February Newsletter 2024
- Steph & Morgan Paradigm360 Wellness
- Jun 2, 2024
- 8 min read
We hope that you were able to join us for our first challenge last month, "Dry January"! Some of the feed back we received from you was an increase in energy levels and an improvement in sleep. We loved hearing that and encourage you to continue limiting your alcohol consumption going forward. We want you to know that even if you ended up having a drink here and there, it's ok! Here at Paradigm360 Wellness, we strive for progression, not perfection.
Monthly Challenge: "Core February"
This month's challenge is "Core February", where we work on building up the most important group of muscles: our core. Majority of our everyday movements are rooted in our core; if you've ever pulled an abdominal muscle, you have had first-hand proof of how involved the abdomen is! It's even involved in our breathing. A strong core is crucial for several reasons: it helps improve posture, helps protect our organs, provides good balance and stability, helps prevent injuries (especially back injuries), can help prevent falls and keep us more mobile as we age.
Join us as we work to strengthen our core during the month of February! We recommend printing the February calendar below and checking off each day that you complete. We would love for you to share your experiences with us. Use #corefebruary and tag us on facebook/instagram so we can celebrate your success!
*If you would like a printable Core February Tracker, send us a message!
Movement of the Month:
The Importance of the Core:
In conjunction with this month's Core Challenge, we interviewed an expert in human movement, Jeff Pottenger, PT DPT. Jeff has always been interested in helping people. He started off as an anthropologist, studying human growth and development. After getting his masters in anthropology, he decided to change to a career that allowed more direct interaction with people. He has now been practicing physical therapy for over 30 years. He is the owner of a private physical therapy clinic, FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centers South San Antonio.
Q: What is your ultimate goal for all of the patients that you see?
A: Optimal wellness. The ultimate goal is to have patients be optimally healthy and well. This means that all of the body systems are maximally healthy and working together. My role as a physical therapist is to focus on the physical functioning part of “wellness”. How fit are they? How good is their overall sense of physical well-being? This includes the quality of their coordination, range of motion, strength, endurance, and their perception of physical pain and problems.
Q: If you were to define the term “Core Strength”, what would you say?
A: I would say that core strength is the strength of your lower trunk area. This area includes your abdominals, the low back, gluteal, and pelvic muscles. It is where your balance and postural strength all come from. All of those areas are the core. It is the central component of your fitness level.
Q: Can you tell us why you think core strength and stability is so important?
A: Core strength is essential for good posture. Your posture is the structural basis for the functional movements of your arms and legs. Good posture gives you maximal capabilities with your upper and lower extremities. It is also critical for your balance and overall coordination.
Q: What is the most common injury associated with core weakness?
A: A weak core causes weak posture, which affects everything. The most common injury that I see that is associated with core weakness is low back pain. Shoulder, neck, and hip problems are also very common.
Q: What exercises would you use to begin a core strengthening program?
A: There are 4 exercises that I like to use with my patients:
*Pelvic Tilt- Tighten up your lower abdominal muscles, rolling the pelvis up in the front and down in the back. Roll your tummy in. You can do this standing, sitting, laying down, while brushing your teeth, in line at the grocery store….anytime!
*Gluteal Set- Start with the pelvic tilt. Shift the focus to the back where your buttocks muscles are. Tighten these muscles. This will also help to flatten your back.
*Pelvic tilt and gluteal sets will help decrease the low back curve (lumbar lordosis). For this reason, they are fundamental to the next two exercises.
Isometric hip adduction- In a sitting position, take a foam roller or pillow and place it between the legs. Do the pelvic tilt and gluteal set at the same time as squeezing your legs together, compressing the foam roller or pillow. Hold for 3 seconds and release for 3 seconds. Repeat 25-30 times.
Isometric hip abduction– In a sitting position, wrap a belt around your thighs. Do the pelvic tilt and gluteal set at the same time as trying to spread your legs apart from each other, pushing against the sides of the belt. Hold for 3 seconds and release for 3 seconds. Repeat 25-30 times.
It is recommended that you consult with your physician or physical therapist before starting any exercise program.
Health Events in Our Area:
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Recipe of the Month:
Featured Ingredient: Vanilla
Close your eyes for a second. Imagine that someone opens a bottle of vanilla extract in the room. The distinct scent hits your nose and you breathe in deeply. What does that smell immediately make you think of? Perhaps memories of baking cookies with your mom erupt in your head making you smile and salivate. It’s almost like you can taste those cookies. Or maybe it makes you think of a teacher who wore a vanilla lotion every day to school. You can still picture her writing the date on the board. I know it makes me think someone is about to surprise me with a delicious vanilla latte! YUM! We all know the ingredient, vanilla. We all have experience with it. But besides making things smell and taste good, there are actual health benefits in vanilla!
Our recipe this month shows how you can make your own vanilla extract from vanilla beans. Vanilla extract can be used in food for consumption, but also topically on skin through lotions and salves. The primary chemical component in vanilla beans is vanillin. Vanillin is an antioxidant that reduces the free radicals in your body. It has anti-inflammatory properties which can be used to help soothe joint pain, soothe wounds, and reduce the itch in irritated skin. It also has antibacterial properties which can help cleanse the skin.
The aroma of vanillin has shown to have many positive effects. It can help aid digestion, stimulating the digestive juices in your GI-tract to get pumping. Some say that it actually helps reduce the amount of sugar consumed, because the smell alone is like a dessert. Scientists have also shown through rat studies that the aroma of vanillin has antidepressant properties. It has a calming effect that helps reduce stress and anxiety. Think back to when you had your eyes closed imagining someone opening a bottle of vanilla extract. Was it a happy memory or thought that came to mind? We know we’ll be adding a drop of vanilla to our “cup of joe.” How ‘bout you?
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Ingredients: Organic, whole vanilla beans (depending on how much you want to make, depends on how many beans you need; if you only want to make a small bottle, 2-3 beans is sufficient; the picture shown below is a quart glass jar with about 25 beans, which we were able to find at a decent price on Amazon), enough vodka* to completely submerge the beans
You'll also need a glass jar or bottle (size of your choice) that has a good, tight seal.
Directions: Place vanilla beans in glass container standing upright. Pour vodka over beans until they are completely submerged. Tightly seal container, give it a good shake, and place in a cool, dark place such as your pantry. Once a week (or as often as you can remember), give it a quick shake. Let sit for at least 2 months, however, the longer it sits, the deeper the flavor (many recommend 10-12 months!) The picture below is a batch started in October. When your vanilla is ready to be used, you can still use the vanilla beans if you want to add a richer vanilla flavor to a recipe! The vanilla extract will just help "preserve" your beans until you want to use them.
*When choosing a vodka, ideally we recommend a vodka like Belvedere Pure Vodka, as it is distilled 4 times, organic, and made from potatoes. However, any vodka will produce yummy tasting vanilla extract.
Vanilla Chia Pudding
Ingredients: 2 cups Unsweetened organic coconut milk, 4 tbs chia seeds, 1 tbs vanilla extract, 2 tbs raw honey, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut flakes.
Directions: Mix all ingredients in a medium, glass bowl. Distribute mixture equally into four 8 oz. mason jars. Put the cap on the jars and place in the refrigerator overnight or for 4-6 hours. Garnish with fruit or granola of your choice.
Latest Research/Featured Article:
Featured Lab/Product: Dr. Cabral Detox--Functional Medicine 7-Day Liver Detox
The liver is such an important organ and does so much for us, yet we don't really think about what it's doing for us on a daily basis. We'd award the liver with the "Unsung Hero" award because, while other organs get all the attention and praise (i.e. our heart and brain, understandably!), our livers are chugging along behind the scenes working very hard to filter and clean our bodies of the daily load of toxins.
Think about it: there are over 100,000 man-made toxins and chemicals in our food and environment. From the air we breathe, the water we drink and shower in, to the food we eat, and all the bath and beauty products we use. And while our liver is constantly working its hardest to keep our bodies free from all of these by filtering our blood every 6 minutes, it simply can't keep up.
One way we can support our livers and therefore support our bodies is by doing a quarterly (at least annually!) functional medicine (FM) detox. FM detoxes don't just help safely remove toxins and clear out the sludge from our over-worked liver. They also provide key nutrients that help support our bodies and both phases of liver detoxification (Phase 1 & 2). That way, when the detox is over, our livers are revitalized and ready to do what it does best: naturally detox our bodies every day. You can also eat on this detox!
Join us as we do a Paradigm360 Wellness Group FM Detox next month, March 24-30th! This is a FREE group program that includes: a mini pre-detox course to give you more in-depth information on what a liver detox is, tips and tricks to make it as seamless as possible, private Facebook group for extra support and community, recipe ideas, daily videos from us as we go through this WITH you, and access to us for questions/advice through our Facebook group. All you need to pay for is the 7-day detox.
*We will be doing 3 group detoxes each year, but you can detox anytime! Signing up for the detox outside of group detoxes, you will still receive all of the tips, recipes, mini-course, Facebook group access, and daily accountability emails. If you're interested in doing a 7-day FM Detox outside of the group challenges and would like more info, message us!
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