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AT THE ZONE this July All Events are Tuesday Evenings and charitable offerings are welcomed. Pre-Registration in greatly appreciated as workshops fill up quickly. Transformational Breathwork July 8, 6 - 7:30pm Transformational Dialogue with Jim Bacon All proceeds to benefit The Whidbey Children's Theatre Core Strengthening July 15, 6 - 6:30pm Half Hour to Health with Dr Craig Natural Methods for Overcoming Arthritis July 22 , 6-6:30pm Half Hour to Health with Dr. Craig Raw, Raw, Raw! Transforming summer menus into exciting refreshing meals with fresh local organic produce. July 29 6 - 7:30pm Transformational Dialogue with Chef Patti All proceeds to benefit WIN, (Whidbey Island Nourishes, lunch program) Dr. Craig and Presentations in the Community Posture and Workplace Ergonomics Sat. July 12, 12-1:00pm Whidbey General Hospital Seminar FREE Choochokum Festival Half Marathon Sat. July 12, 9am Providing sports care to runners in downtown Langley Greenbank Loganberry Festival July 26-27 Spinal Screenings provided by The Chiropractic Zone Dr. Craig is available to speak at your church group, golf group, gardening club or place of business if you are interested. Video Link of the Month: Video Clip of the Month: If you wish to see physical flexibility taken to mind numbing degrees, check out this clip! CLICK HERE Quote Of The Month "We turn not older with years, but newer with every day." Emily Dickinson |
this newsletter with a friend or colleague! July 2008 Stretching Yourself! With being fully entrenched in the summer season, we find ourselves being as active as ever. Gardening, cycling, playing tennis, beachcombing, deck projects, weed whacking and many other home projects that the long days of summer provide light for. With new activities and more intense chores, people find themselves using muscles that they don't usually use. It's time to include some stretches into your day. Find ways during your day to stretch outside your habitual patterns. Exhibit flexibility in some relationship. Stretch into a new way being that includes learning something new or creating an exciting opportunity for yourself. For stretching yourself physically, read on.Try beginning your day gently by easing onto the floor and stretch up to the ceiling like a cat, and then letting your spine relax towards the floor and repeat 5 - 10 times. Your goal should be to warm up your muscles and lubricate joints that have been still all night long. Lie on your back and gently hug your knees to your chest several times, always remembering to breathe, exhaling with the effortful part of the movement. With your knees bent and feet flat on the ground, let your knees swing gently and slowly left, then right, while still keeping your back flat on the floor and supported, without over twisting. Move to a standing position, allow your head to drop forward and let your head swing in a gentle half circle, bringing your left ear to your left shoulder and then gently to the right, feeling a stretch, but not moving into any pain. Look forward and perform ten backward shoulder circles and then continue with several full body twists. Now, you should be warming up. Stretches are best performed in two ways; first as a static stretch in which you hold a still position, easing further into a deeper stretch with your breathing, holding for 15 - 30 seconds. A PNF or resistance stretch, is a simple and more effective stretching form that has you first tighten the muscle you wish to stretch, then relax, it and then stretch it. For example, place one knee on the floor and stretch the other leg straight our in front of you. Tighten the muscle in the back of the thigh by pressing the heel against the floor as hard as you can for 20 seconds. Relax 2 - 3 seconds. Keep your back straight and bend forward until you feel the stretch and hold for 20 seconds. Remember NO BOUNCING. Bouncing stretches are of doubtful value and can be harmful. During your activities, consider which muscles are you working the hardest as those are the ones that need attention to avoid strains, tight muscle syndromes and tendonitis like symptoms. Remember that if you do develop muscle and joint symptoms, use ice if it feels sharp, painful or inflamed and use heat for tightness and general soreness. If pain persists, get professional advice from you doctor of chiropractic. May You be Well, "Dr. Craig" Recommended Book of the Month: The Book About Stretching by Sven A. Solveborn MDThis book published in English in 1985, originally written in Swedish, is a classic book on resistance stretches. It is simple to follow, the instructions are easy and the picture/diagrams are clear. The stretches are broken down into physical body regions as well as appropriate stretches for a long list of sports/athletic activates. The author takes the time to explain the biological mechanism of stretching if you are interested and also discusses injury prevention and a section on scientific studies. This 134 page paperback has been an excellent resource for me over the years and I highly recommend finding a copy. Oh, I already found it available at Amazon.com! CLICK HERE  If there are topics you would like to hear or see more about, please feel free to email Dr. Craig at drcraig@chirozone.net |
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