We'll cut right to the chase. The most common cause of low back pain is from tight or weak muscles in your low back. Our low back makes up a significant portion of our torso and is pretty well the center (aka middle) of our body, attaching our upper half to our lower half. This makes our low back a crucial area in our body for transmitting forces from our arms to our legs and vice versa. If you've experienced low back pain before, you may have noticed pain in your low back while walking or running as a result of this transmission of forces. In fact, almost ANY movement you do transmits forces through your low back. This is why most movements are painful or uncomfortable when you experience low back pain. From getting up from a chair, to getting out of bed or getting into your car, to lifting every day items. All of these movements require coordination between your upper body and your lower body to be successfully completed, transmitting forces through your low back. 

Since so many forces pass through your low back on a daily, it makes sense that there would a lot of muscles in your low back. And you'd be correct, there are a LOT of muscles in your low back, both big and small. These muscles may get tired from daily activities and result in pain for you or you may have a sudden, obvious injury that results in low back pain. Regardless of the mechanism of injury, one very important part of healing and recovering from ANY type of low back pain is core strengthening. Your core is collectively made up of your abs, your obliques and your low back muscles. When your core is strong and functioning well, it acts as a stabilizing belt for your low back similar to the belts you see professional weight lifters using when lifting extreme weights. For a stabilizing belt to work properly, the muscle coordination between your abs, obliques and low back muscles must fire at the same time otherwise you get a tight part here and a loose part there. A stabilizing belt that is both tight and loose at the same time doesn't do much stabilizing at all. And of the three parts of your core, the low back muscles will often fire the hardest and that results in tightness, fatigue or injury in those muscles. And that results in you having low back pain. 

Have more questions about your low back pain or interested in other reasons for low back pain? Comment down below or if you're in the Guelph area, drop on into Nurture Family Chiropractic and ask for Dr. Brenda Yee. 

As it turns out, twins are a lot of work. Albeit, it's the best kind of work there is. Dr. Brenda Yee will be extending her maternity leave two months and will return to practicing June 1, 2022. Dr. Aislinn Rooney will continue your chiropractic care in Dr. Yee's absence. 

Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you at the clinic still and soon!

Before a big or nerve-wracking task, I'm sure someone has said "take a deep breath" to you in the past. You may have thought to yourself "how is taking a deep breath going to help me accomplish what I need to do?". Turns out, taking that deep breath very well might help you accomplish your big task better than if you were to "panic breathe", those short and shallow breaths that you take when things are just about to become overwhelming or difficult. Here's the science on it.

Diaphragmatic breathing, or “belly breathing,” involves fully engaging the stomach, abdominal muscles, and diaphragm when breathing. This means actively pulling the diaphragm down with each inward breath. In this way, diaphragmatic breathing helps the lungs fill more efficiently.

Here are just some of the benefits diaphragmatic breathing can have:

• It helps you relax, lowering the harmful effects of the stress hormone cortisol on your body.
• It lowers your heart rate.
• It helps lower your blood pressure.
• It helps you cope with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• It improves your core muscle stability.
• It improves your body’s ability to tolerate intense exercise.
• It lowers your chances of injuring or wearing out your muscles.
• It slows your rate of breathing so that it expends less energy.

One of the biggest benefits of diaphragmatic breathing is reducing stress.
There are many ways to breathe from your diaphragm, my personal favourite is box breathing is also known as square breathing. This is because each of the four steps involves breathing or holding the breath for 4 seconds, creating a 4×4 effect.

1. Sit or stand upright.
2. Slowly exhale through your mouth, getting all the oxygen out of your lungs.
3. Inhale as you count slowly to four in your head, filling the lungs completely without strain.
4. Hold the breath while counting slowly to four.
5. Exhale and release the breath slowly to the count of four.
6. Hold the breath out for the count of four.
7. Repeat the cycle five to ten times.

So next time you're feeling stressed, give diaphragmatic breathing a try! It'll take some time to get used to but I assure you it is certainly worth the effort. Have questions or want further instructions or guidance on diaphragmatic breathing? Visit us at Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph, we'd love to be a part of your health journey.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! Whether you're able to spend time with your loved ones this Christmas, we hope you experience simple pleasures in all the ordinary things surrounding us. From the snow outside your window, to the mug of hot chocolate in your hands, to the fuzzy socks you're wearing. We wish you enjoyment in this season and look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! For those of us who are doing our best to keep watch on our health while still enjoying what this season has to offer, here are some tips recommended by Canada's Food Guide.

5 Strategies for Healthy Eating
Use these 5 strategies to help you make healthier food choices during the holidays or other social events.

1. Choose and offer healthier foods optionsAs much as possible, stick to healthy foods you would normally choose. This applies when you are:
   
   • hosting an event
   • attending a gathering
   • preparing a dish to share
   Try to:
   
   • choose whole grain foods
   • make water your drink of choice
   • have plenty of vegetables and fruits
   Preparing dishes with these foods can help ensure you are providing and making a healthier choice.
   Special holiday versions of highly processed foods are often available and on sale during the holidays. Where possible, limit these and other highly processed foods. If you choose these foods, choose them in smaller amounts.
   
2. Be mindfulUsually during celebrations or events there is a lot going on. It is easy to get distracted while eating.
   Think about your habits at social gatherings. Remember to:
   
   • Take time to eat
     • Find space where you can sit down and focus on what you are eating
   • Pay attention to your food choices
     • When there is lots of food available or served throughout an event, it can be hard to keep track. Where possible, choose healthy foods and drinks.
   • Notice your feelings of hunger and fullness
     • There are many reasons you may feel the need to eat or drink during a party. Make your food choices based on your hunger level.
3.  Enjoy your foodIt’s important that you enjoy your food. This is especially true during holidays and events when the food that’s offered or served may serve a cultural or traditional purpose. Eating foods you like without judgment can help you develop a healthy attitude about food.
   Instead of feeling like you are missing out when it comes to less healthy food choices, have a smaller portion and take the time to savour it.
   
4.  Think about your drinkDrinks can add additional calories, sodium, sugars or saturated fat to your meal. This is true for non-alcoholic as well as alcoholic drinks.
   Enjoy carbonated water with added flavour from fruit. Plain coffee and tea can also be an option.
   
5.  Think beyond food to celebrateCelebrate with an activity. Try:
   
   • going for a hike
   • playing your favourite game
   • taking part in an outdoor activity like skating or biking

 
As always, stay healthy and happy and ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON!