Holistic Health: The Hidden Benefits of Turmeric

While many people have heard of the Indian spice, Turmeric, not as many people know that it
has been argued by many as the most powerful herb on the planet at fighting disease. To date,
there are over 12,000 published peer-reviewed articles proving the benefits of turmeric or
curcumin, an extract of turmeric. Curcumin is what actually makes turmeric a “functional food”
which Mayo Clinic defines as, “Foods that have a potentially positive effect on health beyond
basic nutrition.” The best thing about turmeric is that, on top of being incredibly effective, it is
incredibly safe.

Arguably the most powerful aspect of curcumin is its ability to fight inflammation. Curcumin is
among the most effective anti-inflammatory compounds in the world, and in other countries, is
used more often than common NSAIDS like aspirin and ibuprofen. Inflammation is at the root of
some of the most common diseases today—arthritis, high cholesterol, chronic pain, and
recurring headaches are all associated with inflammation. Consuming turmeric or using the
essential oil is one of the best ways to treat common inflammation problems, and using it daily
is a great way to take preventative measures to keep yourself healthy. Turmeric is also known
as one of the best essential oils for treating arthritis and other joint problems. Incorporating
turmeric into your daily life helps alleviate or even reverse many inflammatory diseases or
problems.

Turmeric also boosts skin health. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that are
found in turmeric have proven effective in treating multiple skin conditions including acne and
psoriasis. It has also been shown to reduce fine lines and wrinkles in skin.

So, how can you take turmeric? Luckily, you can get this incredible healing spice in a variety of
ways. First, you can consume the turmeric spice itself. May teas, roasted vegetables, and other
food groups pair well with the spice. You can also get turmeric pills or capsules. For people who
do not like the spice, taking the capsule form is preferred. You can also get turmeric-infused
protein powder. Finally, turmeric comes as an essential oil. All of these can be ordered at
Redenius Chiropractic. Because it is such a safe and proven-effective, natural way to treat
common ailments, why not give turmeric a try?

Six Back to School Tips from a Chiropractor

As the 2019-2020 school year approaches, parents and students are likely to start stocking up on school supplies, new clothes, and new books. It is just as important to consider what you can do to help keep your body as healthy and pain-free as possible this school year. Here are a few tips to help you have the best school year yet. 

Tip # 1: Find a Good Backpack and Wear it Correctly

Backpack weight is a very common question that chiropractors receive. Generally, the rule of thumb is that it should weigh no more than 20 to 30 percent of your body weight. This means, the most it should weigh will differ from child to child. If your child is small, it is recommended that the backpack should weigh no more than 15 percent of their body weight. Make sure you are wearing a backpack on both shoulders, and that it fits tightly (it is called a BACKpack, not a buttpack)! A good backpack with foam straps or wide straps is worth the extra money if you will be carrying a lot of weight or carrying it often. 

Tip # 2: Remember the Correct way to Read a Laptop, Book, Tablet, or Phone

Many schools today are 1:1 with technology, meaning that each student is equipped with their own laptop or tablet. While this is excellent for building tech-savvy students, this is not so great for spinal alignment. Both children and adults should be aware of their head placement while they are reading their tablet or laptop. Students should not be hunching over to see their laptops and tablets. When students stare at a laptop all day long, their head tends to hunch forward and go overtop of their shoulders. This is a very common cause of upper back and neck pain. Additionally, be aware at how long you are staring at a screen. Headaches, eye pain, and neck/back pain is a common result of staring at a screen for too long without taking a break. 

Tip # 3: Remember Healthy Eating for Immunity 

For optimal health this school year, you really should avoid processed foods. Stick to whole foods that will boost your energy and immunity. If you are interested in learning more about supplements or capsules that can get your kiddos the daily fruits and veggies they need, stop in to Redenius Chiropractic to learn more. While it may be easy to quick grab a Pop-Tart on your way out the door, your overall health and well-being will greatly benefit from taking the time to purchase nutritional and whole foods. Top in to Redenius Chiropractic to learn more about eating correctly for your overall health. 

Tip #4: Drink Water

Students should be taking water bottles to school, or at least taking frequent water breaks if the school does not allow their own water bottles in class. Dehydration is the number one cause of frequent headaches, fatigue, and illness in students. A great rule of thumb is to drink a minimum of eight, eight-ounce glasses of water each day as a minimum. If you are an athlete who is sweating frequently, you should be drinking even more than that. Water hydrates your body while flushing out germs, illness, etc. 

Tip #5: Remember to Get your Back to School Physical

edenius Chiropractic offers back to school physicals for just $20.00. Students who come in for their physicals also receive a free t-shirt. Getting a physical before the school year is a great way to do a quick check to make sure your student is in optimal health before starting back to class. 

Tip #6: Avoid Weekly Stress by Preparing on Sunday

Once Monday hits, many families are busy with school, work, sports, music, clubs, church youth groups, etc. In the hustle of the week, we often do not end up eating healthy meals, taking the time to exercise, or sleeping enough. Take time on Sunday to plan out everything you have going on that week. Plan out your meals. Take time to cook the food you will need for lunches and suppers so that when the busyness of the week hits, you already have everything ready to go. Taking an hour or two to do this on a Sunday will dramatically lower your stress levels. That tension you carry in your head, neck, and shoulders will start to decrease when you start to plan ahead. 

"If you are tired of starting over, then stop quitting!"

When I tell people that I like to run marathons, I get usually get a variety of entertaining responses.

One of my favorite responses, though, came from one of my old students. I got back from running a marathon and was wheeling myself around my classroom the following Monday in my chair (my legs hurt too badly to stand). My student came up and asked what I had done that weekend, and I responded by saying I had run a marathon. She asked how long of a distance that was as well as how long a race like that takes, and I told her it was 26.2 miles and it took me 3 hours and 30 minutes. My student paused to contemplate my response before asking me if I ran the whole thing without stopping. I nodded yes, and she immediately looked at me like I was nuts and yelled out, WHY!?!

Her response is one of my favorites because it is the response I get most often when talking to someone about marathon running. They want to know WHY someone would run that long without stopping. 

My response to the question of why I run is pretty simple.
I run because I really, really like it.

My response to why I run the entire thing without stopping, though, has a bit more depth behind it.
I run without stopping for a few reasons.

The first reason has something to do with the fact that my parents raised me to never "quit" anything I willingly started. Whether it be my plate of food at dinner or a high school sport--they did not let me quit something I started. Even today, my conscious kicks in if I quit at 6.9 miles when I had set out to run 7.

The second reason comes from something I learned from my cross country coach years ago (thanks, Sherri). My coach taught me that when you run, you will want to quit. Your mind will tell you all sorts of things like you are tired and you should quit and you should give up. She taught me that the strength of a runner does not come from physical ability; it comes from their ability to tell their own mind to shut up. She once told me that if I quit and start walking in a race once, it will become easier and easier to quit and walk from that point on.

I tested her theory once a few years later in a long run. I was tired, so I stopped a few miles in a started walking. Once I walked that first time, it became easier and easier throughout the course of the run to give in to my excuses and walk again. I lost momentum as a result. Because I had stopped once, it was easier to stop a second, third, and fourth time. I decided I'd never stop to walk again (unless my body physically demanded it, of course).

So, why am I telling this story?

Well, I think the lesson I learned from my coach can be applied to all of us--whether it be with our own workout routine or some other goal in life we set out to accomplish. When we give in to our excuses once, it becomes easier and easier to repeatedly do it.

Celebrity fitness trainer, Autumn Calabrese, is known for saying the phrase, "If you are tired of starting over, then stop quitting."

We could not agree with her more.

We'd like to inspire you this week to stop making excuses for not going after a goal of yours. Your goal may be to simply start exercising again. Your goal may be to start eating better foods for you. Your goal may be related to work or your personal life. Whatever the goal may be, we'd like to challenge you to stop making an excuse to "walk in the middle of a long run."

You see, running the marathon itself is not the hard part. The hard part is getting the courage to sign up. And then the even more difficult part is preparing for the race. I've learned that sometimes the scariest part of something is just getting started. And once you do get started, it is difficult to stick with it unless you have the mental will-power to keep going. 

And the easiest way to stick with something once you get started?

Tell your mind to, shut up when you start making excuses as to why you should skip a day or quit.

Ahhh, the finish line. 

The best part of running marathons is the feeling you get when you cross the finish line (and no, it is not because you are done running). I very vividly remember crossing the finish line of my first marathon. Jeff was screaming on the sidelines. I believe my mom was in tears yelling, "My baby!" And my running buddy, Emily, and I burst into tears upon crossing that finish line. The tears. yelling, and excitement were not sad tears. All of those emotions were because we were finally experiencing the reward of our hard efforts.

You, too, can experience this same feeling. To do so, though, you have got to stop quitting on your own goals. Force yourself into a routine practice that will allow you to accomplish your goals. Once you get yourself into the routine you've established to accomplish your goal, don't give in to skipping a day or "walking" half-way through it. When you give in and stop once, it becomes a slippery slope, and making excuses becomes easier and easier. We promise the feeling you get when you begin to make progress as a result of your efforts will be worth it.

So, step one is to simply pick a goal. If you have not recently experienced the sheer joy of seeing your hard work pay off, then it is beyond time to start working towards a goal. Step two is to commit to putting the effort in to achieve your goal. Step three is to find a good support system who encourages you. And the final step? Tell your mind to SHUT UP when excuses start reeling in. Keep your momentum going. The end result will be worth it.

The end result is ALWAYS worth it!

As always, we will be giving a prize away again with this blog post. All you need to do is “Like” the Redenius Chiropractic official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/redeniuschiropractic/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel) and SHARE this blog post to your own page by Thursday, August 11, 2016 The giveaway is open to USA residents only.  This week we will be giving away a few movie tickets to the Lake City Capri Theatre AND a free Redenius Chiropractic t-shirt!

Have a great week!

Dr. Jeff and Jenny Redenius

What is your "Why?"

This past week, my grandma turned 80. A few months prior to that, my grandpa turned 80, and together, they celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary.

While celebrating these milestones with them, I got to look through many old pictures of the life they built together.

Pictures of them as young kids.
Pictures of them as a young couple.
Pictures of them with my mom and her two sisters.
Pictures of them with myself and my cousins.

Taking a moment to look at and reflect on all of those pictures made me realize how short life really is. How can their entire life--a life built on faith, love, family, friendships, travels, etc.--possibly be represented on just one picture board?

I then began to reflect on my own life-- a life that Dr. Redenius and I just started to build together when we got married three short years ago. At times it seems like we've been together for a lifetime--attempting to accomplish so many things together in just three years. And other times--like when I was looking at that picture board--I realize how much more life (hopefully) we have left to live.

It was at that moment that I consciously thought about my "why."

What do I mean by my "why?"

I mean my reason for trying to keep myself healthy (mentally and physically). My reason for waking up at 5:00 AM during the school year to get a workout in. My reason for taking Juice Plus. My reason for eating healthy foods instead of constantly eating the oh-so-delicious chips and brownies that at times sound much more appealing. My reason for getting regular physicals. My reason for having Dr. Redenius adjust me on a regular basis. My reason for investing time into my own health and well-being.

Personally, my "why" is because I want a board like the one my grandparents had. I want a family someday. When we do have a family, I want to be a model of health for my own kids. I want to travel and to experience new things. I can't do that if I am not healthy.

God gave us our bodies as a physical tool to fully experience the world out there. The five senses were no mistake. I can't fully experience life if I'm not healthy enough to do so. If I don't invest in my own health, I'm afraid I won't have a picture board like my grandparents.

So, what is your "why?"

Maybe your why is to invest in your health so that you can get on the ground and wrestle around with your grandkids.

Maybe your why is to invest in your health so that you can kick that bad habit.

Maybe your why is to invest in your health to prevent illness (anxiety, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) that may run in your family.

Maybe your why is to invest in your health so that you can just feel better, or maybe you want to be a better role model for your kids or grandkids.

Whatever the case, you need a "why". You need a reason. Because if you don't, you are more likely to give up on it.

Once you find your "why," you NEED to take action. If you don't immediately, you will lose the ambition to do so.

And stop making excuses and inventing reasons as to why you can't invest in your own health. 

So find your "why," and then come try out PiYo or Turbo Kick. Come experience how exciting a Zumba or Cardio Sculpt or Aerobics class can be. Schedule an appointment to get a regular physical or adjustment with Dr. Redenius. Send us an e-mail to get more information on Juice Plus (lakecity24hourfitness@gmail.com). Whatever you do, act now---before you lose sight of your "why."

Make yourself a priority-- for yourself and for your "why."

Just like last week, we will be giving away a FREE prize this week! All you need to do is “Like” the Redenius Chiropractic official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/redeniuschiropractic/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel) and SHARE this blog post to your own page by Thursday, July 14, 2016. The giveaway is open to USA residents only.  This week, we will be giving away a couple movie tickets to the Capri Theatre in Lake City! Everyone loves a movie, right!?

Have a great week!

Dr. Jeff and Jenny Redenius