One of the ways I know that the holiday season is upon us is that we begin to see a much higher percentage of ‘emergency’ cases in my chiropractic office. Almost magically, the number of both new and existing patients experiencing crisis goes through the roof at this time of year.

The typical presentation is something like, “I don’t know what I did, but I woke up this morning and my back/neck/head really hurt, and my spine was all locked up.”

Interestingly, this is also the time of year that we have the largest number of missed regular visits because of colds, flu and other types of health crises.

So, what is the deal with this time of year? Our bodies and lives have many unique demands placed upon us as the holiday season approaches. We are primed by Halloween and the consumption of not so good food that taxes our immune system (come on, you can admit it!). The time change is another hurdle for our body to get used to. This is also the time of year that we drastically reduce how much fresh air and direct sun exposure we receive.

On top of this, there are more parties, late nights and social events to attend. The time and financial stress of shopping, decorating, and travel. Family stress (enuf said). Loss of routine and eating and drinking things beyond our normal consumption top off the mountain of stressors that typify this time of year. It is no wonder that many people end up in pain, sick, and stressed during the holidays – often to a point that they cannot enjoy what is meant to be a time of joy.

There is another wrinkle to this story that is often overlooked and is perhaps the most important of all. In addition to the ‘negative’ stressors that can put people under, many people stop doing the GOOD STUFF that keeps them healthy the rest of the year.

Not only do they eat BAD stuff, they stop eating GOOD stuff. The gyms get quieter this time of year because people blow off their workouts for shopping and parties. It is not uncommon for us to see regular patients fall off their schedule in December because they feel they are too busy.

I have written an article on staying healthy during holidays most of the 17 years I have been in chiropractic practice. I have seen what works and what doesn’t. Trying to avoid food, drink, stress and parties does NOT WORK for most. The absolute best way to stay healthy over the holidays is to focus on doing GOOD STUFF. At minimum, do as much GOOD STUFF as usual. Ideally, use your extra time off (if you have it) to do more GOOD STUFF.

It is okay to indulge in some food and drink but be sure to focus on eating lots of GOOD STUFF. Commit to eating a nutritious fuelling breakfast to start things right. Do not allow your vegetable and healthy protein and fat consumption to drop, even if you are going to have some cookies.

It is great to enjoy some parties (I highly recommend it)! Do not allow parties to get in the way of regular exercise. Even if you are away from your gym, class or sport, use it as an opportunity to do something different. Get outside if you can. Be creative. I have done many great workouts on the floor of hotel rooms with zero equipment.

Even if you spend some nights out late, meditation is a great way to get ‘virtual rest’ in a very time efficient way. Sitting for 20 minutes (or even 10) can have a huge impact on restfulness and energy levels.

As much as possible, stay on track with activities that add to your health. I try to see my chiropractor MORE during the holidays because a healthy nervous system leads to a healthy person. I see it as my invisible shield at this time of year.

What I have learned over the years – and was reminded of recently while reading Jocko Willink’s great new book Discipline Equals Freedom – Field Manual – is that when you do the GOOD STUFF, you will feel good and then you naturally won’t want to do the BAD STUFF. The GOOD STUFF actually protects you from getting too much of a good (BAD) thing.

Enjoy yourself this holiday. Eat some cookies, enjoy your family and friends. Focus on the GOOD STUFF and not only will you have a better time, you will hit the ground running in 2018!

In over 14 years of chiropractic practice you begin to notice trends, or patterns at certain times of year. When it comes to the weeks leading up to the holiday season we have noticed two distinct and very much related patterns.

The first is that people who are otherwise regular and routine with their care tend to miss visits as their schedule and stress levels become more chaotic. There is nothing like the holidays to shake up our healthy routines.

The second pattern we tend to see are lots of people with acute crises of back pain, headaches, illnesses and other secondary conditions that sometimes require some intense care in our office to ensure they don’t spend Christmas on their backs.

These trends are certainly not only seen in our office. When people have more to do, more things to spend money on and extra stress, they also tend to eat less healthy food, exercise less, and stay up later at night – neglecting the things that keep them healthy during the rest of the year.

When you add these factors to the fact that many people experience their greatest levels of stress during the holiday season (ain’t family wonderful?) it is no surprise that it is common for people to spend what should be the most wonderful time of the year sick, in pain and unable to enjoy themselves or their families.

The fact of the matter is that it is very easy to become overwhelmed this time of year. I also know that by approaching your health correctly during the holidays will allow you to both have fun (this is very important) and stay healthy. I actually believe that the change of routine, having more time off of work, spending time with loved ones and YES, even indulging in some treats provides an opportunity to boost your health if you do it right!

The first step to a healthy holiday is to acknowledge that you are going to indulge a bit. If you wait all year to eat some of grandma’s famous cookies go ahead and enjoy them. When we make things a ‘treat’ we don’t stress about our indulgence and it actually prevents us from completely going full gluttonous. In addition when we really ‘treat’ ourselves it becomes much easier to get back to our routine when the holidays come to an end.

The second step is the most important and is really quite easy – yet is most often missed. While we treat ourselves to some not so healthy things, it is essential that we continue to do the healthy stuff, too. We need to make sure we get lots of veggies and clean meats while in addition to plum pudding. Meditate and get regular exercise while staying out late. Take our vitamins especially while dealing with our in laws!

As I have applied this over the years I have found a formula to actually improve my health over the holidays even though I love to indulge as much as the next person. I use the extra time off from work to exercise a bit more and meditate regularly. In spite of changing schedules I try to see my chiropractor even more often leading up to and during the holidays. I also increase my supplementation with fish oil, probiotics and vitamin D where appropriate to counteract the increased stresses faced at this time of year.

My wish for you all this holiday is to be able to fully celebrate and participate in whatever way makes you happy, NOT sick, in pain and frustrated. A little time and effort spent doing the good things will allow you to enjoy what we don’t typically enjoy the other 11 months of the year. There is nothing I would love to see more than a reversal of that pattern I have seen over the past 14 years. It is up to you.

DON’T THROW OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATHWATER

In the last article we looked at specific actions to ensure that you stay healthy during what can be an extremely hectic and stressful time of year. This is important because the season can get the best of people and the last thing you want is to spend it sick, miserable and unable to participate in all it has to offer.

This week we will be looking more at the mindset required to be certain that you and your family stay healthy and happy. Mindset is where most people go wrong and despite all of the great (and not so great) advice out there, when we become overwhelmed, everything can fall apart if we don’t have the right perception.

In my experience even people with the best intentions can end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater when faced with overwhelm. What this means is that in addition to indulging over the holidays, STOP doing the things that keep them healthy the other 11 months of the year. Then, when they get sick, they blame the indulging, not the fact that they neglected health building activities.

What has worked best for me and many of the people I have coached over the years is to first acknowledge that you WILL indulge over the holidays! Get that out of the way. Make the decision to treat yourself and don’t feel guilty about it – guilt can lead to overwhelm. If you love grandma’s Christmas cookies, give yourself permission to eat some, if you have cut grains from your diet and miss bread, go ahead and have a roll at dinner. Make it a treat!

Now that you have decided to treat yourself, you must also commit to sticking with those activities that keep you healthy. I am usually successful at doing even more of these activities during the holiday and it is one of the reasons that I typically start the New Year with energy and momentum. They kept you healthy all year, why would you stop doing them now?

The focus here is proactive steps that PROMOTE health. That means activities that make you healthy whether you have a health challenge or not.

If you follow an exercise program – stick to it! If you don’t have access to your particular facility or program due to travel or schedule use that as an opportunity to try something new and fun. Get outside if you can. Life is movement, so make sure you MOVE over the holidays.

Food is probably the biggest challenge for most – and it doesn’t have to be. Even while you are indulging in some not-so-good for you treats, there is absolutely no reason to stop eating all the good stuff. A cookie doesn’t mean NOT eating your vegetables. Make sure that the meals you eat are full of healthy stuff. Get your vegetables, fruit, and clean meats like you do all year round. If you do, a few chocolates will not be able to take you out.

The same strategies hold for anything in your routine that improves your health. I personally meditate 20 minutes per day. During the holidays I shoot for 40 minutes because it helps me to deal with my relatives (just kidding). My own Neurospinal Optimization care with my chiropractor is in the centre of my year round health care, so I make whatever arrangements necessary to keep that over the holidays. Why? Being free of Neural Shift promotes health, healing and makes me more adaptable to stress of all kinds.

Take control of your health this holiday and you will be able to have fun, treat yourself, and still be healthy and full of energy. Go ahead and indulge but be sure to continue doing the things that keep you healthy and functioning great all year long.

See Adele or Cindy for our holiday hours, as we will be in the office for those of you who use our services as part of your health care routine as well as for those crises that frequently arise at this time of year.

We are all successful at some things in life. If you can’t think of anything – think a little harder. Everyone has at least something they have created or accomplished that they can be proud of. On the other side of the coin, we all have things we have failed at or at least not had success in. I know that in my case, my failures far outnumber my successes, which is why I feel qualified to write about this topic.

In order to be truly successful at anything, you have to follow through. I believe that there are NO exceptions to this. NO short-cuts. If you want success as an athlete, a business person, in your health or as a parent, YOU MUST FOLLOW THROUGH.

What does following through mean? First, it means being committed to an outcome. Like almost all parents I am fully committed to providing my children with unconditional love, high quality food to eat, and a safe, stimulating home to live in. Guess what? That is exactly what they have. We succeed as parents because the moment our children arrive in our lives something magical happens that make us fully committed.

Being fully committed also means staying committed even when it is hard, not so much fun, and even a bit painful. If you ask any uber successful business person what makes them great, most will tell stories about sticking it out when things were at their worst. This is when our commitment is most tested, yet also most rewarded.

The other aspect of following through is having a plan or strategy. Without a strategy we have no direction. Without a direction we have no progress, and without progress success can only be fleeting at best. Success requires we have a plan and stick to it.

Obviously, I have a huge interest in the field of health. Without a doubt, the people (regardless of their history) who  are to committed to a plan and follow through are the healthiest people I interact with. Those who don’t…not so much.

A common issue is that many ARE committed to their health, yet their plan (or the plan they have been given) focuses only on secondary conditions such as pain, muscle spasms, inflammation, high blood pressure and many others. While there is nothing wrong with this, it usually only leads to short lived change without a significant increase in overall health.

Truly healthy people know they have to dig a bit deeper. In our office, we focus on Spinal Restructuring with the goal of detecting and correcting Neural Resistance, which is basically like having the strings of your piano strung too tight. With a nervous system wound too tight, this can lead to a variety of secondary conditions such as back and neck pain, poor posture, headaches, anxiety and even cause your internal organs to act as if your were being attacked by a bear.

This approach is not for everyone because we do not focus on the secondary conditions, we focus on what is behind them. Taking care of Neural Resistance requires follow through and the rewards are sustainable, overall health.

We have already followed through with travel, training, and an office equipped to deliver services that address Neural Resistance. Question is, do you want it?

Most people truly want health. If you are one of them, commit to a plan and follow through. You are worth it.

Our next complimentary Introductory workshop will be held on Tues. Dec. 4^th at 7pm. Phone the office to reserve a seat.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a couple of great achievements by Gault Family Chiropractic practice members. First, Marcel Leroux recently published another novel. I cannot give it a review because it is written in French. If you would like to purchase a copy, let Adele know and we will obtain one for you.

Next, Renate True and Joseph Ianni, recently had incredible performances with the Chorus Novus presentation of In Flanders Fields. I did get to experience this first hand and it was an amazing show, with Joseph sharing the solos with 2 professional singers.