Are you at the top of your game? Are you enjoying golf, tennis, hiking or even just taking a stroll in your neighborhood, or are you limited by pain and impediments? To enjoy most activities, your body needs to function at optimal potential. Whether you realize it or not, your body is a system of pulleys and levers consisting of tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints that work in a coordinated fashion, controlled by your nervous system in order for you to move.
Ask yourself: Do I take care of this vital system, or do I take better care of my car than my body? What do you do to ensure your continued ability to function, as well as your quality of life? When was the last time you brought this complex system in for a tune up? You shouldn’t wait until the engine light goes on (you’re experiencing pain) to see if you are in fact OK.
Arthritis and degenerative changes slowly occur over time and are not reversible. To avoid this and to increase your ability to perform the activities that you love, here are a few things that you can do to maintain your quality of life.
- Get up and MOVE! Whether it’s an organized exercise program or simply an increase to your activity level, be sure to stretch regularly. The more consistently you stretch. the more elongated and flexible your muscles and joint systems become. Stretching and simply moving more will also increase your energy.
- Drink plenty of water, and decrease sugary and processed foods.
- Keep a positive attitude and be grateful.
- See a chiropractor (your body’s mechanic) before your warning lights go on and you break down. From professional athletes to the everyday individual, chiropractic care along with a personal regimen of stretching and nutrition can keep you active and enjoying your activities. According to Pain Medicine 2022, “Chiropractic care impacts health-related quality of life beyond pain and pain-related disability.” So go ahead and get your musculoskeletal system checked and tuned up.
Do you want to improve your mental health and functioning as well? A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association states, “Exercise may protect your brain even if you have signs of dementia.” Simply put, you have a choice and that is to “use it or lose it.” If you desire to have an active quality of life and improve your mental and physical well-being, get up and get moving!
