Keeping the spinal column in good shape (in alignment) can eliminate tension headaches -and- help you sleep better. These types of headaches occur because of physical or emotional stress placed on the body. Physical stress includes difficult and prolonged manual labor, or sitting at a desk or computer for long periods of time. Emotional stress causes the muscles surrounding the skull to contract. Regular visits to see your chiropractor can help reduce and even eliminate your tension headaches.
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Chiropractic Tips for Traveling Follow these tips for safe and pain free traveling
1. Select your seat in advance. Try to get a window seat or aisle seat, so you have more room to yourself. Nothing is more uncomfortable that being squashed between two people for a few hours.
2. Eat a light meal before leaving and pack small snacks. This will keep you from making poor food choices when you arrive at the airport, and while on the flight. The better you can eat while on a trip, the better you will feel.
3. Stretch those legs. When you are sitting for hours at a time then go to stand up quickly, your lower back can become stiff and cause some discomfort from lack of mobility.
4. Bring a tennis ball. You can put this behind your back or sit on top of it to ease trigger points, and areas of muscle tension. You’d be surprised how tight you can get from the stress of traveling.
5. Stretch. Some areas you can stretch with easy accessibility are your forearms, ankles, and neck. Keeping these areas moving can prevent stiffness and prevent injuries from happening.
6. Posture. Use cervical pillows for your neck and a small pillow or bolster for your lower back. Many flights have extra pillows and blankets, so you can make something work!
7. Locate a chiropractor in the area you are visiting. If you are traveling for a week or longer at a time, it’s beneficial to find a chiropractor who can adjust you while you are away so you don’t disrupt your treatment plan.
Raising Happy, HEALTHY Kids: Part Six
Being a parent is challenging! Raising happy, confident, well-adjusted kids can be even more challenging! Parenting guru Michael Grose gives some great no- nonsense parenting advice that we stand behind at Harbor Family Chiropractic.
HELP YOUR KIDS UNWIND
“Modern kids are busy kids. Regardless of age, their days are filled with activities and it’s not uncommon for kids to have four and five extra-curricular activities a week,” says Grose. “Nothing wrong with kids being busy as long as they have plenty of chances to relax and unwind. Relaxation is a key to good mental health and well-being and it’s an important life skill for kids to learn.” “One way to ensure busy kids unwind is to make sure kids get bored every so often. There’s a temptation to fill kids’ days with activities so that no time is wasted. “I’m bored!” is the last thing most parents want to hear their kids say. Many parents feel compelled to do something to alleviate a child’s boredom. There’s nothing wrong with a little boredom now and then,” he says. “Boredom can be good for kids’ mental health and well-being, giving them the chance to muck around and take it easy for a time.”
How to unwind your kids:
* Let your kids regularly stare into the ‘fire’: The TV is the modern version of the camp-fire. No need for exertion, to think or talk to anyone, just a chance to chill-out and relax.
Yes, TV used in this way is good for kids’ mental health.
* Let kids exercise without rules: Kids have always been the kings and queens of play, that is until their lives became highly organised and scheduled. Free, child-initiated play is the ultimate in relaxation.
* Let kids experience flow: Flow is a state we get into when we’re so engrossed in an activity that time disappears. It’s the ultimate unwind. Free play generally takes young children to flow state very quickly.
* Help kids calm down around bedtime: Have a bedtime routine that calms kids down rather than winds them up. Be part of this routine by reading books, telling nursery rhymes or giving soothing back rubs.
* Unwind with your kids: Take time out and do something you both like doing together.
Raise Happy, HEALTHY Kids: Part Five
Being a parent is challenging! Raising happy, confident, well-adjusted kids can be even more challenging! Parenting guru Michael Grose gives some great no- nonsense parenting advice that we stand behind at Harbor Family Chiropractic.
PROVIDE A SAFE AND CONSISTENT ENVIRONMENT
“Consistency is an essential element in our relationship with our children because it puts them in control. Children love their parents to be consistent as they’re able to predict how they’ll act,” says Grose.
“It’s important to be consistent in all areas of parenting including regular mealtimes, bedtimes and reactions to behaviour as this enables them to grow and reassures them that someone is there for them.”
“Children also like limits and boundaries as they provide them with structure and teach them how they should behave,” he says. “Of course children also like to push parental boundaries so parents need to resist the pressure that children can exert upon them. This is a normal but irritating expression of a child’s push for independence and autonomy.”
“Consistency also means not parenting on a whim and following through and doing as we say,” he says. “It means not giving children second and third chances. It also means not allowing children to get away with misbehaviour two or three times then coming down hard the fourth time they misbehave.” “Remember consistency prevents misbehaviour from escalating.
We help children develop self-discipline, which is our aim, when we are consistent and do as we say we will – every time.”
How to be consistent with your kids…
* Focus on priority behaviours. It’s difficult to be consistent with every single wrong doing so focus on one or two. When you’re consistent and follow through with priority behaviours it has a positive effect on other behaviour.
* Remind yourself about the behaviour you want to follow up. Leave a note somewhere telling yourself that you need to “Walk away when they whine. Don’t give in.”
* Check your routines. Do you have routines for troublesome times of the day such as bedtime or mealtimes?
* Act rather than over talking or repeating yourself. Sometimes a consequence can be inconvenient in the short-term but long term, it pays off with children who are better behaved.
Raising Happy, HEALTHY Kids: Part Four
Raise Happy, HEALTHY Kids: Part Three
Being a parent is challenging! Raising happy, confident, well-adjusted kids can be even more challenging! Parenting guru Michael Grose gives some great no- nonsense parenting advice that we stand behind at Harbor Family Chiropractic.
DEVELOP YOUR CHILD’S RESILIENCE AND COPING SKILLS
“Resilience is important for kids to help them cope with life’s hardships, frustrations and difficulties (HFD’s),” says Grose. “Developmental HFD’s are those children routinely experience including loss, rejection, change, disappointment, failure, conflict and fear. Dealing with these is a developmental imperative and helps to build coping skills for the future.”
“One way to build coping skills is to not to over protect your child,” he says “Life happens and things don’t always go our way. It’s important that kids learn this and learn how to keep their confidence up. Parents can support their kids by focusing on how they’re feeling and letting them know its okay to feel this way. Then they should help them manage it, deal with it and move on.”
How to promote resilience in children:
* Remind your kids they don’t always get what they want.
* Be attentive to their situation and needs.
* Work hard to keep their confidence up and help them get on with life.
* Give your child plenty of opportunities to solve their own problems. Children will only develop their inner resources when given the opportunity to develop their resourcefulness.
* Expect your child to be helpful at home from a young age without being paid. That’s how they learn to be useful.
* Make sure your expectations for success are positive, realistic and based on child’s interests and aptitudes rather than on adult wishes.
* Normalize the HFD situations so they understand that others experience similar situations.
* Be a good role model by being resilient adult rather than an adult who’s continually stressed and has no real life outside from children and work. Begin a hobby is a good place to start if you feel that life is all work (and kids) and no fun.