It’s moving time for me this week.  It happens to only be 1km down the road, but it still presents some topics for discussion.

Boxes:

• If you go to your local supermarket and order some boxes then they will not crush the next mornings shipment and you can pick them up at about 9 am.  Breakfast cereal boxes (not the actually box the cereal is in, but the larger one) are a good size.  You can also bug your local bottle-o for beer cartoons, these are a good size for books/dvds/cds/videos.
• Do not over fill boxes.  Books and pots/pans especially can result in a VERY heavy box.  So try to use smaller boxes, which will ultimately mean you can’t make them too heavy.
• If they are heavy/larger boxes, don’t lift them on your own… sharing is caring after all .
• When lifting boxes, ensure you use your legs and not your back.  The muscles in your back are designed to maintain posture, create stability and are therefore more endurance based.  They are not meant to be used for strength activities such as lifting large weights.  Whereas your quads, hamstrings and gluteals are designed for explosive strength work (ie running, jumping) so will be better suited to lifting weighty boxes.  Just be careful of your knees.

Moving Vans:

• Get the experts to do it!  This is mainly aimed at white goods, furniture, beds, pianos etc.  But moving companies will do everything from beginning to end (including boxing).
• They are well payed and well trained, so not only will they be less likely to hurt themselves, but if they do then at least they can pay for Chiropractic fees.
• If items are damaged while they move your gear, it will be covered by their insurance.  If you do it yourself and break items then you are stuck with them.

Cleaners:

• Your property managers can suggest cleaning companies, as can the moving company.  In fact some companies will move you and clean the old place.
• It will save money to just pay to have the carpets cleaned and do the rest yourself.  But for sanity’s sake it may be better to spend the extra cash and have them do the whole inside of the house.

Stress:

• I repeat sharing is caring!  Bug family and friends to help out with the moving and especially the cleaning.  After all they are meant to love you, so get help!
• Moving has proven to be one of the most stressful events we go through in our lives.  So try to take some time to do something other than the move throughout the day, take a walk/go for a swim etc.

Good luck with anyone that is moving out there!  And just think, soon you’ll be in a brand new place

Happy moving!

Dr Christopher Hodgetts is a chiropractor at Hillarys Chiropractic, Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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• How To: Avoid Lower Back Pain while Flying to your Next Holiday Destination We all look forward to a planned holiday away, whether it’s inter-state, exotic Bali, or a lavish European trip. Not only do they give us a well deserved break from the hustle and bustle of life, but also forges lasting memories. But nothing’s worse than being sick or disabled......
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Dr Sean Tan is a chiropractor at Capacity Health, Subiaco,

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News hit the world yesterday that one of the worlds most beloved comedy actors of the past 30 years has passed away.  Leslie William Nielsen was a canadian born comic actor best known for his roles in the The Naked Gun series and the 1980 film Flying High! (actually called Airplane! in other countries), both of which spawned some of the best remembered ‘one-liners’.

The television screens were also graced with his presence in the comedy series Police Squad!, which inspired the three The Naked Gun films. However, Nielsen actually began his acting career playing serious roles, most notably in the ‘50s film Forbidden Planet and as Captain Harrison in the ‘70s classic The Poseidon Adventure.

On a personal note I have very fond memories of this fine actor, having grown up watching his movies and television series.  Like many people my favourite line would have to be in aforementioned Flying High!, with Nielsen playing Dr Rumack:

Dr Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can’t be serious.

Dr Rumack: I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.

…or another…

Dr Rumack: You’d better tell the Captain we’ve got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.

Elaine Dickinson: A hospital? What is it?

Dr Rumack: It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.

Yes it’s very much what my family would call “Dad’s Jokes”, but it still cracks me up every time I hear it .

Sadly, on the 28th of November Mr Nielsen passed during his sleep whilst recovering from pneumonia in a Hospital near Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  My condolences go out to Mr Nielsen’s family, his comic stylings will ‘shirley’ be missed by many comedy fans around the globe.

R.I.P. Leslie William Nielsen

Thanks for reading guys!

PS I am still accepting donations for Movember: Donate Now :{D

Happy living!

Dr Christopher Hodgetts is a chiropractor at Hillarys Chiropractic, Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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• Positive Posture 3: Sleep, Exercise and Your Spine Welcome to the third and final installment of Positive Posture.  In our previous episode we spoke about the importance of work place posture, and what you could do in order to limit damaging your spine.  Now, lets focus on the two other important areas where we can work on......
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Welcome to the third and final installment of Positive Posture.  In our previous episode we spoke about the importance of work place posture, and what you could do in order to limit damaging your spine.  Now, lets focus on the two other important areas where we can work on our posture: whilst exercising and sleeping.

Exercise:

• Maintaining an appropriate level of exercise helps promote good posture.  Daily exercise will help maintain spinal joint motion and  keep good tone in postural muscles.
• Don’t forget the tips I gave you in the first Positive Posture article about working at the gym.  Focus on an all over work out. If you are going to do strengthening work, make sure you include your extensor muscles (i.e. triceps, quads), the posterior muscles of the trunk (i.e. rhomboids, latissimus dorsi) and the core muscles (i.e. transverse abdominals).  More specific strengthening routines can be developed by your Chiropractor or a Personal Trainer.
• Lift weights that are appropriate for your current level of strength.  Build your way up, and don’t let your ego cause an injury.  Also have a PT or Chiropractor show the correct way to lift weights when working on different muscles.
• When on a cycle machine sit up nice and tall, keep your chest puffed up, relax your shoulders back and keep your head over the top your spine (not in front!).
• If you go walking, try to keep nice even strides, swinging your arms in time and never limp.

Sleep:

• Because we spend on average 8 hours a night sleeping, posture is very important here as well.
• A good sleep posture is all about maintaining the three spinal curves, supporting your neck and ensuring there is not increased pressure on your hips and shoulders.
• Taking these three things into account you should only be sleeping on your back or side.
• If on your back, have a pillow that supports your neck, fills the gap between base of the skull and shoulders and does not “prop your head upright”.  A memory foam contour pillow provides exactly this.
• If on your side, you need to keep your neck in a neutral position, filling the gap between head and shoulders.  Once again we do not want the head to “sink” down too much or “prop up” too much either.  A memory foam contour pillow will again provide the appropriate level of support.
• Avoid twisting in the low back, and do not sleep with your hand under your pillow, this can cause impingement within your shoulder.

In our last article we focussed predominately on “office posture”, but of course not everyone works in an office do they!  For instance, even Dr Sean and myself have to be conscious of our posture as we work or we could cause injuries to our low back, mid back or shoulders… not mention our thumbs and wrists!

Furthermore, each of us like to exercise in different ways, be that at the Gym, Pool, Court or Field.  And sleep is a very personal event, everybody having different preferences and needs as far as comfort and support.

The point is we all have individual circumstances that require personalised attention and discussion.  Therefore, when you visit one of us at Hillarys Chiropractic we will help to tailor your care and lifestyle advice in order to suit your particular requirements.  So please, if you have specific questions about your situation ask Dr Sean or myself at your next visit.

Thanks for reading team!

Happy living!

Dr Christopher Hodgetts is a chiropractor at Hillarys Chiropractic, Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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• Positive Posture 2: The Fight against Low Back Pain, Neck Pain and Headaches In our previous episode we discussed the importance of posture in relation to your spinal health.  As part of this discussion I highlighted the 3 curves that exist in your spine, mentioned how you may be currently damaging your spine and finally 3 basic posture ‘don’ts’.  Right, now that......
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Regardless of your fitness goals, you can benefit from substituting your mid-morning snack with a nutrition bar. They offer the convenience of being readily available in your desk drawer or handbag while providing lasting balanced energy and satisfying your hunger for longer.

Since most of us consume too many carbohydrates and not enough protein in our diet, it’s important to choose the right nutrition bar: low carb, low sugar, high protein. This means that even if you aren’t undergoing a regular exercise regime, these energy bars won’t make you pack on excessive weight; and for those of you who are trying to build muscle then energy bars are highly advantageous! Don’t choose the popular sugar loaded muesli bar of the supermarket shelf. Instead, look down the health food aisle or within your nearest health food shop. Often these bars can be bought in bulk and are of greater value, financially and nutritionally, than a muffin or danish.

So the next time your stomach is rumbling mid-morning, ditch the muffin and reach for an energy-packed nutrition bar that will fill you up, keep you going for the morning and not comprise your health goals.

Dr Sean Tan is a chiropractor at Capacity Health, Subiaco, Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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Can you relate to this scenario?

It’s a cold dark morning. You awake to a piercing beep echoing from your alarm clock. Stretching out your arm from under your warm blanket you hit the snooze button. It’s 7:30am. “Just a little longer”, you think to yourself as you drift back to sleep for a few more precious minutes.  In no time your alarm goes off again. You force yourself out of bed, tiredly sigh, and so begins the frantic rush to get to work or school on time!

We can all relate to such a scenario. Did those few extra minutes of sleep cause you to feel good about yourself? Were you more alert when you got to work? Did you gain any sense of accomplishment? I highly doubt it!

Waking up early has countless benefits. Many successful people are out of bed early, often by 6:30. You may feel that you don’t have what it takes to be an early riser, but the truth is: Anyone can do it once they’ve gotten used to it! All it takes is a good routine.


The BENEFITS of waking up early

1. Extra time gained in the day

That extra hour or two could be used to make a substantial breakfast, do a morning workout, work on an interesting hobby, or even finish off some dreaded paperwork or backlog of emails – all this before you even get to work! That will surely give you a great sense of achievement to motivate you for the day.

2. Your day gets off to a great rewarding start

Firstly, you’ve achieved one of your goals: That of waking up early! You might be able to reward yourself by catching a glimpse of the sunrise or even just have more time to prepare yourself for the day’s activities. You will find you will be in a better mood because of it.

3. Mornings are a great time for work

It’s hard to find a more quiet time than in the morning. By waking up early, you gain extra hours of uninterrupted peace that you will find to be the most productive and efficient part of your day.

4. You don’t skip breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and waking up early prevents you from skipping it. In a previous article, I discussed the importance of eating a nutritious and healthy breakfast. By doing so you will notice what an energy boost it is, and how much more alert you will be throughout the day.


HOW to get into a regular routine of rising early

1. Choose to get up BEFORE you go to sleep

Have you ever woken up from an amazing dream and been disappointed that it ended? Did you try to fall back to sleep just to continue the dream? Sadly it never seems to work. Frustration soon sets in! That exact moment is a terrible time to make a decision whether or not to stay in bed. And yet, most of us leave the first decision of our day to be made in a blur of partial wakefulness.

Make the decision to wake up early BEFORE you go to sleep the night before. Then in your mind, you’ve committed to it. It may still be a struggle for the first few mornings, but eventually your need for raw willpower to get out of bed will diminish and you’ll be the proud parent of a new habit!

2. Have a PLAN for your extra time

Without a plan it’s easy to fall back to sleep since you have nothing better to do anyway. Here’s a handy tip: Before you go to bed, make a quick note of what you’d like to get done during your extra hours the following day. Do you have a few chores to do around the house, a delicious breakfast to prepare, or a morning workout to perform? Make a plan; complete the plan; reap the benefits; and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you accomplished many things due to rising early.

3. Make rising early a SOCIAL activity

This doesn’t mean waking up early to spend time instant messaging or browsing Facebook. Why not instead go for a relaxing stroll along the beach with a friend; join a morning gym class, or just spend some quality time getting to know your loved ones better? The more people involved the more fun it gets, and ultimately the more motivation you gain.

4. Don’t use an ALARM that makes you angry

The old fashioned beep is a sound none of us want to wake up to. Waking up angry and frustrated doesn’t make a good start to the morning. Experiment a little and see what works best for you. Soothing music will probably work wonders (as long as you don’t fall back to sleep!).

5. Get your HEART pumping and your blood flowing

A few morning stretches, pushups, or skipping will do wonders to your health and mind. Do remember though that your back is most susceptible to injury early in the morning due to fluid buildup in your discs overnight, so it’s advised not to do any strenuous lifting or crunches soon after getting out of bed. If you live in a beautiful part of the world (Perth isn’t too bad, right?), you might want to use a bit of your early morning to go for a walk and enjoy the beauty of the world around you.


What I can do to help!

So that’s it! You now know WHY and HOW to regularly get up early each morning. If you need anymore help, just leave your mobile number in the comments below and I will give you a personalized wake up call tomorrow morning FREE of charge! No guarantees though of the reliability of the wake up call (I may have “accidentally” pressed my snooze button a few extra times. Hey, no one’s perfect!)

Dr Sean Tan is a chiropractor at Capacity Health, Subiaco, Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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• A Hearty Soup For A Cold Winter Day Winter is here….unfortunately! Mornings are cold and gloomy, making getting out of bed even harder. Driving to work in the rain only adds to the gloom. But nothing beats a good filling lunch to look forward to and get you through the day. And what’s better than a HEARTY SOUP!......
• Positive Posture Fights Lower Back Pain Building a healthy body is like building a house,  you must always start with the foundations.  In the human body your skeleton acts as the solid ground for everything else to be built upon.  Therefore maintaining the strength, stability and alignment of your bones is extremely important in developing......
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In our previous episode we discussed the importance of posture in relation to your spinal health.  As part of this discussion I highlighted the 3 curves that exist in your spine, mentioned how you may be currently damaging your spine and finally 3 basic posture ‘don’ts’.  Right, now that you are armed with the knowledge of how much your spine has to put up with, let’s delve further into the pool of wisdom and teach you to fight the poor posture plague!

Believe it or not there is a condition called Postural Syndrome.  This is a grouping of signs and symptoms that can arise due to a persistent faulty posture.  It can include cervicogenic  (of neck origin) headaches, myofascial pain (muscle pain) syndromes and chronic sprain/strains, and is due to the imbalanced forces acting on the musculoskeletal system.  So avoiding these imbalances is key, which means identifying them!

Working on your posture can be general (meaning everybody should be doing these things) or very specific (a tailored program to suit your needs).  One of the most important areas you can make general changes is the work place:

Correct work place ergonomics:

• As I mentioned in our last episode, many of us sit at desks for up to 8 hours a day.  Therefore, sitting in the correct position is crucial.  As I am typing this I have pushed my bottom as far into the chair as possible, allowing my lower back to be supported by the upright part of the chair.  From here I am focusing on sitting up nice and tall, arching my low back, pulling my chest upward and allowing my shoulders to relax back and down.
• Try this position out, notice how it is much easier now to allow your head to lie over the top of your shoulders.  The head lying over the shoulders/spine is crucial, because it allows you spine to act as a spring (what it’s designed to do!) rather than levering to keep your head upright.
• If you are typing at a computer try to keep your elbows at 90 degrees, your wrists relaxed and if you aren’t typing (just reading) allow your arms to come down by your sides.
• Your hips, knees and ankles should be relaxed at approximately 90 degrees, with feet flat on the floor.  For those of you with little legs, a foot rest may be required to allow this.
• Finally, get up and move.  Make a cup of tea, get a glass of water, go to the bathroom, gossip with co-workers, anything to get you out of that damn chair!  The spine likes movement, so help it out by not staying in the same position for too long.

That’s all for today, but we will return again for our third and final installment of Positive Posture.  I’ll aim to work on general aspects of exercise and sleep habits, as well as discuss patient specific posture education.

Thanks for reading team!

Happy living!

Dr Christopher Hodgetts is a chiropractor at Hillarys Chiropractic, Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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Click on the image below and then print it out to stick on your fridge for a daily reminder.

Happy stretching!

Dr Sean Tan and Dr Christopher Hodgetts are chiropractors in Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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No-Doz® is a brand name for a tablet containing highly concentrated levels of caffeine, which works to stimulate the central nervous system.  The drug is commonly advertised to suggest that one tablet equates to having 1 espresso coffee.

These little pills have become a hot topic of conversation recently, especially in the AFL community where players have been seen taking as many as 3 prior to a match.  Let me begin this discussion by saying that these tablets are in no way outlawed in the game of Aussie Rules or by any International sporting body.

What do they do?

Well, much like drinking a cup of coffee they act to ward off drowsiness and restore alertness by stimulating the central nervous system.

Awesome! So why would that be bad?

There are several possible setbacks in consuming these tablets:

• Firstly, just like coffee they are an addictive drug that your body can develop an increased tolerance for, and therefore you feel that you need to keep taking them or you won’t be able to function.

• They act as a diuretic.  This means that they cause your kidneys to excrete more water (or increase the concentration of your urine) and result in partial dehydration.

• Once again, just like coffee they can act to upset your stomach, leading to cramping and bloating.

• Due to the increased alertness (which is multiplied by an individual playing a sport which boosts their adrenaline and gets them ‘pumped’) players can find they struggle to get to sleep post-match.  This insomnia can develop into a longer term problem if the drug is consumed on a regular basis, or matches are played at night time.

• Finally, like any drug, in too larger doses they can lead to toxic effects on the body.  At a certain level they can lead to Caffeine Toxicity, which usually consists of the ‘jitters’, irritability, difficulty concentrating, nausea, dizzyness and a light headed sensation.

So how much is too much?

A typical No-Doz® tablet in Australia will contain 100mg of caffeine.  Studies have shown that toxicity can occur within a range of 3-14 tablets (or 300-1400mg).  So just taking 3 tablets (depending on your body size) could be enough to send you into caffeine toxicity.

Ok, well haven’t those footy players been using them?

In my personal opinion these drugs are not performance enhancing, they simply increase your level of alertness.  But I also wouldn’t recommend they be consumed prior to a match either.  In the AFL matches are often played in the evening, so taking caffeine this late in the day may influence an individuals ability to fall asleep.  Therefore, my main concern is that players are taking these pills, playing a high octane sport, and over stimulating their nervous system. Then once they get home post match they cannot sleep, so they throw back a couple of sleeping tablets to negate the effects of the first drug.  And yes, sleeping tablets are prescription only medication, so the team doctors KNOW that they are partaking in this dangerous series of events, but fail to discourage it!  I ask where does it end? If you get too drowsy do you take another upper in order to bring you back to normal… oh wait, I’m too alert again, another sleeping tablet please!

I honestly do not think that these tablets have a place in the sporting world, not because they are performance enhancing, but because they are unnecessary and potentially causing more harm than good.  If you can’t get yourself excited for a match, maybe your playing the wrong sport?

Happy living!

Dr Christopher Hodgetts is a chiropractor at Hillarys Chiropractic, Perth Western Australia. Read more…

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This morning, while hanging out with a friend, I got onto the topic of what constitutes a good and substantial breakfast. All too often, I’m left starving around 11am after having only a bowl of cereal or a few slices of toast for breakfast. This kind of breakfast that many of us routinely consume is in fact “dead food”. There’s nothing alive about it! Bread is dead, and to add to that, we kill it even more by chucking it into a toaster! Any nutrition is long gone. Ask yourself, “Is my breakfast enough to fuel my body for the morning?”

To make the most out of the day, we need to pack as much nutrition into our breakfast as possible. How about having a tasty and nutritious SMOOTHIE packed full of life? Search online and you will find thousands of different ways to come up with the perfect smoothie. Have a look around and share with us your favourites.

After our chat this morning, my friend Shea-Ryan gave me the recipe to his daily smoothie. This is just the core formula so feel free to experiment.

For the additional fruit, he suggests adding mango! Little did he know that I’m allergic to mango (why couldn’t I have been allergic to Brussels sprouts?). So to be fair, I forbid anyone from adding the juicy deliciousness of this majestic fruit into their smoothie. I suggest adding a dried-up prune instead!

Dr Sean Tan is a chiropractor at Capacity Health, Subiaco, Perth Western Australia. Read more…




Shea’s Super Smoothie

1 banana (chopped)

1 tbsp frozen mixed berries

1 additional fruit (e.g. mango)

1 serving protein powder

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tsp honey

½ cup instant oats

¾ cup milk (low fat for the health conscious!)

¼ cup fruit juice (e.g. orange)

Blend and enjoy!

(Serves 1)

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