Make 2020 the year of a healthy spine!
It’s the start of the New Year and this is the time to start thinking about how to make significant changes to improve your health. If you would like to improve the health of your spine as well as your overall wellness try these seven steps.
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. There are many benefits to exercising for as little as 30 minutes a day. Besides decreasing your risk of obesity and diabetes you will also find you have a less back pain, migraine and other neuro-musculoskeletal symptoms.
- Deep Breathing. Reduce stress with long walks, meditation and by taking breaks throughout the day. By lowering your stress levels, you strengthen your immune system and experience less chronic pain.
- Laugh a lot. Laughter is the best medicine. Besides reducing mental stress, laughter also sets off a surge of healthy physical reactions. Studies show that the heart, lungs and muscles are stimulated by laughter. An added bonus is that laughter releases of a burst of endorphins.
- Greens are good for you. It has been shown that patients with back pain have benefited from eating spinach, lentils and beans which are high in magnesium. To minimize your risk of osteoarthritis you need to consume cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale.
- Quit smoking. You increase your risk of spinal conditions and arthritis by cigarette smoking. Cutting out smoking has been linked to a reduction in spinal pain.
- Lose weight. All that extra weight you are carrying increases the burden on your spine and joints making you more prone to disc herniation, osteoarthritis and sciatica.
- See a chiropractor. Your spine has an important part to play in your general health by making sure your nervous system is functioning efficiently. Chiropractors are spinal specialists who, besides relieving pain from spinal conditions, they can also help in improving your overall health. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to not only reduce the stress hormone cortisol but to also boost the levels of infection fighting antibodies in the body.
Ready to take the next step to a healthy spine and better overall health as well? Come visit Innovative Chiropractic in our Mill Creek, WA office and start the new year right by taking care of yourself.
