Prevention is the best medicine. You may have heard that phrase at least once before. It truly is the best way to feel good. It is always better to start before you feel pain, but it is never too late to start working on your health!
If you are already in pain, try these tips below to help ease your pain and consult your chiropractor to see what else he/she or you can do to help you feel like yourself again. If you are not in pain, try including these tips in your lifestyle as a starting point on your journey towards better health.
1. Get up!
If you are sitting for a long period of time, be sure to stretch or just stand up and move around every 20-30 minutes. The longer you stay in one position, the more long-term damage can occur to your muscles. Even moving for 1 minute is better than nothing. It only takes 15 minutes of staying in one position for your muscles to tighten up.
2. Stay hydrated
This means drinking more water and cutting back on caffeine. Caffeine pulls water out of your body which is why you need to replace it by drinking more water. Muscles are made up of approximately 70% water. You naturally lose water every day through sweat and urine. This needs to be replaced so your muscles do not feel tight and stiff.
3. Self Care
Do you feel the tension building up in your muscles when you are stressed? Find something that can help you relax or help you manage the stress, whether it is using a heating pad, stretches or exercises, meditation, aromatherapy, a relaxing shower, or soothing music.
4. Exercises and stretches
Working out is a good way to keep your muscles moving so they do not have a chance to stiffen up. There are many added benefits to working out besides reducing muscle tightness. It also helps keep your blood circulating and feeding your muscles with oxygen and other important nutrients to keep your muscles functional. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out this post for some exercises for low back pain. Even if you don’t have low back pain, these exercises may be great for overall health and wellness, strength, and mobility to reduce pain or muscle tightness.
5. Vitamins and minerals
You may be mildly to severely deficient in some important nutrients that your muscles need in order to do their job correctly. The majority of the population in North America is deficient in magnesium, especially women and people who are really stressed or are very active. If you tend to have a lot of general muscle tightness or even muscle spasms, you may need to speak to your chiropractor about supplements. Be sure to ask if they are right for you. Do not take a supplement without consulting your healthcare practitioner. Check out my dispensaries on Full Script and Metagenics for your supplements.
Is your stiffness coming from not getting enough sleep or not feeling comfortable while you sleep? If so, click here to learn more about what you can do to reduce stiffness by improving your sleep.
Try these tips and see how you feel. Even if you incorporate one or two of my tips into your life, they will benefit you in the long run. If you are having trouble with any of these tips, consult your health care practitioner.
*Disclaimer Be sure to consult a chiropractor or a health care provider if you are not sure about starting something new. Please do not use these tips as a diagnosis or a treatment and always consult a medical doctor for any medical emergencies.
Daina Patel, D. C.