ReGaining Your Innate Shape: The 10 Components of Exercise

Everyone knows that physical exercise is an essential component to good health, so why do so few do it regularly?

For one, it takes commitment and with so many demands on our time, we find excuses to put it off.  For another, if you dive headlong into working out, without awareness of your physical limitations and patterns, you can get injured.  Not only can that set you back, it also may make you hesitant about returning to the activity where injury happened.

Yet there's no doing without it and according to the Mayo Clinic, there are so many upsides in improved mood, increased energy, better sleep, and that it's one of the best investments you can make.


At Rowe Chiropractic, we believe there are 10 essential components to a well rounded exercise program:

1. Cardiovascular - any activity that increases heart rate, such as biking, running, elliptical machines, and even walking at a brisk pace will enhance your ability to process oxygen
2. Stamina - as it sounds, engaging in an activity at a steady pace for a sustained period of time (ideally, 45 minutes or longer) will improve your body's ability to process energy
3. Flexibility - stretching routines that work spine and extremities will allow safe and full range of motion in your joints
4. Strength - weight bearing routines that engage multiple joints and increase muscle's ability to create force
5. Power - pushing muscles/oxygen use to its limit as occurs in sprinting or speed lifting can enhance overall performance
6. Speed - similarly increasing level of your workout can contribute positively to both cardiovascular and neurological health
7. Coordination - activities such as playing sports not only adds a social factor to your workout but improves eye/hand/body coordination
8. Agility - karaoke drills, bosu balls, and agility ladders shorten transition times and come in handy in helping you regain balance/ prevent falls if you slip
9. Balance - speaking of balance, wobble boards, bosu balls, and diamond mats are a great way to test and build it, never forgetting that core abdominal strength is where movement should begin
10. Accuracy - lastly, don't forget fine motor movements need 'workouts' too and aim to regularly engage in activities that improve them such as drawing, knitting, or sewing

Interested in learning more?  The next Move Right workshop is scheduled for March 12 so mark it on your calendar and begin regaining your innate shape TODAY!

Wishing you health, happiness, vitality, & longevity,

Dr. David Rowe

Eating for Health and Vitality

The Kripalu Institute in upstate New York is a serene campus where visitors go to reboot physically and mentally, getting back on track with a healthy lifestyle.  While their programs are yoga-centric, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of proper nutrition and a considered acceptance of different paths.

Recently, they wrote about the Paleo diet and its increasing acceptance as a means of reducing disease that grains and dairy consumption might propagate. Also known as the “caveman diet”, it was populated by Loren Cordain, PhD, and based on the premise that the human body was 

designed to thrive on—and best digest—the foods available to us when we were hunter-gatherers: vegetables and fruits, meats and fish, nuts, seed, and sprouts.  Before the invention of agriculture and processed foods, we were fitter and less disease-stricken, he argues. 

Of course, most of us are already trying to cut down on processed foods if not grains specifically and many researchers argue that our ancestors were, in fact, largely vegetarians.  But the truth is the Paleo diet allows for any type of fruit or vegetable while disallowing dairy or grains, which has been found to cause inflammation, at the heart of most disease.

And Paleo needn’t be based on a diet of red meat: followers can opt for fish, eggs, and chicken. And they should, according to John Bagnulo, PhD, MPH, who teaches nutrition in Kripalu’s Healthy Living programs since red meat has been linked to cancer and heart disease. 

The key of course is becoming conscious of what you eat and realizing that diet is a significant contributor to your overall health and wellness.  E-mail us and plan on attending our upcoming Eat Right workshop on February 26^th to learn more!

Wishing you Health, Happiness, Vitality, & Longevity,

Dr David Rowe

Omega-3 for a Sharp Mind

A recent study published in the Journal of Neurology presented compelling evidence that Omega-3 is essential to keeping your mind sharp, particularly in the latter years.

Blood levels taken of 1,575 dementia free adults, whose average age was 67, showed a high correlation between superior visual and abstract memory and elevated levels of Omega-3.  “We feel that omega-3’s reduce vascular pathology and thus reduce the rate of brain aging,” said Dr. Zaldy S. Tan, the lead author of the study and associate professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Add to this Omega-3’s heart protective qualities and you might well wonder if you have adequate levels in your system.  From a dietary standpoint, flax seeds, walnuts and sardines are your best bet, as well as fatty fish such as anchovies, herring, and salmon.  But to insure you are sufficiently protected, the American Heart Association recommends taking a 1000mg daily dose of Omega-3 supplements.  Many practitioners feel that this is still not enough recommending doses as high as 4000MG/day for an adult men.

At Rowe Chiropractic Offices, you can pick up superior quality Omega-3 supplements in liquid or gel cap form or if easier, order through our website.

As always, wishing you a lifetime of health, happiness, vitality, and longevity.

Yours in health,

Dr. David Rowe 

Ask Dr Rowe

Tags: Omega-3, Gonstead, Rowe Chiropractic, AHA, brain health

Source:  
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/health/research/omega-3-fatty-acid-levels-linked-to-brain-performance.html?scp=1&sq=omega%203&st=cse

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartHealth/story?id=8240586#.T02XP3miaUU

Welcome!

Welcome to Dr Rowe’s blog The Optimal Health Guide and thanks for stopping by!

Good health is the most precious gift we could possess, yet staying healthy takes know-how and commitment. It begins with a healthy spine but that alone is not enough. The choices you make about food, exercise, stress management, even your relationships affect your vitality and long term health. That’s what The Optimal Health Guide is here for - to provide information, insights, news and tips to keep you on track and maximize your well being. 

Every week, we’ll be posting articles that teach you how to -

•  Eat Right - what you eat matters and we’ll feature the best foods to choose, how to shop and prepare, supplements that make a difference

•  Move Right - exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, affecting not just your body but your mind as well; we’ll cover safe ways to move at any age

•  Think Right - most people are aware that excessive stress causes dis-ease and illness but many feel overwhelmed by the situations that trigger it.  We’ll show you how slight shifts in your perspective can enable you to manage whatever life brings

•  Nourish your Spine - you know having proper spinal alignment is important but do  you know why? It’s a fascinating science and we’ll show and tell why it matters

•  Nurture your Relationships - last but not least, humans need each other and finding ways to build new friendships and relish the ones we have is a core component to a healthy lifestyle

If there are specific topics you’d like to learn more about, please email info@rowechiropractic.com  and we’ll add that to our menu. 

Thanks for visiting and please share your thoughts in our comments section.

Yours in health,

Dr. David Rowe