Author: hyftechnologies

Overweight and obesity are common health problems worldwide. Food plans that work – those that help people lose weight and help them keep the weight off – embody only a few simple principles. These weight loss secrets include eating five or six small meals each day, combining protein and carbohydrates at each small meal (food combining), eating at least five portions of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and drinking plenty of water.^1,2

Water is essential to human life. In fact, our bodies are composed of about 70% water. All our biochemical reactions take place in a watery environment. Therefore, drinking plenty of water is a critical part of any healthy food plan. Actually, drinking enough water is the most important nutritional advice anyone can give to anybody.

So drinking enough water every day would seem to be a no-brainer. But hardly anyone does it. And the simple fact is that if you’re not drinking enough water your internal environment is toxic. That’s right – toxic.

Water helps flush away waste products of metabolic activities. Not enough water means that waste products accumulate, irritating nerve endings and interfering with normal physiology. Bottom line – your skin breaks out, people start to offer you Tic-Tacs, you become irregular, you develop allergies and asthma, you don’t sleep well or need extra sleep to feel rested, you are irritable and nervous, and you start having headaches. Any or all of these.

These are real problems, and the list could go on.3 The common solution – drink sufficient water. Once people begin drinking enough, they report that lots of physical problems automatically improve. They sleep better, headaches go away or are less troublesome, their skin clears up, allergies improve, and their digestive systems function more normally. All this from just taking the time to drink more water. Pretty amazing.

In terms of weight loss, drinking enough water helps support your exercise program and helps support healthy nutrition. If you don’t drink enough water, you won’t be able to build the new fat-burning muscle cells you’re hoping to build with exercise. If you don’t drink enough water, you won’t be able to properly metabolize carbohydrates. Instead of being used for energy, these carbs will be stored as fat. Drinking enough water helps ensure you get the weight-loss results you want to get.

How much water is enough? Recommendations range from six to eight to ten glasses per day. However, there is such a thing as water toxicity. You don’t want to overload an unprepared system. If you’re used to drinking no water, which is true for many people, start by drinking two or three glasses in a day. Get used to that for a week, and then drink four glasses a day for a week, and build up to six or so glasses a day.

A very good rule of thumb is this – if you’re thirsty, it’s already too late. Hikers know this. If you’re hiking and you become thirsty, you’re on your way to feeling light-headed and getting a headache. All of a sudden you lose your footing or take a wrong turn and get lost.

Hikers know they need to drink water throughout the hike to stay alert and keep their mind sharp. So hikers continually take small sips of water, all along the way.

We want to do the same – drink water throughout the day.

¹Daniels MC, Popkin BM: Impact of water intake on energy intake and weight status: a systematic review. Nutr Rev 68(9):505-521, 2010

²Dennis EA, et al: Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Obesity (Silver Spring) 18(2):300-307, 2010

³Roussel R, et al: Low water intake and risk for new-onset hyperglycemia. Diabetes Care 34(12):2551-2554, 2011

It’s well-known that one-third of American adults are overweight and an additional one-third are obese.¹ In addition, 17% of U.S. children and adolescents are obese.² Worldwide statistics are similar. These facts are strongly associated with ongoing epidemics in diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes may cause loss of vision, kidney problems, and loss of circulation in the legs and feet. Cardiovascular disease includes high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attacks. Being overweight or obese may cause diseases which require lifelong treatment. Personal action is needed to begin to restore good health, but it’s important to understand the specific nature of the actions to take.

What is not required is a drastic reduction of body weight to some idealized norm of “thinness.” It is not appropriate for people to attempt to force themselves to look like runway models. What does work is applying simple techniques and strategies to encourage a gradual loss of weight. Over time persons on such a plan will achieve a body weight that is normal for them. There are two key steps to reaching your normal weight.

The first step is to reduce your overall intake of calories by eating six small meals a day. If five small meals works best for your schedule and daily needs, that’s fine. The main point involves total calories. With six small meals, each one is about 300 calories – a little less for women and a little more for men who are taller and more heavily muscled. For men the daily calorie intake is between 1800 and 2100 calories. For women, the daily calorie intake is between 1700 and 1800 calories. By experimenting a bit, you’ll find your optimal calorie level that results in consistent weight loss. Make sure to combine complex carbohydrates and protein at each small meal. The numerous benefits of food combining include maintaining insulin levels in a normal range and improved cognitive/mental function.

For many people, this reduction in daily calories will have an immediate and dramatic impact. There may be real hunger pangs, and it will be important to remember that the next small meal is only a couple of hours away. The pounds you lose in the first couple of weeks will likely provide plenty of reinforcement to help you through the times when you are really hungry.

The next and simultaneous step is to begin a program of regular, vigorous exercise. Of course, if you haven’t exercised in a long time you’ll need to start slowly. Your goal is to build up to 30 minutes of vigorous exercise five times per week.³ Ideally you’ll be doing both cardiovascular exercise and strength training, and in the process you’ll build lean muscle mass. The result is an elevation in your basal metabolic rate which causes your body to burn fat even while you’re resting!

As you follow these two health-promoting programs, you will notice that you’re steadily and gradually losing weight. There will come a time, anywhere from 6 months to a year after you’ve begun your new lifestyle, when your weight loss will stop. For example, you’ll notice you only lost half a pound over the previous week or two. Then you’ll know that you’ve reached your “ideal” body weight. You’ve reached the weight that is normal for you. It is very likely that your new body mass index (a ratio between your height and weight) is now in the normal range or very close to the high end of normal. You’ve taken control of your health and your life, and the very good news is that you’ve built new habits that will last a lifetime.

¹Ogden CL, et al: Prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009-2010. NCHS Data Brief No. 82. National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2012

²Waters E, et al: Interventions for preventing obesity in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 7(12):CD001871, 2011

³Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vital signs: walking among adults – United States, 2005 and 2010. MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep 61:595-601, 2012

America’s weight problems are now so well-known they’re even fair game for jokes at the Oscars. “Americans really know how to fill up a seat,” jibes Ellen DeGeneres, host of the 2007 Academy Awards.

The statistics are alarming. Sixty-five percent of Americans – 130 million in 2001 – are overweight. Fifteen percent of American children are overweight (up from four percent only 20 years ago). Healthcare costs related to overweight Americans has ballooned to $117 billion (that’s billion) in 2003. And the numbers keep going up. The scales don’t lie.

And yet, diet and weight-loss books fill our nation’s bookstores. Low-carb diets. High-protein diets. The cabbage soup diet. The grapefruit diet. The raw foods diet. Most people we know have tried one or more of these. The new diet works for a while, then we can’t take the deprivation any longer and break the diet. Then, horrifyingly, all the weight we lost comes right back, and we’re right back where we started. Or possibly even a few pounds heavier.
The very good news is that a real, long-lasting solution exists. The basics of this healthy approach to long-term weight loss have been known for decades. This solution is not a diet. It doesn’t have a catchy name. There are, though, a few “magic” secrets to this food plan that works.

• “Secret” Number 1 – eat six small meals throughout each day, separated by 2.5 to 3 hours
• “Secret” Number 2 – combine protein and carbohydrates in each meal
• “Secret” Number 3 – drink plenty of water (eight to ten glasses) throughout the day
• “Secret” Number 4 – eat two portions of vegetables each day
• “Secret” Number 5 – take one day off each week (a “free” day) and eat whatever you want, whenever you want

Why combine protein and carbohydrate at each meal? This critical combination feeds our muscles by providing the amino acids (from protein) necessary to build and maintain muscle tissue, and the carbohydrate needed to shuttle the amino acids into the cells. If the carbs aren’t there the protein doesn’t get used. There’s also a human performance benefit – eating balanced meals enables better cognitive/mental function. So we’re not only getting healthier on this food plan, we’re getting smarter!¹

Why eat six times a day? Studies have shown this approach results in a faster metabolic rate, a lower percentage of body fat, and reduced “bad” cholesterol levels, all while maintaining lean muscle mass.^2,3 Each meal contains approximately 300 calories (proteins and carbohydrates in each meal are in “portion” sizes). That’s it! This sensible, easy approach to food allows you to eat everything – there are no restrictions. And, on your free day you can indulge, or not, letting your natural instincts guide you.

¹Fischer K, et al: “Carbohydrate to protein ratio in food and cognitive performance in the morning.” Physiol Behav 75(3):411-423, 2002
²Jenkins JD, et al: “Nibbling vs. gorging: metabolic advantages of increased meal frequency.” NEJM 321(14):929-934, 1989
³Verboeket WP, et al: “Influence of feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism.” Eur J Clin Nutr 43(3):161-169, 1991

If you need to shed a few extra pounds, you’re not alone. Excess weight is possibly the largest health concern in the United States today. According to the Surgeon General, well over half of all adults in the U.S. were overweight in 1999. The good news is that your chiropractor can help you achieve your ideal weight and stay there. And it won’t involve feeling tortured by unrealistic diet or exercise regiments.

Even when hormones, metabolic imbalances or genes play a role, two basic methods are always recommended: increased physical activity and healthier dietary habits. Because chiropractic looks at you as a whole-including nutritional, environmental, emotional and physiological factors-your chiropractor is well suited to help you assess the best ways for you, as an individual, to approach both.

Increasing Physical Activity

According to the Surgeon General, 40 percent of Americans do not participate in regular physical activity. And, despite the multitude of proven health benefits resulting from physical fitness, a recent Mayo Clinic article reported that, sadly, only 22 – 48 percent of patients are advised by their primary care physicians to step up the amount of exercise they get.

Aside from motivating and helping patients to determine the kind of exercise best for them, chiropractic can remove some of the difficult road-blocks-such as pain from old injuries, impaired flexibility, misalignments and the resulting self-consciousness-that stop well-intentioned exercise participants from moving forward. When patients feel good physically, their chances of successfully meeting their weight goals increase dramatically.

You chiropractor may suggest the following: First of all, don’t be fooled into thinking that a hard workout is the only workout. Walking is one of the best ways to keep active. Also, it isn’t necessary to exercise for one, long stretch of time. Multiple short workouts (e.g. three 10-minute sessions) can be just as effective. And, finally, don’t forget to enjoy yourself! Exercise should make you feel good.

Re-evaluating Your Diet

As with physical activity, it’s important to implement dietary changes that support you physically and mentally, and that do not go to unsustainable extremes. There are an overwhelming number of diet schemes (and scams) out there, and it can be difficult to navigate a sane path to better eating alone. Your chiropractor, who studied nutrition as part of his or her training, can offer you personalized advice and support.

Because there are a myriad of serious health concerns associated with excess weight-such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke-the decision to lose weight can be a crucial one. Don’t hesitate to use your chiropractor as a resource. He or she can provide the necessary care and support for healthy weight loss.

Is a lack of sleep thwarting your best weight loss efforts? There is much evidence to suggest that a lack of sleep goes hand-in-hand with weight gain. But first, it is important to address why you aren’t sleeping well. Is your stress level or caffeine intake to blame? Or is your sleeplessness due to a common but very serious condition called sleep apnea? Sleep apnea can affect weight loss, hunger and hormone activity in a number of ways, thwarting your best efforts to maintain a healthy weight.

Simply put, sleep apnea happens when breathing is obstructed or ceases altogether while sleeping. Symptoms of the condition range from light snoring to waking up several times during the night, gasping for air. The most common form of sleep apnea – obstructive sleep apnea – affects approximately six percent of the population. But this number is expected to rise along with the increasing rate of obesity, because obesity is a chief cause of obstructive sleep apnea.

To make matters worse, those who are already overweight may gain weight more easily if they aren’t getting adequate sleep, fueling a vicious cycle. Several theories attempt to explain why a lack of sleep may encourage us to pack on the pounds. Some say that a sleep-deprived person simply doesn’t have the energy to be active during the day. They’re too tired to get to the gym or even take the stairs, burning far fewer calories than a well-rested individual would. Others believe the sleep-deprived attempt to make up for a lack of energy by consuming a greater number of calories. Additional evidence surrounding sleep deprivation and weight gain suggests the problem may be hormonal.

Hormone function is largely responsible for the way in which fat cells respond to the food we eat. Cortisol is a hormone that is usually released in response to emotional and physical stress. When we don’t get enough sleep, cortisol is released at an increased rate, making us feel hungry even if we’ve eaten enough.

And just because sleep apnea is most common among adults, do not assume that children are exempt from the problem. It’s no secret that the number of obese children is rising steadily; and it’s no stretch to imagine that some of these children will develop sleep apnea.

If you’re having trouble sleeping on a regular basis, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. Otherwise, a few simple tips and tricks just might help get you back on a regular sleep schedule. If you are already obese and suffering from sleep apnea, your chiropractor can discuss a sensible dieting plan with you, helping you return to a healthy weight and enjoy more restful, unobstructed sleep. And of course, never underestimate the importance of exercise. Exercising three to four times per week is crucial for restful sleep. And getting your workout in long before bedtime is helpful, leaving ample time for your heart rate and hormone levels to return to a resting state. Make sure your room is dark and the temperature of the room will remain comfortable throughout the night. If you’re one of those people trying to squeeze extra tasks and activities into your day, leave more for tomorrow and get some sleep. Adequate sleep will increase your productivity during waking hours.

What You Need to Know About Neck Spasms

When a neck spasm hits, even the slightest movement can cause intense pain. Although the spasms are usually short-lived, they can become a chronic problem in some cases. If you suffer from frequent neck spasms, understanding the cause can help you avoid future bouts of pain.

Why Neck Spasms Happen

Have you ever turned your head quickly and felt a tight, painful sensation in your neck? The pain occurs when the muscles in your neck spasm or tighten unexpectedly. Spasms can last several minutes or linger for days or weeks. Chronic or frequent spasms can cause pain and headaches that interfere with your usual activities. Even if the spasm goes away quickly, you may still experience pain due to sore muscles.

Neck pain and spasms are common problems for many of us. In fact, 20 to 70 percent of Americans will experience neck pain that interferes with their usual activities at some point in their lives, according to Practical Pain Management.

Neck Spasms can be caused by:

• Poor Posture. Slouching strains your neck, shoulders, and upper back muscles, increasing your risk of spasms. In addition to spasms, you may also develop headaches due to poor posture.
• Using Digital Devices. Looking downward to use smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices can cause a condition called tech neck. Holding your head in a downward position stresses the muscles in your neck, triggering spasms. Eventually, tech neck can cause spinal misalignments, early-onset arthritis, and muscle or nerve damage.
• Holding Your Head in an Uncomfortable Position. Spasms can be a problem if you’re a mechanic, plumber, or work in another type of job that requires you to twist or turn your head.
• Stress. Stress can tighten the neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles, causing spasms.
• Your Sleep Habits. Sleeping on a pillow or mattress that doesn’t adequately support your body may mean that you wake up with an aching neck.
• Sprain or Strain. An injury to the muscles or ligaments in your neck could also be to blame for your spasms.

What You Can Do About Neck Spasms

Do you reach for a bottle of ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) when you have neck spasms? Although many people believe taking an NSAID can be useful in treating your symptoms, long-term or frequent use of NSAIDs can cause upset stomachs, ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, or even liver damage in some cases. Luckily, trying a few of these recommendations will help relax your muscles and ease your pain naturally:

• Ice and Heat. Ice packs reduce inflammation and relieve pain. (Don’t use ice packs for more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time, as frostbite could occur.) A heating pad, hot water bottle, or a stream of hot water from a showerhead will help loosen and relax tight muscles.
• Massage. Do-it-yourself or professional massages relax tight muscles and prompt your body to produce endorphins, chemicals that act like natural painkillers.
• Stretches. Slowly dropping your head toward your shoulder and other gentle neck exercises may help stretch the muscles and put an end to the spasm.

If you still have spasms, it’s a good idea to call the chiropractor. Your chiropractor will develop a treatment plan based on your symptoms and your physical exam. The plan may include:

• Spinal manipulation. This hands-on therapy realigns the vertebrae in your neck and decreases muscle tension.
• Massage. In addition to loosening muscles, massage also improves circulation, which can speed healing.
• Trigger Point Therapy. Trigger point therapy relaxes muscle fibers that cause knots in your neck and may reduce your spasms.
• Ultrasound Therapy. Ultrasound waves relax and warm muscles, relieving pain.
• Soft Tissue Manipulation. Your chiropractor uses handheld tools to find the source of your pain and loosen tight tissues.
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS). A gentle electrical current prevents pain signals from reaching the brain.
• Traction. This treatment relieves pain and loosens muscles by gently increasing the space between your vertebrae
• Exercises. Your chiropractor can teach you exercises that improve your posture and strengthen the muscles that support your neck and core.

Could a visit to the chiropractor ease your neck spasms? Get in touch with us if you’re ready to schedule your appointment.

Sources:

Practical Pain Management: About Back/Neck, Spine and Shoulder Pain – The Statistics, 7/29/19

SPINE-Health: How to Relieve a Neck Muscle Spasm, 11/19/19

MedlinePlus: Neck Pain or Spasms – Self-Care, 7/11/19

Spine Universe: Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain

4 Tips to Help You Strengthen Your Joints

Are your joints as strong as they could be? Joint weakness can lead to a variety of problems ranging from injuries to pain to stiffness. Making a few changes in your life, in addition to visiting the chiropractor on a regular basis, will help you keep your joints strong and flexible.

The Consequences of Weak Joints

Falls, arthritis, wear and tear, poor muscle tone, and even posture issues can cause weak joints. Unfortunately, once a joint is weak, you’re more likely to develop injuries, including dislocations, fractures, strained muscles, and sprains. Weak joints may also affect your balance and increase your risk of falls. Fortunately, improving your joint health can be as simple as exercising more often, changing your diet, or losing weight.

1. Make Exercise a Priority

Exercise keeps joints limber, improves blood flow, and strengthens the muscles that support your joints. When your muscles are strong, you’re less likely to injure yourself or suffer from joint pain. Your exercise routine should include:

• Aerobic Exercise. Aerobic exercise is any type of exercise that increases your heart rate, including running, walking, dancing, aerobics, skiing, swimming, riding a bike, or playing sports. This type of exercise keeps your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints strong and flexible and lowers your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. If you have arthritis or another joint condition, high-impact activity, like running, tennis, or high-impact aerobics, could worsen your symptoms. Walking, swimming, riding a stationary bicycle, or performing low-impact aerobics are better choices.
• Strengthening Exercises. Strengthening exercises improve balance, flexibility, coordination, and bone strength and density, in addition to increasing and strengthening muscle mass. Exercises can be performed using weights, resistance bands, or weight machines. Push-ups, lunges, squats, planks, and other types of resistance exercises also strengthen bones and muscles.
• Stretching. Start and end every exercise session with a 5 to 10-minute stretching session. Stretching increases blood flow to muscles and tissues, improves flexibility, and keeps your muscles loose after you finish your workout.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, in addition to at least two weekly sessions of strengthening exercises that work all the major muscle groups.

2. Improve Your Diet

Avoid processed, greasy, fried, fatty, sugary, or high-carbohydrate foods. A diet that includes fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, low-fat dairy products, chicken, fish, and lean meats is ideal for joint and muscle health.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Carrying extra pounds stresses your joints, increasing your risk of injuries, osteoarthritis, and joint pain. Being obese or overweight is particularly hard on the joints in your knees. Losing weight can reduce the need for knee replacement surgery in obese patients with knee osteoarthritis by 31 percent, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

4. See Your Chiropractor

Regular visits to the chiropractor help keep your joints flexible and improve your range of motion. Subluxations, misalignments in your spine or other parts of your body, increase your risk of joint injuries and pain. These misalignments can be caused by falls, injuries, poor posture, gait problems, and even spending too much time using your digital devices. Luckily, your chiropractor can correct subluxations with adjustments and other treatments that realign your joints and reduce tension on your muscles, tendons, soft tissues, and ligaments. Treatments also address imbalances that could increase your risk of joint injuries.

Scheduling periodic visits with the chiropractic is a simple way to protect your joints. Give us a call if you’re ready to make your next appointment.

Sources:

PubMed: American College of Rheumatology: Obesity and the Relative Risk of Knee Replacement Surgery in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis 4/16

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition

WebMD: Chiropractic Care for Joint Problems: What to Know, 10/1/20

Cleveland Clinic: 5 Best Ways to Safeguard Your Joints as You Age, 7/13/20

How Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Work Together for a Healthier You

Is massage therapy part of your chiropractic treatment plan? Combining massages with chiropractic treatment enhances the effects of the treatments and may even help you reduce your risk of illness.

7 Benefits of Mixing Chiropractic and Massage Therapy

When you receive a massage before or after your chiropractic treatments, you’ll enjoy these advantages:

1. Increased Flexibility. Problems with flexibility, stiffness, and reduced range of motion can be caused by subluxation, a process that occurs when the vertebrae in your spine become misaligned. Subluxations increase pressure on the muscles, joints, and ligaments in your back and can cause imbalances throughout your entire body. Although spinal manipulation treatment realigns the vertebrae in your spine, your muscles and tissues may remain tight even after the adjustment. Loosening muscles and tissues with massage therapy make it easier to move without stiffness. It also breaks apart scar tissue that can restrict joint movement.

2. Pain Relief. Have you ever wondered why you feel so good when you leave the chiropractic office? Chiropractic treatments flood your body with endorphins, chemicals that improve your mood and relieve pain naturally and effectively. Both massage therapy and chiropractic treatments trigger the release of these chemicals. Thanks to your treatments, you may be able to reduce the amount of pain medication you take or even stop taking painkillers completely.

3. Better Circulation. Restricted blood flow, a common problem after an injury, makes it difficult for white blood cells to reach the damaged area. White cells repair damaged cells and are essential for healing. The combination of chiropractic treatment and massages improves blood circulation, which helps you feel better sooner.

4. Fewer Headaches. Do headaches interfere with your work, hobbies, or family life? Headaches can be caused by subluxations in the vertebrae in your neck. Spinal manipulation realigns the vertebrae while massages soothe tight, painful muscles in your neck, head, and shoulders. Chiropractic treatment and massages are effective in treating many types of headaches, including tension, cluster, and migraine headaches.

5. Less Stress. Stress is a common complaint of workers throughout the world. In fact, 43% of employees reported feeling stressed in Gallup’s 2021 State of the Global Workforce report. Luckily, a visit to the chiropractor offers an all-natural solution to stress. Chiropractic treatments loosen joints and muscles tightened by stress, while massages relax the muscles even further. Once your muscle pain eases, you’re bound to feel less stressed. Treatments also reset your nervous system, trigger endorphin production, and decrease the “fight or flight” adrenaline response that happens when you’re stressed.

6. A Natural Treatment for Insomnia. Sleeping well is difficult if your back hurts or you’re struggling with stress or anxiety. Chiropractic treatments and massages ease pain and stress, helping you sleep better. Massages also prompt your body to release serotonin, a hormone that controls your moods and helps you feel calm and relaxed.

7. Less Inflammation. Inflammation slows healing and could be the reason that an injury is taking longer than expected to heal. It also plays a part in many general health conditions and diseases, including arthritis, asthma, allergies, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Spinal manipulation, massages, and other therapies your chiropractor offers can decrease inflammation and may reduce your risk of serious health issues.

Are you ready to improve your health with a visit to the chiropractor? Contact us to schedule a convenient appointment.

Sources:

Gallup: State of the Global Workplace, 2021

American Massage Therapy Association: 25 Reasons to Get a Massage

Mayo Clinic: Massage: Get in Touch with Its Many Benefits, 1/12/21

Time: You Asked: Do Massages Have Real Health Benefits?, 1/3/18

Harvard Health Publishing: What Is Inflammation, and Why Is It Dangerous, 3/1/20

Could Your Sedentary Lifestyle Be Harming Your Health?

If walking around the grocery store is the most exercise you get in a week, you may be putting your health at risk. Inactivity is a factor in many health conditions, ranging from cancer to high blood pressure to osteoporosis. Fortunately, it’s never too late to improve your health by becoming more active.

Are You a Couch Potato? You May Be More Likely To Experience These Health Issues

Only 25% of Americans are active enough to satisfy current exercise recommendations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adults should participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week, according to the recommendations.

Lack of exercise can increase your risk of:

• Cardiovascular Problems. You’re more likely to develop heart disease, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol if you don’t move enough. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle doubles your risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to the World Health Organization. Regular aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and improves blood flow to the brain, heart, lungs, and other organs. Aerobic exercise is any activity that raises your heart rate, such as swimming, walking, riding a bike, or playing tennis.
• Obesity. Exercise helps you burn calories and improves your metabolism, the rate at which you burn those calories. If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, exercising more, in addition to following a healthy diet, could help you shed a few extra pounds.
• Type 2 Diabetes. Inactivity may also increase your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects more than 34 million Americans, according to the CDC. If you’re sedentary, you may develop insulin resistance, a condition that affects your body’s ability to use glucose (blood sugar) to provide energy to your cells. Glucose builds up in your blood if you’re insulin resistant, making it more likely that you’ll develop pre-diabetes or diabetes. Researchers in Korea discovered being inactive for 10 hours or more daily increased insulin resistance values in people who didn’t have diabetes.
• Weak Bones. Weight-bearing activities, like walking, strength training, dancing, or running, keep your bones strong. These activities increase bone density and improve the range of motion in your joints. Weight-bearing exercise is particularly important as you get older. Exercise can help you lower your risk of developing osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bones and increases your risk of fractures.
• Cancer. Skipping exercise can also raise your cancer risk. Inactivity raises the risk of uterine, colon, and breast cancers, according to Medline Plus.
• Mental Health Issues. Staying active may also help you avoid depression and anxiety or reduce the symptoms of these conditions. Exercise improves nerve cell growth in the part of the brain that controls moods and triggers the release of endorphins, natural chemicals that improve your mood, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
• Joint and Muscle Pain. Without regular exercise, your joints and muscles may become stiff and painful. Does your job involve plenty of sitting? When you sit too much, the core muscles that support your back begin to weaken. When the muscles are weak, you’re more likely to experience strained muscles, muscle spasms, and knots in your muscles. Muscle imbalances due to lack of exercise can pull your spine out of alignment, causing chronic back pain and reduced range of motion.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help You Stay Healthy

Your chiropractor can recommend exercises that will strengthen and support your body and help you stay healthy. If pain is keeping you from exercising, your chiropractor offers a variety of treatments designed to improve spinal alignment and decrease pressure and tension on your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves. Thanks to your visits to the chiropractor, you’ll be able to make exercising a priority.

Has it been a while since you’ve seen the chiropractor? Give us a call and we’ll help you schedule your next appointment.

Sources:

America’s Health Rankings: Physical Inactivity

Harvard Health Publishing: Exercise Is An All-Natural Way to Fight Depression, 2/2/21

World Health Organization: Physical Inactivity a Leading Cause of Disease and Disability, Warns Who, 4/4/02

Medline Plus: Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle

Korean Journal of Family Medicine: Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks, 11/19/20

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lack of Physical Activity, 9/25/19

Chiropractic Care Offers Important Benefits for Older People

Staying fit and healthy becomes more challenging as you get older. Joints begin to ache as a result of years of wear and tear, while reduced muscle mass can lead to balance problems. Fortunately, chiropractic care can help you address age-related aging changes and protect your health.

Tired of Living with Pain? Chiropractic Treatment Offers an All-Natural Solution

As your muscle mass shrinks, your tendons and ligaments become stiffer, increasing your risk of strains, sprains, and muscle spasms. At the same time, you may be dealing with pain and inflammation in your joints due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. You may also be struggling with a herniated disc or neck or back pain.

In many cases, joint or muscle pain can be caused or worsened by misaligned vertebrae in your spine. Spinal misalignments stress your joints, trigger pain, and may increase inflammation and pressure on muscles, nerves, ligaments, and tendons. Spinal manipulations, commonly called adjustments, realign your spine and ease tension on your soft tissues and nerves, decreasing pain. Your chiropractor uses hands-on pressure or a small activating device to move your vertebrae back into their normal positions.

Spinal manipulation can be very helpful in easing neck pain, a common complaint among older people. In a study that appeared in The Spine Journal, participants 65 and older who received spinal manipulation therapy had 10 percent less pain than a control group that only performed exercises at home.

Your spine can become misaligned due to falls, posture issues, poor exercise techniques, and even stress. When you see your chiropractor on a regular basis, misalignments can be quickly corrected before they trigger painful inflammation. If you’re currently taking pain medication for arthritis or another condition, you may be able to stop taking it or reduce your dosage thanks to regular chiropractic treatments.

Chiropractic Treatment Helps You Remain Active

Staying active is essential for your good health. Regular physical activity improves mental health, delays dementia, and helps protect against stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer, according to BioMed Research International. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get enough exercise if you have stiff, painful joints.

In addition to spinal manipulation, your chiropractor offers other helpful treatments, including massage and soft tissue mobilization and manipulation. These therapies relieve pain and loosen tight muscles and tissues. After a few visits to the chiropractor, you may notice that your flexibility and range of motion increase. Thanks to your chiropractic treatments, you’ll be able to participate in your favorite activities once again.

Your Risk of Falling May Decrease

Falls are particularly dangerous when you’re older. Even a minor fall can cause broken bones and other injuries that may affect your mobility and independence. Spinal misalignments can trigger imbalances throughout your entire body. As a result, you may be unable to react quickly if you start to slip. It’s much easier to keep your balance when your vertebrae are properly aligned and your muscles and tissues are flexible.

Treatments Can Help You Sleep Better

Getting a good night’s sleep becomes increasingly difficult as you get older. In fact, 50 percent of older people report having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep in a 2018 review published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Pain and stress can be contributing factors if you have insomnia. Chiropractic treatment not only reduces pain but may also help you feel more relaxed. Treatments increase your body’s production of endorphins and serotonin, hormones that decrease pain and improve your mood.

Are you struggling with pain, balance issues, or other age-related problems? Chiropractic treatment can help you enjoy a healthier, more comfortable life. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.

Source:

NCBI: BioMed Research International: The Importance of Physical Activities Exercise Among Older People, 12/5/18

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: Insomnia in the Elderly: A Review, 6/15/18

Chiropractic & Manual Therapies: The Role of Chiropractic Care in Older Adults, 2/21/12

PubMed: The Spine Journal: Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Exercise for Seniors with Chronic Neck Pain, 09/1/14

BMC Geriatrics: The Profile of Older Adults Seeking Chiropractic Care: A Secondary Analysis, 4/23/21