Water intake and staying hydrated is obviously a huge part of our overall health.  The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake for men is about 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day, while they recommend that women should aim for around 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

So what about 8, 8oz glasses of water each day?  That’s about 1.9 liters, which doesn’t differ too greatly from what the Institute of Medicine has recommended, especially in regards to women.

 

If you aren’t getting enough water, consider these simple tips to help ensure that you do:

 

1. Carry a water bottle with you at all times:  This is perhaps the best way.  If it’s always there, you obviously have a much better chance of drinking it.

 

2.  Use something (bottle/cup) with a straw.  This sounds ridiculous, and there are no studies behind this as far as I know, but I am suggesting this with a personal experience in mind.  My sister would carry a screw-cap water water bottle with her and rarely drink from it.  She now has one of these:  

 

For whatever reason, this has really increased her intake of water, putting her to where she needs to be.

 

3. Get in the habit of drinking a glass of water before every meal: this also helps with regulating your hunger.  Often times, you may feel hungry when your body really just needs fluids.  People often misread this and overeat. Prevent this by drinking water beforehand. 

 

That’s all for now.  Thank you for reading my Friday Fit Fact!

Advertisement

This Valentine’s day, I encourage you to treat yourself.  And no, I am not talking about the “Parks and Recreation” version where you go on a massive shopping spree.

Instead, treat yourself by being healthy and be proactive about your health.

Most people are very responsive to their pain, and most often, it is the state that I see my patients in.  When there is pain, there is obviously something wrong; it’s a statement that all of us can agree on.

However,  what we don’t always realize is that how we feel is not always the best indication of how healthy we actually are.  Our body does not always send us pain or drastic signs when something deeper is wrong.  Diseases can also lay latent, unrealized and untreated, and therefore festering.

Often, pain is a symptom we feel once the problem has reached the highest extreme; the subtle signs are ignored.  These more subtle signs include, but are not limited to, having no energy, sleeping poorly, always fatigued, and suffering from constant headaches. Sometimes we may feel fine, normal, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that every complex system inside of us is running as smoothly as it both can and should be.

I encourage everyone to be especially proactive about their health.  It should be the number one priority because without it, we either have a very low quality of life or no life at all.

Of course, I also encourage chiropractic care as a way to be proactive.  It’s safe, effective, and non-invasive.  Long standing subluxations/misalignments in your spine and your joints can have a huge impact on how smoothly your nervous system is running.  Still, there are other ways; regular exercise, drinking enough water, eating the right foods, and make sure you have regular check-ups.

So treat yourself to health this Valentines day… and maybe only have a tiny bit of chocolate.

Protein is extremely important.  It helps to build muscles and food that is high in protein makes you feel more full than those that are low in protein.  Be sure to get 20-30 grams of protein after a workout.  A fast and easy way to do this is to have a protein shake; I recommend either Whey or Pea protein powder.

Myth: Chiropractors aren’t real doctors.

This is probably the most clingy, undying myth of all when it comes to chiropractic care.  It is the cockroach of chiropractic myths, if you will.  My younger sister actually watches a TV show called “The Mindy Project”, where the main character, who is a gynecologist,  repeatedly discredits alternative forms of medicine.  It must be stated that, during the one episode that I agreed to watch, this character doesn’t directly call out chiropractors exclusively… but she does indeed seemingly perpetuate the stigma of what makes something real medicine (ie: drugs, surgery) and what makes something supposedly “fake” medicine.

As a chiropractor, these myths always strike close to home, but none so much as this one, which seems to suggest that the work I put in to receive the title of doctor is somehow inferior to others who have that title.  I also have told my sister to stop watching this show…

In order to receive a chiropractic degree, one must:

* Complete extensive and challenging undergrad prerequisites.  These prerequisites are mostly science based – organic chemistry. microbiology, biochemistry, etc. although the degree of study is left to the candidate’s digression.

* Complete four years of graduate level courses at an accredited chiropractic institution.  These graduate levels are organized in to trimesters, which allows for a lot of information in a shorter space of time.

* Complete an internship at an accredited chiropractic institution.

* Complete and pass rigorous National Board examinations.

Some Other Facts:

Hours of study – students studying to become medical doctors average about 4,670 hours of study, while students studying to become a chiropractor average about 4,820.  These numbers are averages and do come from the American Chiropractic Association, but there is no way that the ACA would manipulate the findings or that the findings are weighed down by bias – doing such would discredit the whole organization, something that ACA would never be willing to do.  These are facts.

Clinical experience – medical doctors have more post graduate clinical experience, as graduates complete residencies.  However, as chiropractic care is non-invasive, meaning that surgeries are not required, residencies are not needed for chiropractic care.

As stated above, chiropractic care is not invasive, something that is too often overlooked.  Why does cutting and invading the body make more sense then approaching health care with a much more natural approach?

Chiropractors are trained to have an extensive knowledge of  both diagnostic procedures and all systems of the body which therefore enables them to address disorders of the spine and thoroughly assess a patient’s condition.  We are primary health care physicians, as we meet all the criteria needed to be considered such; medical doctors are also considered primary health care physicians.

This article is meant only as a positive reflection on chiropractors.  Medical doctors certainly do things that chiropractors cannot.  However, this works both ways, as medical doctors are not trained or licensed to do what chiropractors do.  Still both provide health care and, most importantly, both are doctors.

Myth: Busted.

Thanks for reading.  Feel free to share any comments.

I will be posting new fit facts every Friday.

Did you know that Chiropractic care may actually be able to help you improve your golf game?  Pretty awesome, right?

Here is the link to the research if you’d like more information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2786229/

Thanks for reading.  Have a wonderful weekend!

First, a disclaimer:  unfortunately, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage didn’t help me with this particular post.  Maybe some day in the future….

As today is Wednesday, I have decided to use this particular day to weekly update my blog  about the many incorrect myths that surround chiropractic care and chiropractors themselves.  After all, the only way to dispel these myths is to spread the correct information.

Myth:  Chiropractic adjustments are unsafe for children.

The Facts:  Regardless of age, chiropractic adjustments are safe for all patients. Chiropractic adjustments on a child are very gentle and non-invasive.  Some critics of chiropractic care claim that manipulation of a small child’s neck can damage cartilaginous growth centers and thereby lead to deformities in the formation of the vertebrae.  More likely, chiropractic adjustments will not damage the neck, but do the opposite; the adjustments will remove abnormal stresses that can cause a rapidly developing spine, other bones, and  joints to develop abnormally.  In fact, detecting these misalignments early will lead to a much easier correction and a shorter healing time.

Children can benefit immensely from chiropractic care, just like adults.  Chiropractors have a direct focus on the integrity of the of the nervous system and removing those distortions with specific, precise adjustments keeps the nervous system functioning properly.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this topic, please feel free to comment on this post.  I’d love to be of help any way that I can.  Thank you for reading!

About Dr. Tanya Bindl, D.C. :

Dr. Bindl is originally from a small, rural town in WI.  She graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic and is now a practicing chiropractor in the beautiful state of Arizona.  Owning a small business is always a challenge, but one that is extremely rewarding.  She loves being active and healthy and is inspired by what she does and who she meets every single day.  She hopes to use this blog not only to share helpful tips to living a healthy lifestyle, but also to share the wonders of chiropractic care with her readers.

Hello Everyone!!

So I am new to this whole blogging thing so try to bear with me. I can’t promise you perfect grammer and editing, but hopefully reading my blog will provide some entertainment, guidence and advice. I am a Doctor of Chiropractic in the East Valley of Phoenix, AZ. I have recently been exploring several business options, and I have learned many things and met many interesteing people along the way.

My desires with this blog are:

1.) Share interesting cases, discuss common syndromes/injuries, and to teach and give advice about the human body.

2.) To tell all of my readers about my experiences through the business world, mistakes I have made and things I have learned.

3.) Share personal stories, you know, those ones where you look back and say “wow, did that really just happen” or “what a small world.”

I love comments back, so if you have any particular questions please comment and I WILL respond, or if there are any health concerns you would like me to address, please let me know! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Stay tuned for much more to come!

Health Tip: Eat more fruits and vegetables. Try to eat fruits and veggies for snacks as well as at main meals. Instead of a candy bar, grab an apple. The sugars in fruits are just as full of energy, but are healthier for your body.