Resolutions for a Healthy New Year

Resolutions for a Healthy New Year

With the new year fast approaching, it’s only natural that we would start coming up with New Year’s resolutions. Having the goal of making positive changes in our lives is a good one, but when we try to change too much, we often fail. We’ve come up with some ways for you to actually stick to your goals this year. 

Start Small

In wellness, there are five components to healthy living: spinal health, optimal nutrition, emotional balance, toxin elimination, and physical fitness. 

The first step is to pick one of those categories that you want to focus on. Perhaps you have a weakness in one area. Maybe you haven’t been to the chiropractor for a couple of months, so spinal health might be a goal. Once you pick a component, you can make one, small resolution in that category. By making the goal small, you’ll increase your chances of success.

It’s better to complete small goals than to fail big ones.

Plan Ahead

Picking a category is the start, and defining your resolution and planning for its success are the next steps. Make sure that your goal is attainable and measurable. Instead of saying you want to lose 30 pounds, try breaking it down into smaller, more achievable pieces. To lose weight in general, you need to add in more movement and watch what you eat.

A small, attainable goal might be adding in more daily steps, which could lead to the big, eventual goal. For example, find your average daily steps and try to increase it by 2,000 more steps a day. This may not seem like a lot, but after you achieve it, your confidence will grow, and you can add more. A good approach is to aim to achieve your daily goal for 80% of the days. 

It’s up to you to define what success and failure looks like for your small goal. 

Anticipate Problems

One of the main reasons why we fail our resolutions is because we don’t anticipate what could go wrong, so we end up falling off the wagon. Injury, illness, and changes in travel plans may all throw a wrench in our gears, but it’s up to us on how we handle any unforeseen situations. 

If you have to work late at work, plan on taking the stairs instead of standing in the elevator, or you can take a walk around the building after you eat lunch. Perhaps, bring a healthy lunch instead of eating something from the fast food restaurant down the street. Before you travel, make sure you’ve got extra supplements and you’ve gotten an adjustment to carry you through.

Focus on what you can do versus what you can't. 

Go for It and Accept Failure

Once you have your plan and small goal in mind, it’s time to start. Pick a start date that aligns with your goals. If you haven’t had time to prepare, then don’t start tomorrow. Set yourself up for success.

Make sure you commit. When you start, go all in, but remember that life happens, so if you eat an extra cupcake or can’t walk your extra steps, make sure you aren’t too hard on yourself. 

Reward Yourself

Rewards are perhaps the best part of accomplishing your goals. Rewards can often be a cheat meal or buying yourself something. Though these are good rewards, it’s best to make sure that the rewards align with your goals. A reward shouldn’t set you up for failure. So, if you have an addictive personality, you may need to set more strict limitations, so you don’t fall into old habits.    

Consult Us

Optimizing your health is important to us. We are accepting new patients. Call to make an appointment or sign up for one of our classes. If you have questions or would like us to address a topic in an upcoming blog, please email us. We look forward to hearing from you. 

In Best Health, 

Dr. Robert

Tips for Traveling Safely During the Holidays

Tips for Traveling Safely During the Holidays

While this year is different than any other before, there are times during this season where we might find ourselves having to travel. If you have to travel this year, we’ve come up with some things you need to remember to go about it safely. 

Spinal Health

Whether you’re traveling by car, bus, or plane, you’re going to be cramped into a seat for several hours. This can cause aches and pains, and those are definitely things you don’t want to have to deal with. Spinal health is especially important during traveling. 

If possible, it’s best to keep up with your maintenance routine. Search for a local chiropractor that can give you adjustments. It might be possible to talk to your own chiropractor to see if they have recommendations for another chiropractor in the area you’ll be visiting. 

If you’re used to a weekly or monthly massage, then it’s best to make sure you make some time during your trip to get a massage. This can help keep muscles loose and reduce tension even during the stresses of traveling. Doing your spinal stretches a couple times a day can also reduce soreness.

You can also support your spine by having some arch support. You can choose an inflatable cushion or a small pillow to help support your arch while sitting. 

Optimizing Nutrition

Maintaining your nutrition while traveling can be difficult. However, much like during the holidays, you can have an overall plan of what you’ll eat. Make sure to eat colorfully and get a good balance of proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Stay away from fried and salty foods as they may make you tired while travelling. 

To help balance your nutrition, be sure to pack your supplements. It’s best to pack enough supplements for your trip, but you should also consider taking extras to account for layovers or anything else that might come up. Vitamin D, fish oil, and probiotics are recommended along with any other support nutrition you take. 

Complete Wellness

For complete wellness, it’s important to make sure you’re washing your hands, wearing a mask, and avoiding big gatherings when possible. Social distancing and meeting outside are also good ways to prevent illness. Alternate gatherings, like video calls or even old school phone conferences could be a great choice this year. 

Call us to sign up for a class or schedule an appointment. New patients and prior patients are continually welcome. Let us know how we can further assist you during this time. 

In best health, 

The Alternative Health Care Providers

Strategies for a Healthy Holiday Season

Patients and Readers,

Holidays are about prioritizing family time. When we’re trying to stay healthy, some of the focus shifts away from what we should truly be caring about. You need the emotional release from your job. You need to relax and spend that time with your families. 

Since health is always important, we’ve come up with some strategies to make the holiday season easier to enjoy while staying as healthy as possible. 

Optimizing Nutrition

During the holidays, it can be very difficult to find healthy options. But, there are some ways to account for this. 

The first strategy you can use when it comes to food is to have a meal plan. This means if you’re the one making the meals, then you can look for healthy alternatives. Look for ingredients that are organic, raw, and without antibiotics. For example, choose nitrate-free ham or organic butter. This will help reduce toxins as well. 

Another easy way to maintain a clean diet is by using recipes from a paleo book. What I use at my house is Practical Paleo. What’s great about having a paleo cookbook on hand is you can always find a meal that’s healthy and balanced, even when it’s not the holiday season.

When you’re not the holiday chef and have less control of ingredients, a great option is to create a food budget. Before you go to a family gathering, know what you want to eat. If you plan on having a slice of that pumpkin pie with some extra whipped cream, then do, but plan to have less stuffing or less mashed potatoes. It’s also best to limit sugar, so stick to one dessert. 

Don’t expect perfection! It’s okay if you eat a little extra. It’s best to forgive yourself and try again. 

 Physical Fitness

When it comes to physical fitness during the busy holidays, the best thing you can do is to make it simple. Do basic exercises like squats or pushups and limit your time. Schedule a 15-20 minute workout in the morning before you have your family obligations. If you get it done early, you’ll feel accomplished, and you won’t have to worry about it later on in the day. 

An easy way to exercise is through walking since you’re already most likely on the go anyway. If you have a fitness tracker, this will be even easier. A good goal is to improve your daily average of steps. For example, if your average steps a day is 10,000, then try to walk an additional 1,000 or 2,000 steps. 

Another idea is to involve the family in your workout or exercise routine. Go for an unstructured walk and see the holiday decorations or go Christmas caroling. After the holiday meal, spark up a friendly game of football in the backyard or invite the family to go ice skating. You can set up holiday scavenger hunts in a park or through downtown, or you can try a new sport like disc golf. 

In addition to scheduling in your exercise, make sure to make time for your spinal health. Take some time to see your chiropractor or get a relaxing massage. If you can’t make it to the chiropractor, then be sure to make your spinal exercises or yoga part of your daily routine. 

The goal is to do something. You can’t always be perfect, but just try to do something a little more than the day before. 

Let It Go

This holiday season, make sure you appreciate your family time. Cherish the break from work and take time for yourself. Think about your conversations, and make sure you’re surrounding yourself with people who nourish your soul. It’s about letting go and focusing on love and gratitude. 

We’re here for you.

We are currently accepting new patients. Call us to sign up for one of our classes, and schedule your holiday chiropractor visits early. We’re here to help you stay healthy this holiday season.

In best health, 

Dr. Robert Kuyper

Blog Introduction

Hello patients and readers! This is Dr. Robert, and I’m excited to announce that we’ll be starting a blog on our website. 

The goal of these blogs is to give more information on our services and treatments, both traditional and new. We’ll be introducing you to some very exciting services, and we feel it’s important for patients to be aware of them and know exactly what to expect.

In addition to our services, we’ll be sharing information on common conditions, their symptoms, and ways to start the natural healing process. We’ll break down treatments and remedies by focusing on the five components of health. By centering our practices around spinal health, optimal nutrition, emotional balance, toxin elimination, and physical fitness, we believe our services can help you have the best health possible. 

We’ll also be answering the most common patient questions. 

These blogs will be posted twice a month, usually every other week.

We want to hear from you! You can message us your questions or topics of interest, and we’ll cover them in an upcoming post. You can also sign up for educational classes found on the website or become a new patient by giving us a call. 

In the next article, we’ll be discussing healthy strategies for the holidays. See you then!

In best health, 

Dr. Robert Kuyper

Natural Immune System Boosting Solutions

May 12, 2020
NewsCenter1 Staff

RAPID CITY S.D. – With Covid-19 making its way through the community, it is more important now than ever to make sure that your immune system is in top shape. Dr. Robert Kuyper of Alternative Health Care Center of the Black Hills has some advice on a few natural ways you can make sure your immune system is at its best during the pandemic. “For general immune support, make sure you get rest, get your 10,000 steps in a day, and drink lots of water,” says Dr. Kuyper.

One way you can boost your immune system is by getting enough sleep. Studies have found that those who sleep less are most susceptible to illness. Sleep allows for the body to heal itself and helps the immune system fight off sickness, that is why we sleep more when we are sick. The CDC recommends that an adult get at least seven hours of sleep each night.

Another way to boost your immune system is to exercise regularly. Regular exercise boosts blood flow which distributes white blood cells throughout the body. White blood cells are used by the body to combat illness. When you exercise, the body produces more of these virus-fighting cells. “With gyms closed, we are not exercising. It’s important for us to go out and get moving. Just doing a simple 10,000 steps a day will help boost your immune system,” says Dr. Kuyper.

Drinking water is vital for a healthy immune system. Not only can water flush away harmful toxins from your body, but water is important for overall health. When your body is healthy, it has an easier time fighting off pathogens. Water carries oxygen to your body cells which helps them function properly to eliminate unwanted toxins and bacteria.

In addition, Dr. Robert Kuyper suggests that we get in our vitamin D. “What we have noticed when people come here to get checked is that 70% of patients are low on vitamin D,” says Dr. Kuyper. Unlike our counter parts in the Southern hemisphere, here in the northern hemisphere, it can be difficult to get enough sunlight. Especially now when we have all been quarantined in our homes, many of us are probably even more deficient in the vitamin. According to Dr. Kuyper, “Vitamin D is a very basic one that people take for granted. I would recommend taking at least 1000 IUs a day unless you have had a blood test done to confirm that you should take more.”

A service Dr. Robert Kuyper provides that not all chiropractors offer, is blood testing. Dr. Kuyper is a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) and a DABCI (Diplomatic American Board of Chiropractic Internists). This allows him to do lab testing to see what his patients are lacking. Having a proper blood test done ensures that you get the vitamins you need without over doing it on the ones you have enough of. Supplements provide a boost to areas of weakness. If you are not deficient in a nutrient, you probably will not see much benefit out of using a supplement.

“If someone wants to check their immune system, I run basic and advanced blood panels. When I get those results back, I base my advice off that information. Having a proper evaluation helps determine an individual’s nutritional needs,” says Dr. Kuyper.

Allergies

If my child is suffering from allergies, is there a way to reduce his/her symptoms without using drugs?

 Although there’s a time and place for medications, it shouldn’t always be your first choice of treatment, especially in young children when desensitizing allergies is easiest.

 Allergies are caused by a hyperactive immune system, which means it's working too hard. When helping young children with allergy problems it’s important to calm the immune system in a natural way. You can do this by performing a food sensitivity test and removing the foods a child is sensitive to, whether they are having symptoms or not. Food sensitivities highly irritate the digestive tract lining. Remember, 70-80% of our immune system is located in the digestive tract.

 As a doctor, I recommend patients find out what is irritating the immune system and remove those irritations so the body can focus on the main allergies. Supplements can also help calm the immune system, such as: Vitamins D, C and A, Zinc, bioflavonoids (found in green citrus fruit rinds) and high-potency multivitamins. These can be checked through simple blood testing. Other allergy desensitizing techniques include: acupuncture, acupressure, applied kinesiology, NAET and body talk.

 Dr. Robert Kuyper
Alternative Health Care Center

Cold & Flu

Question: How can I keep my child healthy during cold & flu season?

Whether for you or for your child, there are 5 areas you should focus on in order to achieve overall health. Doing so will decrease your risk of getting a cold or the flu.

These 5 areas include:  

1.) Optimal Nutrition: Increase your/your child’s water intake, take a vitamin D supplement and eat fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamins C & E, beta-carotene and zinc.  

2.) Regular Exercise: Increase your/your child’s physical activity during the winter months by playing indoor sports, swimming indoors, playing Wii Fit, etc.

3.) Spinal Health: The nervous system controls all systems of the body, including the immune system. Regular chiropractic adjustments ensure proper nerve function. Talk with your chiropractor and set up a plan that best suits your/your child’s needs.

4.) Toxin Elimination: Avoid or limit the amount of processed foods, foods high in sugar and foods you/your child might be sensitive to.

5.) Emotional Balance: Plenty of sleep ensures a rested body and mind.

Implementing these lifestyle recommendations will help strengthen your/your child’s immune system and in return will help prevent illnesses or simply speed up the recovery process.

It’s important to focus on these 5 areas year-round, but it’s especially important during cold & flu season.

Dr. Robert Kuyper
Alternative Health Care Center