Keeping Your Body Moving Toward Good Health

By Donna Kostiew

I may be aging myself here, but I remember a time when you needed to get up and move to change the channel on the TV, to answer the phone, or to see who was ringing your doorbell. Even at work, it seemed like if something was needed, you had to leave your desk to get it. But with all of the latest and greatest in technology, we barely have to move. Everything seems to be able to just come to us directly, and with little effort appears on our laptops, phones, and even some of our watches. Our daily lives are becoming more sedentary and our bodies are paying the price.

If you take a look around your office or when you are out in public, I am sure you will notice most people sitting with poor posture. It is easy to see … the hunched spine, slumped shoulders, and forward protruding head. Excessive sitting is the root of so many problems with our bodies and is the leading cause of most back and hip pain.

Problems Associated with Excessive Sitting

• Improper alignment of spine
• Forward head posture
• Weakened muscles: back, hip flexor, hamstring
• Joint restrictions
• Stress overload on shoulders

If left uncorrected, this poor posture, more often than not, becomes a habit and the brain begins to process this as the body’s new “normal” for sitting, walking, and running. This can lead to several outcomes that will greatly affect your quality of life and …

Seriously, Who Wants to Deal With These?

• Joint pain and stiffness
• Decreased flexibility and range of motion
• Muscle instability and weakness
• Headaches
• Fatigue

Our bodies were designed to move. Living too much in the sedentary world can cause pain and stiffness, which contributes to a reduction in the quality of life you are living. Your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic can help correct your posture by placing your spine in proper alignment and treating any joint restrictions that came as a result of it. The benefits to your body are too important to ignore.

These Sound Better ...

• Increase in physical activity
• Decrease in weight
• Decreased risk for arthritis and spinal issues
• Improved nervous system and organ function
• Less stress
• More energy and better moods
• Fewer doctor visits and medications

So there it is … plenty of reasons to work on sitting with better posture and getting out of that sedentary lifestyle. Keep your strength, mobility and most importantly, your health by staying active and moving. The human body is a remarkable machine designed to move and practicing good posture can make all the difference in how that design continues to work.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Portland, Ore.