6-Pack Saturdays are our way of sharing further insights from the doctors you know and trust. Our hope is that you find personal and professional tips from them that help you find more enjoyment and growth in your life. Exciting books, movies, music, supplements, techniques, and more! A 45 to 60 second read should do it!
Reach out to us with all questions and comments!
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Dr. Ben Whitten is the doctor of the week! He has been practicing chiropractic since 2011. He has practiced in North Dakota, Minnesota, Alaska and Idaho. Although he was raised in Minnesota, he is a North Dakotan by choice. He is passionate about helping people fulfill their God-given potential healthily and naturally.
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With spring seemingly in full swing and summer right around the corner, life tends to get a little busier. I am a believer in meal-prepping lunches over the weekend to get healthy lunches prepared for the week ahead, however, there are times that it isn’t possible. When this happens my go-to lunch is a Salad Kit with some healthy protein, usually an 8oz package of imitation crab. Not only does this fill me up and not leave me bogged down afterward. But it is a delicious meal that helps pack some good nutrition. So if you are in a rush and don’t want a healthier alternative to fast food naps, give it a try. All you need is a bowl fork and a napkin (if you're messy lol), which is easy to stash in your office or vehicle.
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Garden Season Is Upon Us…
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One of our favorite times right after the harvesting of the garden, is the planting. With hopes of a bumper crop to come, the planning and laying out of the garden produce is always a fun activity. There is a sneaky amount of work that needs to be done, and many times it is work that our backs aren’t quite ready for after a long hibernation season. So what I have done, and I hope that you will too, is to treat it like you are doing a workout. Spend 5-15 minutes beforehand, activating and loosening up your muscles, back and body. Also, afterward, spend that time stretching, foam rolling, lacrosse ball, and cooling down those muscles. That way it will be better equipped to handle the stress, especially for the lower back that comes. Your back will thank you for doing this, and hopefully, it will keep you from having to call in first thing on Monday, with a flare-up.
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Why is Sitting So Bad for Us? Part One…
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While we spend more and more of our time seated, it is important to know what that does to our bodies. Not only does it tend to weaken our large leg and gluteal muscles, which are VIPs in stabilizing. It tends to allow other areas to shorten and get too tight and then restrict proper movement. The main area we will focus on today is hip flexors. More specifically the psoas and iliacus muscles. The best way that I have found to stretch these is called the “Super Couch” stretch. About a million different videos are demonstrating how to do this on YouTube or Google. Start working this into your body maintenance routine and watch how much it can help not only your lower back and hips but your whole body.
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There are an unlimited number of things that affect our health. There have been countless books written on just how stress affects our bodies and health. While we know that our mindset does, we spend little time talking about how it can limit or slow down our healing. I am a firm believer in holistic health. Which is as simple as knowing that to have true health we must simultaneously pay attention or be conscious of our physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health. If we miss out on one or more categories, our health will suffer. So as spring brings new life all around us, make sure to pay attention to all the aspects of your health. So take a walk outside, eat a healthier option for lunch, or just take a mental health day and help reset yourself. Your health will thank you.
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Dr. Ben’s Quote of the Week…
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“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
– Abraham Lincoln
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