7 New Year’s Resolutions for

a Healthy Spine

With the New Year here, now’s the time to start thinking about how you can make meaningful changes to your life for better health. Here are seven steps you can take to improve the health of your spine and your overall wellness.

1. Get at least 30 minutes of daily exercise. Many of the benefits of regular exercise can be experienced with as little as 30 minutes of physical activity a day. Not only will you decrease your risk of obesity and diabetes, you’ll also experience a reduction in back pain, migraine,and other neuro-musculoskeletal symptoms.

   Here are a few ways to sneak in exercise:

   • Park in the farthest parking space at the store so you get in a few more steps.
   • Return your shopping cart all the way to the storefront.
   • If you work in an office building with stairs, take them every time . Skip the elevator at the airport or the mall. Train yourself that every time you see an elevator to take those stairs.
   • Take your dog for a walk. It will do you both good to have fresh air every day!
2. Deep breathing. Meditation, going on walks, and taking breaks throughout the day can all aide in stress reduction. Lowering your stress can make your immune system more resilient and decrease chronic pain flare-ups. **Try this at least 5 times a day**
3. Laugh more often. Laughter doesn’t just relieve mental stress; it also fires off a cascade of physical reactions that benefit your health. Studies show that laughing can stimulate the heart, muscles, and lungs— not to mention the flurry of endorphins that are released after a good giggling session.
4. Eat your greens. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale, which are rich in calcium, can help to decrease your risk of osteoarthritis. Spinach, lentils, and beans are high in magnesium, a vitamin shown to benefit patients with back pain.

   Don’t Subtract… Add.

   Instead of denying yourself a bag of chips or soda, start by adding a serving of vegetables and 2-3 glasses of water to your diet every day.

   Water actually fills you up so that you are less likely to over eat.

   Eat the rainbow – Add some color to your meal, and you’ll be full long before you’re thinking of dessert. Eventually, these healthy additions will leave you too full for those unhealthy extras.

   Bring a few healthy snacks to keep with you throughout your day. Almonds, individual sized cheeses, a handful of crackers or a piece of fruit will be ‘on the ready’ when you’re forced to take a late lunch, and they’ll keep you from over-eating when lunchtime finally arrives.
   
   

5. Quit smoking. Cigarette smoking increases your risk of spinal conditions and arthritis. Smoking cessation has been tied to an improvement in spinal pain. As a bonus, new research shows that smokers who attempt to quit in January are more successful because of the extra motivation the New Year provides.
6. Lose weight. Carrying extra weight increase the load on your spine and joints, making you more susceptible to sciatica, disc herniation, and osteoarthritis.
7. See a chiropractor. The spine plays an important role in your overall health by ensuring that your nervous system is functioning smoothly. As spinal specialists, chiropractors do not only relieve pain from spinal conditions, they can also assist in improving your overall health. Research has shown that chiropractic adjustments reduce the stress hormone cortisol and boost the presence of infection-fighting antibodies in the body.

Bo Bennet said, “The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself.”

Ask Dr.Chudy for ways to have a healthier, happier new year!