Self-Care & Seasonal Depression
October 11, 2024
If chiropractic care is already part of your regular healthcare routine, give yourself a pat on the back! You’ve made great strides in improving your health and wellness. But to get the most out of your chiropractic adjustments, you need to take care of your body between visits. Here are our tips.
STAY HYDRATED
Staying hydrated is important no matter what time of year, but especially during the summer and especially between adjustments. Your body is made up mostly of water, so you need to stay hydrated in order for it to function and heal properly. This is especially true for your spine, as the spinal discs located between vertebrae are made almost entirely of water, so hydration affects the movement and health of your entire spine. If you don’t drink enough water, your spine won’t be able to function as it should. Try to drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day to stay hydrated.
STAY MOVING
To keep your spine healthy, you’ve got to keep moving. When you become sedentary, your body can suffer from a loss of mobility. If you aren’t already exercising regularly, just start small. Take a walk around your neighborhood, ride your bike, or take a few minutes each day to stretch. Stretching is a great way to improve the health of your spine. A short stretching routine when you wake up or before you go to bed (or both) can greatly improve spinal health. With just 10 minutes of stretching each day, you will notice an improvement. Imagine what 20 minutes each day will accomplish!
STAY BALANCED
If you really think about it, you’ll realize that most people don’t live very balanced lives. For many, just the position the body is held in creates imbalance. For example, sitting for hours at a time at a desk while working. Long periods of time without activity can cause issues for your spine and just because you can sit for a long time doesn’t mean you should. A simple fix is to get up and move every 45 minutes. Stretch your legs, back, or take a short walk. We can even recommend some work-friendly stretches next time you come in for an adjustment.
Chiropractic adjustments can benefit your health and wellness in many ways, but to get the most out of them, it’s important to make your health a priority in between visits. To learn more about how your local Pontiac, IL chiropractor can help improve your health, click here to contact us.