Why Is It Important to Ease into an Exercise Program?Working out and maintaining strength is critical for reducing back pain and stress. When back and abdominal muscles are weak, they cannot support the back properly. Back strengthening exercises help reinforce supportive muscles around the spine that prevent straining and increase range of motion. If it’s been a while since you last worked out, you might be eager to rush back into exercising with the hope of quickly achieving your goals. However, rushing into exercise after a period of inactivity can sometimes do more harm than good. Jumping straight into an advanced workout routine is an easy way to cause injury and delay your overall goals even further. Whether you’re completely new to exercise or are recovering from an injury, it’s important to ease into a new exercise program so your body has time to adapt to the increased exertion exercise demands. Here are a few tips on how to ease back into exercise to get you started. Slow And Steady Wins The RaceKeep it short and sweet — the key is being active on a regular schedule. You don’t need to be a super athlete each day, especially if you're recovering from an injury. Go for a light jog even just twice per week and ramp it up from there over time. Be sure to listen to your body - pain is an indicator that you are pushing yourself too hard. Once you’ve started to get used to exercising, you can start gradually ramping up the difficulty and intensity of your workouts. Start in small increments, like adding time to certain exercises or incorporating new variations of your exercises into your routine. The goal is to ease yourself back into exercising without injuring yourself but to also not be so slow that you don’t see any progress. Always Warm-Up And Cool-DownA proper warm-up prepares your body for the increase in activity in a natural and healthy way. Stretching is also a must. Stretching keeps you limber and strengthens the muscles to facilitate healthy recovery and avoid serious injury, especially if you’ve been sedentary for a long time. If you have a desk job or work from home, you can try some at-home stretching exercises during the day to help keep you limber. Just as warming up is important, so is cooling down. You will likely experience DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) on your fitness journey. This is completely normal and warming up/cooling down will help mitigate this from happening. Don’t Lose MotivationSet realistic goals for yourself. Start with small, easily attainable goals to keep yourself feeling accomplished and motivated. Motivation can wane if you start to feel discouraged or lazy. Take your gym bag to work and go straight to the gym instead of stopping by home. Make working out a part of your daily routine. The first few weeks will be difficult but once it becomes a habit, you will enjoy exercising even more. Having a formal workout plan can also help you stay on track. Start by assessing your fitness goals. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, increase muscle mass, or increase your stamina, a plan can help you stay motivated to achieve those goals. Consider consulting with a doctor or personal trainer to better assess your goals and develop a plan from there. Make Sure You’re Good-To-Go Before StartingUltimately, your chiropractor is the best resource you have when it comes to injury recovery. A good chiropractor can expedite the recovery process and constantly monitor and consult with you to make sure you’re properly prepared to continue the activities you love.
Consult with your chiropractor to find out if you’re ready to get back into a rigorous workout routine, or get in touch today for an initial appointment!
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Light refreshments will be served. The 8 Great Benefits of Arp-Wave Neurotherapy We offer patients a level of improvement to strength, mobility and chronic pain relief that is unmatched by any traditional rehabilitation procedure. ARPwaveUSA's Neuro Therapy offers almost immediate relief from chronic pain, better muscular performance and a return to the life that patients could only dream about prior to treatment.
Easiest Ways To Get Healthy This Year
It's the new year, yet again. That means that new year's resolutions to stay healthy, lose weight, etc are at an all-time high. There's a reason gyms and fitness studios see the most traffic in January. People tell themselves that they want to live healthier lifestyles, which is great, but their motivation and commitment tends to slowly fizzle out during the course of the year. In fact, a study from 2012 showed that nearly 2/3 of American adults make fitness-related new year's resolutions, but 73% of them give up before meeting their goal, many before even 6 weeks' time.
While this sounds disheartening, part of the problem lies in overzealous goal setting, which in turn makes fitness feel unattainable. Realistic goal setting and measuring progress in smaller increments is one of the keys to success. Here are some easy ways to get started on living a healthier lifestyle in 2019 and beyond. Get A New Morning Routine Living a healthy lifestyle is exactly that: a lifestyle. It's not starving yourself on a juice cleanse or participating in a fad diet only to return to old habits. It's fundamentally changing how you go about your day -- and it all starts in the morning. Are you the type of person that hits your snooze alarm 4 times before rolling out of bed, showering, dressing and leaving for work at the last minute? Yeah, that's pretty common -- and it needs to stop. One of the best ways to stay on-track with a healthy lifestyle is to start your day correctly. Start by:
Set Realistic Exercise Goals Here lies the problem for the majority of aspiring fitness junkies. They may get a free trial at a gym, go for a week or two, and then become discouraged or intimidated despite enjoying their time. Don't go into it thinking you'll wake up at 4:00AM every day to workout for 2 hours before work. That's not realistic, you probably won't live up to that high bar (in the beginning, at least), and you'll begin to feel discouraged. Here are a few tips to keep things realistic: ​
Visit A Chiropractor ​ Regular visits for chiropractic care will help to keep you limber, increase your range of motion, and improve muscle recovery after your workouts. Chiropractic will help to keep you on track in your quest for fitness by helping to avoid injury and by providing supplemental assistance and motivation. Additionally, your chiropractor can give you overall health advice. For instance, one of my specialties is chiropractic for athletes. I make recommendations and perform treatments that are meant to bring athletes to peak physical condition so they can more effectively tackle their workout regimens. I also aid in injury recovery that may occur during extreme physical exertion. If you're ready to get on the road to a healthier you, give me a call to schedule a consultation. Results may take a while -- the sooner you get started, the better! Different Types of Chiropractic CareIt’s been proven time and again that chiropractic care is the most effective, drug-free and non-invasive method to treat back and neck pain. But different methods of chiropractic can be used to treat even more ailments such as headaches and migraines, sports injuries, whiplash, sciatica, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, knee and ankle pain and more. There’s no “one size fits all” approach to chiropractic. Each patient has their own unique issues, and since my practice is focused on long-term health, I’ve adopted many methods of chiropractic that are viable for any individual’s needs. Massage Therapy Massage therapy isn’t just relaxing; it’s also quite beneficial when combined with chiropractic care. In many situations, it aids in creating a speedy recovery from injury, it can vastly improve range of motion — especially in the elderly — and it supplements chiropractic treatments by relieving stress, inducing muscle relaxation and increasing the effectiveness of chiropractic. As an added bonus, it feels good, too! Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation I employ many methods of physiotherapy and rehabilitation to not only enhance the effectiveness of chiropractic, but to allow the patient to have more say in their health. Whenever necessary, I’ll prescribe patients various daily exercises and stretches so they can strive to improve without having to be in my office. This is because, while chiropractic is immensely beneficial, it’s not a one-and-done process. Particularly when it comes to recovering from injuries, constant incremental improvements are necessary. And since patients can’t come to my office every day, I’ll guide you on how to improve yourself at home. Sports Therapy One of the reasons I became a chiropractor in the first place is because when I was a young athlete playing basketball, I suffered an injury and experienced severe back pain — pain so intense I could barely walk or stand. After seeing a chiropractor, it changed my life. I made a quick recovery and knew what I wanted to do with my life. I know firsthand how sports injuries can affect your life, so I work with athletes not only to aid in injury recovery, but also to prevent injury in the first place and to optimize player performance. Pediatric Care Yes, chiropractic works for kids. Yes, it’s safe and it’s actually extremely beneficial especially before puberty. In times of rapid bone growth, it’s important to ensure that everything is in the right place and that the spine is developing correctly. It has life-long, positive effects on the child’s future well-being. As a family-focused center, we are trained in the unique needs of infants, children and teenagers. Pregnancy Care I’ve covered the benefits of chiropractic during pregnancy extensively before, but many people don’t realize that it can greatly reduce the unwanted and negative symptoms of pregnancy including nausea, dizziness, back and neck pains and even morning sickness. Not only will it help the mother during the pregnancy, but chiropractic methods also strive to ensure a proper and speedy birthing process. By aligning the pelvis, it helps to shorten the labor period and avoid birth complications such as a breech or the need for a C-section. How Your Lower Back Impacts Your LifeMore than 80% of Americans will suffer lower back pain at some point in their life. While it can be caused by any number of factors, one thing is certain: it WILL affect other aspects of your life. It can negatively impact your job, your family, your personal happiness, and most of all, your overall health. In fact, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that lower back pain costs $100 billion annually, 2/3 of it due to decreased wages and productivity. The importance of subduing the pain and maintaining good posture, taking proper precautions, and getting periodic checkups can improve your life drastically. Physical Harm Back pain greatly affects your lifestyle, causing you to become more sedentary. However, leading a sedentary lifestyle causes and aggravates back pain. It’s a vicious cycle that’s extremely hard to break out of without outside help. Sitting in an office all day without exercising causes muscles to become weak, depletes your endurance and increases your risk of injury. Seeing a chiropractor after your work day and/or on the weekends will help you to maintain strong back muscles so your office job is more physically tolerable. Mental Fatigue This may be the most dangerous drawback from chronic back pain. Being unable to do the things you love — jogging, working out, hiking, playing sports, being active with your kids, simply running essential errands, etc. — can cause deep depression. Constant pain makes you more irritable and more liable to lash out at those you love, even over the smallest transgression. This irritability, anger and stress will inevitably cause muscles to tense leading to even further pain. How Many Sick Days Do You Have? There’s no doubt that being in constant pain, especially with something as crucial and all-encompassing as your back, is a distraction. If you work in manual labor you may need to take frequent breaks during the day or even take whole days off to recover from a project. This will result in a loss of productivity, loss of wages (assuming it’s hourly work), or it could even result in firing. If you work in an office, it could lead to taking too many sick days and a loss of productivity, ending in the same result. The best thing you can do if you suffer from chronic back or neck pain is to schedule an appointment with a chiropractor. They will help you manage and be rid of the pain so you can lead your life to the fullest — enjoy your family, have a great mood and be energetic and ready for work. The cycle of pain is real — let me help you out of it. 3 Conditions That Can Be Treated With ChiropracticMost people are aware that the main reasons people go to a chiropractor are back and/or neck pain. But since the body is so interconnected and since spinal manipulation and massage therapy are so focused on relieving stress on the central nervous system and the vertebrae, it has many many other benefits as well. Here are just a few conditions that can be treated with proper chiropractic care and massage therapy. Headaches Many chronic headaches are caused by or aggravated by subluxations (aka misalignments) in the spine, affecting the central nervous system. This causes nerve pain and a tightness in the neck and temples, also known as tension headaches. Luckily, chiropractic care, through manipulating certain vertebrae, can fix any pinched nerves and lead to immediate improvement or complete relief. Sciatica Sciatica is sometimes thought of as a disorder, however this is untrue. It is actually a symptom of other disorders. It’s caused by nerve pain that originates in the spine and works its way down the buttocks and the leg, usually only on one side of the body. The patient will normally feel pain, numbness, and a pins-and-needles sensation in the affected parts. Sciatica is commonly caused by nerve compression in the spine, lumbar subluxations, herniated discs, pregnancy and tumors. Each case is unique to the individual and must be sufficiently diagnosed on a case-by-case basis. There are various types of chiropractic treatments that have proven successful in eliminating pains caused by sciatica. It relieves tension on the nerves and muscles that may be causing inflammation and allows the body to heal itself. Digestive Problems
Constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Heartburn and other digestive problems can also be eased by chiropractic. Often times these conditions appear in middle-aged adults and can be cured with improving dietary habits and more exercise. However, sometimes these conditions have deeper roots that can’t be cured by over-the-counter medicines and dietary changes. Chiropractic care will help to promote self-healing by correcting any misalignments in the spine that may be impeding any of the many organs responsible for proper digestion. If you or a loved one suffer from any of these conditions, chiropractic care could be the answer to long-term wellness. Schedule a consultation today to get started on the road to a healthier lifestyle. It is estimated that about 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. One of the main causes of both back and neck pain is poor posture. It’s all-too-common that people, especially those that live sedentary lifestyles and have office jobs, don’t take proper precautions when it comes to their posture, ultimately leading to spinal degenerative disorders and other complications. So how do you know if your posture is the source of your back pain and what can you do to relieve it? You can tell that your back pain is caused by poor posture if:
If you know you’ll be sitting for long periods of time, take breaks and walk around every so often. Stretch every day and go for walks or light jogs. Look up when texting and using the computer to avoid the aptly named “tech neck”, the pain that’s caused by being hunched over a phone or computer all day. Lastly, visit your chiropractor. They are experts in neck and back pain and are there to help you live your life to the fullest, most comfortable way. They’ll diagnose and treat your pains in the most efficient way possible, while giving you advice on how to live a better, pain-free lifestyle. How to Improve Your SpineYour body is an interconnected network; at the center of it are the spine and central nervous system. They relay sensory signals from the brain to the rest of the body and control your movements and musculoskeletal reflexes, so it’s very important to keep them healthy. To avoid back/neck pain and other ailments, here are some simple everyday steps you can take to ensure your spinal health. Light Exercise, More Often You don’t need to train to be Mr. Universe to improve your spinal health. Simple stretches every morning and basic back and core workouts even just for 15 or 20 minutes per day will put you ahead of the game. The key is often and consistent activity, not short, intense bursts. Go for walks more often. Walking is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body, strengthening your core and leg muscles as well as improving your flexibility. So, if you need a few small supplies from the store down the street, walk there instead of driving. Or when you’re taking the dog around the block, go one block extra. Your spine will thank you! Examine Your Posture Invest in ergonomic chairs with spinal support. If you have an office job or lead a sedentary lifestyle, get up and walk around every hour (or more frequently if possible). Do some basic stretches at work and move around more often to stay limber. Consider getting a standing desk to stretch the legs and stand upright. New Mattress and Pillows
How often do you replace your mattress? Experts say mattresses need replacing about every 7 years — sooner, if you sleep poorly. You (should) be spending 6–8 hours every night laying down in your bed. That’s almost 1/3 of your time, so it needs to be physically supportive. There are plenty of outlets to find well-designed beds, so find what’s right for you. Additionally, be sure to sleep in a proper position — either on your back or on your side with your legs stretched. See A Chiropractor Seeing a chiropractor regularly — even if you don’t have pain issues currently — ensures consistent evaluation and spinal maintenance in order to strengthen the spine, prevent pain and keep you limber and flexible. We, as chiropractors, are well-trained in musculoskeletal health and will be able to detect current problems and prevent future ones. Chiropractic is effective for people of all ages, from all walks of life. Schedule an evaluation today to get started on the road to a better you. Chiropractic care is beneficial to people of all ages, but it’s particularly advantageous to have treatment as you age. As our bodies get older, our muscles get tighter, we become less limber, more frail and weaker. With accurate and effective chiropractic care and massage therapy, it can improve the way you age and keep you feeling as young as ever. Increase in flexibility It’s no mystery that your range of motion steadily decreases as you get older. Tasks that were once mundane, everyday occurrences suddenly feel like more of a chore. Walking up a flight of stairs, or carrying your groceries from the car to the house never used to be considered a workout, but it sure feels that way once you get older. Chiropractic can help preserve your range of motion. Through spinal manipulation and corrective techniques, inflammation, aches and pains are quelled, making it easier for you to complete the tasks that used to be normal. Relieving pain is the first step to making muscle movements more enjoyable and easy and regular chiropractic treatment is a safe, non-invasive way to accomplish that. Stave off sickness As the body grows old, the immune system naturally weakens, making you more susceptible to illnesses. What were once minor illnesses are now harder to fight off and have a greater chance of progressing into something more serious, so it’s imperative to protect yourself. Since the spine is so integrated into the central nervous system, strengthening of the spine improves the nervous system by association. One of the things also interconnected with your nervous system is your immune system. By taking proper care of all three of these things, chiropractic is able to improve your immune system, making you less likely to succumb to minor illnesses. There are many more benefits of chiropractic care for the elderly and aging. By being proactive in your own health you can prevent a lot of headaches, literally and figuratively, down the road. Chiropractic care is all about preventative maintenance of the body — so take steps to prevent the negative effects of aging. My chiropractic practice is a family-oriented treatment center for any person of any age. Give me a call today to see how I can make your golden years more enjoyable. Save Your Spine During TravelBetween Thanksgiving tomorrow and more upcoming holidays toward the end of the year, a lot of travel will be happening all over the world in the next couple of months. Despite the excitement of seeing loved ones, it’s important to know how to protect your back from being strained during travel. “Orthopaedic surgeons see many patients with tense shoulders or pains that affect the neck and back around this time of year. In 2011, there were more than 59,000 luggage-related injuries seen in emergency departments, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. More than 43 percent of these mishaps were sprains and strains, and 44 percent affected the back.” (Source) Plane/Train Travel There are precautions you can take when traveling this holiday season. If you’re traveling by train or plane, for instance, and need to load suitcases in an overhead compartment, take a second to lift properly: keep your back straight, bend at the knees and lift with your legs, not your back. Every time you need to lift heavy luggage, make sure you carry it as close to your body as possible, distribute the weight evenly, and avoid twisting the lower back while carrying heavy bags. During the travel itself, take note that seats generally don’t provide the best support for your lower back or neck muscles. Purchase a lumbar support pillow or roll up a jacket/sweater and put it behind your lower back for improvised, extra support. If it’s not too disruptive to your aisle-mate, during long flights/train/bus rides take the opportunity every 30–45 minutes to get up and walk around and stretch a bit. Staying sedentary in an uncomfortable seat for too long isn’t good for the vertebrae. Driving While driving, make sure you often check your posture. Take advantage of cruise control — it allows you to sit up straight with your head back and both feet on the ground. Your knees should be at a 90 degree angle. This is the optimal position to preserve your spine for long drives. If you stop for gas or snacks, be sure to stretch and take a short walk to stay active, alert, and stretch your back. I discussed some easy, short daily stretches in a previous blog post here. Traveling for long distances normally means being sedentary in confined spaces for long periods of time. Be sure to take the proper precautions in order to prevent injuries to the spine. Safe travels this holiday season! |