Care for your spine

Care for your spine:

When you consider your body’s healthy habits (or not so healthy habits) start to think of a freshly ironed white shirt, with long sleeves. Take the same shirt and tie it up tight, in a knot. When you wake up tomorrow morning, which one do you want to wear to greet the day?

Now, think about how many activities during the day affect your back, neck, shoulders, arms, and your spine. How does crossing your legs or slumping in a chair hurt your back and add to the pain and discomfort you experience every day? These habits may restrict your body from receiving all the blood, oxygen, and nutrients it needs to function at its best level.

Most of us forget that daily activities impact our body and many of us have developed habits that, when identified and corrected, will be replaced with healthy alternatives. These tips will begin to help you understand how to maintain your healthy spine, to improve your neck and back, and to reduce these habits that impact your body.

These are habits that affect the direct relationship of your spine to your pain. When you become aware of what you are doing, you might want to write it down on paper. Place the note on your desktop or in your office as a reminder. When you are successful, cross a bad habit off this list and replace it with a new achievement:

--Walk ½ mile each morning
--Swim ten laps
--Have broccoli with dinner
--Replace each old bad habit with a healthy new habit.
--Take baby steps toward your healthier back, neck and spine.
--Avoid habits like crossing your legs while at your desk, bending your head down while at the computer, and avoid holding the desktop phone against your shoulder.
--Begin to practice these tips, one each day.
--Write down your old habit to be eliminated. Then write a healthy habit to replace it.
--Be specific. Instead of writing, “I’ll exercise.”
--Think about a specific exercise. “I’ll walk around my backyard for five minutes in the morning.”