Posts Tagged ‘nutrients’
Acupuncture for the Modern Athlete: How Blood Flow Affects Performance
Improving blood flow to improve your athletic performance
During workout
Better blood flow, in which sufficient oxygen reaches your muscles, allows you to effect a longer and more beneficial workout. As you move, your heart rate rises and your heart pumps blood to all the parts of your body which are necessary to keep you moving at this higher level. Your metabolic rate then increases, meaning that your body needs more energy to keep going without feeling fatigued; it acquires this energy by producing ATP, an energy molecule whose two main inputs are glucose and oxygen. A healthy circulatory system ensures that oxygen is getting where it needs to be in your body during workout.
Post workout
In the period immediately following your workout, you should be intaking protein and nutrients that will help your muscles rebuild from the micro-traumas that they incur during exercise. Better blood flow means that these nutrients will reach your muscles in the right quantities to facilitate effective regrowth.
Athletes should make good blood flow a priority
At Community Chiropractic & Acupuncture in Park Slope, we use acupuncture to help improve blood flow in athletes, helping them get the most out of their activities. Acupuncture stimulates circulation by dilating blood vessels and decreasing muscular stress. If you are interested in using acupuncture to effect improvements in your athletic performance, give our office in Brooklyn a call to schedule an appointment today.
Important Nutrients for Back Health: Magnesium and Calcium
At Community Chiropractic and Acupuncture, we believe that the path to recovering health starts with your diet. We offer nutritional counseling and education in support of chiropractic and acupuncture treatments. Many conditions can be reversed through watching what we put into our bodies. By instituting dietary changes, adding in nutrient supplements and changing eating habits, you can restore lost vitality, relieve stress and treat back pain. Here are a couple ways we can add nutrients into your diet to support a healthy back and a healthy mind.
Magnesium is a natural alternative to prescription medication that can relieve back pain and help with healthful maintenance. In fact, it is a vital element to the maintenance of healthy muscles. Magnesium helps the body to make energy for our muscles. If they do not get enough energy, muscles will contract (think cramping) instead of relaxing. Anyone who is physically active should be taking magnesium supplements to help with recovery and performance. Leafy greens, beans and whole grains are a great way to get magnesium into your diet, but even these might not be enough.
Calcium is another mineral that we need to monitor. As we get older, bone density decreases, and the chances of osteoporosis increase. Adding the proper amount of calcium into your diet can account for this loss. Magnesium and calcium are inverse but complementary nutrients: calcium hardens bones and helps muscles to contract while magnesium keeps bones flexible and helps muscles unwind. This means that balance of these minerals is crucial!
Based on your unique health profile, we can recommend nutritional supplements that can get you the proper amount of nutrients with the correct balance to support total health. Call our office in Brooklyn today at (718) 398-3100 or come see us at our location in Park Slope. Together we can create a health plan that will combat pain and keep you healthy for life.
(Please note: We offer nutritional counseling in support of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Treatments only. But there is not a nutritionist on staff.)
Karen A. Thomas D.C., L.Ac.