Thriving Magazine, October 2022, Issue 16

June is the month we focus on Dads and dudes. In this issue, we give heaps of helpful ways to Thrive.

OCTOBER 2022 • Issue 16

90 days to thrive COUNTDOWN UNTIL THE NEW YEAR 2 Don't Wait Until New Year's to Make a Thrivestyle Change 3 Do You Exercise the Body You See or the One You Use? 4 Let’s Get Nutritional Habits in Place Today and Kickstart 2023 6 A Change of Season is the Perfect Time to Connect to Your Inner Self 7 Start With a Clean Slate in 2023

8 The Need for Chiropractic Care For Kids & Babies 9 Physical & Mental Stretching is Good for You

90 days to thrive Don’t Wait Until New Year’s to Make a Thrivestyle Change

Usually, we all wait until the new year to make our resolutions, such as eating better, working out more, practicing meditation, sleeping more, etc. The problem with these examples is that they are vague, provide you with no structure, and are not measurable in any way so you know if you are actually improving. And, as with most New Year’s resolutions, goals such as these are destined to fail by the time spring rolls around.

Instead of waiting, right now is a great time to get a jump start on your goals, and to commit to actual, sustainable behavior changes. Challenge yourself over these last 90 days of the year to start your Thrivestyle journey.

First thing you need to do is make a SMART goal. What is a SMART goal? Well, it’s a detailed statement to actually move you toward behavior changes to reach your goals.

SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ACHIEVABLE RELEVANT TIME-BOUND

By when do you want to achieve it?

Does your goal align with your values and what you want to achieve?

Is it genuinely possible to achieve it?

How will you know when you reached your goal?

What exactly are you trying to achieve?

Here are a few examples of SMART goals: • I will eat three servings (palm-sized) of vegetables each day for the next 30 days in order to eat healthier. • I will take my dog for a 30-minute walk five days a week for the next 90 days in order to be more active. • I will set a bed time of 10:30 pm and a wake-up time of 6:30 am each day of the week for the next two weeks in order to improve my sleep duration and quality.

Write your goal down on a piece of paper and put it where you’ll see it every day. Another idea would be to create an alarm of your goal on your phone that goes off every day at the same time. This way, your goal will be in your mind each day, reinforcing behavior changes that lead toward a healthier, happier you. So don’t wait until January 1, 2023. Get going right now, and by the time next year arrives, you’ll already be set up for success and ready to take on bigger and better things.

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90 days to thrive Do You Exercise the Body You See or the One You Use? I’ve never in 20 years had someone come in for an

We work on all fours a lot (that’s just plank), we work on explosive power and hip drive (think sleds, deadlift variations and lunges) and the ability to move quickly and change direction (coordination of the upper and lower segments of the body and movement in all planes).

assessment and say, “Whatever we do, just make sure I don’t gain or lose weight or muscle mass or change the appearance of my body.” Everyone has some expectation that exercise will help improve the image they have of their body. Which is perfectly normal and reasonable. But for some reason, until recently, it has not been as common for someone to express that they want their body to move better and have an improved level of function as a result of their workouts. Our very own Tara Thomas (Exercise Specialist, Certified Massage Therapist, Operations Assistant Extraordinaire, and generally just incredible-at-so- many-things person) brought her rugby team in for a coaching session and workout recently. I was not fortunate enough to see their work in person, but watched some videos with our staff, and what an incredible thing to see! I will admit that for as many athletes as I’ve worked with, and as much as I understand about the human body, rugby is one sport I realize I didn’t know much about. I was so impressed by the level of difficulty and skill required. Our coaches immediately began breaking down the biomechanical functions the players needed to be proficient in, and we started collaborating on exercises to address those things. But then I stepped back and realized they were all the same things we give our clients almost daily in our fitness programming here. Now, to be clear, I don’t need everyone to be able to “scrum” or “ruck” or even perform a “line-out” (look that one up), but they are simply higher-level executions of fundamental abilities every “body” is capable of.

Which brings me to my point…

We all have body composition goals: weight loss, muscle development, improved physique. But no matter what goals you have or activities you do, the machine is mostly the same for all of us. And to perform the tasks we ask of our bodies requires most of the same fundamental abilities and resilience to keep them moving. We aren’t always going to be put under the same level of stress or impact, but we all still train the same machine, which needs to be capable of the same primary movements. So ask yourself, do you only approach fitness with an understanding of how it can make you look or what it can help you do? And if improving your body mechanics OR physique is desirable, talk to our fitness coaches!

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90 days to thrive Let’s Get Nutritional Habits in Place Today and Kickstart 2023

Why do we need to wait until January 1st to get it all together? Let’s start making small changes today in order to get us on track for the start of the new year. When it comes to food and fueling our bodies, we do our best when we have good habits in place. But having a goal to “eat healthy” isn’t enough; we have to have a plan in place to make it happen. If you don’t have whole foods cleaned, prepped, or cooked for easy grab and go,

then news flash, you will likely make bad choices when you are short on time. We all are lacking time these days, so we need to prioritize and plan ahead. When I am on point and planning ahead, I notice that I eat healthier, spend less money on groceries, minimize waste, help minimize my daily stress, and overall add more balance and harmony in my life.

Here are five easy steps to help get you focused and on point for organization and harmony in your life.

You've probably heard the saying " If you do the same thing over and over again you will get the same results." Small habits are what shift us to make better life choices. Start small, so you are more likely to stick to the plan. You may start by doing a pantry clean-out or organizing. Or you may just commit to make a grocery list prior to leaving for the store in order to save money and time. Whatever you decide, I hope you commit to yourself and start making small steps today for a better outcome tomorrow. Good luck and know there is health and nutritional coaching available for you at Thrive to help you kickstart your journey.

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STEP 1 Plan Out

Between your favorite recipes, recipes we can find online and cookbooks, we are never at a shortage of great recipe ideas. During weeks when you are busy, go with easy staples or minimal-step crock pot ideas. If you know you have a lighter week with less hustle and bustle, then be creative and challenge yourself to try a new recipe. I am a repeat offender, meaning I cook a lot of the same recipes. I try to change them up slightly so the rest of my family doesn’t catch on. For example, we love a good Taco Tuesday in our house. One week we may have chicken tacos topped with homemade guacamole on grain-free tortillas. Then the next week, I may make barbacoa (Spanish barbecue) in the crock pot (while at work) and use the meat over cauliflower rice, and top with our favorite veggies, beans, or salsa. You could also make a taco salad over greens or if you’re out of tortilla shells, try the meat over a sweet potato. The possibilities are truly endless.

Your Meals and Snacks

STEP 2 Write a Shopping List STEP 3 Pick a Day for Meal Prepping

After you have decided which meals/snacks you’ll have, write out a grocery store list. Double check your fridge and panty prior to going to make sure you don’t duplicate any ingredients. If I know I have produce I didn’t use up from the week prior, I may pick a recipe or side dish that incorporates them into a meal. This step is so important to minimize waste.

You will want to pick a day/time that works with your schedule to grocery shop and meal prep. Hold yourself accountable and schedule it in your calendar with a reminder. This could be the same day or several days. For me I either do Sunday or Monday. I usually grocery shop one day and meal prep (cook) the following day. Do what works best for your schedule.

STEP 4 Wash Produce Immediately

When you return home from the grocery store, wash your produce immediately in order to help you save time during the week. I rinse all of my produce with filtered water and then lay out kitchen towels on my counter, so the fruits and vegetables can dry prior to putting them in the fridge. After I wash my produce, I get the fruits and vegetables in my fridge for easy grab-and-go convenience. For instance, I place my washed and dried berries in a produce-saver container. I chop up my carrots and celery and place them in a mason jar filled with water to help keep them fresh longer. I look ahead at my recipes to see what can be prepped and cooked ahead. This may be roasting veggies in the oven, putting rice in the rice cooker, and cooking protein such as ground turkey or beef for Taco Tuesdays. I usually will prepare some sort of breakfast for convenience. This may be a breakfast casserole, frittata, or grain-free banana bread to pair with turkey sausage or a hard boiled egg. I have a pantry organized for my kids to find healthy and easy snacks such as olive packs, grass-fed beef sticks, wholesome crackers in individual snack-pack sizes, protein bars, and organic pouches. I buy large bags of nuts and put them in individual snack-size bags for convenience. We love hard-boiled eggs, so I will get a pot on the stove and boil those when I get home from the store. This step can seem overwhelming, but it is meant to make more time during the week. I didn’t perfect this right away; it was a process, one small step at a time.

STEP 5 Get Cutting and Cooking

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90 days t A Change of Season is the Perfect Time to Connect to Your Inner Self

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I have always been the kind of person who relishes change, and I especially enjoy the change of seasons. Perhaps change is not something YOU love; I know many people have a difficult time with change. But the fact is, change is the only thing we can really count on in life. Change is constant.

If change is a struggle for you, I encourage you to develop a better relationship with your inner self. There is a steady energy of peace and calm within all of us. Even if you’re out of touch with it, I assure you, it’s there. As we enter the last quarter of the year, it’s the perfect time to develop a connection with this inner energy. When you are aware of it and can access it in a few moments, you become masterful at your life experience. Almost every one of us is stuck in their mind and hasn’t tapped into the powerful energy that is moving through the body.

Try it now. Take a slow, deep, conscious breath, and then another one, and another. As you begin to connect to this powerful inner world, you become aware of your breath throughout the day.

Beginning each day with a few minutes of conscious breathing can have a profound effect on how your day goes. If that seems hard to believe, I encourage you to trust me and give it a try. Need help? Come see me for an energy session and I will get you stepping into your power just in time to jump into 2023.

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to thrive Start With a Clean Slate in 2023

The last quarter of the year is an optimal time to pause, reflect on events and assess what goals remain before the end of the year. We all have personal milestones to achieve and although it can bring up anxiety and frustrations, this self-assessment is an important aspect

of living a life to its fullest. Only by being aware, true and honest to ourselves can we make positive lifestyle changes, and find a sense of inner peace and happiness. In Chinese Medicine, this time of the year corresponds to the energies of the Lung and the Metal element. As the outside temperatures start to cool and the humidity in the air lessens, it is an important time to nourish our Lung Qi (energy) with soups, broths and moistening fruits such as pears and apples. Also, with the leaves falling from the trees, this is a time to let go of past hurts and resentments, and to allow a grieving process to happen, if necessary. Akin to the cutting nature of Metal, it is the optimal time to distinguish what is important and what is not in our lives, to “cut out” what is not best serving our health and wellbeing. Consider an acupuncture treatment or herbal consult to address any respiratory issues and to keep your immune system strong during the cold/flu season. Autumn is the ideal time to make a clean slate so you’re able to start fresh in 2023!

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A child’s nervous system is the controller and regulator of all the other systems in their growing body. From blood flow to brain function and bone growth, the nervous system plays a central role in keeping things working and healthy. Stress and misalignment of the spine can have serious impacts on your child’s overall health, behavior and development.

The Need for Pediatric Chiropractic

How Can I Tell if My Child Needs Chiropractic Care? A child’s spine can become quite misaligned without any awareness on their part of pain or discomfort. Children have not always developed enough awareness of their bodies to identify a subtle chronic issue developing. Even when a child is experiencing pain, they may not be able to communicate it to you and it can come across as grumpiness, acting out, or incessant crying. Issues with the spine can also be the source of many other childhood issues, such as colic, ear infections, and ADHD. A chiropractic treatment for your child begins with an extensive examination to determine issues and the best route for treatment. Even if your child is too young to communicate, or too shy, a chiropractor has the skills to work with them to find out exactly what is going on before proceeding with treatment, if it is determined treatment is needed. Gentle and non-invasive adjustments are then made to the spine. Children will often become relaxed and even fall asleep following treatment, a good sign that it has been effective. Thrive Proactive Health offers gentle and non-invasive pediatric chiropractic care that works to correct underlying issues before they become hard-wired in during development, providing support for a pain-free and successful childhood. If you are concerned about your child’s spinal health, contact Thrive to set up a chiropractic consultation today.

It may be difficult to imagine that a child would need chiropractic care. They seldom complain of chronic pain the way adults do and their bodies appear to be made of rubber in the way they bounce back from injury. The truth is, children’s bodies are under a lot of stress while they are in a state of development, and keeping them healthy requires maintenance. Stress and trauma to the body and spine commonly begin with the birthing process. Infants’ spines can easily become misaligned from the intense pressure involved in both natural and Cesarean births. Unfortunately, other than crying, they have no way of communicating their pain, and its source, to us. Throughout infancy they may sleep in awkward positions, and occasionally take a tumble. As children, they grow into toddlers who strain, twist and fall while learning to crawl and walk. Luckily, they are also very resilient and can take a lot of impact, but it is not uncommon for these injuries to develop into patterns of movement that will pull a child’s bones out of alignment over time. As kids, they may also start to develop bad posture. Sitting in front of a computer or TV can have serious repercussions on the spine. Playing contact sports, wearing heavy backpacks (most likely the wrong way), and even sitting in desks can all cause issues. As teenagers, they begin to deal with the stress of more daily responsibilities, like becoming part of the workforce, and use their bodies to perform physical labor such as painting houses and serving tables. As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities throughout development for a child’s body, and particularly their spine, to become out of alignment, which will affect other aspects of their healthy nervous system function and development.

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90 days to thrive

Physical & Mental

Stretching is Good for You

Can you believe it’s October? I’m pretty pumped for the holiday season… Fun and friends and family gatherings, it’s such a special time to make memories. Along with all the wonderful things this season has to offer, it comes with its fair share of stressors for everyone. When we’re stressed and extra busy on top of it, we tend to forget about one very important thing: Our self-care. Make a plan now to set yourself up for a less stressful holiday season and a more successful New Year. You have 90 days until January 1, so get your list of self-care go-tos and make a commitment now to prioritize your health. One small thing I have committed to for self-care is a stretching routine. Stretching requires little effort and you can do it without any equipment, anywhere. The simple act of stretching your body can help improve how you feel physically and mentally. Physically stretching helps keep your muscles working at optimal level by helping you stay flexible and having a full range of motion in your muscles and joints. For example, if you sit at a desk all day, your hamstrings are spending a lot of time in a shortened position and become tight. This can cause your movements to be restricted and even painful. After sitting for long periods of time, you may find it slightly difficult to fully straighten your legs and feel a pulling sensation around your knees as your muscles resist the movement.

Tight muscles can also lead to numbness and nerve pain caused by muscle tissue compressing nerve pathways. Pain and stiffness aren’t the only things you are at risk for without proper movement. With your muscles restricted, trying to use them to their full potential puts you at higher risk for injury. Take breathing stretches throughout the day. Mentally stretching gives you the time to pause and meditate as your focus goes only to intentional breathing and elongating shortened muscles. It has been shown to produce an increase in the “feel- good hormone,” serotonin. Serotonin helps to stabilize your mood and reduces stress, which can help decrease depression and anxiety. You can’t go wrong with better, safer movement and a proven stress reducer. Stretching is so easy to do daily. We need to stop thinking of stretching as just for runners and athletes, and understand that it’s good for everyone. It will give you the greatest benefit to your mental and physical well being when done daily and not just at the gym before a workout. Good luck with your 90-day plan for a healthier you. If you are looking for help on how to stretch safely, our team is here to guide you. Our physical therapists, massage therapists and fitness coaches are all excellent sources for helping you develop a safe stretch routine. Ask your Thrive professional today!

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A Rewarding Convenience Book your services through the Thrive app and earn reward points. Ask us about our Proactive Health Rewards program.

Thrive is proud to announce that we are a 1st Phorm International supplement dealer! 1st Phorm International is the premier supplement line in the industry and, like us here at Thrive, they care about the quality of their products and the results you can attain when using them. Every 1st Phorm product meets demanding standards for purity, quality and efficacy. Come in and take a look at some of the supplements we have in stock; we can also place special orders. Partnering with 1st Phorm is just one more way Thrive is helping you to optimize your health and wellness!

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