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This week marks the fifth year anniversary of when I had to have an ankle surgery. See, when I was growing up, I was a young athlete and experienced a lot of ankle injuries, and I never had anyone that would help me properly rehab those or adjust those. And so I eventually developed a giant bone spur on the bottom of this bone sticking into that ankle joint to the point where I couldn't even move my ankle. And if I tried to run, it would instantly swell up and cause a ton of pain. So here are the essentials of life chiropractic. That is exactly why we also do extremity adjusting. So if you ever have issues with your shoulders, elbows, wrists, ankles, knees, hips, be sure to tell us that so that we can help adjust it and hopefully avoid a potential surgery down the road. Be Well Dr. Tony

Hey, everyone. We are going to be talking about proper travel ergonomics. So whether you're traveling via car on a long car ride to some destination, or around the cities or even sitting on a plane, there are some things that you should know that are really going to help you and make sure you don't hurt yourself during your vacation or while you're at home. So let's go right at it. Let's go right into a chair. So how we should be sitting if you're in a chair or on a plane, you should have this nice 90 degrees by your knees, 90 degrees up this way, in your back to hips. And when you're looking, let's say you're on a computer, or let's say you're on a plane, one that has the screens in front of you, make sure that it's at a level where you're not looking down. So again, if you have your laptop on a plane or if you were looking down, just make sure to try to have it right in front of you eye level so you're not doing this. So that's going to be proper for, again, if you're on a plane. Now, sometimes you don't have the rest. So again, like this. And over time what happens is we do this. I totally get that, even when you're driving. So what you want to do to re-correct yourself is come back, but you can bend your legs back, scoot your butt back to where your sits bone is hitting the back, and then come up from there. That should help regain that curve in that low back that you're looking for, so you're not putting as much stress on your spine. So if you can try to do those as best as possible, you're less likely for you to hurt your spine or get some stiffness and soreness. So just go right back to those and you should be great. Have a great time. Be Well -Dr. Lisa

We see a lot of infants and toddlers here at Essentials of Life Chiropractic, and we hear a lot of great and amazing questions. And did you know teething and ear infections actually go hand in hand? Teething creates a lot of inflammation in the gums, which can radiate pain up into the ear. So, if your toddler or infant are pulling at the ears, that's okay. It could just mean that they might be teething at that time. And there's a lot of inflammation, which leads to a lot of drooling, which also means that they might get fluid in their ears from all the drooling. That's, again, very normal. It's okay if they have fluid in their ears. That doesn't mean it's an infection, it just means that they have a lot of inflammation, and there's a lot of things you can do for that. Chiropractic's great at relieving a lot of that stress by making sure that drainage from the ear down into the throat is happening correctly, and we're effectively using the nervous system for that. And did you also know that ear infections are usually 80 to 90% viral? They're not even bacterial, so most of the time they don't need an antibiotic. So, we always go for the watch-and-wait approach. Yes, there's a point where you might need that, but in most cases it'll just go away on its own, usually between three to five days. If you need any other tips or tricks regarding ear infections or teething, contact our office or talk to us at your next visit. Be Well Dr. Lisa

All right, getting through one of the coldest weeks of the year here, and a lot of the questions that I'm getting asked around this time of year each year, despite the cold, is, "Dr. D, how do I stay active in the wintertime? It's hard for me not only to stay motivated, but to feel like there are things that are accessible for me to do because the things that I like to do involve being outside and it's cold." And so the thing that I like to recommend for folks is to think about yourself in a way that a professional athlete would think about their body in their off-season. And so if you're a person that likes to get out in the garden, or if you're a person that likes to get out on the golf course or even spend time hiking, there are probably things that you can be doing right now to fill in some of the gaps that you felt during your season last year. And so again, if you're a gardener, maybe it would be good for the first time that you spend any time crouching down to be prior to the first time that you spend time crouching down in your garden. And so maybe we can squat down and come back up and spend some time maybe on the hands and knees to prepare the body to be able to adapt to that experience. For a golfer, right, maybe we can work on stretching and mobility of the hips or strengthening your rotation. And so there are many things that you're going to be able to do that don't necessarily require a lot of equipment or even the ability to be outside that are going to speak to something that you actually enjoy doing, and it's going to be much easier to motivate yourself to do that. So I would encourage you to think about yourself in that way. And if you have any questions or any directions that you'd like to have, please do ask your docs and they'd be more than happy to give you a little bit of tidbit here and there to just try to get the wheels turning for you. Be Well Dr. Daniel

We all know the winter months can be very challenging on the immune system, so let me give you some tips for keeping the immune systems as strong as possible in these cold winter months. Number one , keep that nervous system clear and balanced with regular chiropractic care. The nervous system controls the immune system. Number two , drink plenty of water. It's very dry in winter months, and staying hydrated will help flush toxins out, as well as keep the cells, tissues, organs of the immune system nice and hydrated. Number three , make sure you get plenty of sleep. Sleep is where the body repairs, and that includes the immune system. Number four , stay active. Keep that activity up. Activity, getting the heart rate up, increases blood flow, which brings oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the cells, and then takes away all the waste and carbon dioxide, as well as activity specifically activates the immune system. Speaking of oxygen, try and get outside and get some fresh air. We are cooped up inside all day long, and our bodies need that fresh air and oxygen. Number six , consider adding supplements like vitamin, D, zinc and elderberry to your daily routine. Be Well Dr. Tony

Hey, everyone. I've got exciting news! In just a couple of weeks, we are going to be plunging into a frozen lake. Doesn't that sound exciting? Maybe not, but let me tell you why we plunge into a frozen lake. We are here to support the Special Olympics of Minnesota. We do this every year because it helps those with intellectual disabilities throughout the entire year and throughout Minnesota. So we are very excited to help support them. Additionally, we are looking for more brave souls to join us in the plunge. Who else wants to be part of the crazy group? I know you do. If you want to, please go to our Facebook page. I'm sure we'll have something there to sign up. Or if you're one of our patients, there will be some QR codes in the office, and you can plunge with us. If you don't want to plunge, but you're like, "I'll pledge you because I don't want to be part of that craziness," that's okay too. You can pledge and encourage someone who is a little scared to plunge this year. Or you can just be part of the craziness without getting cold, which is sometimes a good idea too. Or you could just pray for us, as we all need some extra prayers for our crazy lake-jumping adventure. That's all for today. Have a good one, guys. Be Well Dr. Lisa Our Polar Plunge Page

So you've set your goals for the year. You've started off, you're getting to where you want to be, you're headed in the right direction, but then the times get tough. Things come up and they may be a little bit confusing, something that you didn't expect, that you didn't foresee as a challenge in reaching your goal. What do you do? And so in Essentials of Life here, we like to talk about having a good team around you, a good team to not only help you support yourself when times do feel like they're getting a little bit difficult, a little bit of accountability maybe for the things that you've said that you'd like to do, but maybe you're not holding yourself to that standard. But then also, what if you have a question? Who can answer that for you? Who can send you in the right direction? So finding folks that can not only help you out when times get tough, and we need a little bit of motivation, but also maybe we need a little bit of extra information to help us make a good choice to get to that goal. So surround yourself with a good team. Surround yourself with somebody that has a little bit more of that knowledge that you're hoping to get, or knowledge that's going to help you get to where you want to be. And you'll find that those goals are that much more in reach this year. Be Well Dr. Daniel

This month's series has been all about giving you tips and resources for having the best 2025 possible. In this video, I want to share with you how to create habits to get the results you're looking for. We have to look at results as the end point. Habits of the things that'll get us there. Now, this book right here, it's called Atomic Habits by James Clear. I suggest everyone pick up a copy. It's phenomenal. And he talks in there about how habits or automated behaviors in response to a stimulus or cue. And so what we need to do is set up those cues to help us take the actions that will get us the results we're looking for. I want to give you three ways to do this. Ultimately, this is about building these things into our routine. Tip number one: put it in your schedule, because things that go in a schedule, get done. Tip number two : set a reminder with that. Have a reminder go off 10, 15, 20 minutes before you have to do it, or perhaps even at that same time. But set a reminder on that phone so that it cues you into doing the action that you said you were going to take. Tip number three: stack your habit with another habit you're already doing. For an example, we teach something in this office called the chin tuck exercise that helps with head posture, and we recommend people do that twice a day. Well, something else people typically also do twice a day is brush their teeth. So I recommend stack this chin tuck exercise with brushing your teeth. That's something called habit stacking. -Be Well Dr. Tony

Dr. Tony: I am here with one of my good friends and one of our wellness partners, Jen Appleberry- of Appleberry's Attic Craft Studio in Anoka. I call her the Craft Queen of the North, and we are super excited to be partnering up again this year for the vision board workshop. As you can see on the sign right behind us here, that's next Thursday the 16th from 6:30 to 9:00 at her studio in Anoka. And I'm going to let Jen tell you exactly what a vision board is and why you should join us. Jen Appleberry: So a vision board is a collection of pictures and phrases and different things that really just come together on a board to where we are taking time to set some goals, set a vision, be intentional with what we want our 2025 to look like. And the good thing is that if we make it beautiful, if we make it pleasing to the eye and we set it up somewhere where we can see it, and it kind of just naturally keeps us on track. The science behind that. But the beauty of this is that when you come to the vision board workshop, we give you a space, we give you time, we run you through an exercise to where you really can take a minute, silence the noise of your schedule, sit down, figure out what it is you want to accomplish in the next year, and then we put it all together in a beautiful way. Dr. Tony: So join us next week. Make sure you grab tickets for the event, and it's sure to sell out. It does every single year. Grab those tickets before they're gone. https://www.appleberrysatticcrafts.com/product/vision-board-workshop-january-16th/

It's resolution season here. January 2025. So everybody's got a little bit of something in mind that they'd like to work on. And so first and foremost here in the office, we've been recommending for our patients that they're looking at creating really specific goals. Instead of the conversation being around, "I'd like to be healthier," let's open that up to: What does that look like? What does that feel like? What does that allow you to do maybe that isn't available to you right now? Create some specificity around what that goal looks like so that when you do try to reach it, you know what it feels like and looks like when you get to that point. And another thing too is when we're setting goals, far too often I feel like we're running away from a negative rather than trying to travel towards a positive. And so instead of looking at your goal as "I'd like to avoid this," or, "I don't want to feel this anymore," or, "I just don't want to be here," let's look towards something positive that you can attach your motivation to, you can attach your drive to that says, "I am stepping into something that I would like to have, rather than stepping away from something that I don't want to have." Good luck out there. Be Well -Dr. Daniel

With all of the things going on around us and all the new activities and different things that we have added to our routine, it doesn't necessarily mean we have more time to rest, right? And so how do we make sure that we balance out that extra activity that's coming in from this holiday season here and make sure that we come out on the back end feeling just as fresh as when we came in? And the main thing I have been recommending for folks is how do you help your body transition. When you are done with your activity, how do you transition from that into rest mode so that your body is not stuck being active or feeling like it needs to stay ramped up? And so the two easiest things that I'll recommend for folks to do this is either heat or ice. Getting 10 or 15 minutes, even 20 minutes of heat or ice on something, your body is going to thank you. It is going to calm down, it's going to take you out of that stress piece, and it is going to move you back into calm so your body can rest. Also, as much as we talk about the importance of stretching and the importance of movement, even just a couple of minutes of that movement can help your brain and your body transition from activity, from stress back into rest mode, so that your body and your brain aren't stuck doing all those chores and things from the day, and you can actually rest and be ready for all the good stuff to come. Be Well -Dr. Daniel

Keeping Kids healthy over break There are three things you can do to help make sure that your kid stays healthy during the school break. First and foremost, make sure that they are getting enough sleep. Yes, it is very easy to stay up late and maybe sleep in, but just make sure they stay as close to their normal schedule as possible, otherwise you are going to have a hard time getting them up going forward, and it's great for their immune system to get that sleep and rest. Secondly, number two, make sure that you are getting enough activity, or make sure your kid is getting enough activity. There's plenty to do outside, it is cold, just get them bundled up and out there and playing as much as possible. There are also, I know, video games are big right now, but there are some video games out there now that have activity to them, so make sure you find something inside as well as outside to get that physical activity at least 20 minutes a day. And lastly, make sure you are decreasing the amount of sugar that they're having. Yes, there are cakes and candies and cookies everywhere this time of year, but try to decrease it as much as possible. Sugar will affect that immune response, and if they have too much, you are more likely to get sick as well. So make sure you stay on top of it, and we'll see you next time. -Be Well Dr. Lisa