Now let us be clear that we are not under the illusion that everyone who creates a wellness lifestyle will be immune from pain, sickness, and disease. There are many people who do everything right and still get sick and die. Some will argue that there are many people who do everything wrong and live long, seemingly healthy lives. However, since we have no way to predict who is who, we have to do our very best to reduce our risk and promote our health.
Over the years in private practice, we have seen how neglecting their health has drained people of thousands of dollars, sometimes to the point of bankruptcy. We have seen people who have saved up and waited their entire lives to take a dream trip or to send their kids to college, whose savings and dreams were siphoned away to pay for health care expenses. We have seen people with work injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome or neck/back pain who have been unable to work, unable to drive, and even unable to sleep without pain. We have seen family members whose entire lives become dominated by the necessity to care for another family member who is sick or in pain. The effects of long-term illness or disability on a family can be devastating; in many cases, it happens to families who are already over-stressed, under-loved, and emotionally maxed out.
On the other hand, We have seen people who have been unemployed due to their pain or health condition choose to adopt new healthy habits: within a short period of time they are back at work making money, taking care of themselves and their families again, and are able to put away savings for their retirement.
We have heard every excuse you can imagine as to why people believe they can't afford the time or money to invest in their health. But the truth is that you must invest in your health today, or disease may bankrupt you in every way later. If you don't have the time and money to improve your health while you feel good, what makes you think you will have the time and money to improve your health once you have lost it? As Anthony Robbins once said, "you can make time for wellness now or you can make time for sickness later." The choice is yours.
With regards to your wellness, the three main ideas that we really want to drive home . . .
Your feet are the base that your body stands on. If your feet are weak or have structural problems, this can lead to problems in your knees, hips and low back, and can even cause headaches. Many people wear orthotics because they are good for their feet, but orthotics are even more important for those who experience pain after extended walking or standing. The most popular brand of orthotics is Foot Levelers. Foot Levelers, Inc. has been in business for over 50 years. When ordering orthotics, a cast or mold will be made of each of your soles. Some doctors have started to use high tech digital scanners. At least 16 different measurements of your feet are taken to ensure that your feet, and therefore your foundation, are more firmly supported. Please note that the orthotics and insoles that you buy at your drug store are not the same as the high quality orthotics that you can have custom made, even though they look similar. Insoles may effectively reduce pressure by increasing the padding under your feet, but orthotics are customized and provide a foot-bed that is molded specifically for each of your feet based on their unique shape and size. Customized orthotics are also a worthy investment. Ask us whether we think you need orthotics or not.
Muscles are very efficient at getting stronger or weaker in response to the demands placed on them. Since most of us sit at a desk, drive a car, and sit on the sofa at home, many of our muscles are not challenged. Consequently, they become weak. At the same time, the muscles that are constantly used throughout the day become strong. This imbalance of muscle strength contributes to poor posture and chronic muscle tension. Left unchecked, muscle imbalances tend to get worse, not better, because of a phenomenon called "reciprocal inhibition."
Reciprocal inhibition literally means "shutting down the opposite." For all of the muscles that move your body in one direction, there are opposing muscles that move the body in the opposite direction. In order to keep these muscles from working against each other, when the body contracts one muscle group, it forces the opposing group to relax - it shuts down the opposite muscles. When consistently only one set of muscles is used, the opposing group, from being continuously shut-down, is liable to atrophy.
This phenomenon is especially important to people who work at a desk, because all day long the same muscles in the upper back and chest area of the body are used. This means that all day long the body is essentially shutting down the opposite muscles in the middle back. Over time, the muscles in the middle back become very weak because they are not being worked like the muscles in the front. This contributes to poor posture and chronic muscle spasms and pain. The easiest way to correct this imbalance is to do specific exercises which will increase the strength of the back muscles, along with manual therapy and chiropractic care. Once the muscles in your middle back are strong, the tightness and poor posture simply disappear.
Most men carry a wallet in their back pockets and in many cases it can be over a half an inch thick. Sitting on a half inch wedge for hours at a time over a period of years is one of the most overlooked causes of spinal misalignments and spinal pain including back pain, neck pain and even headaches. Our recommendation is to clean out your wallet and carry only what is really necessary. An innovative new product that has a unique patented designed and can reduce the size of your wallet by over 50% is called the TPK Back Saver Wallet, we like to think of it as The Wellness Wallet. Its unique thin design allows for it to be carried in your front pocket instead of your back pocket restoring the natural tripod effect of your spine when you are seated. You'll be amazed at what a difference it makes.
Most people spend approximately one-third of their entire life lying in bed. The quality of your mattress can make a huge difference between waking up feeling refreshed and waking up in pain. In fact, old worn-out mattresses are an extremely common contributor to chronic back and neck pain. Good health and sleep are closely linked. Just as we improve our eating habits for better health, we should also improve our sleep habits. Good sleep not only reduces back problems, it also helps to prepare us for a more productive day. If you think that your mattress may be past its prime, here are some tips to help you select the right mattress for you:
• There is no single mattress that works well for all people. Look for a mattress that is adjustable in firmness and support for you.
• Find a mattress that has proper support for good sleep posture. Good sleep posture is nearly the same as good standing posture, with the ear, shoulder, hip and ankle all in alignment. This will require different levels of support for different parts of the body.
• Mattress firmness and support are not the same. Mattress firmness describes comfort and conformability. Look for a mattress that is comfortable.
• Look for a mattress that manages temperature and moisture.
Another important wellness essential product is an ergonomically designed backpack. It is amazing how we can put thousands of pages of data onto a microchip smaller than the eye can see, yet kids are carrying backpacks that are heavier than ever filled with text books. Many schools are taking away kid's lockers making the problem even worse. Some kids carry backpacks with 40% of their body weight or more. You can see them walking to school leaning forward to offset the weight on their backs. Until schools figure out a way to make the loads lighter, we recommend that you get a backpack that is designed to help you stand up straighter. Our favorite is the AirPack Backpack designed by Core Products because of its patented shoulder straps and inflatable lumbar cushion which when properly adjusted redistributes the weight from the shoulders and upper back into the hips promoting a healthier upright standing posture.
A great way to both work on strengthening the core muscles that wrap around your waist and support your spine and improve your balance and coordination is with a new workout tool called a BOSU which stands for "both sides up." On one side it is a half of a balance ball on the other side it is a flat surface.
This is a great tool that allows you to complete a variety of different workouts. Inflatable discs or foam pads are another type of workout tool to exercise your nervous system and improve your balance and coordination. This is a great way to reduce your risk of injury as you age. Many age-related injuries are due to falls because of poor balance and coordination.
Most people spend close to two-thirds of their life in shoes, so wearing shoes that fit well is very important. Our feet endure tremendous pressures daily. For example, an average day of walking brings a force equal to several hundred tons on your feet. Feet are subject to more injury than any other part of the body, underscoring the need to protect them with proper shoes. Here is a quick guide to selecting the right shoes for your feet.
• Always have your feet measured while standing
• Always try on both shoes, and walk around the store in them
• Always buy for the larger foot; feet are seldom precisely the same size
• Don't buy shoes that need a 'break-in' period; shoes should be comfortable immediately
• Don't rely on the size of your last pair of shoes as your feet may grow
• Shop for shoes later in the day, as feet tend to swell during the day
• Select a shoe with a leather upper, stiff heel counter, good cushioning, and flexibility at the ball of the foot
• Try on shoes while you're wearing the same type of socks or stockings you expect to wear with the shoes
• If you wear prescription orthotics, you should take them along to shoe fittings
There are a variety of different types of pillows that are made of different grades of foam and have custom curves designed into them to support your neck. If you are like most people, you sleep on your pillow for six to nine hours every night. Shouldn't you sleep on something that will help you maintain your good health, not something that will slowly continue to allow your posture to get worse and worse over the years?
The Core Trainer is an innovative, effective piece of exercise equipment from Panasonic that allows you to sit down and perform low impact exercises that help lead to high impact results. This is made possible by innovative counter-balance exercise technology, which constantly moves you off your center of balance, forcing you to use your thighs, back, stomach and other core muscles to re-gain your balance. This reaction efficiently and effectively maximizes the building of core body strength while minimizing body and joint stress, as well as impact and aerobic demand.
