Guelph Chiropractors

So here we are. The end of May Health 2013.

I use the term “we” deliberately because we all participated, we all challenged ourselves, we all supported and encouraged one another. Although we had our own goals, this was ultimately a group effort.

What was fun and exciting to see was the interaction between people. Friends, old and new, getting together to be more physically active. Acquaintances and strangers offering online encouragement to others having a rough time with dietary changes. Bonds of friendship and camaraderie forming virtually and in real life.

And this is one of the things that we wanted to happen with May Health – to bring people together through the act of healthy living and provide a platform to broaden and strengthen this community.

So while we say goodbye to May Health 2013 rest assured this isn’t over. We’ve spent 30 days improving and grooving a healthier habit into our lives. We’ve spent 30 days getting to know one another better and forming a more connected, more supportive, healthier community. It would be a shame to let that momentum and energy fizzle out.

So here’s the plan. Now that you’ve had a taste of what incorporating one or two healthier habits into your life is like you’d probably like to keep that going, right? So do it. Keep up with your challenge habit. Or if you’d like, go back to the May Health page and pick another challenge.

Bit by bit, with the momentum you’ve created and the support we have from one another, we can keep going, we can be healthier, we can be unstoppable.

Along with Dr. Dan Gillis, Danny Williamson is the co-founder of Farm To Fork. Working together with students from the University of Guelph and local stakeholders, the project’s goal is to change the way we think about the emergency food system by creating a direct link between donors and emergency food providers. The project has garnered interest from Berlin to Kentucky and is currently trying to crowdsource much needed funds.

All Things Reconsidered

If you’re like me, you started May Health with all the vim and vigour you could muster. It was going to be an all-out, 31-day, adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride of awesomeness. You wanted everyone to know. You wanted everyone to be impressed by your ambition. I know I did. I was going to run 100 kilometres in May.

And then, as they say, things happened. Some hip soreness and a week out of province slowed me down. In fact, it became pretty clear pretty quickly that I was going to struggle to reach my goal unless I stepped up my game or changed my goal.

After talking it through with my favourite chiropractors/May Health gurus, I decided to rethink my goal. Instead of trying to run every day for the rest of the month to meet my goal (and likely hurt myself in the process), I decided to incorporate some long walks into my exercise regiment. I also made an agreement with myself that we’d both take it easy if we didn’t make it to a hundred kilometres.

The moral of the story, friends, is that being healthy isn’t about achieving a number. If meeting a goal contributes to worse health through illness and injury, it’s not a very good goal, is it? Being healthy is about about choosing healthy attitudes and actions – ones that work for you.

So, good luck with your May Health goals. Just don’t let them define your health.

This is a guest post from a local Guelph participant of the May Health Challenge – Krista Kruger:

I am just like everyone else.

It is hard to get myself motivated to get moving. It is tough to convince myself to get up when the alarm goes off, instead of hitting the snooze button. It is even harder to leave the cozy comfort and warmth, of the blankets and pillows that are still calling my name.

Recently though, something changed.

In 2005, I lost my Dad. It was sudden and heartbreaking. He had a massive heart attack, and dropped off the face of the earth. He was just fifty-two years old.

This March 13, we should have been celebrating my Dad’s 60^th birthday. It was a tough day, but it was the day that woke me up. I realized if I want to celebrate my own 60^th birthday with my children, I need to make an effort to be healthier.

In the past, I have walked in the mornings and have been somewhat dedicated to keeping it up. I also got out on my bike occasionally. Last summer I even attempted to commit to 14 days of biking.

Like everything else, my resolve only lasted for a short time before I gave up.  This was because of laziness, lack of time, general disinterest, or a combination of all three.

This time it needed to be different. I would need to be committed for the long run, and I would need to have ways to challenge myself, to stay motivated and interested. I’m thirty-five, and I know the longer I wait, the more difficult it will be to make these changes.

I started slow, with just five walks in March.  April got better. I made it out fourteen times, and I walked, biked and ran a total of 59.2 kilometres. To stay motivated, I signed up for The Running Works “Couch to 5k” running clinic, and I also committed to a May Health challenge.

I have challenged myself to be active every day. While that seems easy enough, there have been some days where I really have to push myself to keep moving. At times, I have to muster up every ounce of strength I have for even a very short walk.

I know that if I get out every day, even for a small amount of time, I will be more likely to keep it up. In doing this, I have made myself accountable for my own actions.

May has been amazing for me. Twelve days in, and I have walked, biked, hiked and ran a total of 156.7 kilometres and counting… Of course, it is Spring and that always helps motivate.

Krista Kruger is a Mom of two crazy boys, a photography lover and a wannabe runner. She can be reached at kristakruger@sympatico.ca,on Twitter @kristakruger, or at kristakruger.com.

Photo credit: You guessed it – those lovely images above are all Krista.

One of the main ideas behind May Health is that we can all increase our chances of success by connecting with and supporting one another. Here are some of the ways we’re hoping to keep those connections and support going throughout the month.

Connect online. When it comes to health information there can be a lot of confusion and misdirection on the internets, and we want to help people navigate that landscape successfully.

Follow us on Twitter and use the hash tag #mayhealth to see what’s going on.

Follow us on Facebook. We’ll be posting tips for health and encouragement as well as responding to any health questions you may have.

Sign up to our blog feed. Comments and questions are always welcome here and we’ll be writing throughout May on how our health challenges are shaping up. And if you have a story that you’d like to share about your May Health challenge, contact us to see about writing a guest post. The more that we can all share our challenges, the more others will be inspired to take action themselves.

Connect in real life. Because sometimes it’s nice to connect face to face.

Health talks

We are offering three health talks at the downtown branch of Guelph Public Library. Each talk gives a brief blast (15-20 minutes each)of healthy information.  They’re free and open to the general public. Topics will include…

May 9: Function Better – Find out how moving more can significantly improve your health.

May 16: Fuel Better – Slice through the confusion of nutritional information and take control of what’s on your plate.

May 23: Feel Better – Learn how your thoughts impact your health and what you can do to feel well.

Open House

On Friday May 31 we will be hosting an open house at our clinic between 4:00-7:00. We had a great time last year meeting new and familiar faces, chatting about our challenges, and eating some tasty snacks. A good time is sure to be had by all. (Rumours of a water slide/petting zoo at the open house have not been confirmed.)

So stay connected, encouraged, and give it your all as we dive into May Health 2013!

Photo credit