Man! Who knew opening your own business could be so time consuming?!?! Ok, just kidding I knew, but still…
A little while back, I promised a few fitness tips on how to prevent your body from breaking down and unfortunately I didn’t get to it. Luckily for you, I’m gonna release these gems that I normally reserve for my inner circle right here.
You ready? Here goes…
Where It Starts
Ok, this is where people really get it twisted. Most people believe that if you have a weakness, that you should work it out to get it stronger. This is the furthest thing from the truth. In fact, you should look to do the opposite. Well…not exactly the opposite, but for the most part, weakness is a sign of system dysfunction.
Think of it this way. Say you have a sail boat and one of the masts is broken. You wouldn’t want to take it out sailing to get the masts stronger. As you can imagine, it would make the situation worse and that’s really only half the problem.
With a boat, if one of those masts breaks, it’s unfortunate. You’d still be able to use the boat (although not in the same way). With your body, if one of your “masts” breaks, it creates a chain effect throughout your whole system. Something seemingly insignificant as a twisted ankle can set in motion a ripple effect that will permanently destroy your ability to move properly again unless you take action to correct it…NOW!
Baby Got Back
Been working as a sort of intern at a chiropractic office here in Philly. These guys are legit (official chiros for Temple football) and I have to say that I’ve learned so much from them and how the body works. I also have to tip my hat to them, because they spurned my curiosity and encouraged me to learn more about the way the body works through lectures and books.
The thing that I’ve learned through all my studies is that almost all physiological issues stem from some sort of imbalance in the spine. So that pain in your shoulder? Started in your spine. Your knee? In the spine as well. That shooting pain down your leg when you bend forward or too far back? Definitely your spine broham!
So what do you do to save your back (ass)?
Get “High”drated
Without going into too much anatomy and physiology here I’m going to give you three general things you can do to improve your overall fitness as well as maintain the health of your spine.
- Drink lots of water– Every fitness guru says you should drink water, but they never tell you how good it is for your back. Your spine needs water to stay spongy and springy. It uses the water to keep just the right amount of pressure on your joints and muscles so that it doesn’t A) let your spine grind against itself or B) Become so rigid it can’t move at all. Water helps to flush out the bad stuff that can build up and will stay there to keep your body moving freely.
- Stay tall- Whatever you do, you don’t want to put any unnecessary strain on any one disc or vertebrae with your spine. While sometimes that can’t be helped, that definitely should not be the norm. You can prevent this by practicing good posture.
- Move-Â Last, but not least, move. The key to preventing stiffening in the spine and subsequent dysfunction in any of the succeeding joints along the chain (sounding kinda nerdy right there) is to perform a variety of movements throughout the day.
So there you have It’s by no means comprehensive, but like your spine, it’s a very solid base to start from. There are far more elements, but I don’t have time to go over everything with you today.
However….
I do appreciate you taking the time to read this. But more importantly, your body will thank you. Supreme fitness is rather elusive, so for many of us, it’s a matter of getting all the help we can get. Just know that I’ll always be happy to help with any questions or ideas. (Especially as it pertains to posture)
Jerry “I got your back” Washington
P.S. If you really would like to talk more about this or any fitness related topic, I’m all ears. I’d be more than happy to chat, just comment below, or shoot me a message here. Talk soon…
