meal or lifting a package improperly.  It may also become chronic, as heavy eating during the holidays may lead to weight gain, and carrying extra pounds can put added strain on the supporting structures of the spine and nervous system.”

The release also notes that additional weight can force the pelvis and torso to shift and cause changes in spinal balance, leading to spinal misalignments (known as subluxations) and malfunction in the entire body.  The ICA has prepared several helpful tips to follow.  They are:

• When lifting packages, firewood, or your frozen holiday turkey and other heavy items, lift with your legs, not your back.  When lifting, hold objects close to your body; rather than flexing forward, maintain a slight arch in your lower back and bend at the knees before standing up with the object.  That way, the lifting is done primarily with the strong muscles of the legs supporting the load.

• When cooking or standing for an extended period, elevate one foot with a foot rest or stacked books, about six inches from the floor.  Alternately elevating each foot relieves tired back and leg muscles--similar to the function the foot rest serves for customers standing at a counter--and helps prevent bad posture habits that can lead to abnormal spinal curvatures.

• When traveling by car or plane, place a pillow or folded towel behind the small of the back to help maintain the arch in your lower back and support the rest of the body properly.  This relieves the discs and joint structures of the spine from unnecessary pressure.

• In addition to fastening your seat belt for car trips, adjust the head rest to align with your head, at least up to ear level.  This is important to support and protect the head and neck in the unfortunate event of a sudden stop.

• Get enough rest.  Many health problems that occur with the holidays are simply due to fatigue.  By simply getting adequate rest, you can help prevent structural strain, emotional and cognitive imbalance, and general health problems.