Spring into Fitness

Spring is here, the weather will be warming up and it is the perfect time to start a new fitness routine. Follow the 6 steps below to help succeed at reaching your health and fitness goals.



1. Set Goals
The first step before starting your spring fitness routine is to clearly state what you want to accomplish. Set small goals that lead up to your main goal. For example, if you want to exercise for 30 minutes, set small goals as exercising for 10 minutes and adding one minute each day until you reach 30 minutes.

2. Prepare
Prepare for success. If you are going to start exercising, designate a period of time each day. Stock your fridge with healthy foods, throw out the junk food, start drinking plenty of H20, buy running shoes, do whatever is necessary to guarantee success.

3. Routine
Plan your fitness routine. What are you doing exactly everyday. Write your plan down and follow it meticulously. Be specific: what are you doing, how long, how hard.

4. Initiate
Take the first step. Get to the gym or outside for a walk. You will never regret doing a workout. The hardest part is getting started.

5. Notation
Dedicate a special notebook to record your exercise and diet each day. This will help hold you accountable and stay motivated. Record what you did exactly that day and note how you felt physically, mentally and emotionally. Studies have shown the people who write down what they eat each day lose more weight than people who do not.

6. Review Goals
 Each time you attain your goal, set a new goal. Being fit and healthy is a lifelong process.

Start your day off right!

Do you find yourself rushing around each morning trying to get yourself and family ready for the day? Ever notice when you start your day off late the rest of the day feels rushed? The way you spend your morning can add a certain flavor to the rest of your day. Here are some healthy lifestyle habits to incorporate into your morning routine that can leave you better able to handle the stress you may experience. Try one or several and experiment until you find what suits you.


1. Put on some music

Music therapy has been shown to reduce stress and have a positive effect on health. But you don't need a therapist to enjoy some of the benefits music has to offer. Listening to music as you get ready and start your day will create positive energy and a soothing sense of peace (or a sense of fun, if you play party music). Music can compliment other healthy lifestyle habits, adding a sense of peace to a yoga workout, putting a spring in your step on a morning walk, or stimulating your mind as you write in your journal.

2. Stretch in the Shower
The hot water will loosen up your muscles, so it’s easier to get a good stretch. The act of stretching will help to release stored tension and enable you to start the day feeling more relaxed, at peace, and ready to handle what comes your way.

3. Eat a Balanced Breakfast

For those of you who start the day on a bagel and coffee, read this! Breakfast is known as ‘the most important meal of the day’ for a very good reason: a healthy meal in the morning can balance your blood sugar levels and give you the sustenance you need to handle physical and mental stress. Without it, you will be less resilient, both physically and mentally. Be sure to have plenty of protein and fruit, not just caffeine and empty calories!

4. Drink Green Tea

Sipping a warm cup of tea is a soothing activity that will help you prepare for the day ahead and feel nurtured. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, so it’s a delicious and healthy lifestyle choice.

5. Write in Your Journal

Journaling has many health and stress management benefits, and can also lead to increased self-awareness. Writing once a day can help you feel focused, process negative emotions, and solve problems.

6. Take a Morning Walk

Walking has so many health benefits, the stress management benefits are practically just gravy! A morning walk can get you ready for your day, help you sleep better at night, lower your stress level, and reduce your risk of numerous health conditions. And if you bring a dog with you, you’ll be lavished with attention as well!

7. Practice Yoga

For a healthy body and peaceful mind, few activities give as much ‘bang for your buck’ as yoga Combining all the goodness of several stress management techniques, such as diaphragm breathing, meditation, stretching and more, yoga provides some of the best stress management and health benefits you can find in a single technique.

Feeling Stressed?

There is no way to avoid encountering stress in your life but there are positive ways that you can handle the stress. Check out the tips below and make it a habit to practice at least one of the tips below the next time you are feeling stressed.

• Think about something else: Distract yourself with a positive thought (tropical island, your spouse, an activity you love to do). This positive thought will help break whatever chain of thought is producing stress.
• Think positively: Think about a success or past achievement that you are proud of.
• Take a mental vacation: Allow yourself 5 minutes to think of your favorite vacation spot.
• Use Affirmations: "I can handle this", "Everyone makes mistakes", "Staying calms helps me solve problems".
• Count to 10
• Look away: Focus on something at least 20 feet away
• Get up and leave: Go out to lunch, take a walk, give yourself time away from the stressful environment.
• Massage your target muscles: Recognize which muscles build tension when you are stressed. Self-massage those areas or treat yourself to a professional massage.
• Press on your temples: Moving your fingertips in a circular motion relaxes muscles elsewhere in your neck.
• Stretch your chest for better breathing.
• Listen to relaxation tapes or music.
• Give someone a compliment.
• Share a joke, SMILE!
• Get a drink of water.
• Say thank you.
• Yell or cry: If the environment is private and safe, emotional release can be healing.
• Stretch: Stretching muscles reduces the sensation of stress even when we can't do anything about the source of stress.
• Take several deep breaths: Close your eyes and let yourself focus on taking 10 deep, full breaths. You will be amazed at how much better you feel afterwards.

Get Moving at Schenck Chiropractic

Movement for Life

with Jessica Gerhart



Use it or lose it! Exercising is a way for us to stay strong, flexible and feel good. It can improve sleep quality, combat disease and manage weight. Join Jessica Gerhart in learning the core components to a well-rounded exercise program. Jessica has a BS in Exercise Science and is an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer.

Monday, February 21, 2011
6:00-6:45pm
Full Body Stretch and Relax: Learn how to fully stretch your body to help maintain a healthy range of motion as well as relaxing your mind at the same time.

Monday, February 28, 2011
6:00-6:45pm
Core Training: The muscles of the core make it possible to stand upright and move on two feet. A strong core distributes the stresses of weight-bearing and protects the back. Join us in learning a core training routine that you can do at home.

Monday, March 7, 2010
6:00-6:45pm
Total Body Strength Training: With a regular strength training program you can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently. By the end of this class you will have a full-body strength training program that you can do anywhere.

Cost: $50 (includes all 3 sessions!) Payment is due at registration to reserve your space.

Please arrive to class a minimum of 5 minutes in advance. Come dressed ready to move! Early registration is recommended as space is limited.

The High Costs of Poor Health

Chronic disease, especially obesity, is literally weighing us down financially and emotionally, resulting in a less productive work force with less innovation.  If projections hold true, the legacy we leave future generations is not something to brag about.

Take a look at some of these statistics…

More than half of Americans currently suffer from at least one chronic disease.  The total cost of chronic disease on the American economy is more than $1.3 trillion per year and is expected to rise above $6 trillion by 2050.  $277 billion of that is spent on disease treatment (not including follow up or other diseases that will arise since most chronic diseases are a precursor for more disease) and $1.1 trillion is spent on lost productivity.  In other words, if we had a healthy America we would produce another $1.3 trillion every year that could be invested in our future and our children’s future. Instead, this money is simply lost.

The amazing thing about these astronomical figures is that they are almost all avoidable and more importantly, reversible.

Studies have demonstrated that even modest changes such as exercising twice a week or cutting down on smoking can decrease the overall costs by up to $1 trillion, adding almost that amount of money to our GDP.  Lower obesity rates alone could save about $300 billion per year.

The problem with these numbers often seems that they are too large to ascertain.  Only politicians, doctors or healthcare administrators are interested enough in the aggregate to be motivated by these numbers.  

Well, what about the individual, what about you? 

Estimates state the average person with a chronic disease spends anywhere from $3500 - $15,000 annually.  These costs are in health insurance premiums, drugs, hospital visits, surgeries, and in many cases a reduction in salary due to the employer having to pay for their health insurance (ironically, this is often a cost people overlook since they do not see it).  And then of course the rest of the cost is shared by all of us.

This is our legacy:  a less inventive generation with a lower life expectancy that has trouble paying the electric bill. 

But don’t forget this is reversible.

It’s time to realize we are all in this together.  Our children’s futures depend upon it.

The Importance of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load

The Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of foods is the optimal way to know foods that promote a balanced, sustainable blood sugar response in your body. Both GI and GL measure how carbohydrate foods are converted into simple sugars, absorbed, and then used to produce energy in the body.

The two differ from each other in that the Glycemic Index measures per food how quickly it becomes an available source of sugar for the body while the Glycemic Load measures per normal serving of food. This is an important distinction because some foods, i.e. watermelon, have a high glycemic index but a low glycemic load. This is the case of many fruits (natures candy), that they have a high amount of digestible carbohydrates (high glycemic index) however; it is unlikely that one could consume enough to have a negative impact on blood sugar. 

Low GI and GL foods are excellent for weight loss and achieving ideal body composition because they help maintain your blood sugar, energy, and metabolism.

Top 10 Low GI Foods	Top 10 High GI Foods
Apples	Candy
Berries and Cherries	Cookies
Barley	Juices
Grapefruit	White Potatoes
Legumes (lentils, beans)	Chips (corn and potato)
Nuts (almonds, walnuts)	Sugar
Oatmeal (unsweetened)	Most Breakfast Cereals
Green Peas	Sweetened Soda
Tomatoes	Sweet Snacks
Plain Yogurt (unsweetened)	White Bread and Bagels

Preparation is Key to Success

To be successful with your menu plan, preparation is your KEY TO SUCCESS! All of us are pressed for time and when we are hungry we tend to grab whatever food is easiest to reach. With preparation you will find that you will have healthy choices easily available and avoid needing to hit the closest convenient store. Try using some of the tips below so that you always have healthy choices nearby.

• Plan your menu plan and grocery list at the same time: Save time by planning your weekly menu plan and shopping list together. It's that simple: write out your weekly menu plan and then list all the needed foods on your shopping list. This will ensure that you have all the needed food for the week and prevent you from having extra goodies in the house.
• Carry your food menu with you, EVERYWHERE!: I always have a copy of my FLT food list with me so I can reference it to make sure I am getting the correct foods.
• Pack your food the night before: I find that preparing my food the night before is much easier and doesn't give me the opportunity of using the "no time" excuse. I have all of my snacks and lunch for the day stored in my lunch bag ready to grab on my way out the door. If you are away from your house for a long period of time make sure to have a mid-size cooler where you can store more food. Invest in some great Tupperware that is sized correctly to your recommended portions.
• Leftovers: Prepare soups, legumes, grains and other time-consuming meals on your days off so you are able to freeze them and warm them up quickly during the week when you have less time.
• Store healthy snacks at work: Stock your desk area with fruits, nuts and other healthy snacks on a weekly basis. This is another way to ensure that you will have plenty of healthy options nearby. Keep a water bottle on your desk that you have to finish by the end of the workday. Keep sticky notes easily seen reminding you of your health goals
• Be adventurous when choosing meals: This is a lifestyle change so you want to make sure that you are eating a variety of foods and that you keep eating enjoyable. Trying new foods will present more options for healthy meals. Ever try pomegranate? See a fruit in the grocery store that is unrecognizable? Try it. You just may like it! Explore recipes from the FLT guidebook.
• Portion Control: Eating the proper portion sizes is a huge key to success. Check out this awesome chart on fun ways to remember correct portion sizes. Portion Sizes

"Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity" 

-Henry Hartman