Focus on National Nutrition Month!

Well folks, believe it or not, we are just over a week away from the “spring forward” at the beginning of Daylight Savings Time (it happens March 9 this year)--and although for many of us the weather may still be a bit uncooperative, we are headed for the beginning of spring and the return of fresh local food that comes with it! Perhaps this is why March is designated National Nutrition Month, when we take time to examine our eating habits and make changes to improve our diets. This year the theme is “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right,” and with that in mind, we thought we’d focus on some great-tasting ways to improve your dietary health, and look at new developments in nutrition!

Aside from being a focus of our lives this March, nutrition is already in the news as of today, when it was announced that the “Nutrition facts” labels we’re so used to seeing printed on our foods would be getting an overhaul--in fact, this is the first change to the label since the FDA began requiring them over 20 years ago! The proposed changes still need to be approved, but if implemented they will make it much easier to tell exactly how many total calories are in food and drinks. They will also change the way serving sizes are calculated--since you’ve probably noticed that most food labels show a single serving size that’s far less than what you’re likely to eat! With these changes, the FDA is cutting down on the confusion, which will surely make it much easier to maintain a more nutritious diet.

These and other changes are important in terms of improving public awareness of nutrition, but scientifically speaking, the principles involved in a healthier diet are more or less the same as they’ve always been--focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, as well as plenty of healthy (lean) protein and a lack of added sugars and processing. Organic foods, grown with severely limited use of synthetic additives like pesticides and fertilizers, are a safer bet for an “all-natural” diet that favors fresh foods. For more info on the principles important to selecting fruits and vegetables, check out our post on the topic from last September. 

There are also lots of recipe resources out there to help you plan ways to increase the use of healthy foods in your diet. We’ve examined sites like Fruits and Veggies - More Matters and AllRecipes.com, but we are also fans of the “World’s Healthiest Foods” website which lets you use a menu to select the healthy foods you want to include, and then delivers a set of recipes that are quick, easy and most importantly, good for you!

With these and other resources available, we expect this National Nutrition Month to be the most effective yet at combating unhealthiness and teaching the public about ways in which they can be more nutritious without having to sacrifice money, time, or--and this is key--taste!

Focus on Happy Face Yoga!

Because Gary Sikorski’s Happy Face Yoga program is coming to Eastside Chiropractic Center for a special 4-week course, we thought we’d take some time this week to highlight some of the time-honored aspects of healing and wellness that Happy Face Yoga is sure to bring you. In applying those very same principles to the muscles of the face, facial yoga becomes a full-on exercise program dedicated to renewing vitality and giving some resuscitation to weakened facial muscles, resulting in a significantly younger-looking face.

Chances are, although you may not be familiar with the concept of “facial yoga,” you’re probably aware of much of what makes yoga in itself so special. In fact, since yoga is without a doubt one of the most popular and fastest-growing health and wellness trends, you’re almost definitely aware! In a 2012 study in Yoga Journal, it was reported that more than 20 million Americans practice yoga, an increase of 29% from 2008! The same study found that a whopping 44% of Americans are interesting in trying yoga--meaning that if you don’t practice yoga yourself, you definitely know someone who does!

But what about facial yoga? Well, the idea there is to combine certain well-known aspects of yogic practice--conscious breathing, relaxation, and patient muscle training with principles of modern fitness training and anti-aging concepts in order to create a completely safe and non-invasive form of fending off the signs of age. In the same way that one might use strength or conditioning training to stimulate and exercise the many muscles of the body, facial yoga uses scientifically-attuned strength exercises to stimulate and tone 57 muscles of the face. The result, in the words of many happy customers, is akin to those of a facelift--but of course, without the nastiness of invasive surgery, high medical costs, and troubling side effects!

In fact, the raves for Happy Face Yoga have come in from everywhere, from regular folks who’ve taken the course to news outlets like CNN--who examined the course for their website--as well as the New York Times, who said the exercises might help with prevention of signs of aging and noted that “[the course] is a bargain when compared with a laser peel”.

Still need convincing? Check out the many press clipping and real-life testimonials on the Happy Face Yoga website along with a blog, samples of exercises, and more info on exactly what facial yoga is all about. And we’ll see you at our special 4-week course, starting Tuesday, April 8 at 6:00PM!

Focus on winter driving safety!

We’ve dealt with plenty of cold weather topics on the blog, from ergonomic practices in snow shoveling to winter sports, but one important topic we haven’t dealt with is winter driving. But if recent snowstorms have taught us anything, it’s that this topic is as important as any this season! For further proof, just look at the recent mess in Atlanta and much of the Southeast after a rare-but-expected snowstorm paralyzed the region. As you can see, a little winter preparedness goes a long, long way! With that mind, let’s take a look at some simple ways to ensure a safe season and still get where you’re going.

The first step in winter safety is to simply be prepared. For instance, you should make sure that your vehicle is properly winterized. Before even attempting to drive in wintry conditions, get your car checked out to make sure it’s in tip-top shape. This includes checking the ignition, battery, brakes, wiring, hoses and fan belts. Also be sure to keep a road safety “survival kit” in your car including things like tools, a shovel and/or ice scraper, jumper cables and a flashlight. Make sure that you’ve got a means of communication like a charged cell phone, or that you can get attention on the road in case of a break-down of some kind--this can be achieved with bright-colored cloth, flares or reflective triangles.

But even the most smoothly-running car can experience problems on the road--this is as true of vehicles with All-Wheel Drive, Anti-Lock brakes, you name it! Nothing can replace basic safety awareness, especially where snow-logged or icy roads are concerned. Always drive slowly, giving yourself plenty of room to stop (it takes a vehicle about three times longer to come to a stop on wintry roads than it does normally), and always brake gently to avoid skidding. If your front or back wheels do begin to skid, take your foot off the accelerator and gently steer in the direction of the skid to maintain control. It may take a few seconds to get control back, but be careful not to oversteer, which can cause the skid to get worse. Above all, stay alert, don’t panic, and take your time getting places!

Certain road hazards like black ice (one of the winter’s worst aspects for drivers) can be difficult to avoid and harder still to predict. These and other hazards should be treated with extreme caution, and drivers should be sure not to put themselves and their car through more than it can handle. If you must drive in snow, be sure to give plows time to do their work and avoid rushing around; sometimes the safest choice is simply to stay home.

Keeping all these warnings in mind, however, should result in a safe and pleasant winter that hopefully won’t provide too much inconvenience. After all, nobody loves shoveling snow or scraping windshields, but a beautiful view of the snowy landscapes of the northeast might make it worthwhile from time to time! Get out there and enjoy yourself, but stay safe and alert!