As a chiropractor, I spend a lot of time telling people they need to exercise and move more. There is such a huge lack of understanding about the true impact of being still that it is my main goal for patient education.
In today's world of machines, most people spend their day in a small space doing the same thing over and over. This leads to a wide variety of deleterious effects. With the rise of the industrial, machine assisted workplace, we have seen the rise of repetitive stress injuries (Carpal Tunnel, etc.) and obesity along with its related diseases (Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and others). I have seen an exponential rise in upper back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia and headaches.
All of these things are directly related to a static work station and a sedentary work day. NASA has proved multiple times that a sedentary lifestyle leads to degeneration of the body's systems. When the first astronauts came home from orbiting the earth, there were noticeable differences in their metabolism. This happened in as few as 4 days! Subsequent research found that it takes about 14-16 changes from lying to standing posture each day to keep the metabolism elevated at a high enough rate to avoid the degenerative changes.
Our bodies are a complex system of muscles and joints and they were made to move. There are many structures within the body for which movement is the main source of nutrition. No movement equals no exchange of nutrients for waste. Movement keeps our nervous system efficient and aware. It is not just about burning calories.
So what should you do? Obviously, we can't all have jobs that allow extensive movement throughout the day. If you have a sedentary job, try starting with small movements. Tap your toes or lift your feet off the ground while at your desk. Stand up and sit down periodically "just because". Use breaks to walk around, not check in on your phone. Exercise outside of work. Stretch during the day. Wiggle.
Employers want healthy workers. If you have ideas about how to get more movement into each workday, discuss it with your supervisor. Repetitive stress injuries account for 1/3 of worker's compensation dollars. They want you healthy!
Outside of work, you need to exercise. It does not matter what type of exercise you enjoy. Do something! Don't have time every day? You can still make sure to get the up and down changes necessary to keep your body functioning. 5 minutes is all you need.
No doctor or chiropractor can get you well if you aren't willing to help yourself. Movement is the key to healing and staying healthy.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
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