Tag Archives: sauganash wellness center

Movement For Health

How much movement do you have in your day? Do you get your 10,000 steps a day? Do you workout or exercise? These are questions I like to ask of my patients because movement is so important, and most of us do not get enough of it. Movement for health is imperative. You cannot reach your full potential without movement.

The human body is a perfectly designed machine. And this machine is designed to move. Never has there been a time in evolution where we have been as inactive as we are currently. We used to walk miles per day just to get to our food or water sources. We used to have to carry things. We used to have to squat (to poop). Our jobs used to be phsically demanding. Now we go from our beds to the kitchen table to our car and then to our desk. Because of the comforts of modern society our health is suffering! We are softer, more sick and less happy than ever before. It is my opinion that this is because of our lack of movement in our day.

There is a great book called “The Comfort Crisis” by Michael Easter that I highly recommend that dives into this on a deeper level. BOOK – Michael Easter (eastermichael.com)

What to Do?

If you spend one hour a day exercising, that is still 23 hours of your day that you are sedentary. In my opinion that is still considered a sedentary lifestyle! I’m not saying you should not workout, but what I am saying is you have to find ways to incorporate movement into your day throughout the day. The only way to do this is to be intentional about it.

Some examples of things you can do are:

Park further away

If it’s a mile or less away find another way to get there besides your car.

Take the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator. (only 2% of the population take the stairs if there is an escalator nearby) Be a 2%er!

Do some pushups while you wait for your coffee to brew or your shower to warm-up.

Walk around the block while you wait for your oil change or yours kids activities to finish.

Play at the park with your kids.

Learn a new physical skill like a cartwheel, handstand, archery, stand up paddleboarding, kayaking, rock climbing, salsa dancing etc… the list and possibilities are endless.

Movement is Not OnlyExercise

When I ask my patients about their movement they often answer me with the status of how often they go to the gym. Like we talked about above, movement doesn’t only happen in the gym. As a matter of fact, the movement that is happening outside of the gym is more important! Depending on what you do in the gym it may not even be that functional. Functional movement is movement that occurs that is useful in everyday life. Many exercises at the gym are very unnatural and not a pattern of movement that even happen in everyday life.

Let’s take a look at the bench press exercise. How often in real life do we have to lay on a flat surface and push a weight or object away from us? Pretty much never! But many people do this exercise in search of becoming stronger or having a better-looking chest. I find for many people that excessive bench pressing causes more problems than creating a benefit. Shoulder pain, poor posture and neck pain can result from excessive bench pressing. It doesn’t jive with our modern lifestyles which already create excessively rounded shoulders and tight chest muscles.

If you need help finding ways to add more movement into your daily routine, let’s talk. When you are in the office for your next adjustment I can help. I love assisting people in finding ways to better their health. Better movement for health is the goal, I can help you achieve it.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Steven Bourdage DC

Lincolnwood Chiropractor

Being Healthy is Hard

Being Healthy is Hard

To be healthy requires you to make healthy decisions. Being healthy is hard. You have to decide to get enough sleep, eat healthier, exercise, fill your mind with positivity, and all the other habits that create health.  Being healthy can also cost you money. Visits the the chiropractor, gym memberships, at home exercise equipment, vitamins, organic food, massages, etc… These things all cost money. I can promise you this though, being sick is a lot harder and more expensive than being healthy.

Any time or money you spend on your health is a wise investment in you! When you are sick or in pain most people are willing to spend whatever time or money it takes to regain their health. Be more proactive and spend it upfront.

The most common time people start to think about their health is once a crisis hits. We’ve all been there, or know someone who has. A person has a heart attack and then decides it’s time to start an exercise program. Or you get diagnoses with Diabetes and then decide it’s time to eat better. Or you throw your back out and can’t move and then decide it’s time to start strengthening your core. All these scenarios are OK, but wouldn’t it make so much more sense to avoid the crisis all together?

Chiropractic should be an integral part of your healthcare plan. Chiropractic can not only help you get out of pain, it helps you stay out of pain, keep you mobile, functioning and full of energy…who doesn’t want that?

Faith in Chiropractic

Faith in Chiropractic

I understand that when a person walks into a chiropractic office, they have to have some sort of faith in chiropractic. Now don’t get me wrong, if you have been to a chiropractor before or have seen the results of chiropractic first hand, you know it works. There are a lot of people who have not had these experiences, or know nothing about chiropractic, but yet, still find themselves seeking the help of a chiropractor. They typically walk into our offices with this faith, or hope that we can help them. Or, sometimes they come in with a certain degree of skepticism. Either way I like to meet people where they are at, and show them how amazing their body is and what it is capable of.

The definition of faith is “the complete trust or confidence in someone or something”. When someone has been suffering for a long time, and they have not found results for their condition they usually end up in a chiropractic office as a last resort. I don’t take this responsibility lightly. Whether they have complete faith in me and chiropractic does not effect the results. Chiropractic works whether or not you believe in it…kind of like gravity. Even if you don’t believe in gravity, it’s still working.

Results

I truly wish people could follow me around all day at the office to see how powerful chiropractic is. You’d get to see and hear the stories I see and hear. Like the man who came in for lower back pain, but also told me he has had vertigo for years. Then after one adjustment his vertigo was gone. Or the pregnant woman who’s baby was not head down, but after a series of adjustments to her pelvis the baby flipped to the correct position. The man who hadn’t slept a full night in a year because of headaches and jaw pain who finally slept a full night after just three adjustments. The colicky baby who kept his whole family up every night that finally slept soundly after being adjusted. These stories go on and on. And most people have no idea chiropractic can do these things.

When I talk about faith, I am not speaking about religion here. Chiropractic is not a religion. I know this word is used in religious context more than anywhere else. Please do not be confused, chiropractic is a science, an art and a philosophy all in one.

My role as a chiropractor is very important to me. If you do become a patient in my office, it doesn’t matter if you have faith or are a skeptic. I will do my best to take care of you, help you heal, and when you see the results that chiropractic is famous for, maybe you will become a believer too!

Your in Health,

Dr. Bourdage

 

Sciatica? Chiropractic Can Help

Are you suffering from Sciatica? Chiropractic can help!

Sciatica can be caused by many different issues. It can be arthritic changes in the spine, a herniated disc, muscle imbalances around the hip, or muscle tightness. It is important to discover what is causing your sciatica and address that issue. That is our approach here at Bourdage Chiropractic.

Sciatica is characterized by pain in the back. This is accompanied by pain, numbness, tingling, or burning that travels down the leg and may even be felt into the feet and toes. The further down your leg it travels, the more severe your case is. It is important to have this checked out and do not wait for the symptoms to get better on their own. The longer you wait, the greater chance your sciatica may become chronic in nature.

Sciatica is the most common condition I treat at Bourdage Chiropractic. We have good success in helping people heal from this oftentimes awful condition.

Please watch the video above, and if you have any questions I’d be more than happy to discuss with you. Give me a call at 773-545-9379.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Steven Bourdage DC

Getting Old

Getting Old

Something I hear very often in my office from patients is the statement, “I’m getting old.” When people say this it is in relation to the fact that are injured or having pain and it either came out of nowhere or it started after a very simple movement or activity. When people tell me they are getting old, I call them out on it. “You may be getting older, but you are not getting old” is typically my response. Continue reading

Chicago Chiropractor Talks Health

Chicago Chiropractor Talks Health

In the video below, this Chicago Chiropractor Talks Health. Ask anyone, “how do you get healthy?” The most common responses are eat better and exercise. Yes, these are important factors in health, but there is so much more to being healthy. Continue reading

Quick Posture Fix

Quick Posture Fix

In the following video I show you the 3 exercises I do for a quick posture fix. I do these after I find myself sitting for long periods of time. These are great stretches for people who sit at a desk all day long, sit in a car for long time periods, or after a flight. Sitting wreaks havoc on your body and these stretches will help to correct that.

Dr. B Hates Sitting

I spend 80% of my day on my feet. I’m either adjusting patients or standing at my desk doing paperwork. This last weekend I attended a conference and found myself sitting for hours on end. My body felt terrible! At the conclusion of each day of the seminar I did these 3 stretches and I was back to normal in no time!

The three stretches are :

  1. Hip Flexor Stretch
  2. Thoracic Opening
  3. Thoracic Bridge

The thoracic bridge is my favorite, but all 3 are important.

Sitting Series

Previously, I did a series of 3 videos discussing sitting and the negative effects it can have on your health. If you did not see those videos they can be founds here:

Chicago Chiropractor Talks Sitting

 

After you try these exercises yourself, let me know how much better you feel after!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Steven Bourdage DC