Well-thy Mindset: Health Tips You Can Bank On

By Martha Michael

Managing your health is a lot like budgeting your finances. It involves daily decision-making, aided by having a plan in place, which you hope leads to a good deal of profit. While most Americans spend a fair amount of time developing strategies for a healthy portfolio, it would pay to invest more time in creating a plan for healthier living.

Rolling In It

The Journal of Physical Therapy Science talks about the benefits of Yamuna Body Rolling, a therapy using a specialized ball that elongates muscle fibers and increases flexibility.

Referred to as YBR, the self-conditioning tool has a dual purpose, for use as a treatment for individuals with aches and pains or as a routine exercise for a healthier lifestyle. Like conventional stretching, YBR provides longitudinal elongation, but has an added ability to expand muscle fibers diagonally, which enables the body to move more dynamically, the article says.

Through the use of specialized Yamuna Body Rolling balls, people can release tension and optimize range of motion affecting:

• Bones
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Fasciae
• Muscle fibers

Improve You Bottom Line

In the electronic age, when sitting has become “the new smoking” in terms of health hazards, you don’t want to ignore the importance of working your gluteus muscles. Fitness Magazine offers “bum-blasting” exercises to strengthen those muscles and gain some tone.

The Hip-Lift Progression involves simply lying on your back with your knees up and feet flat on the ground. Then lift your hips toward the sky for one second before lowering them before repeating the sequence. Author Lexi Walters suggests 60 seconds of the lifts, squeezing your hamstrings and glutes at the same time. Benefits should include less tension in your lower back.

One of Walters’ exercises requires a towel placed on a fairly slick floor. For what she calls the Single-Leg Squat with a Towel, you stand with your feet together, your right foot atop the folded towel. With your fists held under your chin, slide your right leg straight out to the right, which brings your left leg into a squatting position. Then slide the right leg back under you as you stand. By repeating this on both sides, it should burn excess fat that builds where your lower hips meet your bum.

You can also use Explosive Lunges to stretch your glutes. Alternating sides, jump up and switch legs -- front to back -- in mid-air, landing with your front leg in a 90-degree bend over your ankle. Then jump up and reverse.

Counting the Cost

We expect our financial investments to grow, and likewise, it makes sense to track improvement in our physical well-being.

In addition to the use of apps, equipment and other modern-day health devices, there’s good, old-fashioned calorie counting if you want to keep your weight in check. The healthiest form of weight loss is taking it off slow-and-steady by curbing your calorie intake. Starvation diets don’t tend to stick.

If you need help, consult your chiropractor for advice. You may benefit from a specific diet or just a few tips to shave off some unnecessary calorie buildup. And yes, there are apps for your phone, in case you need a “calorie accountant” to help you put your money where your mouth is.

Regular Investment

Like any good budgetary plan, it’s what you do in your day-to-day routine that makes a difference. Scheduling a regular visit with your chiropractor has both immediate benefits and a long-term positive payoff. Investing time and energy into the health of your spine decreases future aches and pains due to age and overuse, plus it increases your quality of life today.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, or ACA, 80-90 percent of individuals will experience spinal pain in their lives, at some point. And that adds up -- in more ways than one.

“Back pain costs are staggering not only financially, but also in terms of lost time from work and because of psychosocial problems that arise during the healing process associated with long-term back pain,” an article on the ACA website says.

Run For Your Money

Your health may profit most from pounding the pavement. Again, moderate strides are a safer bet, rather than trying to turn into a marathon runner from the get-go. An article in Runner’s World Magazine claims it’s good for both your soul and your physical well-being. By running 30 minutes five times a week, you minimize the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and some cancers. The article says you can lengthen your life with such workouts, but perhaps more importantly, improve the quality of your life.

“It goes beyond just the “runner’s high” -- that rush of feel-good hormones known as endocannabinoids,” the article says. “In a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers found that even a single bout of exercise -- 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill -- could instantly lift the mood of someone suffering from a major depressive order.”

For most people, a bank account full of cash could bring about some serious emotional well-being, or at least feelings of security about the future. Likewise, a long-term investment in your wellness through healthier lifestyle practices will offer you a more secure future, physically speaking. But you have to do the work -- it’s not something you can counterfeit.

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this page are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this post is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this page.