Our Xmas Photo Booth was a great success with many mystery characters being photographed in disguise. Do you recognise any of them – let us know?
Also had to include some snaps from our Xmas Party!
How many of us after Christmas couldn’t do with helping our bodies to overcome the toxic overload and giving them a spring clean in the New Year?
Here is a plan which if you follow for 14 days will make you feel more energetic, less tired, aid digestion and improve your complexion.
Every day life exposes us to a lot of chemicals and toxins that put extra stress on our bodies on a daily basis. We have a great system for dealing with the onslaught, and that’s the liver. It is responsible for processing all our rubbish, both what we ingest and what is made in our bodies. But we need to make sure that it is working properly, by giving it all the materials it needs to function to its best ability. Your liver relies on some essential nutrients, amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. If the process is put under pressure the system becomes unbalanced and the liver will be unable to effectively eliminate all the toxins.
This can lead to symptoms of toxic overload, which may include:
• Allergies and sensitivities (often to things that previously didn’t cause a problem)
• Depression
• Aches and pains
• Bloating
• Memory and concentration problems
• Headaches
• Skin rashes
• IBS
Day 1 – 3Keep following the above diet but add 2 glasses of carrot or beet juice (available at supermarkets). These will support the liver and they are full of nutrients.
You should be feeling less tired by now and sleeping better.
Add the occasional portion of red meat to your diet if you feel the need. High quality proteins, such as pulses, nuts and seeds are great for helping you feel full. If you are hungry eat six nuts at a time and wait 20 mins before eating anything else.
Drink green tea regularly, catechins from green tea are thought to boost liver detoxification pathways. They are also potent antioxidants. Dandelion, turmeric and milk thistle are all herbs that help boost the liver’s detoxification process.
After 14 days if you stick with only one idea then do drink more water on a daily basis, you will feel lighter, brighter and happier.
Having good posture means holding your body upright against gravity, we can look younger and slimmer, breathe more easily and have more energy but we need to train our bodies to do this.
The ideal posture allows for a plumb line to hang straight through your ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. Try and stand in a relaxed way but gently contracting your abdominal muscles. When sitting, the same is true. The gravity line should pass thorough ear, shoulder and hip.
‘Straighten Up’ is a simple, three-minute exercise programme for all ages, designed to help strengthen the spine, improve posture and help joints.
These exercises can release tension in your shoulders so you look less hunched, build core muscle which will flatten your stomach, stretch your chest muscles so you can breath more easily and deeply helping you to feel more energised.
Give them a go for a New Year and New You.
Watch the video here:
You can also find a lot of valuable posture advice on the BCA website
If you know Arif you would have experienced his high level of energy and enthusiasm.
So we asked Arif to share his secret with us and you may be surprised at how simple the answer is.
Start the day with laying on your back in bed and breath in deeply through your nose to fill your ‘tummy’ with air for a count of 5, hold for a count of 20, and breath out through your mouth for a count of 10.
Repeat 3 times.
This optimises the exchange of oxygen in and CO2 out so you start the day with more energy and Va Va Voom!
If you want to be even more ambitious then Arif says:
“I also run 2KM most mornings before 6am and before starting work. I believe the 10 minutes of high exertion releases steroids and adrenalin into the body that boosts immunity in addition to keeping your heart and lungs in peak condtion. Doing it first thing means it becomes routine and you can get it done before the excuses to not do it come into your head!!”
We advise all parents to promote good posture in their children; and this can begin from before a child is even sitting up.
Parents are naturally excited to see their children reach new developmental milestones, but according to our experienced chiropractor in Southend, encouraging our children to do things too soon can have negative consequences.
One of the most common mistakes for developing a baby’s posture is to put the baby in a sitting position when they are not yet strong enough to sit on their own. Many parents place their hand behind their babies to catch them if they fall backwards; assuming that this is the way that babies learn to sit. But, according to our Southend chiropractor, this can cause the baby to sit with a curved spine, with their head hunched forward. This can result in the muscles becoming overworked and stiff, and can potentially cause a delay in motor skill development.
Our Southend chiropractor warns that while all parents are eager to see their children reach new milestones, we should not rush our babies to sit, stand or walk. Instead, we should provide the baby with plenty of floor time; working together for a few minutes a day to guide their learning processes.
Many babies and toddlers don’t lay on their tummies to play; and this activity is vitally important for developing the extensor muscles in the back to build postural control. There are a variety of fun activities that children can undertake in the belly down position such as doing puzzles, playing with wind-up toys and enjoying arts and crafts and games. Our Southend chiropractor recommends water play for toddlers, who may be less interesting in sitting still after discovering the excitement of walking, running and climbing! A good idea is to fill the bathtub with a small amount of water and let your toddler lay on their belly whilst scribbling on the side of the bath with bath crayons (they easily wash off!). Other bath toys such as water funnels, boats and toy ducks are fun ways to encourage your little one to enjoy playing in the belly-down position.
Our experienced chiropractor in Southend advises that the ideal position is to lay your baby/toddler flat on their tummy, propped up through the shoulders with the stabilising hand supporting their body weight while the other arm is used to play.
To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.
Christmas is fast approaching and that means at one point or another, most of us will find ourselves gridlocked in a traffic jam. Yep, we’ve all been there; stuck in a soul-sucking endless queue of frosted cars; exhausted and aching after a frantic day of Christmas shopping (oh, the joys!).
According to research from INRIX, people in the UK wasted an average of 30 hours sitting in traffic in 2014 alone!* And our award winning team chiropractors in Southend warn that this could be putting dangerous amounts of pressures on our spines. With the likelihood that you will be at standstill in your car at some point over the festive period, this is an important time to protect your back when you’re driving.
Here is our advice to you to keep your back safe this Christmas:
1: Make Suitable Adjustments
Before you set off on your journey, adjust your seat to the right position for you. Tilt the back of the seat slightly backwards, allowing your elbows to be in a comfortable and relaxed driving position.
2: Check Your Steering Position
If your seat is adjusted to the correct position for you, your hands should naturally fall onto the steering wheel – with a slight bend in each of your arms. A steering wheel that is set too high and far away from your body will create added tension in your upper back and shoulders. If the wheel is too low and close to you, your ability to turn it correctly may be reduced, which will put added strain on your wrists and again, your upper back.
3: Choose Appropriate Footwear
If you’re on your way to a party and wearing killer heels, then take them off for driving – there’s plenty of time to look elegant when you leave the car!
You should avoid wearing any kind of high heels or thick-soled shoes as this will mean you will have to over-extend your ankles to place adequate pressure on the pedals. Not only will this make you less likely to perform an emergency stop, but the position will raise your thigh from your seat; reducing that crucial support to your leg. This lack of leg support can create calf tension and cramp and will impair the blood flow during long journeys.
So there you have it; three top tips from our leading Southend chiropractors to ensure that your back doesn’t suffer the stress of traffic jams!
Why not take a few minutes to watch this video that we made to show you how to set up your driving position to protect your back (link to video here).
To book an appointment with our award winning team of dedicated chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.
*www.inrix.com
As a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association and has been a Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner for fourteen years, Arif Soomro, one of our team of award winning Southend chiropractors is often asked about Baby Led Weaning. One of the reasons that Arif is such an advocate for the process is that it helps jaw and cranial development and is likely to reduce the need for orthodontics treatment as the child grows.
Baby Led Weaning provides babies with the chance to explore a variety of foods by themselves and has been shown to help them adapt to different textures from the very start of the weaning process.
Having spoken to many parents who have tried Baby Led Weaning, most have been extremely passionate about its benefits. Many parents have said that weaning in this way has helped their babies develop a healthy appetite for a variety of food groups and has encouraged them to join in with family mealtimes.
If you are interested in trying Baby Led Weaning, a good way to start is to offer your baby a selection of healthy finger foods that are suitable for his/ her age. Arif suggests starting this when you and your family are eating a meal together as this will be a good chance to introduce your baby to family mealtimes (plus you all get to see your baby start this wonderful new adventure!). Chip-shaped or foods with a natural handle (such as cooked broccoli spears) are perhaps the easiest of foods for your young baby to hold. (Bear in mind that when your baby first tries solid food, he/ she will only be able to clasp foods with his/ her fists. Once your baby has developed the pincer grip, he/ she will be able to pick up small food between the forefinger and the thumb.)
It’s important not to be disheartened if your baby just plays with the food you offer at first; this is a natural part of curiosity and discovery and it certainly doesn’t mean that they are not ready or not suited to Baby Led Weaning. Continue to give your baby breast or formula milk in between mealtimes, then as your baby gradually moves on to solids, you should see a natural decline in the amount of milk feeds required.
Are there any downsides?
Weaning is a messy time and you should be prepared for even more mess (and waste!) when you decide to start Baby Led Weaning. Dietitians recommend that your baby gets used to a variety of food textures early on (even the sloppy ones!) which means you will probably need to add carpet cleaner to your weekly shopping list! Bear in mind that if most of your baby’s food does end up on the floor, his/ her nutrient intake may be restricted.
You may also find that your baby find it difficult to chew certain finger foods such as well-cooked meat, but your baby will still need iron from solid food from six months of age.
Our experienced Southend chiropractor, Arif, recommends that you speak to your GP before starting Baby Led Weaning if any of the following apply to you:
• You or any members of your family have allergies, digestive problems, or food intolerances
• Your baby has special needs, can’t chew very well or has difficulty picking up food
• Your baby was born prematurely
For more advice or to book an appointment with Arif or another member of our award winning and dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.
There are so many heart-warming things to enjoy at Christmas – family get-togethers, seeing the little ones’ delightful faces when they open their presents and the plates upon plates of delicious food, to name a few. But the festive season can also be a time for some old (and new) aches and pains to show their not-so-friendly faces!
As leading chiropractors in Southend, we often see an increase of patients following the Christmas holidays – and quite often, a large number of the symptoms they tell us about are in some way linked to overdoing it during the festivities. Whether it’s Dad coming in with backache after doing his best Santa impression and lugging around all those heavy boxes (every family’s got a Santa-wannabe!) or Mum who’s spent too many tiresome hours sitting hunched on the floor wrapping presents. One way or another, the demands of creating a perfect Christmas will have taken its toll.
From lifting injuries that have a 25lbs turkey to blame to painful twists that have the fairy lights to answer to; our team of Southend chiropractors have seen them all! With that in mind, here are two top tips for a pain-free Christmas!
1: Avoid Repetitive Strain Injury
This type of injury can happen in the lower back if an action is repeated over a long period of time such as cooking that scrumptious Christmas lunch or wrapping presents. It’s important that you balance the movement of your body so that you do not spend too long doing the same activity. Try spreading out the gift wrapping over a course of a week instead of doing it all in one go and do it on a table not bent over on the floor! Also, perhaps think about cooking some of the Christmas lunch on Christmas Eve.
Not only will breaking down your work load help to prevent back ache, but it will also help to ease your stress and anxiety levels, which are often a contributory factor in many types of muscles strains.
2: Be Mindful of Muscle and Joint Strains
The Christmas period often brings a higher risk of muscles and joint strain as most people overreach and twist more often than usual (those decorations may look impressive, but they certainly have a lot to answer for!). Overreaching, twisting or stretching can cause the muscles, tendons and ligaments to tighten which can lead to muscle spasms, pain and restricted movement. The advice from our Southend chiropractors is to always keep your back straight and your knees bent while lifting. It’s also important not to arch your back when reaching out to grab something. If you can’t reach the item comfortably, then get as close to it as you can and slide it towards you or ask for help.
Remember that the festive season is meant to be enjoyed, so make time to look after you – your health is more important than playing ‘Super Santa’!
To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.
It’s pretty hard to forget that magical feeling we all had as children on Christmas Eve. With every flicker of light that crept through our curtains we’d be peeping through our bedroom windows trying to catch a glimpse of Santa aboard his midnight journey.
With all the wonder and excitement that comes with Christmas Eve, it’s hardly surprising that most parents find it a challenge to get their children to sleep. As leading chiropractors in Southend, we promote a good sleep routine in children for a wide variety of health reasons, but even we haven’t got a sure-fire solution for the night before Christmas. However, there are ways that you can give your excited little ones the best chance of a good night’s rest:
1: Keep Them Busy In the Day
Even if the day before Christmas sees you busy playing “Super Santa”, take time out of your schedule to do some physical activities with your children. This will help them to get sleepy in the night.
2:Don’t Overwhelm Them
Bear in mind that your children are probably already full of excitement and anticipation so try not to overdo the stimuli on Christmas Eve (they have plenty of that to come!). Focus on doing one enjoyable activity at a time, such as reading a story together or watching a Christmas film.
3: Arrange a Time to Open Presents
Not many parents want their children leaping out of bed at 4am to see if “Santa has been”. When you tuck your little ones into bed on Christmas Eve, arrange a time to get up and open presents. Remind your children that the sooner they go to sleep, the sooner (your arranged time) will come. Doing this will also increase the chances of them sticking to your arrangement next year too.
And for all you grown up kids out there who can’t sleep on Christmas Eve? We’ll leave that down to you…
To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.
The festive season is here, our homes are stocked with chocolate, chocolate and… more chocolate(!) and most of us will be slightly overindulging over the Christmas period. It’s the time of year to relax and enjoy and none of us want to worry about our health niggles in the process.
Our leading Southend chiropractor shares two joint-healthy diet tips that you can squeeze in around the naughty treats this Christmas:
1: Get your Antioxidants
Antioxidants massively help to fight free radicals, which can be damaging to your joints.
Here’s where you can get your all-important supply of these super health-boosters:
2: Don’t Forget Your Fatty Acids
Some fatty acids are naturally protective and can help decrease joint swelling and discomfort. The most well-known types of fatty acids are omega-3s which are found in salmon, sardines and herring. You can also get a good source of omega-3 by eating green vegetables, seeds, nuts and whole grains.
Our Southend chiropractors wish you a happy and healthy Christmas!
To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.
