The Healthy Foundations Blog

Tis the season for shoveling and winter sports. We thought this article from the American ChiropracticAssociation (ACA) provides great advice in preparation for these events:

"When snow, ice and frigid weather blast into town, watch out, says the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). Winter recreational activities and chores can pose problems for the outdoor enthusiast whose body is not in condition. Winter sports like skating, skiing and sledding can cause painful muscle spasms, strains or tears if you're not in shape. Even shoveling snow the wrong way, clambering awkwardly over snow banks, slipping on sidewalks and wearing the wrong kinds of clothing can all pose the potential for spasms, strains and sprains.

Simply walking outside in the freezing weather without layers of warm clothing can intensify older joint problems and cause a great deal of pain. As muscles and blood vessels contract to conserve the body's heat, the blood supply to extremities is reduced. This lowers the functional capacity of many muscles, particularly among the physically unfit. Preparation for an outdoor winter activity, including conditioning the areas of the body that are most vulnerable, can help avoid injury and costly health care bills.

"Simply put, warming up is essential," says Olympic speedskating gold and silver medalist Derek Parra. "In fact, when pressed for time, it's better to shorten the length of your workout and keep a good warm-up than to skip the warm-up and dive right into the workout. Skipping your warm-up is the best way to get hurt." Parra, who took both the gold and silver medals during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, UT, adds that, "You can complete a good warm-up in 15-20 minutes. And believe me, it will make your workout more pleasant and safe."

Derek Parra and the ACA suggest that you start with some light aerobic activity (jogging, biking, fast walking) for about 7-10 minutes. Then follow these tips to help you fight back the winter weather:
a.. Skiing - do 10 to 15 squats. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, knees aligned over your feet. Slowly lower your buttocks as you bend your knees over your feet. Stand up straight again.
b.. Skating - do several lunges. Take a moderately advanced step with one foot. Let your back knee come down to the floor while keeping your shoulders in position over your hips. Repeat the process with your other foot.
c.. Sledding/tobogganing - do knee-to-chest stretches to fight compression injuries caused by repetitive bouncing over the snow. Either sitting or lying on your back, pull your knees to your chest and hold for up to 30 seconds.
d.. Don't forget cool-down stretching for all of these sports - At the bottom of the sledding hill, for instance, before trudging back up, do some more knees-to-chest stretches, or repetitive squatting movements to restore flexibility.

Shoveling snow can also wreak havoc on the musculoskeletal system. The ACA suggests the following tips for exercise of the snow shoveling variety:
a.. If you must shovel snow, be careful. Listen to weather forecasts so you can rise early and have time to shovel before work.
b.. Layer clothing to keep your muscles warm and flexible.
c.. Shoveling can strain "de-conditioned" muscles between your shoulders, in your upper back, lower back, buttocks and legs. So, do some warm-up stretching before you grab that shovel.
d.. When you do shovel, push the snow straight ahead. Don't try to throw it. Walk it to the snow bank. Avoid sudden twisting and turning motions.
e.. Bend your knees to lift when shoveling. Let the muscles of your legs and arms do the work, not your back.
f.. Take frequent rest breaks to take the strain off your muscles. A fatigued body asks for injury.
g.. Stop if you feel chest pain, or get really tired or have shortness of breath. You may need immediate professional help.

After any of these activities, if you are sore, apply an ice bag to the affected area for 20 minutes, then take it off for a couple of hours. Repeat a couple of times each day over the next day or two.

If you continue to feel soreness, pain or strain after following these tips, it may be time to visit a doctor of chiropractic. "I've always believed in chiropractic care," says Parra. "I've used a lot of other treatments for injuries and pain, but the problem doesn't get fixed until I go to a doctor of chiropractic."

For more information on our mattress, see our Memory Foam Mattress Page.

Posted by David Rosenberg at 11:08 AM | Permalink

Here's a new review that we thought was nice and we wanted to share it with you:

"Healthy Foundations has outstanding customer service! I was amazed at the quick return emails I received from Brian answering all my questions with detailed explanations. I received my mattress in under a week and it was extremely easy to set up. I noticed absolutely no smell at all. I bought this mattress in hopes of elimating low back pain from sleeping. I previously could not sleep more than 6 hours without waking up to low back pain (due to herniated discs). It took about a week to adjust to the new memory foam, but I am happy to say that I have been sleeping much better, sounder, and most of all longer. I haven't been waking to the back pain as before. I purchased this mattress in hopes of improving my overall sleep and was a bit skeptical at first. Knowing I could return the mattress if I wasn't satisfied is what help me decided to give it a go. As of today about 3 weeks or so of sleeping on the mattress I don't think I will even want to return it. So far I believe it has been a reasonable and good investment into one third of my life (sleeping)! Thanks Healthy Foundations! For all you skeptics, go for it, you have nothing to loose!" Sandy in Daytona Beach, FL

For more information on our mattress, see our Memory Foam Mattress Page.

Posted by David Rosenberg at 11:05 AM | Permalink

Answer: We found this information regarding sleep apnea at the American Sleep Apnea Association's web site: www.sleepapnea.org:

The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.

Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues.

Go to this link: http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/treatment.html, for treatment options for adults with obstructive sleep apnea, to discuss with your physician.

For more information on our mattress, see our Memory Foam Mattress Page.

Posted by David Rosenberg at 04:25 PM | Permalink

Here's another great review regarding our customer service and mattress product on Shopping.Com. We really take pride in seeing this kind of feedback:

"The customer service was excellent. They responded to my concerns very quickly. The shipping time was super fast and the mattress I received was just as it was described on their website. I researched many mattresses and this site backs their product more than any other mattress on the market today. Most mattress companies have a short return policy and it is very complicated to get to return your mattress if you don't like it. Healthy Foundations stands behind their product because they know it is great. We got the mattress set it up is a few minutes. The first morning I got up I did not ache! It was the first time in forever that I had a sound sleep and was not sore when I woke up! The mattress is a little more firm than most other memory foam mattresses I have tried, but it does not matter as long as I sleep good. I have had my mattress for over a month and still sleep great! I would recommend it to any one."

To find out more about our mattress, see our Memory Foam Mattress page.

Posted by David Rosenberg at 04:23 PM | Permalink