It hasn’t been a good day today but not the fault of the diet.

My wife and me both didn’t sleep last night, awake nearly every hour. Was it thinking about the baby on the way soon? Is it where she has a cold? We don’t know but we slept terrible. This made me super tired this morning and on top of the hard Jujitsu session last night I felt exhausted in my head (my body actually felt ok). I was a little concerned about the amount of weight I have been loosing – with all the colds and flu around I don’t want to become ill. So I decided to add in a small amount of carbs to my diet today and basically just eat more.

The most Paleo carbs I could think of were potatoes, maybe a caveman found them one day while digging? As I was so tired in the

morning I decided to treat myself to brunch – I had a fry up with hash browns. I didn’t have any toast and kept everything else Paleo – within an hour I felt instantly more satisfied.

Weight = 77.1kg; No weight loss today.

Food Eaten:

• Breakfast = Banana and scrambled eggs (2 whole eggs, 1 white, little olive oil)
• Brunch = Bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomatoes, egg and hash browns
• Dinner = Salmon, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms
• Snack = Nuts
• Drinks = 2 liters of water, 2 black coffee’s and 1 white coffee.

Due to the amount of exercise I did yesterday I decided to have a rest today. I usually go for a run first thing on a Thursday morning but as I was so tired and it was freezing outside (-1) I thought best not to.

Today has been a very mixed day so my ratings won’t reflect well. The way I felt in the morning has been very different to how I have felt this afternoon/evening. With that being said usually it would throw my whole day out but my 1pm I felt good again.

Exercise:

A rest day today but I did do some gentle stretching and very light polymetrics just to get the muscles moving.

3 Key things for day three:

• Super tired this morning but recovered well
• Satisfied my hunger
• Too much coffee

Rating:

• Weight loss = 8/10
• Energy = 4/10 morning 6/10 evening
• Overall feeling = not fair to rate today
• Cravings/hunger = 9/10 feel much better

I don’t work on Wednesday so I usually end up doing more exercise but I also tend to eat a little unhealthier because I am not in a routine. The biggest thing today was my morning weight training session, I felt great. Bench press has always been the lift I have struggled with the most – my back and legs are really strong but my chest is lagging. I was so surprised that I was able to lift 95kg today; I know it doesn’t seem like a lot but before that 90kg was the best I had performed.

I now drink black coffee and I have started drinking fruit tea. I think it is this time of year that makes me want to drink hot drinks. Still loving the avocados today – those good fats are keeping me full.

Weight = 77.1kg

A loss of 0.4kg but it was a hard session of Jujitsu last night

Food Eaten:

• Breakfast = Banana and protein shake (with water)
• Lunch = Tuna and avocado salad
• Dinner = Chicken, bacon and avocado
• Snack = Banana, carrots, chicken chunks and another protein shake
• Drinks = 2 liters of water, one coffee and one fruit tea.

I tried to up my portions a little today so I wasn’t as hungry but I am still feeling like I need to eat more. I found it harder not to snack today as I have been at home a lot more but my will power managed to get me through.

I was surprised at my energy levels at Jujitsu tonight – I managed to keep going for longer than I thought. Initially, my plan was to do the normal 45 min technique and 45 min sparring but I ended up doing 2.5 hours of sparring. I was really really tired afterwards but I managed to do the whole session and felt good for it.

Exercise:

• 1 Hour of weight training (strength and explosive work)
• 2.5 hours of Jujitsu (all sparring)

3 Key things for day three:

• Lifting more weight at gym
• Still getting hungry
• Lots of avocado!!

Rating:

• Weight loss = 8/10 – not hard for it to fall off
• Energy = 8/10
• Overall feeling = 7/10 healthy body = healthy mind!
• Cravings/hunger = 5/10 really wanting more food

Ok, so the 2^nd day of the Paleo diet was a little bit difficult, I have to admit. I was feeling quite hungry all day and really craved carbs. My energy levels are still feeling really good, helped me get through the day. When I was hungry in the evening I cooked up some mushrooms and bacon rather than snacking on my usual crisps and chocolate. As I lost so much weight the first day (which I believe it was mostly water), I decided not to do any exercise today in order to see if my suspicions were correct!

Due to feeling hungry I am going to up my meat and fish intake tomorrow to try and satisfy the hunger needs. Avocado has to be my new favorite food; I imagine I will be eating it everyday now.

Weight = 77.5kg

Another loss of 0.3 kg from yesterday so a total loss of 1.7kg. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting any weight loss today but imagine it is still only water weight, being the first week.

Food Eaten:

• Breakfast = Banana and two scrambled eggs
• Lunch = Egg and avocado salad
• Dinner = Chicken stir fry
• Snack = Nuts, blueberries, protein shake, mushrooms, bacon
• Drinks = 2 liters of water and two cups of coffee

My intake of eggs was high today. There are mixed reviews out there on how many eggs to eat a week- although in Paleo there doesn’t seem to be a problem with loads of eggs I think in future I am going to up the intake of egg whites.

Overall, I am still feeling really good today.

Exercise: Nothing today

3 Key things for day two:

• Avocado = yum yum
• Still loosing weight
• How many eggs should I be eating?

Rating:

• Weight loss = 7/10 still loosing!
• Energy = 9/10 feel really good!
• Overall feeling = 6/10 feeling good, but stomach feels a little hollow
• Cravings/hunger = 4/10 a lot more hungry today

First day of the Paleo diet has been surprising easy with no real adverse effects. The biggest thing I have come to realize is that “normal carbs” are definitely the item which is limited the most. One thing that I am unsure about is protein shakes, as they are pure proteins – I can’t see a problem – but then again I have never seen a picture of caveman with a protein shaker! Due to my busy lifestyle I have decided to allow myself protein shakes.

I think my fruit and veg intake is going to shoot up, so I am curious to see at the end of the week how the extra fibre will affect my stomach. Due to not being restricted by calories I do not see energy levels being a problem – if anything, after day 1, I feel more energized.

Weight = 77.8kg

This is a loss of 1.4kg; although this seems like a lot, I think it is nearly all water. I lost a lot of sweat last night at jujitsu so it is more than likely all due to this. I wouldn’t be surprised to see my weight go back up to 78.5kg tomorrow.

Food Eaten:

• Breakfast = Banana and protein shake (with water)
• Lunch = left over chilli (no rice) and a small salad
• Dinner = Cod, broccoli and carrots
• Snack = nuts, blueberries and another protein shake
• Drinks = 2 liters of water and two cups of coffee

I didn’t find it too hard to find things to eat and most of it was still tasty. My wife and I went shopping today as well; cost of the shop was roughly the same as normal. Biggest problem was fitting all the veg into the fridge!

Coffee hummm, I may have cheated a little here, I did have a splash of milk with my coffee. As of tomorrow I will start drinking coffee black. I have never been a fan of black coffee but this is what the experiment is all about.

Exercise:

1.5 hours of jujitsu (45 minutes of technique, 45 minutes of sparring)

3 Key things for day one:

• Protein shakes yes or no?
• The best way to describe the feeling is “clean”
• My veg intake is going to be huge.

Rating:

• Weight loss = 7/10 hard to judge – weekly weigh in will be interesting.
• Energy = 8/10 feel really good!
• Overall feeling = 7/10 feel clean
• Cravings/hunger = 6/10 only a little jealous when my wife had fresh crusty bread a lunch

Thinking about going on a diet but unsure which one? Don’t worry you are not the only one! There are a lot of weird and wonderful diets out there but do they all work and more importantly, how do you feel when you are on them?

Being a Chiropractor in the health industry I get asked about diets all the time. Eating healthy is simple but a lot of people want a quick fix. I try to explain the benefits of simply eating healthy and the long-term benefit from a simple healthy eating plan but people will still go for the newest diet craze out there.

Over the course of 2013 I am going to use my own body as a guinea pig to see which diets work best, how they make you feel and which give you the most energy. I will give each diet a go for roughly 6 weeks, depending on how it makes me feel. Each day I will report any weight loss, energy levels and overall feeling. At the end of each week and each diet period I will give you a detailed overview. I feel I am a little over weight so each diet will focus around fat loss (not weight loss, i.e. water weight).

Daily details will include:

• Rough outline of food eaten that day.
• Exercise performed that day.
• My weight
• How I felt
• Details of how I feel the diet is going
• Intermittently pictures will be shown for fat loss comparison.

Here is a little back-ground on me:

* I am 28-year male married with a baby due in 5 weeks.

* My job is fairly active (Chiropractor).

* Exercise each week (my normal week):

Most modern cars have the equipment needed to support your spine and head but most people don’t know how to use it properly. Our head rests are designed to support the back of your skull but most people will have their head at least 2 inches forward. The lumbar support is designed to give you the natural curve in your spine; most people have it too flat. The lower portion of the seat is designed so that your thighs can slope down, most people slope up.

All of the above mistakes can cause pain to the body; achy neck, ‘numb bum’ and dead legs. Just follow these basic steps to make your driving experience more pleasurable:

*Make sure the head rest is positioned forward enough so that the back of your head is resting on it.

*The centre of the head rest should meet the centre of the back of your head.

*Your seat belt adjustor should be positioned to allow the seat belt to come over the top portion of your shoulder, not your neck.

*Your seat should be angled back just slightly but still in an upright position.

*The lumbar support should do just that, give you support in the normal curvature in your lower back without leaning forward.

*The leg portion of the seat should allow you to reach the pedals without your legs locking – you should be comfortable at all times.

*When holding the steering wheel there should be a slight bend in the arms.

*Your mirrors should be positioned so that you don’t need to move. If you have to wiggle in order to look out the rear view mirror, move the mirror not yourself.

Follow these simple steps in order to make driving more comfortable and stop that neck and back pain.

Don’t forget to comment below or on our facebook and twitter pages!

While you are out looking for the best deals have you thought about how it is affecting you body? You need to carry your bags correctly or you can be pulled and shifted into positions which will cause you pain.

From the side your ankle bone, knee, hip, shoulder and ear should all line up if the dropped a piece of string down. If you carry bags in front of you, your centre of gravity will come forward and cause strain on your lower back. If you carry more on one side you will strain the neck and lower back on that side. If the bags are too heavy you will strain your shoulders. Who thought Christmas shopping would be so hard.

The best thing to remember when carrying bags:

1. Carry light
2. Carry even (equal weight in both arms)
3. Carry straight (bags by your sides)

And finally take lots of breaks. Stop for a coffee and chat with your friends, make a date of it and buy your wife lunch.

Christmas is a fantastic time of year, don’t spend yours in pain.

October really is the end of the competitive running season – at this point, those season long niggles can really take their toll. The tapering for optimum performance has now gone and the body starts to go in repair mode. This year make sure you rest up, so that a niggle doesn’t become a serious problem. 

Those niggles in your back and twinges in your knees are the bodies warning signs of an injury – if ignored, this can soon become a problem. A sore back or neck after a long run could indicate a tiny tear in the ligaments. That tiny tear can progress and progress and cause a major instability in the spine – all from a small imbalance in the muscles.

Think of those niggles, twinges, aches and spasms as the warning lights on your car. Ignore those lights and you could need a new engine. Visit your Chiropractor to have a look at those areas, it could be minor and only need a couple of exercises or stretches to heal yourself. 

Remember pain killers treat the symptom of pain but they don’t get to the route of the problem. If you hear a banging in your car do you turn the stereo up or do you take it to a garage?

The most important thing with winter training is to warm up completely and to stretch. The amount of injuries that can be prevented purely by warming and lengthening a muscle is amazing! A cold muscle is shorter and less elastic which means it can easily be pulled and jerked. If the muscle is not balanced with the surrounding structures or is attached to a fixed joint it can easily be damaged.

There is no set time for a warm up which works for everyone but the most common is 5-10 minutes. In that time you should gradually build your heart rate up so that you can feel a slight shortness of breath and you are beginning to sweat. Remember it’s a warm up; don’t tire yourself out for the main exercise. After this you want to do some gentle stretching to elongate your now warm muscles. Each muscle should be stretched for a minimum of 30 seconds and ideally twice.

Before starting any exercise regime you should get your body checked over. By seeing your Chiropractor you can find out which muscles and joints are the problem ones before leading to injury.

It’s starting to get chilly in Southampton and the New Forest remember to wrap up warm if you are exercising outside.

One of the great things about leisurely cycling is the low impact on your body. You won’t get repeated loading on the knees and hips like you do when running on hard ground. This makes cycling great for all shapes, sizes and ages. My favourite thing about cycling is that once you have a bike its free to go out whenever you like!

Gentle cardiovascular exercise has been shown to help with the symptoms of osteoarthritis; swimming and cycling are two of the best exercises for this. 30 minutes exercise 5 times a week has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease; why not try riding to work? By riding to work you get your 30 minutes exercise daily and save on the increasing cost of fuel.

Happy cycling, Totton & Cadnam Chiropractic.