The new year has arrived! We survived 2022 and can now look forward to a new year, a new start, and a new attitude. Many of you started this year with new resolutions. Good for you! We at Burtis Chiropractic applaud that attitude and would like to help you achieve success in that arena like never before.
So much of health is based on your decisions about your lifestyle. Sleep is huge, as are diet and exercise. These were easy topics to ace 100 years ago, as sleep depravation was not an issue and seed oil, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar in everything was not as common. In addition, for most of us, our jobs were enough of a workout that gyms were practically non-existent. Boy, have things changed.
Being healthy these days requires near-constant vigilance. You really have to watch what you eat. Many people are good at reading food labels and understanding the good and bad stuff that is in almost all of our food. Gluten and dairy sensitivities are much more well-known. More and more often, health care practitioners are advising their patients to change their diet and lifestyle before turning to drugs, but it is a slow process. In fact, if your own doctor has suggested medication before diet and exercise, I’d urge you to ask them why!
The challenging thing is that almost all of us know what to do, we just don’t do it. Exercising three or more times a week for a half hour or more. Cutting out sugar, processed food, seed oils, and high fructose corn syrup are not easy, but they are doable. Look to my functional medicine patients who used to have type 2 diabetes as an example of how it is, indeed, possible. Getting more high-quality sleep can be as simple as turning your TV off an hour earlier or avoiding scrolling through your phone right before bed. Getting back to health practices like seeing your chiropractor on a regular basis to clear stress out of your system is also important.
As a functional medicine practitioner, I have seen the difference these choices can make. Thankfully there are many vitamins and supplements that can make the change easier. However, there are not a lot of blanket recommendations I give, as functional medicine is a personalized style of health care. Transformation occurs on an individual basis. Knowing your individual weak spots helps me determine the right supplement, timing, and dose for each person. In many cases supplements are a temporary assist to accelerate the transformation. Sometimes, in cases of mutations or epigenetic issues, the prescription is a permanent one. Again, the operative word we use in functional medicine is “personalized.”
One of the more popular resolutions people make is to return to the gym. Unfortunately, this is often a short-lived commitment. This year, Cutting Edge Fitness in Fairmont is helping to make this a little easier to help you financially commit to that change. They are offering a buy one, get one free offer on their body composition test if you mention Burtis Chiropractic! Before you start your new workout routine, go get your body composition tested. In addition to weight, you will know your body fat percentage, fat-free mass, BMI, intracellular and extracellular water content, and even know where in your body you are retaining water and fat. After a month of working out, get this same test done again to check your improvements. When you mention Burtis Chiropractic, you will get this second test at no cost! You don’t have to be a member at Cutting Edge to take advantage of this test, but I do recommend it—I am a member there.
Why is this test important? Because sometimes when starting a workout program, you may only lose five pounds, but you may actually have lost 10 pounds of fat and gained 5 pounds of muscle, which will be easier to tell through this test. The reinforcement of knowing you are doing well is sometimes enough to keep you going.
Good luck with your New Year’s resolutions! Health transformation can be yours. Sometimes you need the right guide, and sometimes you need the reinforcement of knowing that what you are doing is working. Both of those just got easier; let us help you. Happy New Year!
Dr. Burtis, D.C., M.S., CFMP, has been providing natural healthcare to the Fairmont area at Burtis Chiropractic Center for over 30 years. He uses a combination of chiropractic, nutrition, and functional medicine to help individuals restore and maintain health and healing through individualized care plans. The mission of Burtis Chiropractic Center is to provide transformational healthcare that takes an individual’s life to the next level. We strive to be a solution for families to experience transformational healthcare and help create vibrant and resilient lifestyles that can be passed to future generations.