Despite all this year has thrown at you, you’ve done a great job of prioritizing your health. If you’ve been maintaining your regular chiropractic adjustments, you may be wondering what more you can do for the health of your spine. Here are a few tips to follow to take care of your body between adjustments.
Spinal Health Basics
There are countless factors that can impact the health of your spine. The basics are helpful and achieving and maintaining spinal health. These basics also help promote the process of getting back to great health when our bodies aren’t functioning at their optimal levels.
Stay Hydrated
This one is no surprise when it comes to staying healthy – stay hydrated! You hear this repeatedly and that’s because most people simply don’t drink enough water. Your body is made up mostly of water, so in order to function and heal properly, you need to drink up. The spinal discs found between the vertebrae of the spine are comprised mostly of water meaning the movement and health of these discs requires proper water consumption. With enough water, the health and ability of those discs improve, benefiting your entire spine. Without enough water, you won’t have an optimally functioning spine. Make a goal to drink half your body weight in pounds in ounces. So, if you weigh 160 pounds, try to drink 80 ounces of water each day.
Stay Moving
Another important aspect of spinal health is movement.
Stretching
You can greatly improve the health of your spine by adding a simple stretching routine each day. If you have a pet, you’ve probably noticed the first thing they do when they wake up is stretch. We could learn a thing or two from them! If you were to spend five minutes each morning stretching, it would create a positive shift in your spinal health. With ten minutes each day, you’ll have noticeable improvements so just imagine what fifteen minutes per day can do!
Balance
As important as it is to prioritize health, most of us live unbalanced lives. For many of our patients, that includes holding the same position for a long period of time, like sitting at a desk for hours on end. Long stretches of inactivity can wreak havoc on your spine. Just because you can sit for a long time certainly doesn’t mean you should. Many can sit for a long time and not experience negative symptoms, but that doesn’t make it a healthy choice. Be sure to get up and stretch or take a short walk at least once every hour. To add some simple desk-friendly stretches during your workday, just ask for suggestions during your next adjustment.
These simple steps are great to add to your routine to help improve spinal health. Combined with your chiropractic adjustments, you can benefit your spine and overall health and wellness. To schedule your next adjustment with your local Newnan, GA chiropractor, just click here!