Boost Your Health & Vitality: Taking Chiropractic to the Next Level

Think back to when you came for your first appointment with us. What prompted you to make that first call?

Chances are you had some kind of injury. You’d hurt your back, nothing else had worked and the pain was just too much – you were willing to give anything a try. You’d heard of chiropractic before or someone suggested you try it – they may even have recommended you see Glenn or Laura.

At that first appointment you perhaps noticed that the conversation strayed away from the subject of your injury. You might have noticed that the chiropractor seemed just as interested in your past medical history, other injuries you’d picked up in the past, surgery you’ve had, your overall health and wellbeing.

“Why am I being asked about my stress levels? My sleep? My blood pressure? My exercise routine? Why are we talking about my nervous system? I just want my back fixed!”

Well, here at Shrewsbury Family Chiropractic, we do things a bit differently. We understand that chiropractic is about more than just fixing bad backs, aches and pains. We know it helps with overall health and wellbeing by balancing the nerve (or nervous) system. This means that all the messages that are sent around the body to keep all the organs and systems communicating with each other, get through to the right place at the right time with as little interference as possible.

That’s why we encourage you to continue getting adjusted even once your initial goals have been achieved. Regular chiropractic, as Glenn and Laura have no doubt told you, can help keep you in optimal health. It’s a great investment in you!

And, as with every investment, the more you put in the more you stand to gain. So how can you build on the good effect regular adjustments are having on your body and really take it up a gear? If you want to make this further investment, here’s a simple formula that can help take your chiropractic care to the next level:

• Eat Well
  Think about what you put in your body – not just what you eat but what you drink and even what you put on your skin. Reduce processed ready-made foods and increase home-made, made-from-scratch meals. Reduce sugary snacks and eat more fruit. Cut down on chips and eat more fresh veg. Replace white bread, white rice, white flour with their wholegrain equivalents. Cut down on alcoholic, sugary or caffeinated drinks and drink more water. Choose natural skincare products and laundry powder.
• Move Well
  Move more. Walk instead of driving or getting the bus, run or cycle instead of walking. Find exercise classes you enjoy – dance, swim, cycle, run, free-run, skateboard, football, karate, yoga – whatever it is that makes you feel joyful (and like you’re not exercising at all). Get active.
• Think Well
  Are your thoughts causing you stress or anxiety? Are they making you angry? Spend some time every day alone with your thoughts – not actively thinking just ‘being with’ them, observing them as they chug along in the background rather than interacting with them: meditate, practice mindfulness, do yoga or Tai chi, even go for a walk with nothing but your own thoughts for company (leave your phone at home so you have no distractions). Whatever it is that allows you to empty your mind, untangle your thoughts, slow down and unwind.
• Interact Well
  The quality of your relationships has a huge impact on your health and wellbeing. Think about the health of your relationships – with your partner, your parents, siblings, kids, friends. How about your relationships with the random strangers you interact with every day in passing? Be kind. Be generous. Be gentle. Choose your words carefully. Listen more. Be interested in other people’s stories and experiences. Make eye contact with people more, and smile at them

When it comes to improving your health and wellbeing, the secret is to replace the old habits that no longer serve you with good habits you can build into your daily routine; habits that support your all-round health and vitality.

Paying attention to what you eat and how you move, think and interact will improve your health. Try choosing one small change you can make in each of these four areas. Then introduce one change every week for four weeks so that, at the end of a month you have integrated them all into your life. Try it … and see how you feel!

The key is to create new habits that stick (it takes around 28 days for a new habit to become part of your normal routine so be patient). If you want help with this, and are already a practice member, I will be running a free workshop (that’s right, I said free!) on 27th February at 11.30. The workshop is aimed at helping you take control of your health. We will look at what motivates you and how you cope with failure. We will explore how to convert old habits into new ones that work for you and look at new habits you can introduce that will help improve your health, wellbeing and vitality.

If you are interested in attending or have any questions, please let me know either in the comments box or next time you see me.

Nancy Cerritelli
Chiropractic Assistant and Lifestyle Coach