Exercising Smarter

Good news! The latest research is saying that shorter intense workouts are more effective than long, drawn out cardio routines. Hallelujah!

I have adapted to this new way of exercising for about 6 months now and have greatly increased my strength, endurance and have seen noticeable improvement in overall muscle tone. These short 10-20 minute workouts are ideal for all people with a busy lifestyle and who despise working out. You may feel like you are going to die within those 10-20 minutes, but just think "It will be over in a few minutes." You will feel amazing later and enjoy looking in the mirror at your fit body.

If you are a nerd like me and want to know more, check out these articles by Dr. Mercola click here & here

If you need ideas on what types of workouts to do, follow me on Pinterest, where I re-post workouts that I find. click here

Here are some of my favorite workout sites:
/www.bodyrock.tv/
Zuzka Light Youtube
BeFit Youtube

If you find these workout routines to be stressful on your body, modify them and focus on proper form. The idea is to do an intense workout for 10-20 minutes.

Blessings,

Dr. J

Inner Beauty

Confession: I was a smoker at one point in my life. Fortunately, it was a short phase and easy for me to quit. I remember at one point during this phase, a good friend said to me, “Jessica, you are beautiful on the outside, but you are making yourself ugly on the inside?” I thought about that today, as I look at women around me and pictures of beautiful people. Many of us are aware of our outer appearance, but how many of us are concerned with our inner beauty. What do you think your organs look like? Are your lungs blackened? Is your liver enlarged? Are the rest of your organs inflamed? Think about this for a few seconds.

You may not have any physical symptoms of the ugliness going on inside. In fact, I have taken the x-rays and seen the lab results of some beautiful people, only to find out they are really messed up inside. They have had no pain or symptoms (or have ignored them) up until they come in to see me.

I challenge you to come into an awareness of what you may look like on the inside. Also, if your body is expressing a symptom of any kind, what is it telling you? Many times symptoms of poor health will show up in the eyes, teeth, nails or skin. Think about what you are putting into your body, or on your body, or the everyday toxins around you. Once you have the knowledge then you can take action.

Blessings and Love,

Dr. J

*To the right you will find some websites and books that can give you the tools to become informed about your health. I would recommend subscribing to Dr. Mercola's site to start. "Healthy Child Healthy World" is also a good one to subscribe to. I also welcome your questions and thoughts so feel free to contact me.

Breakfast for Dinner - Mushroom and Herb Omelet

I try to plan out most meals for the week, but Saturdays are what I call "Fend for yourself night". Since grocery day is tomorrow and I had only a few fresh ingredients left I decided on breakfast for dinner. I love a savory omelet with garlic and herbs. Here is what I did.

First saute the vegetables and herbs. I used some wild mushrooms I got from the farmers market last week, chopped onion and dried rosemary. (I would have added tomato if I had some) Cook to your desired taste and add chopped garlic at end and take off heat. In another saute pan, make your omelet (I like to use one egg with one egg white, organic and range free eggs) Tonight I used Earth Balance vegan/soy free butter in my pan, but a better choice would have been coconut oil. (I wanted the butter taste). Top with some more herbs if you like. Salt and pepper to taste and Voila! 

How fat is stored & used in the body: An essential concept for weight loss...

Many of us have heard the best way to lose weight is to eat or snack throughout the day. The problem is that this concept does not compliment how we store and use fat.

Imagine 3 storage tanks in the body. The first tank is glycogen. This is stored glucose, and is the first tank to be burned off for fuel or energy. The next two tanks are muscle and fat. These are broken down into glucose and used for energy at about the same time. If you were to continually put glucose or carbohydrates into the glycogen tank, than you would never be able to access your fat reserves and lose weight.

You may have noticed that you will be burning muscle once you burn your glycogen stores; so it is essential to replenish with a lean protein source.

Also, be aware that you may feel tired while depleting glycogen, but not to worry, you will regain your energy within a few days.

There are a number of things that may need to be addressed for weight loss, but this concept is the first step. Calorie restriction, and low or no carbohydrates are the way to go according to all of my research. If this plan does not work for you, then you may be dealing with toxicity, hormone imbalance or food allergies. There are a variety of other health issues that may inhibit weight loss, which is why the best weight loss plan is a health and wellness plan.

Do You Think You Can Dance? Then you need proper nutrition. Part 2

As for any athlete, proper nutrition should be integrated into a dancers’ daily routine. They should follow the basics of an anti-inflammatory diet just as anyone should. This means plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken and grass fed beef, eggs and limited grains. The rigorous training of a dancer and possible injury leads to inflammation in the body, and smart nutrition can correct this. Essential fatty acids in the source of high quality fish oils, flax, black currant seed oil or sesame oil are a must.

Antioxidants are also a must as oxidation is a byproduct of athletic training. During times of extensive preparation for a performance it would be wise to supplement to help with recovery. A few sources of antioxidants include, but are not limited to zinc, quercetin and other flavanols, vitamins A, C and E. Other nutrients to consider include calcium, vitamins D and C, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin K and natural hormones. These nutrients support healthy bone formation, which can be a concern for dancers, especially young female dancers. For more information on bone health and dance nutrition visit IADMS: Resource Papers.

A general guideline for a dancers' daily routine for classes, rehearsals and performances should be this:

• Eat breakfast - This will provide you with energy to start your day as well as balancing your adrenal hormones after a night of fasting.
• Combine protein and carbohydrates - This helps a dancer to maintain energy and balance blood sugar. Avoid less healthy options such as muffins, candy and sugar and opt for whole grains, potatoes, oats and fruit.
• Eat small meals throughout the day - Doing this will ensure you maintain energy throughout the day. Plan ahead by packing small snacks to have between classes and rehearsals. Fruits, vegetables, nut butters and hummus are good choices.

You may have other dietary considerations such as a food allergy or sensitivity that may be causing headaches or fatigue. I consider myself a good resource for this, but also "Hidden Food Allergies" by James Braly, M.D. would be a good read for you if this is something you are concerned about.


If you would like specific nutritional advise based on your needs please contact me for a nutritional consultation.

Happy dancing!

Do you think you can dance? Then you should see a chiropractor… Part 1

I have the opportunity in my practice to care for some young lady dancers. This has prompted me to learn about the specific needs of these young athletes and how chiropractic care can benefit them.

Dancers, like any other athlete, can benefit from chiropractic care. The high demand of their training and performance requires that they be strong and flexible. Chiropractic aims to align the spine as well as extremities which will create symmetry in the body of the dancer. What this means for a dancer is improved proprioceptive input to the nervous system increasing balance and coordination. Chiropractic adjustments will also improve mobility in joints which can improve a dancer’s performance and reduce the risk for injury.

Balance in muscle functioning is another point of focus which can also improve performance and prevent injury. I have training in a technique called Applied Kinesiology which focuses on muscles, their function and how they relate to other body systems. Can stress cause dysfunction of a muscle? Yes. If an organ system and a muscle have the same nerve supply than they can absolutely have an effect on each other. 

While I strongly recommend chiropractic care to anyone with a spine, I would also like encourage dancers to see a chiropractor. If you need a dance chiropractor in Miami, please come see me. I so enjoy working with dancers. Follow my page for more upcoming blogs on dance health.

Why I am drawn to alternative medicine and choose to embrace holistic chiropractic care...

Because it searches for the answer to WHY?

I was watching a video yesterday of another holistic chiropractor named Dr. Schmitt to freshen up on some new information. In this video he was talking about patients who use chondroitin sulfate for joint health and respond well to using these supplements. Then he went on to explain the biochemical pathways where this is used and why patients respond well to these supplements. The point of this is to find why the person responds well to these because your body should make these things on its own. Maybe you don't need to give your body the end product, but instead give it the correct supplement it needs in making that end product. This would be even better because that nutrient may be needed in other processes throughout the body, but if the person is only thinking of their joint health and not their fatigue for example; they really are not solving the problem.

Chiropractors in general and alternative medicine seek to answer this why question. This is part of what drew me to the profession. Click here to find out why I became a chiropractor. The answer may surprise you.