New Years resolutions for your spine and health The beginning of every year is full of good intentions with the realization that a year has passed and reflection of where life may have gone or not gone in the previous year and motivation to do better in the coming year. As most resolutions tend to be about health here are some ways to improve the health of your spine and nervous system for the New Year. 1) Keep Your Spine Properly Aligned Maintaining optimal spinal alignment and mobility are vital for good spinal and neurological health, getting to the cause of back pain and other symptoms as well as preventing tight muscles in the back and extremities. Tight painful muscles are often the result of your bodys natural defense mechanism against joint misalignment. When a joint becomes misaligned, the bodys natural reaction is to prevent further injury to the area. The muscles lock the area with the intention of maintaining stability in the affected region. The muscles will immediately begin to relax when proper alignment and joint and nerve function are restored. Routine spinal check-ups help ensure good spinal alignment and optimal neurological function. 2) Develop the curves in your spine. There is a direct relationship between a small mid back curve (thoracic kyphosis) and a larger lower back curve (lumbar lordosis) and strength in the back. Amazingly a study showed that strength doing a bench press could be increased just by improving the lumbar curve alone. This is interesting as most body builders tend to develop the opposite of the ideal posture, so it is little wonder that injuries in body building are prevalent and why they suffer premature arthritis. 3) Stretch Daily Tight muscles occur as a result of repetitive usage of the same body part or due to long periods of time spent in the same position. Routine stretches help to prevent the muscles from becoming tight and developing chronic problems. 4) Exercise Regularly For Mobile Joints It is well known that regular exercise is good for your overall physical and mental health. What you may not realize is that exercise helps keep your spine healthy as well. Your vertebral discs have no blood supply so movement is important to pump nutrition to the discs and to take waste products away, in turn preventing premature aging/degeneration. If you sit for prolonged periods use a Disc-O-Sit and perform wobble chair exercises to counter some of the negative effects of prolonged sitting. 5) Stay Well Hydrated The average human body is made up of 55-60% water. Staying well hydrated is important for back health because the discs are like sponges and absorb a lot of water. The more water you take in during the day, the better hydrated your intervertebral discs. 6) Increase Core Strength Your back and abdominal muscles are commonly referred to together as your core. The core muscle group helps maintain stability and balance in your body and support your spine. Your core offers stability to your spine when lifting a heavy object. If part or all of your core becomes weak, then your body will not be able to adapt well to stresses placed on your body each day. This makes you more susceptible to spinal problems and consequently irritated nerves. 7) Stay Committed Maintaining a healthy spine and nervous system is a life-long commitment. Make each of the New Years resolutions mentioned above part of your routine. Put in a little effort each day - your spine will thank you later.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 15:04:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015