Would You Like to be Healthy AND Fit?
One can be physically fit and yet unhealthy, and one can be relatively healthy but not that physically fit. However, if you want to be really healthy, physical fitness should be a part of your health care regimen. We usually think of health as not being sick or not getting colds or nothing bad being found on our yearly medical exam. As a doctor of chiropractic, I know that truly being healthy requires much more than the above.
What is Health?
To be generally healthy, we should eat well (gluten-free if so indicated by testing), and not too much; we should sleep enough (about 8 hours), drink enough water (optimally ½ your body weight in ounces), exercise enough (a mix of aerobic – cardio – and weights – for strength), and keep the stress low (or at least to manageable levels).
Avoid the processed, fast foods, artificial sweeteners, sodas and trans-fats; and try keep a good attitude (smile more). Good general health is all systems operating normally and optimally without drug support, with no symptoms alerting you to problems, and good energy to do what you want to do when you want to do it.
Regular chiropractic care can support our general health by minimizing interruptions or interference with nerve communication between the central nervous system (brain & spinal cord) and the rest of the body.
Is Physical Fitness Necessary?
Some people are very involved in physical fitness – attending the gym daily, or having workout equipment at home and focusing on strength training as well as aerobic workouts (running, biking, etc.). Marathons (26.2 mile run) and triathlons (running, biking, and swimming) are gaining in popularity around the world as well.
A few individuals push it even further entering the Ironman triathlon (a 26.2 mile run, 112 mile bike ride, 2.4 mile swim) and other extreme sports performed on land (e.g. mountain climbing), in the air (e.g. sky jumping), or in/on the water (e.g. wind or kite surfing). Although it requires a lot of effort to perform these activities. being involved in them doesn’t necessarily ensure good general health.
On the other hand, the healthier one is, the longer one could continue doing these activities, which is a good thing. Chiropractic adjusting of the spine and extremities (arms and legs) helps the body to perform at its best.
To be physically fit, we need proper and effective nerve signals going to the necessary muscles to perform these feats. We also require proper bone alignment at the joints to allow optimal movement with minimal resistance (wear & tear).
Physical stresses from falls and extreme muscular effort, whether from sports or daily living, can misalign the skeleton causing injuries at that moment or in the future (from cumulative stress over time). Chiropractic care can help minimize the negative effects of these injuries or stresses on the body.
Health & Fitness Combined – the Best of Both Worlds
To be truly healthy, we should incorporate physical fitness into a general healthy lifestyle. That is often overlooked with today’s busy lifestyle, where we travel from home to car to office to car to home, and sit way too much. Life tends to present some unexpected stresses along the way.
If we’re out of shape, and if the stress is a physical one, it can cause an injury that can take months or longer to recover from. While fitness is an important part of true health, it can be overdone. Our bodies have physical limitations, and if we push them to the limit, parts can break or tear or dislocate. So, everything in moderation and include chiropractic adjustments on a regular basis to help the all important brain and nervous system to work better.
The bottom line is that if you want to be as healthy as possible, and perform at your best level of physical fitness, while minimizing the risks of injury and healing as quickly as possible from any injury you do sustain, then think chiropractic healthcare.
Has your level of physical fitness has deteriorated over the years?
You might be interested in the Fitness Program here at HealthNOW’s physical therapy department. We can evaluate your current level of fitness and design a program for you to month by month raise your fitness to a level you’re happy with
—contact us for a FREE CONSULTATION. Call (408) 733-0400 to schedule. If you are not local to us, our DESTINATION CLINIC treats patients from across the country and internationally. We will help you find the underlying root cause!
To your health,
Dr. Vikki Petersen
DC, CCN
IFM Certified Practitioner
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Author of “The Gluten Effect”
Author of eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”