Archive for April, 2010

A Family That Plays Together…

As a chiropractor I am always interested in new studies that emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight and getting regular exercise. In addition to regular chiropractic care, I recommend a nutritious diet and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle whether my patients are children, adults, and seniors. There are enormous health benefits to staying active through the years and we, humans, can neither start too early nor quit too late. In fact, in my years as a chiropractor I have witnessed the positive results on the musculoskeletal system of my older patients who’ve stayed active and don’t carry around excess weight. Not only are they generally more healthy, but they seldom develop the arthritic changes that often accompanyboth a sedentary lifestyle and wear and tear on the joints from extra poundage.

Many organic diseases, in fact, might well be avoided through early exercise and weight maintenance. As a case in point, Cancer Researchers in the UK  estimated that more than 19,000 cases of cancer could be prevented each year in the UK, alone, if everyone maintained a healthy body weight. And, they found that the amount of exercise children get is mainly influenced by their environment, especially their immediate family influences, but also their neighborhood and school environments. The researchers discovered that even though some children may inherit certain genes that make them naturally more likely to enjoy sports and exercise, environment is the most powerful factor in determining how active they actually are.

So, really, it all boils down to this: A family that plays together and weighs together, stays healthier together!

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Have Fun in the Summer Sun, But Be Smart

Summer is the perfect time to get involved in physical activities, especially the ones that you can do outdoors like jogging, softball, and tennis. But, becoming active after the “dormant” days of winter carries requires some forethought. So, here are a few tips for getting in shape before getting physically involved, again, with the great outdoors:

  1. See your chiropractor to make sure your musculoskeletal system is in healthy alignment.
  2. Always stretch before any type of exercise. Your chiropractor can suggest specific stretches and “pre-sports” exercises that will prepare you body for the types of summer activities you want to get involved in.
  3. Stay hydrated. Good hydration means drinking plenty of water and replenishing your “electrolytes” as well.
  4. Don’t do it all on the first day. Start out slowly and pace yourself, and make sure you take breaks and to drink those fluids. 
  5. Be aware of the outdoor temperature. Extreme summer heat can over-heat your body’s systems. Adding exercise to the mix can further increases circulation, raises your heart rate, and makes breathing more laborious.
  6. Don’t go to extremes. After you exercise or play a sport, don’t take an extra cold shower (even if you want to cool down fast) or an extremely hot shower or sauna (even though you want to relax your well-worked muscles). Again, you don’t want to put your body’s system on overload.
  7. Have fun. That’s what summer is all about right? Healthy exercise can give you a “natural high” that is good for you mentally and physically!

Posted via email from chirowellnessnews’s posterous