How Your Back Benefits from Walking
By Sara Butler
Walking might just be the perfect activity. It’s easy, cheap and simple – and it has many benefits for your overall health and wellness. If you make walking a regular activity, it can help to improve the function of your lungs and heart, help you maintain a healthy weight, increase your energy, boost your mood and perhaps most importantly benefit the health of your spine. Here are just a few of the ways walking can help the health of your back.
It Helps to Increase Circulation
Your spine is just like any other part of your body, it benefits from increased circulation. The flow of blood helps to ensure that your spine and the surrounding tissues are getting the nutrients they need. It also helps to remove waste products from the structure in and around your spine. This helps to balance your body and increase stamina by nourishing your muscles, making it much easier for you to exercise. Basically, the more you get up and go for a walk the easier it will be!
It Helps Keep Your Discs Hydrated
The discs between the vertebrae in your spine are kind of like a jelly donut. They have a strong outer layer with a softer, squishy filling. This allows the discs to absorb shock and cushion your spine, but if they are not well hydrated then it can cause damage to the discs, making it much more difficult for them to do their job. When you walk, the increased circulation helps to keep the discs hydrated, pushing water through the tissues so the discs can absorb it and stay supple.
It Improves Your Posture
A lot of the bad posture in the world comes down to one factor: Sitting in one position for too long. When you sit in one position for an extended amount of time it makes it easier for you to assume postures that are less than perfect. This puts pressure on your spine that can then lead to headaches, back pain, tension, and soreness.
When you walk it helps to get you out of that sedentary position and move around. It also helps you to strengthen your body so you can assume a more natural posture when you are sitting and working. You may notice more energy and easier breathing too – all from going for a daily walk.
To get started, you don’t need to do anything but find a good pair of shoes and hit the sidewalk. If you have concerns about starting a new exercise program, you should discuss it with your chiropractor during your next visit to The Joint Chiropractic.
