(Or...how to avoid seeing your chiropractor so often!)
Exercise! Your whole body benefits from exercise, and you don't have to run marathons to experience it. Moderate exercise strengthens muscles in the limbs and back, keeps your joints well lubricated, and improves cardiovascular function. These benefits can be achieved with a medium paced walk every day, or a half hour in the pool three times a week. (More vigorous forms of exercise such as running, aerobics, or weight training can be even more helpful, but should be started gradually to give one's body time to acclimate.) Don't let yourself make excuses about age or tiredness; may 82 year old grandmother walks a mile a day, and I'm quite convinced that's part of why she's still with us!
Stretch. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments get tight and need to be stretched. Ask your doctor for stretches specific to the area that you are experiencing problems in.
Rest. It is recommended that people get an average of eight hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, almost none of us do that. The body needs sleep to repair itself of all that has broken down that previous day. Our minds need sleep to function properly. Without adequate sleep, it is impossible to function at our fullest potential. Sleep is important both in quality and quantity, so try to go to bed earlier, and if you are having trouble with the quality of your sleep, as your doctor for suggestions.
Eat Right. Diet is important for more reasons than just your waistline. Healthy food are needed as building blocks for the cells in our bodies. Most Americans eat a diet that is high in processed foods which have been stripped of most of their nutritional value. Try to eat a diet based on whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. Try to avoid eating foods high in fat, sugar, additives, and preservatives. Keep in mind that most people get their daily starch intake from things made of white flour, and that white flour has almost no nutritional value. Look for whole wheat products or products made from other grains.
Drink Right. Water is what the body needs us to drink. Not Coke, not coffee, not even milk. If you want to drink those other things, just keep in mind that your body still needs 8-10 glasses of water a day. Also, alcohol and caffeine deplete the body of water, so if you drink them, you need even more water!
Watch Your Posture. Be attentive to how you sit, stand and walk. Perhaps you are re-subluxating yourself by slouching or craning your neck forward towards a computer screen, or by holding a phone too long between your shoulder and ear.
Carry Your Purse/Wallet Correctly. The body hates imbalance, so if you do something more on one side than the other, it's going to have to compensate for it. For example, if you sit ion your wallet, you push one side of your pelvis up an inch or so more than the other side every day, every time you sit. Don't do this. Likewise, if you carry a purse on one shoulder all the time the muscles in your spine will have to tighten to try to compensate for the extra weight on that side. Try carrying your purse in your hand, or at least switching shoulders throughout the day.
Think positively! Unhappy people have unhappy bodies. Serious conditions can be brought on by stress or anger or other negative emotions. It is important to develop your own mental and spiritual health if you are going to have lasting physical health. The way you do this may take on many forms: meditation has been shown to have many beneficial effects on the health of an individual; counseling is an important option if you are having trouble dealing with stress or grief or other troublesome thoughts and feelings; church is a place you may not expect to find health benefits, but people who value their relationships with God tend to be healthier than those who don't; volunteer work is not only beneficial to the community, but increases a person's sense of self worth; forgiveness is an important step too, holding a grudge against an old friend or family member can be quite a detrimental thing, to you and to those who care about you. These are just a few of many, many things you may want to consider when examining your own mental/emotional/spiritual health.
Avoid Excesses. To much of anything, yes even good things, can be bad for you. If you eat junk food, try to eat less of it. If you drink, drink in moderation. If you party, don't party every night. If you smoke...never mind. don't smoke; it would be negligent of me to advise you otherwise. You get the picture.
Consider Supplements. The foods we eat are not grown in the same ways they used to be, and do not have all the same vitamins in them they used to. It may be in your best interest to take a multivitamin, and perhaps some other supplements. But proceed cautiously. Excesses of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, or herbs can be dangerous. Consult the advice of someone qualified to recommend specific supplements based on your needs.
Comments