Cassie's Update/8WW Thoughts

I used to be a cheerleader in high school and we were required to condition every day during practice, so I was used to working out every day.  Once I graduated I took a break from working out but that break lasted longer than I thought it would.  I worked out maybe once a month or so before I started working at Waukee Wellness and Chiropractic.  


When I started here I realized how important it is to eat healthy, stay active, and take care of your body if you want to live a long and healthy life.  I did the 8 Weeks to Wellness program and I learned all kinds of things about ways to stay healthy such as eating right, exercising correctly, and getting regular adjustments and massages.  I went from working out maybe once a month to working out at least 4 days a week, getting adjusted at least once a week, one massage a month, and I changed the way I look at food.  I began trying new things and eating fresher, healthier foods.  I realized it’s not hard to eat better; I just had to look at my options differently; and working out became something I wanted to do, not something I had to do.  


It isn’t always easy to find the motivation I need to work out, but I always feel better afterwards.  I’ve learned that getting adjusted isn’t just to help a sore back or neck, it helps your body communicate better with itself to help you stay healthy.  Massages are more than just an indulgence, it relieves the body of multiple kinds of stress and can help with things such as swelling and herniated discs.  I understand that it gets difficult to fit everything into your busy schedule but I always have a feeling of accomplishment and I know that I am doing something good for myself.

Memorial Day (Week) Workout--Air Force Style

Red White Blue

We are entering our 3rd of 10 weeks of Fit for Summer Boot Camp here at the office. It has been super fun so far and people are doing so great! The classes have a great mixture of ages (ranging 32-64) and fitness levels (some have NEVER worked out before, and some see me at least weekly already). It's an interesting dynamic because it's non-threatening and my current clients tend to help out the new joiners. We would love to welcome more people into the class for the last 7 weeks for a pro-rated amount! 

This week we are honoring Memorial Day and our veterans by doing an Air Force Physical Fitness Test. One of my current clients is in the Air Force and has his test this Friday. What are the requirements you ask? 
1. Running 1.5 miles in 14 minutes or less
2. Doing at least 40 push ups in 1 minute
3. Doing at least 40 sit ups in 1 minute

If you and your family are looking for a great workout, this would be a fun one! You can use it to teach your kids about exercise and also about what our soldiers have to do just to stay in the military. Comment on how you and your family or friends use this exercise this week and how many of you 'passed' the test!

Fevers: Sweat It Out or Start Tylenol?

I was going to blog about the benefits of coconut oil, but I feel like writing about what's happening in our home tonight. We have a sick little boy. Normally, we have to convince ourselves that one of the kids are sick because they keep playing and eating like usual. Tonight was a different story. 

Our two-year-old stopped playing. And eating. And being himself. 

As a mother, it breaks my heart to see him feeling tired, fevered, and sick. Here's where the Nyberg's differ in health care choices though. Most of the families I know would start the Tylenol regime to break the fever. Some parents would take their kids to Urgent Care to get checked from a medical doctor and possibly get a prescription. I know exactly how these mothers are feeling--I need to do whatever I can RIGHT NOW to make my child feel better. 

However, we disagree with Tylenol and prescription pharmaceuticals for our children for many reasons. The main reason is that we trust our child's body to heal itself. He has a fantastically strong immune system and we trust his body to fight off the virus or bacteria that has taken temporary residence in him. "Have you more faith in a spoonful of medicine than the innate power that created the human body?" --BJ Palmer

I am also very fearful of the side effects of medications. Many parents haven't researched what effect over-the-counter drugs have on a human's body, especially a little body. For example: while the child's liver is working over time to get rid of the sickness, the last thing we want to do is to add more stress to his liver (which is what Tylenol does). Tylenol has also been linked to increased risk of asthma, and contributes to liver and kidney problems. 

If you lower the fever and you never give the body a chance to fight off infection on his own, the likelihood of him getting sick again increases significantly. 

So what do we do? We monitor the fever closely and keep the kids as comfortable as possible. Tonight that meant eating fresh fruits, drinking lots of water, getting adjusted, going to bed early, and lots of snuggle time with Mom and Dad. We also found that a cold washcloth kept him happy. Please note: We are NOT anti-medicine--it definitely has it's time and place in our society. 

The idea behind chiropractic is that through gentle adjustments, the body is able to EXPRESS the illness by itself. Under no circumstances do we ever SUPPRESS symptoms (or illness). We want to help the body get rid of the illness through whatever way it needs to--fever/sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Preventing these elimination methods keeps the toxins in and we stay sick MUCH longer. And guess what? The illness will probably present itself again in the near future. 

All moms/parents do what we think is best at the time. I urge all families to consider natural health care for their children. We get to see amazing miracles every day in children under regular chiropractic care.  (www.icpa4kids.org) 

"The power that made the body, heals the body." --BJ Palmer