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We're at the point in the calendar year where (hopefully) the worst is behind us. We are two-thirds the way through winter and the average-coldest month of the year is in our rear-view mirror waving back at us. Before we start thinking warm thoughts, spring cleaning, and golf season, let's make sure that we stay safe and warm until we get into flood fighting mode here in Fargo-Moorhead. It's still February and we still need to fight the freeze!
Many of us, since late November, have burrowed ourselves deep into the hearth of our homes for semi-hibernation. We have struggled for months now to get ourselves up in the morning because of the diminishing daylight. If you're anything at all like myself, you've carefully calculated the EXACT necessary amount of time it takes to get ready in the morning, and we push the SLEEP button on our alarms enough to stay in our warm and cozy beds until that point. Once we're up, we get ready, go to work, come home, watch tv, go to sleep, and repeat it all tomorrow. Some of you will say, "That isn't me, I work out, I'm active." Of course you are, but most of us don't, and even many that do, their week consists of working out a couple of times, and the other five days are as drawn up above.
What is happening to our bodies when we don't put it through the rigors of daily activities and workouts, when it isn't stimulated, when we go from sitting in our desk for 8 hours, to sitting in our car for the drive home, to sitting in our favorite chair in front of the television for the remainder of the night? Answer this one in your head for me please, "IF YOU DON"T USE IT, YOU..."
Think of our bodies as your dream car: that Ferrari you've always wanted, the souped-up Chevy truck that can conquer any terrain, or that '67 Mustang, who's engine roar in your mind is so clear it might have just come from your garage. You're going to use this car of yours to get from one place to another, fast or slow, but you're going to treat it right in the process. Premium gas, the best oil one can by, and you'll park at the back of the lot to avoid any chance of someone dinging your door.
Now what if you drove that car to hell. Ran it dry of oil, beat it up, left it in an open field where the rain and snow pummel it, rust accumulating and abandon it for years. If or when you come back to that car, put your key in the ignition, are you expecting the car that was once your dream car, to run as if it were brand new? Our bodies don't need to be left abandoned for years before they start developing problems. They are designed to move, and anything to the contrary would have us looking similar to the five lines and a circle you draw on the letter-guessing game Hangman.
Our bodies are made up of bones, muscles, and cartilage that form joints and allow us to perform that keystroke on your computer, allow you to get up from your desk and walk to the water-cooler, and bring that cup of water directly to your mouth. In order for these joints to remain healthy, we need to take care of them, we need to move them, and we need to stretch them. Have you ever sat at your desk all day, or sat in a car or airplane for a long trip, went to stand up, and felt like the 110-year-old version of yourself? You go to stand and everything wants to move in slow motion, your knees slowly unlock, your leg and hip muscles feeling like they are being stretched to their limits, and in those few hours, your body has gained 15 years.
When our bodies aren't doing what they are meant to be doing, it is detrimental to our health and how we feel. When we sit all day, and at the end of the day, we hurry up to sit some more, our bodies are spending all this time getting more and more tense with every minute of inactivity. And the more and more tense we get, the greater the risk of injury when we attempt that first activity (usually our first outing on the golf course, throwing things out on spring cleaning, or even bringing the dog out for a walk once the extra 30 pounds of clothing aren't needed to keep warm any longer).
What should we be doing?
1. We need to MOVE! Get up from your desk 15 minutes out of every hour and walk around.
2. Stretch! Give those muscles a break from being tight and tense and stretch them out.
3. ACTIVITY! Spend at least a half hour a day doing something. Walk your dog, go work out, play a sport, play with your kids. Get your pulse up a bit and push your body.
4. Lastly, but not least importantly, go see your chiropractor. They are the experts on joint health and are necessary for keeping your body aligned and working at its optimum levels!
Something as simple as walking at a good pace each and every day can do wonders for one's health. Get up early, go to your local mall, and cruise around. And if you get sick and tired of bumping into everyone, head over to the Moorhead Center Mall. Malls and indoor tracks are perfect for walking so we don't have to worry about snow, ice, winter advisory alerts, frost bite, and we can forget about Minnesota/North Dakota winters for a little while.
It is amazing what a little activity or the word people dread (shhh... exercise) can do for one's health. It makes you feel younger, gives you more energy, and is a great way to relieve the stress of realizing we may not be on track for our New Year's Resolutions... one month in. So remember to stay warm, get active, and get healthy because that time of year approaches where the Red and the sandbags take a toll on one's body, and perhaps this year, your body will be ready.
Dr. Matt
www.matthewlaudc.com
www.facebook.com/drmatthewlau
