Tag: diet

Feel Less Stress And Feel Better

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Stress is the bodies way of helping us avoid a potentially life threatening situation. In order to cope the body goes through some major changes which include:

  • stress hormones being released
  • an increased heart rate
  • rapid and shallow breathing
  • glucose flooding the body
  • brain activity changes
  • tensing of muscles
  • reprioritisation of bodily functions

These changes are appropriate to help get us out of danger, however, being continually in this state is not good for our health.

If you experience stress on a frequent basis here are 6 techniques you can use to reduce it:

  • ensure you get good quality sleep
  • eat a healthy diet
  • participate in relaxation techniques such as yoga
  • practice mindfulness
  • spend time with people you love
  • take regular exercise

Take the above on-board and feel less stressed and feel better.

A Back Is For Life – So Look After It

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Echo, Back Story, 80s, 9.1Iris Goldfinch may be 95 years old but she is intrepid as they come. Iris first came to Cliffs when she was 81 years old and had fallen off a ladder!

As part of our Back Story Campaign, the Echo published an article with Arif focusing on how octogenarians can help themselves keep fit and healthy and features Iris and her treatment at Cliffs over the years.

Iris says “I wouldn’t be moving about today if it weren’t for Arif. I’ve been having regular chiropractic treatment for years, which was vital when I was caring for Kev (her husband).”

In the article, Arif, provides advice to people in their 80s and 90s on ways they can help themselves keep fit and healthy.

Arif says, “When we enter our 80s and 90s the senses that guide balance: vision, touch and spatial awareness, may all start to deteriorate, and this can make us unsteady on our feet which can lead to falls. The NHS estimates that around one in three adults over 65, who live at home, will have at least one fall a year, and about half of these will have more frequent falls. There’s always a risk that a fall could lead to broken bones, which can sometimes lead to a loss of confidence, so making the time to do regular exercises like yoga and tai chi, can really help to keep our sense of balance strong, and restore what’s already been lost.”

Arif and his team recommend that people in their 80s and 90s should never stop exercising and that there’s nothing better than 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like a brisk walk where you’re not breathing so hard that you can’t carry on a conversation) five days a week. But you mustn’t neglect your upper body, lower body and core as you need to keep your whole body strong to avoid too much loss of muscle mass.

This is just some of the advice Arif offers in the article so be sure to read it here.

Arif developed ‘The Back Story’ campaign to help all of us, whatever our age, lead a healthier, happier life. The Back Story page on our website provides invaluable advice on how you can take better care of yourself whatever age you are.

Staying Fit & Healthy In Your Forties

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Echo 40s“HOW can I be 40; I’m still 23 in my head!” Does that ring a bell? So, what does turning 40 mean to you?

The truth is there’s never going to be one easy answer, because – and this has never been truer – you’re as young as you feel. However, there’s no escaping the fact that for many people approaching their forties is a time of reckoning.

In a recent article published in the Echo, Arif offers some great advice for ways that you can look and feel great in your forties. His advice includes the best forms of exercise to take in your forties along with golden rules for your diet.

Arif stresses, “While we can’t slow the aging process, if we develop the right attitude we can feel younger and more energetic and that will show in the way we walk, talk and look.”

“Forty, is, as they say, only a number”.

Click here to read the full article.

Your Lower Back Will Thank You if You Do These Daily Things

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If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give too much thought about how you can protect your back on a daily basis. But according to our Southend chiropractor, this could lead to serious back problems over time.

Knowledge is power when it comes to maintaining a healthy spine, so we’ve highlighted two simple things that you can do every day to protect your back.

1: Move Every 20 Minutes

You may not know this, but your body can safely withstand being in the same position for only about 20 minutes. If you regularly sit or stand in one position for longer than this, you can risk reducing the elasticity of your back muscles, tendons and ligaments. This can put extra stress on your lower back, which can lead to discomfort and pain.

2: Eat Good Food Every Day

Being overweight can certainly contribute to your back pain, but binge dieting or following fad eating plans won’t provide you with the consistent flow of nutrients that your spine and body needs.

Try to avoid processed foods, and instead incorporate lean meats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your daily diet.

Daily healthy habits or daily back pain? We know what we’d choose!

The Queen at 90 looks amazing; what’s her secret? Walking.

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active ageing advice from cliffs chiropractor southendArif Soomro, founder of Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Essex, and Chiropractor of the Year, has analysed the Queen’s posture and says that everyone would improve their health and wellbeing if they took a leaf from her book and walked.

There aren’t many men and women who are working full time in their 80s, let alone their 90s, so it’s fair to say that Queen Elizabeth is an inspiration to all ages. But if I was to compare her outward appearance and energy levels to someone half her age, she’d come out on top.

After a lifetime of state dinners and chauffeur-driven cars, the Queen at 90 could look significantly different, but she doesn’t have diabetes, isn’t overweight or arthritic and is rarely ill. Before I’m accused of ignoring her privilege and considerable wealth, I don’t believe money and access to the best clinicians in the world have played any part in her obvious vitality. Our Queen is, quite simply, living proof that our lifestyle choices determine our future health. The biggest single factor that has contributed to her majesty’s excellent physical condition is, quite simply, walking.

We all know that walking’s good for us and that it’s the cheapest and easiest way to stay fit, but it has many other benefits: it’s a low impact exercise; it aids lymphatic drainage, which relies on body movement (unlike our blood, which is pumped around by our heart); the muscle contractions in the legs help the return flow of lymph up the legs towards the chest, taking waste products with it and improving fat metabolism; and, for every mile the average person walks, the spine will move to and fro 10,000 times, which prevents a stiff back.

What keeps the Queen looking younger than her years, is her posture. She doesn’t stoop which comes from standing tall, with her shoulders back and down, at all times. An open posture means you can breathe deeply, allowing more oxygen to circulate around the body which, in turn, makes you feel and look more energetic

The royal family is no stranger to chiropractic. Prince Charles has long been an advocate of complementary medicine and supported the state registration of chiropractic in the 90s and Diana, Princess of Wales was patron of the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in Bournemouth, the largest chiropractic college in Europe, where I trained with Melanie, who co-founded Cliffs with me. Melanie is also Chiropractor of the Year.

I couldn’t complete this article without mentioning food! As we age we need to modify what we eat because our bodies don’t need as many calories to carry out functions; less meat and more vegetables would be a good start. As our calorific needs decrease, our ageing cells need more nutrients and that’s where supplements come in; try calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium, omega 3 and co enzyme Q10.

We may not all be able to emulate the Queen’s healthy habits, but we can wish her a Happy 90th Birthday. Here’s to the next 10!

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