From the early days of the Chiropractic profession, founder, D.D. Palmer identified the causes of subluxation as traumas, thoughts and toxins – Three T’s. Today we have a much greater understanding of how these factors affect the function of our body, but the concept remains the same.
The case has been made. Everyone should have a chiropractic checkup. Back to the Three T’s though. Today we are going to discus the toxins section of subluxation.
How do subluxations from non-physical factors, such as Thoughts and Toxins, develop? It is the job of your nervous system to adapt to your environment both internally and externally. When your body perceives anything as a threat, whether it be something that causes emotional stress or something that you put into your body in the form of what your eat, drink, breath, inject or absorb, the nervous system either directs your muscles to brace and defend or the stress to your body caused by the Thoughts or Toxins results in reflexive tension on the spine and nerve system. Either way, this tension will lead to subluxation patterns that will affect your ability to express the extraordinary health you are designed to experience.
Why oh why can’t I lose any of this weight? It seems the harder you try the harder it is to lose that extra weight. We gave you a little “taste” of information on this topic last week and the problem is probably not what you have removed from your diet but what you are adding and your eating habits. There are several common mistakes that will inhibit your weight loss. These are changing your eating habits, staying away from “diet” or low fat/fat free food, and eating the ‘right’ foods.
The first mistake that most people make is thinking that a diet is the best way to lose weight. A diet is temporary; the only true way to lose weight and keep it off is to make lifestyle changes. One of the most important changes should be the frequency and times that you eat. The ideal schedule is to eat 5 moderate meals. This allows your metabolism to stay at a constant level rather than spiking and falling after 3 big meals, or for some of us the 1 big meal at the end of the day. It is beneficial for most of us to have a small snack full of good nutrient dense foods to help keep you going until lunch, then another between lunch and dinner. Some good ideas for snacks are; a hand full of raw nuts or some protein with a small fruit.
We have all seen the people who are drinking the diet sodas and the fat free foods thinking they are doing the right thing. The problem with all of the low fat or diet foods is that the fake sugars trick your body into thinking they are getting sugar. When your body tries to use these sugars they are not there so your body begins to crave sugar which makes you hungrier. The same happens when you eat the fat free items. All of the products have chemically engineered ingredients to make your body look for more FAT AND SUGAR to satisfy its cravings.
The last and most important problem people run into is they think all qualities of food are created the same. ‘If I just eat a small plate of food I will be ok.” It is ok to eat a healthy quantity, because it needs to become a sustainable lifestyle. A good visual is to fill your plate high with steamed or raw veggies, a quarter of the plate with a low fat protein (think chicken or fish) and the other with starch (think quinoa, brown rice or a potato). Eating the right foods will help you maintain a healthy weight. Most bodies need a protein and starch, or protein and veggie/fruit at each eating time to maintain even blood sugars.
The sooner you are able to re-train your mind and habits the sooner you will be on the right path to a happier, healthier, and leaner you.
The key to extraordinary health is getting your spine checked regularly by a chiropractor and developing lifestyle strategies that ensure you are meeting all your body’s requirements and avoiding toxicity in your environment, in your food, in your movements, and in your mind. To learn more about developing healthy lifestyle strategies and how chiropractic can help you, contact our office for an appointment today.
Until next time, make a choice each day to live at your PEAK!
