This past Saturday, Christine and I had the privilege of participating in a local health & wellness expo at Lower Moreland High School.  I arrived with Christine at around 8:00 am and we had our table setup and equipment ready by 9:00.  We were accompanied by many other vendors.  There were health club reps, massage therapists, a raw food chef, personal trainers, weight loss consultants, health food stores, martial arts schools and more.

I was told that hundreds of runners showed up for the annual 5K run.  After the run, many curious energetic and people filled the school gymnasium.

I provided free spinal/scoliosis screenings and digital foot scans/posture analysis.  Christine did a great job as a greeter and kept very busy providing free 5-minute massages.

We worked practically non-stop from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, and were able to meet people of all ages from the community.  We really stirred up a great deal of interest with the digital scanner technology.

It was a real pleasure to spend time one-on-one with so many people curious about their health.  I performed around 30 digital scans on the young and old.  Several of the runners from the 5K run were concerned about the condition of their feet.  Using the digital foot scanner and some pictures, I was able to explain the direct relationship between the biomechanical condition of the arches of their feet and the rest of their skeleton.

Please let us know if there are any health expos or health fairs in your community… we’d love to help out!  Until then, we’re looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to all friends, family, and patients who supported us.  We greatly appreciate you!

Our team at Spectrum Wellness Center has had the honor of being invited to participate in a local Health & Wellness Expo on April 25th, 2009.  We accepted and are looking forward to helping make this event a success.  

It will be held in the Lower Moreland High School at 555 Red Lion Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.  The Expo is scheduled to run from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  And there’s no cost for admission! 

We have the privilege of being able to set up a table, offer our services, and share our practice mission (Promoting Superior Health Through Natural Therapy) with the community.  We will be conducting free spinal checks, scoliosis screenings, posture evaluations, and massage.

At the same time, we will helping support the Community Links 10th Anniversary 5K Walk/Run and the Lower Moreland Community Links program, which benefits non-profit community groups in Lower Moreland, Bryn Athyn, and the surrounding areas.

This event will feature Dr. Mehmet Oz’s Healthcorps – Highway to Health, and Jami Appenzeller Yancey and her team at Philly Fit Magazine.  There promises to be many vendors, activities, and great tips on how to live a life filled with Health and Wellness.

We welcome you to join us and are looking forward to seeing you there!

I just discovered a site by the ACA (American Chiropractic Association) that seems to be taking some good steps to fight for your freedom to have access to chiropractic in the new proposed national health care system.  Get involved.  Every voice counts.

From www.ChiroVoice.org…

The chiropractic advocacy network is a dedicated group of national volunteers who educate policymakers about the value of chiropractic and work to positively impact any legislative efforts to reform the current national health care system. Through the chiropractic advocacy network, patients and chiropractic supporters can stay informed about important health care issues and help ensure that:

• Congress does not restrict your ability to access essential chiropractic services.
• Congress does not limit – but instead expands – coverage for services provided by Doctors of Chiropractic within Medicare.
• Insurance and managed care companies do not deny patients’ access to the essential chiropractic services they need.

Your involvement makes a tremendous difference. 
Each active member of the chiropractic advocacy network brings us one step closer to our goal of assuring full-scope access to chiropractic services. Chiropractic patients and supporters who are interested in serving as advocates may sign-up to receive special e-mail alerts about advocacy issues and important legislation. Network members will also receive a monthly e-newsletter.

NEW PATIENT SPECIALS

If you are new to our wellness center, we welcome you to receive any of our one-hour massages at 40% off our normal price!

Enjoy a Relaxing Therapeutic 60-minute Massage at an AMAZING DISCOUNT OF 40% OFF! Our normal fee is $65… but you pay ONLY $39 (and save $26) after the discount!

Why not try a Hot-Stone 60-minute Massage at an UNBEATABLE DISCOUNT OF 40% OFF! Our normal fee is $75… but you pay ONLY $45 (and save $30) after the discount!

WELLNESS PLAN SPECIALS

We are also offering an incredible incentive to get you started on any of our Spectrum Wellness Plans.  All of our wellness plans give you the opportunity to receive chiropractic maintenance care and/or massage therapy and save money!

All plans are based on a certain number of units that you select.  One unit corresponds to (1) chiropractic wellness visit or (1) 30-minute massage.  And right now when you start up a plan, you will receive (1) free massage upgrade per unit of your new plan! Feel free to select from our menu of massage upgrades to use anytime you receive a massage.

So for example: if you join the SILVER PLAN (4 Units/month), you will receive 4 FREE massage upgrade that you can use at any time with a scheduled massage.  Don’t miss out on this great offer!

We offer a variety of plans that you can choose from to fit your lifestyle…

Click Here for Our Fees

The natural care we provide for auto injuries feels great and is very effective.  We get quick results that last.  Instead of just covering up your pain with mind-numbing medications, we focus on the injured areas and provide a variety of natural therapies to speed up your recovery.

We have been able to help people like you suffering from auto injuries such as:

• Whiplash (cervical acceleration deceleration trauma)
• Headaches
• Back Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Arm, Elbow, or Wrist Pains
• Hip, Knee, Leg, or Foot Pains
• Muscular Spasms
• Joint Stiffness and Inflammation

Regardless if your condition, I’d like to remind you that our practice mission is: To Promote Superior Health Through Natural Therapy. We accomplish this through a holistic approach and integrative care – combining chiropractic, massage, exercise, nutritional counseling, and laser therapy techniques.

If you are seeking help for auto related injuries, we promise to do our best to first clearly diagnose your problem and correct it. On your initial visit we will carefully discuss the details of the accident and the nature of your injuries. We will then perform a careful and detailed examination.

At this point, if we feel that we can help you, we will develop a reasonable treatment plan and begin a course of treatment. Your treatment plan will vary based on your condition prior to the injury, and on the severity of your injury.

We typically recommend the combination of chiropractic care, massage therapy, and other natural therapies because they work the best to reduce pain quickly and will allow your body to heal more perfectly.  Natural healing provides lasting healing.

However, if after the examination or at any time during the course of treatment, we discover something beyond the scope of our practice, we will not hesitate to contact your other health care providers to discuss your possible referral to another health care professional.

We believe that the human body is a masterpiece and that your health is among your most valuable possessions. It’s our passion to share the amazing power of natural therapies with people like you, to help you feel great and be your best!

At this point in time, all of the services we recommend will be fully covered by your auto insurance. Many people express concern that your auto insurance rates will increase if you use the medical benefits on your policy.  Don’t be concerned about that because I believe it’s illegal for any auto insurance company to raise your rates for using the medical benefits on your policy.

Everybody needs an energy boost from time to time.  Many of us need a daily pickups… usually during that “down time” between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm.  Don’t reach for junk food, caffeine, drugs, or expensive energy drinks.  These produce “empty energy”, result in an energy “crash”, and can be addictive.  Instead, will your body to do some exercise.   Get up and get moving!

Here’s a simple routine that doesn’t require any equipment and will really wake you up.  Remember to breath fully and deeply while exercising.  With each repetition taking about two seconds, the whole routine will take less than two minutes:

1. 10 jumping jacks
2. 10 pushups
3. 10 squats
4. 10 crunches.
5. If still groggy… go back to step #1 and repeat!!!

Here are some immediate benefits from exercise to your mind & body :

• improved mental alertness
• reduction in body tension and stress
• increased ability to focus
• greater motion of stiff joints
• reduced pain
• improved mood
• you don’t get caught by your boss sleeping on the job

Try this routine and let me know how it works for you.  If you have your own routine, share it with us!

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Author Unknown

I am pleased to announce the addition of the Foot Levelers Associate™ Platinum to our wellness practice.  A tool that will allow me to make a digital scan of the feet.  The Associate™ Platinum will help me efficiently and accurately screen for imbalances that contribute to problems in any number of places, like your knees, hips, and low back — even if your feet don’t hurt. It’s amazing what your feet can tell you about your spinal health!

Your feet are the foundation for your entire body. Like any structure, your body’s foundation must be balanced to properly support the weight above it. If your arches in one or both of your feet collapse, your body doesn’t get the correct postural support, causing an imbalance in your skeletal frame.

The Associate™ Platinum digital scanner will help me develop more precise care plans and use postural support, like custom-made orthotics from Foot Levelers, to obtain positive results in nearly everyone — from children to seniors.

I would like to welcome new patients to visit our wellness center in Huntingdon Valley for postural exams to determine their chiropractic needs. Our wellness center offers a variety of natural therapies for total body health and would be willing to provide on-site screenings with the Associate™ Platinum at health fairs and other community events.

If you’ve never had your feet scanned, you probably don’t know what they are supposed to look like. Don’t wait for aches and pains to tell you there’s a problem.

Call us now to schedule an appointment, and learn how your feet can affect your health!  Your entire body will thank you!

When you’re out and around kids, instead of just watching them play, get involved.  Kids just keep moving.  Keep up with them and stay as active as them.  It’ll be fun and very rewarding for you and for them.  

Having an active lifestyle is one of the keys to promoting superior health.  I tell my patients that they must find an exercise they like, or they probably won’t continue it long-term.  Don’t get me wrong, I think traditional work outs are great.  But playing games are really fun… and if the games are active, you get a double bonus!

This past weekend my family had a blast playing a couple of really fun outdoor “kids” games.  These games are so apparently so much fun that the onlookers just can’t resist.  We had no problem gathering more and more players as the games progressed.  I took the leadership and organized several games of “Capture the Flag” and “Kick the Can”.  Both games are classics, and they’re good for kids of all ages and physical abilities. They’re easy to learn and can be played for hours without becoming boring.

How to Play “KICK THE CAN”:

• Equipment – 1 can or plastic bottle partly filled with rocks or dry beans.
• Setup – an outdoor area with lots of places to hide; 1 small base; 1 jail area (usually near or around the base); the can is placed upright in the base; 
• Variation – played at night
• Object – IT tries to capture all players; players try to stay free as long as possible
• One player is designated as IT.
• The other players get ready to hide as one player kicks the can as far as he can. The idea is to give the others a chance to hide.
• IT retrieves the can and returns it to the base as quick as possible.  After setting the can upright in the base, IT can “capture” players by spotting them and running back to the base before the player.  If caught, the player goes to jail. 
• If IT fails and the player kicks it first, then he and all captured players are freed and can hide again.
• While this is happening, other players can risk their own capture to free fellow players by running up to the can and kicking it–before being spotted by IT.

By Gabrielle Goldman (age 6)

How to Play “Capture the Flag”:

• Equipment – Two flags (you can make flags with two sticks and bandanas, you could use two brooms or two plastic bats); orange cones (optional, but help  considerably in marking boundaries)
• Setup – divide into two even teams; have two territories (front and back yards; trails through the woods; etc) with clearly marked boundaries; one jail in each territory
• Variations – hidden flags; using socks filled with flower to strike and capture opponents; at night with flashlights.
• Object – capture the opponents flag and return it to your home territory before your flag gets captured.
• Once you cross into enemy territory, you can be captured and placed in jail.
• Captures are made by grabbing an opponent and yelling something like : “one, two, three, you’re my man, no breaksies”.
• Each flag should be surrounded by a 10-20 foot safety zone that cannot be entered by it’s own team, unless an enemy is within (this prevents a total defensive game)
• Once your own team’s flag is placed, it cannot be moved again by your own team.  If a flag is carried out of the safety zone and then the carrier is captured or the flag is dropped, the flag must be returned to the safety zone. 
• Players can be freed from jail if one of their teammates tags him and yells “freedom”.  Only one prisoner can be freed at a time.

I promise you’re going to love these games.  You may even want to try them with a group of adventurous adults!  You will have a lot of laughs, I guarantee it.  Who knows, it may become a regular family event…

Don’t worry if people (usually adults) are just sitting and watching.  They’re just jealous that they’re not as energetic as you.  Come on, be a kid again!   Stay active, stay young, and have fun!

The squat should be normal and natural movement for the human body.  If you ever watch a child of 4-years-old or younger squat, they will almost always use perfect form.  As we get older, we either “forget”, or get lazy, and stray from correct form.

Learning how to perform a correct squat is essential if you want to avoid back injury.  Here is a summary of the correct form:

• stand with feet approximately at shoulder width
• keep your head forward, your chest lifted, and your shoulders back
• as you squat keep your weight in your heels (not on the ball of the foot)
• bend from the hips
• feel the strength in your thighs, buttocks, and back
• keep your knees from crossing over past your toes
• maintain a correct lower back curve (the lumbar spine has the same type of curve as your neck – a forward banana-shaped curve)
• as you deepen the squat your bottom should stick out a bit (as if reaching out to sit down on a chair)
• you can lift the arms in front as you squat to maintain balance
• squat down as far as comfortable (generally to 90 degrees)

I recommend practicing the form without weights for several sessions before using any weights.  A good way to help with your form is to hold a ball (ranging from a playground ball to a Swiss ball) and push the ball away from your chest as your squat.  The ball held in your extended arms acts as a counterbalance and helps with balance. When using weights, I recommend using dumbells to start.

The squat is one of the most beneficial exercises. When you do a proper squat  you will use all the major muscles of your lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, abductors, adductors, and buttocks.  You will also use your core muscles, including your abs, back, and deeper core muscles.

Adding the squat to your exercise routine will pay large dividends in lower body strength, core strength, and overall energy.  When you bend to pick up your shoes, a pencil or whatever, use the proper squat.  By using the correct form you’ll have more strength, better balance, and reduce your risk of injuring your spine.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to speak to a small group of homeschoolers about our body’s joints.  We talked about the differences between fibrous joints, cartilaginous joints, and synovial joints.  We looked at the differing joint shapes and functions and compared them to real life examples.  Overall, I really tried to open their eyes and have them experience a sense of wonder as we investigated the body’s joints.

Then it got me thinking.  How often do we stand back in wonder about our own bodies?  When was the last time you stopped to think about just how amazing your body is?

It’s an extremely complicated and highly-organized “machine”.  In your busy life, you’ve probably become fairly good at multitasking.  But could you multitask 10 things at once?  How about 10,000?  Thankfully your body does an incredible job multitasking millions of functions at the same time. Take a minute to think about all the things your body does, without your help at all…

When you were first given life, you had nothing to do with your growth in your mother’s womb.  You started as a single cell and then grew to become a fully functioning baby.  All your parts “appeared” at the right time, in the right place, and grew to the right size.  First your brain and spinal cord form, then the heart and circulatory system, which begins beating at around 3 weeks!  Over the next few weeks, your body was woven together cells, tissues, organs, systems, bones, joints, muscles and skin.

All your limbs grew at the right time and to the right size.  It’s incredible if you stop and think about it.You eat food every day without having to produce the right enzymes to digest your meals.  Let alone managing the complex biochemistry needed to break the food down into your bloodstream to nourish all your body’s cells.

Your bodies is amazing and complex.  And if you think deeply about it, demonstrates the awesome wisdom, creativity, and love of your creator.

Blueberry Banana Smoothie – A Recipe for Superior Health

•  3 C rice milk
• 5 medium bananas
• 1 C blueberries
• 1 C baby spinach
• 6 pitted dates
• 1/2 C walnuts
• 1/3 C ground flax seed
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 8 ice cubes

This makes a rawsome smoothie that is loaded with healthy energy and lots of nutrition.  You don’t have to tell your kids about the spinach, or the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, or the high levels of antioxidants… they just won’t care!  But they will think it’s delicious!

Glucosamine (glucosamine sulfate), chondroitin (chondroitin sulfate), and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) are widely used natural supplements used in the treatment of osteoarthritis (bone and joint).  They have been shown to be most helpful for knee pain, but reports have shown that they can help with all types of osteoarthritis. They are commonly used, especially in veterinary medicine, but their overall acceptance varies.

When patients ask me if they think a supplement can help them get rid of some pain, I tell them that for the best long-term outcomes, embracing a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise is the most critical. Healthy living is the key.  Let me tell you my story…

Starting in the year 1999, I personally had serious back and neck problems that stemmed from past injuries and degenerative spinal conditions. I had serious pain, loss of motion, and muscular weakness.  It became so bad, I could barely exercise or practice chiropractic.  As the pain became chronic, I had mild depression and discovered that life became very hard.  I didn’t want to just cover up the pain, so I refused to take medications.

I received good care that included various natural therapies and chiropractic care.  Both helped, but my problems really became minimal only when I adopted a lifestyle of healthy eating and regular exercise. I started focusing on core strengthening exercises and I began to eat a whole-food plant-based diet.  Within 30 days, my pain diminished.  Through my lifestyle changes, I was finally able to gain control over my back/neck pains.  I thank God that he has designed our bodies with the ability to heal… from the inside.  This is much better than just pain relief through medications.

I don’t believe there are any real shortcuts to true health… such as glucosamine, chondroitin, or MSM supplements.   Today in my practice, in addition to chiropractic care, I offer patients coaching on exercise, nutrition, and healthy living.  Spectrum Wellness is a holistic and integrative approach to wellness.

In short… I do recommend a superfood supplement, called Intramax, that does contain glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM.  Although supplementation can be of some help, any supplement should only be an addition to a foundation of healthy living.

Don’t believe what they tell you.  There is no pill that can replace a lifestyle of healthy living.  True health can’t be found in a bottle.  Here’s the truth… you can achieve superior health through a commitment to healthy living!

Cabbage, Apple, and Raisin Delight

• 5 C green cabbage, chopped
• 4 apples, cubed
• 1 C raisins
• 1/2 C walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 C flax seed, ground
• cinnamon, to taste
• 1 C water

Put all ingredients in a large pot and cook on a low heat for around 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

This is a simple, whole-food, and very tasty dish.  Also, this recipe fits right in to a healthy weight loss plan.  Even the kids will enjoy it.  For a different variety, try adding 1/2 C of chopped onion and some curry powder.

(thanks to Eugene P. for his inspiration on this recipe and to http://veganbarbie.blogspot.com/)

I just finished making some updates to the home page.  I reorganized the left and right side bars a bit.  The “Get To Know Us” section now has some indents.  Hopefully, it’ll be  easier to use.  I added a new FAQ section on the left sidebar, under the “What to Expect” section.

The new FAQ section answers some popular questions such as:

• Do you take insurance?
• How do chiropractic and other natural therapies work?
  
• Once I start, do I have to go forever?
  
• Do I have a “pinched” nerve?
  
• Won’t my body “re-balance”, correct, and get better on its own?
  
• Do I have to tip the massage therapist?
  

Check it out.  Also, please let me know if you have any other pressing questions that need answering.  I’ll do my best to answer it… may even added it to the FAQ section.

Deep breathing has been shown to be an amazing tool anyone can use to help themselves achieve superior health.  Some of the health benefits of doing deep breathing include:

• invigorating your immune system (by pumping and stimulating the lymphatic system)
• improving lung health
• promoting relaxation and reduces the effects of stress (by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system)
• improving cardiovascular fitness (by increasing the amount of oxygen your heart and lungs can deliver to your cells)
• aiding in weight loss (by improving cardiovascular fitness)
• improving metal focus

Learning to do Basic Deep Breathing Exercises:

• sit in a cmfortable position
• exhale fully before beginning your first full inhale
• inhale slowly through the nose for a count of five (some people naturally breathe into the belly area while others into the chest)
• exhale slowly for a count of seven
• at full exhale hold for a count of two
• repeat 5-10 times

Give it a try and let me know how you do!

From now through February 21st, we are offering massage gift certificates at an amazing discount of 30% off our normal price!

That’s only $42 to give the gift of a relaxing 1-hour massage!  What a great Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one.

Valentine Bonus:

• Spend $75 and you will receive a FREE 30-minute massage for yourself!
• Spend $100 and receive a FREE 60-minute massage for yourself!

Call our office today at 215-938-8500, to take advantage of this offer.  Gift certificates can be emailed (PDF format), mailed via USPS (same day), or picked up at the office.

Green leafy vegetables are among the healthiest foods for us.  They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and phyto-chemicals.  And dark green leafy vegetables have more protein per calorie than sirloin steak!

Eating salads can help you lose weight and achieve superior health.  But how much?  From what I’ve read and learned, I believe we should be striving for about one pound of salad (or other raw green veggies) per day, minimum.  This isn’t easy (especially in a large family) unless you get creative.

So here are some quick, easy, and wholesome ideas to help you make your salads more enjoyable:

• Add fresh fruits.  Strawberries (organic), blueberries, clementine oranges, pears, apples, etc. add a delicious sweetness on salads.
• Add ground nuts.  Walnuts, almonds, etc.  add a tasty crunch to any salad.
• Add ground flax seed.  Adds a unique flavor that is very healthy (contains omega-3 fatty acid and lignans) and a vegetarian alternative to popular fish oils.
• Add leftover cooked vegetables from the day before.  What a great way to use day-old peas, corn, carrots, etc.
• Add salsa, beans, and sprinkle in some corn chips for a southwestern salad.
• Experiment with the large variety of leafy green vegetables available.  Don’t just stick with iceberg or romaine lettuce.  Be adventurous… you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of tastes and textures you’ll find.
• Use a variety of vinegars for homemade dressings.  I prefer white wine, red wine, and apple cider vinegars.
• Try different varieties of spices and herbs.  Try basil, thyme, granulated garlic, oregano, pepper, and chives.  For something different, try cilantro, rosemary, mint, cinnamon, curry, or cumin.
• If one day you find that you’re tired of the prep work for a big salad, then drink it!  Click on this link for my wholesome veggie juice recipe.

This month we are offering one-hour Hot Stone Massages for only $40.00! This is an incredible saving of $30.00 off our normal price! 

All massages are conducted by one of our professional Certified Massage Therapists in a private and comfortable treatment room. 

You can choose from these optional massage upgrades to make your massage extra special: 

• Paraffin Hand or Foot Treatment (only $10 more) 
• Peppermint Foot Massage (only $5 more) 
• Facial Cream Massage (only $5 more) 

Call 215-938-8500 to schedule today! 

Our team of female therapists specialize in multiple massage techniques. They are highly skilled in swedish, deep tissue, hot-stone, trigger point, prenatal, and more. It’s your choice. And whatever you choose, we promise to treat you with the highest level of skill, respect and care. Just relax and enjoy! 

This special will be offered only for a limited time. We are looking forward to seeing you… call us today!

People always ask me if we see more patients when we get snow and ice.  The truth is… yes and no.  Initially, we see fewer people because they stay home and won’t risk the weather. Which I think is wise.  It’s only later when things clear up that we start to see people flooding into the office.  Some seek help after slips and falls on the ice.  But most come in due to lower back strains from shoveling snow.

Here are some tips to avoid hurting yourself while shoveling snow:

• Start out with a wide base.  Keep your feet shoulder width apart or a little farther.
• Warm up first.  Start out easy and pick up the pace and intensity only after 10-15 minutes.
• Keeping good postural alignment is critical.  Bend at the hips, use your legs and bend those creaky knees.  Never round your back when you bend. Keep your chest out, your shoulders back, and your head up.  
• Use proper breathing.  As with any exercise, inhale while at relative rest and exhale while exerting energy.  While shoveling, inhale while reaching for snow and exhale while lifting and tossing snow.
• Listen to your body.  If you become fatigued, rest.   I often switch from pushing to lifting and back again to give my muscles a rest.
• Wear a good pair of boots.
• Beware of icy patches to avoid a fall.  
• Use one of those special “S”-shaped shovels.  They reduce the distance you have to bend with each lift.

If you need clarification on any of these tips, give us a call or shoot us an email.  If you hurt yourself this winter, make an appointment to see us.  We’ll do our best to get your body back in balance and feeling great again!

Have fun in the snow!

Yesterday, I added a Twitter RSS feed on the right side-bar, just below the search box.  I am committed to using this technology to help you achieve superior health.  I’ll do this through news updates, encouraging thoughts, and healthy happenings throughout my day.  Think of this RSS feed as a “mini-blog” within the blog!

I firmly believe that momentum is one of the most important wellness strategies.  You can use the concept of momentum to your advantage to help you achieve superior health.

Momentum is defined as”the driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events”.  

You can see the effects of momentum on the small scale… for a football running back to have a chance at breaking through opposing tacklers, he needs to be moving and driving forward with his legs.  His speed and ability to continually press forward are critical if he wants to gain yards.

On a larger scale… a  team of players, a town, a city, or a country may experience momentum from a long standing chain of events or actions.  Our country is now experiencing some “negative” financial momentum caused by events that the experts say dates back to the 70′s.

But in regards to personal health and fitness, you can exploit the principle of momentum for good purposes.  It’s a fairly simple process, but it requires your due diligence.

If you know you need to lose weight, don’t try a new diet.  Diets, by their very nature, can’t work long term.  They are meant to be only used for a short time and then stopped.  After stopping their diets, most people gain more than the original weight back and are worse off than when they started. Instead, use the strategy of momentum and adopt a healthier way of eating… a new lifestyle.  This consistent change in behavior will continue.  

If you know you need to be more active, do some exercise every day.  You can begin with as little as just 15 minutes per day!   As you exercise regularly, you’ll begin experiencing all the physical and mental benefits.  This will encourage consistent behavior… a new lifestyle.  Soon, your body will begin really look forward to the routine. You’ll soon be feeling better and you’ll eventually begin enjoying exercising. 

Remember that there will be obstacles to your health and fitness.  There always are!  Expect them and be prepared.  One of the best ways to prepare is to gain momentum.  

I’ve read that a habit develops after 40 days of consistent behavior.  I believe it.  So be diligent to continue your healthy habits.  Press on in 2009 and build moMENTUM!

As we finish off 2008, we’d like to thank all of our clients for their continued patronage.  We feel honored that you have entrusted us with your health and well-being. We really enjoy what we do and being a part of your lives.  We are looking forward to a great new year.

Some of the things we are looking to do this year…

• Improve this web site
• Adding exercises and pics to this site
• Adding exercise videos to this site
• Adding pics to the recipes

Wishing you and yours a healthy and happy new year!

Warmest regards,

Dr. Ken and the Spectrum Wellness Team

Hello Friends! Wishing you a healthy and love-filled holiday season. Do you want to give an amazing gift to someone this year?… For a limited time we are offering all massage gift certificates at an incredible discount of 50%. That’s only $30 for a relaxing one-hour massage!

You can also purchase add-ons to make the massage even more enjoyable. The add-ons we provide are:

• hot stone massage (only $10)
• paraffin wax treatments for the hands and feet (only $10)
• peppermint foot massage (only $5)
• facial cream massage (only $5)

What better gift could you give for the holidays but a healthy and relaxing treat of a massage?!?! All massages will be performed by Christine or Linda, in a private and relaxing room, in our office.

Call our office at 215-938-8500 to purchase a massage gift certificate at 50% OFF today!  You can also check us out on facebook.com (key word search “Kenneth Goldman”).

You can pick up your gift certificate at our office or just say the word, and we’ll drop it in the mail for you!

I’ve always found that this is a tough time of year to maintain a healthy diet. The temptations become numerous… starting with Halloween’s candy onslaught, continuing with Thanksgiving’s turkeys and pies, then with Christmas’s ham and cookies, and finishing with New Years’ snacking and drinking.  We were fortunate enough to actually have two Thanksgiving dinners this year due to a “split up” in our family. Our first “Faux Thanksgiving” was on November 16th and the second “Real Thanksgiving” was on the 27th.

Laura and I do our best to eat as healthy as possible even through the holidays. It’s not just for us, but for our kids too. We really try to be good examples to them all the time, throughout all occasions.  We are thankful that our family (even though they doesn’t eat as healthy as we do) respects our lifestyle and often do a little extra to accommodate our desires.

Here are some of our strategies we use to help stay on track through the holidays:

• If you’re invited to someone’s for a meal… know what you’re getting into. Plan ahead and bring a lot of healthy food (salads, veggies, fruit, trail mix, etc.) whenever possible, so you know there will always be something healthy to eat.  It will also provide an opportunity to enlighten others to naturally delicious whole, healthy foods.
• If you think there may be a great deal of food temptations where you’re going… eat a healthy meal before you go. When you are full, any temptations you’ll face will be much easier to resist.
• When sitting down to eat… minimize the intake of animal-based foods by going light on the “main-dish” and eating more of the side dishes. Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, string beans, corn, whole-grained breads, beans, and carrots are all good for you and filling.
• When preparing some “old fashioned” recipes… you can make them much healthier by making smart ingredient substitutions. Learn how to substitute healthy ingredients for less healthy stuff. Dates, granulated dates, or agave nectar instead of white sugar; blended tofu for eggs; soy or rice beverage for milk, etc.
• If you must indulge keep it minimal… most of the time it takes just one or two bites to satisfy a craving. It’s okay to ask for a small piece of pie! But be careful, it also takes only one or two bites to reawaken an unhealthy appetite for “junk” foods.
• Lessen the importance of food… In your mind, take the focus off the food, and put it on the people. Enjoy the people more than the food. You will enjoy your time so much more if you put your focus on the relationships around you.
• Whatever you have or do, be thankful… be thankful for clean water and for good food. Be thankful for family and friends. Be thankful for all of God’s blessings in your life.