Windsor ON Chiropractor | Lifetime Wellness Center

Windsor chiropractor Dr. Jonathan Bekic and his team at Lifetime Wellness Center provide Windsor, Ontario with the best Chiropractic, Naturopathic, and Massage Therapy possible

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High and Low-Impact Activities for Everyone

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High and Low-Impact Activities for Everyone

Investing time to do activities or sports that you enjoy is key to healthy aging and an active lifestyle. Being physically active is often a good way to prevent and manage musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries as well as helping maintain strength and mobility. Varying your routine between high- and low-impact activities is a great way to modify your workouts and challenge the body. We’ve outlined some great suggestions for both so you can get up and get moving!

High Impact

High-impact exercise is typically described as an (often aerobic) activity where both feet leave the ground at the same time. Often, high-impact activities may include exercise classes which involve jumping, leaping, or jogging in place. Doing high-impact exercise can put you at greater risk of injury if your body is not prepared, especially if you’re just starting out. Be cautious and adapt to a lower impact version of the activity if in doubt. Otherwise, make sure you have warmed-up before starting high-impact exercises.

Good examples of high-impact exercises are:

  • Jumping jacks
  • Jumping rope
  • Running or jogging on outdoors or on a treadmill
  • Performing plyometric exercises

High-impact exercises tend to be more intense and expend more energy, so it’s important that if you’re doing high-impact exercises that you’re well-prepared. For some, high-impact exercises are not appropriate: they may increase the risk of injury, commonly to the ankles, knees, hips, and even the back. That being said, high-impact exercises can have a lot of great benefits too2:

  • Improves bone density
  • Increases an individual’s heart rate more quickly, thereby burning more calories
  • Improves a person’s stability, balance, and coordination
  • Strengthens the heart and lungs

Low Impact

Low-impact exercise tends to be less jarring on the body and joints, and less intense overall. Keeping at least one foot on the ground at all times also reduces your risk of musculoskeletal injury. Some examples include:

  • Working out on an elliptical machine
  • Low-impact aerobics
  • Using a rowing machine
  • Home exercise
  • Walking
  • Dancing
  • Cycling
  • Swimming
  • Nordic walking

It’s important to realize that low impact doesn’t mean low intensity (unless purposely designed to be so) because you can still get an intense workout keeping both feet on the ground. Low-impact exercises are great for beginners, people with arthritis or osteoporosis, older adults, individuals who are obese, pregnant women, and people with bone, joint, or connective tissue injuries.

Whichever form of physical activity you choose, make sure you do it safely. Feel free to talk to Dr. Bekic if you have any questions.

Call our office today at (519) 250-6288 to set up your appointment! Don’t forget to like and share this post with your family and friends.

10 Tips To Staying Active During The Winter Months

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10 Tips To Staying Active During The Winter Months

When it gets cold outside, we tend to spend more time indoors doing sedentary activities and it can be difficult to stay active. It’s helpful to plan ahead and set some time aside in your schedule a few days a week to make sure you’re getting the activity you need.

To have health benefits from exercise, adults need a total of 2.5 hours of activity spread across the week. These activities need to be moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic activities. Moderate-intensity physical activities include brisk walking or bike riding. Generally, you know your activity is moderate-intensity if you sweat a little and breathe harder than when you’re moving about day-to-day. Vigorous-intensity activities include jogging or cross-country skiing, and you’re likely to find yourself sweating and feeling out of breath.

Here are a few tips to help keep you motivated to stay active during the winter months:

  • Plan activities ahead. When activities are in your calendar, you are less likely to forget them. Preparedness also helps set good habits.
  • Find a fun local outdoor activity, like snow shoeing, skiing, or skating.
  • Dress in layers. Insulate your body. When you can keep your body warm, it’s easier to continue being active outside.
  • Use your daylight hours. It’s easier to stay outside while it’s still light out. It’s easy to miss out on activities when you start them too late in the day.
  • Find indoor activities at your local community center or gyms. This could be aerobics classes, badminton, basketball, or yoga classes.
  • Climb stairs. Deliberately add more steps to your day. Consider going up and down a flight in your home, the mall, or an office building more than once over the course of your regular daily activities. As little as five minutes can make a huge difference for your health.
  • Visit a library to find more motivation. There are plenty of free exercise DVDs you can borrow, including dance, step, aerobics, or Pilates. You can use the return date as a deadline to pick up another one!
  • Sign up for a fun run. You can often find non-competitive “fun runs” in your community that are usually between 5 and 10 kilometers. You can invite friends and family to join in!
  • Find an activity buddy. Find someone willing to commit to being active as often as you are, and set a plan. That could be planning to meet for morning walks or afternoon workouts. Having a friend keeps you accountable.
  • Download a fitness app. There are many fitness apps that you can download right to your phone. Those apps can include 30-day challenges, yoga classes, step distance calculators, or even just your regular day-to-day fitness activities ideas. Download an app (or even multiples ones) that works for you and give that a try!

For help on setting activity goals based on your specific musculoskeletal needs, you can always ask your chiropractor about what activities are right for you.

Whatever your activity level is, remember to stay hydrated. It is easy to forget to drink water when it’s cold out, but your body needs just as much hydration in a snowstorm as it does in a heatwave.2

Most importantly, stay motivated. Revisit your goals to make sure you’re still on track. Plan ahead and make sure you can envision your goal as you look ahead towards the finish line.

Here’s to staying active in the new year!

Call our office today at (519) 250-6288 to set up your appointment! Don’t forget to like and share this post with your family and friends.

TOP 10 REASONS TO SEE A CHIROPRACTOR

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TOP 10 REASONS TO SEE A CHIROPRACTOR

There are many reasons why you might choose to see a Chiropractor. Perhaps you’ve tried other treatment options with no success. Or perhaps you are simply seeking a more natural way to treat your health issues. Dr. Bekic can offer you drug-free treatment options that are safe and effective.

Regardless of the reason you’ve chosen, you’ve made the first step in what will become an integral part of your continued good health. The benefits of chiropractic treatment are vast, even though you may only seek to treat one particular area of your body, the results will be felt all over. The main tenant of chiropractic treatment is that by simply re-aligning one tiny little joint, the entire body can then return to its correct position.

Let’s take a look at the top ten health issues we successfully treat every day at Lifetime Wellness Center.

1.    BACK PAIN

Chiropractic treatment for neck and back pain is especially effective. People with bad posture tend to get that way because something is slightly out of alignment within the spine. As a method of reducing pain, a patient may shift their position, and unknowingly exacerbating the problem, and causing it to spread. A Chiropractor can treat the source of the pain, sometimes in as little as a single visit. The result is that the patient is then able to use proper posture, and be pain free.

2.    NECK PAIN

As above, neck pain can be the result of poor posture. With chiropractic adjustments, the entire spine including the back and neck can be put back into proper alignment, thereby reducing neck pain.

3.    PAIN AND TINGLING

We have treated many patients suffering from conditions such as Carpal Tunnel syndrome, who experience pain, tingling and even numbness in their wrists. Often these types of symptoms are the result of compression on the carpal nerves within the wrist. The culprit? Very often, the bones within the arms, wrists and hands need an adjustment.

4.    HEADACHES

By treating other structures within the body, such as the neck and back, many types of headaches can be treated and cured. In fact, a study by Duke University found that chiropractic treatment for headaches was more effective than taking pain medications!

5.    FATIGUE

Let’s face it, when our body hurts, it can cause us to have a feeling of tiredness and fatigue. The body is in a constant state of attempting to fight the pain, which can really wear us down. The good news is that most of our patients at Lifetime Wellness Center report a feeling of invigoration following the treatment.

6.    POOR SLEEP QUALITY

Many people suffer from poor sleep quality due to pain issues within the body. On top of causing sleep disruptions, it can also lead to some of the other symptoms we’ve discussed so far. We all know that a good night’s rest is one of the most important things we can give our body, to allow it to recharge while we sleep. Treating body pain with chiropractic therapy can help improve your quality of sleep, and thereby lead to a reduction in other symptoms caused by lack of ZZs.

7.    STRESS

Let’s face it, in today’s fast paced world, life is hectic and most of us probably feel that we have too much going on. Stress is one of the most detrimental conditions to suffer from, because while it originates in the mind, it very often manifests physically in the body. Even if you don’t have pain, chiropractic treatments can help reduce stress on your body and soul.

8.    INJURIES DUE TO CAR ACCIDENTS

We have a large number of patients who have been referred to us after being injured in car accidents. Soft tissue injuries can be difficult to treat. With chiropractic treatments, the key is returning the body’s muscles and bones to their natural. The result is that soft tissue injuries heal much faster due to being supported properly by the skeletal system.

9.    REDUCING THE USE OF PAINKILLERS

One of the biggest benefits of chiropractic treatment is that it’s a natural approach to treating pain. There are so many different dangerous pain medications on the market, many of which are habit forming. We help our patients to reduce and eventually discontinue the use of these dangerous medications. The only side effects they have are improved overall health!

10. ALMOST AS GOOD AS VITAMIN C!

Chiropractic treatments are proven to help strengthen the immune system. As noted above, when the body is in a constant state of pain, it’s in fight mode, using the immune system to help fight off what is attacking the body. By treating the entire body, Dr. Bekic is able to help our patients become strong inside and out.

SUMMARY

As you can see, there are many conditions that can be successfully treated with chiropractic therapy. If you are seeking a more natural way of treating your health issues, chiropractic is the way to go. In fact many of our patients have treatments even when they do not have a pain issue. As a way of maintaining good health and the benefits of any treatment, chiropractic treatment can be performed on a regular basis to keep you in excellent health.

The next time you are considering doing something nice for yourself, perhaps a manicure or pedicure, why not give chiropractic treatment a try? You’ll leave our clinic feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and most of all, strong and healthy! We even have Registered Massage Therapists who work in tandem with our Chiropractors to give you a wonderful experience in a safe and natural environment.

Call our office today at (519) 250-6288 to set up your appointment! Don’t forget to like and share this post with your family and friends.

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Mission

Our mission is to educate our community that life and health come from within and that the maintenance of health is far superior to the treatment of disease.

We strive to provide the highest quality care, based on the best possible science in a supportive, family-friendly environment.

We seek to provide chiropractic care to as many families as possible so they can maintain their optimal health potential- naturally- without the need for harmful medications.