Get Moving Again – A Sedentary Lifestyle Is More Harmful Than You Think
It’s Time To Get Off The Couch!
This year will certainly be remembered for a lot of things, but 2020 will probably also go down as the year of the couch potato. Being sedentary goes hand in hand with staying indoors. There’s probably never been more opportunity to stay at home and binge television series from start to finish.
But let’s face it, it probably has not done wonders to our bodies. You might be on your way from Infinity War Thor to Endgame Thor right now, but luckily you have something the hammer-wielding god of thunder doesn’t: chiropractic.
Couch potatoes can rejoice because Ascent Chiropractic is here to help you blossom into the lovely french fries you deserve to be. Here’s how what we do can help you overcome the sedentary lifestyle you might be stuck in right and the benefits it can provide for movement and mobility to help you stay healthy.
The Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle
Your body was made to move. When you’re inactive and sedentary, it can have a huge impact on your health.
In fact, a sedentary lifestyle has been linked to:
- Weight gain
- Weaker bones
- Loss of muscle strength
- Loss of endurance
- Reduction in metabolism
- Increased risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease
- Increased risk of cancer mortality
- Increased inflammation
- Reduced blood circulation
- Hormonal imbalances
You’ve probably heard that sitting is the new smoking, and it’s true: sedentary lifestyles are linked to a higher risk of premature death. The less you move, the higher the risk is to your health and wellness.
Less Movement Equals More Back Pain
Another important thing to understand is the relationship between movement and back pain. It’s been well documented that moving less leads to a higher risk of back pain. In fact, sitting too much can cause the muscles in your back to weaken and stiffen, reduce blood circulation to the structures in your spine, put more pressure on the spinal discs that can cause a herniation to occur, and put pressure on the nerves in the back that can lead to a pinched nerve.
If you’re dealing with back pain, then it may be because you’re simply not moving enough.
What You Can Do
So, how can you avoid the dangers that a sedentary lifestyle brings with it? The answer is simple: move more!
It doesn’t take much! A 2019 study led by researchers at the University of Sydney that followed nearly 150,000 people suggests that engaging in physical activity for just 20-40 minutes a day can totally offset the mortality risks associated with high levels of sedentary behavior.
The American Cancer Society recommends people engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week to prevent cancer, though less than 25% of American adults meet those guidelines.
How Chiropractic Can Help
Chiropractic can help you get out of your sedentary rut in a variety of ways. At your first visit we’ll do a full evaluation to target joint dysfunctions that may be making it more difficult for your joints to move in their full range of motion.
Second, hands-on chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue treatment that target problem joints and muscles can help improve the function of your central nervous system – the symptom responsible for every single thing your body does. With dysfunctions removed, the central nervous system can communicate freely with every other part of your body, helping you to feel better, move better, and even sleep better, giving you more energy throughout the day.
Last, we’ll help to eliminate the back, neck and joint pain that may be keeping you on the couch. At Ascent Chiropractic we target the underlying cause of your pain and attack it at the source instead of simply masking it. What we do is natural and noninvasive, so you don’t have to worry about side effects or recovery, either.
The Ascent Chiropractic Difference
At Ascent Chiropractic – your Brookfield chiropractor – we’re committed to not just relieving pain but to correcting it’s cause and optimizing your body to function better than it ever has before. Our unique, low-force, evidence-based approach to treatment allows us to correct spinal biomechanics, restore normal joint function, and get you out of pain and on the road back to optimal health.
Let’s get moving again. Schedule an appointment by calling us at 262-345-4166 or use our online scheduling app.
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