Getting into the habit of exercising can be a daunting task, especially when you’ve been out of it for a while, or when the stresses of life seem to eat up all the exercise time that had been so abundant earlier in life.
A shoulder and neck injury I suffered 4 weeks ago due to working out without warming up has kept me in a rather “less than active-mode” over the last few weeks, despite some bike rides and yoga classes. So today, with a morning of time off, I decided to go for a ride and put in a P90X DVD (CardioX). Tony Horton tells us “Everyday just push play”, and he’s right. the hardest part of exercise is often just starting it; getting off the couch or away from your desk to do something. Admittedly my motivation during the first 20 minutes was on the low-end, but then I could feel things start to turn around, and my body started to feel really good from the exercise. It’s strange that it seems to take so much energy to start an exercise routine, yet once we’re into it we have more energy and motivation to exercise more. In fact, it seems like we’ve got to turn a big stone dial like (an ox or) Ben on lost turning the wheel to move the island in order to change our setting from “lazy” to active”.
That’s why I work with my patients to start with simple steps to start the habit of exercise and movement again. It often doesn’t matter WHAT you do, but rather THAT you do something.
Garlic: There is a reason that whole books have been written about this amazing bulb. Whether you add it to every meal, take it in concentrated form (but check with your health practitioner first!), or eat it straight up, get your garlic. Don’t worry: no one wants to kiss you while you’re sick anyways. Take the chance to stock up on garlic’s anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-oxidant powers. It is stocked with nutrients (especially vitamin B6, C, and manganese) and highly beneficial sulfur-containing compounds such as allicin – which are also found in onions and other similar-looking plants. In addition to being an important soldier to bring on board to fight the bugs, studies also show it to enhance immune function. You might as well keep it in your diet after the sniffles have passed: it’s positive impact on heart health is well-studied.
Lemons: When life gives you lemons… you can do so much more than make lemonade! Add lemons (and garlic) to dressings, sauces, tea, and water. Not only does this citrus fruit give you a good dose of Vitamin C, the vitamin of the season, but it also has antimicrobial effects to help your body get rid of foreign invaders. As with so many “healthy” foods, lemons (and it’s green relative, the lime) have antioxidants to help protect your cells so that they are stronger and more apt to defend. I would recommend against lemonade in this case though… skip icy drinks in the fall and winter and stick with warming ones instead!
Honey: You may have heard that you should be decreasing your sugar intake when you’re sick. It is true: sugar can impede our immune response. However, I’m still including honey in my list. Who hasn’t been soothed before by a cup of hot water, lemon, and honey during a sore throat or cough? There is something about honey. It’s different. Raw (good quality) honey contains propolis, a natural antimicrobial (it will attack everything from viruses, bacteria, and fungus)- as long as you’re getting good quality honey. Some varieties can be a supply of friendly bacteria (think probiotics), which will also enhance your immune system (flower-fed bees in the summer are most likely to produce this type of honey). And the soothing properties? Honey is alsoanti-inflammatory, which is why you’ll find it in a lot of natural cough and throat syrups and lozenges too. Use it with your hot lemon water, add it to herbal tea, or coat your garlic with it (no, I’m not joking) to enhance your body’s fighting capability AND make your remedies more palatable! (Note: Honey is usually restricted for use in children under 1.)
Green Tea: Were you scared that I was going to recommend a bunch of foul-tasting herbal teas that are hard to find, and harder to swallow? Well, ok. Here’s one that we can all get and has so many beneficial properties that it cannot be ignored. Green tea protects our cells with it’s high anti-oxidant value, boosts the immune system with it’s catechin content, and will warm you up when you have the chills. Research shows that it will reduce the severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms. If you don’t want to drink it, I still have good news. An interesting 
Ginger: I love ginger. During flu season, I put it in smoothies, make ginger tea, add it to stir-fries, and pile it in soups (yummmm 
Tune your Immune System
Your posture affects your health
Are you losing ground in your contest with the force of gravity?
The spine has 2 functions:
1) It supports and keeps us upright. The way our spine supports us is called our POSTURE.
2) It protects the spinal cord.
A healthy spinal cord is ESSENTIAL to our overall health, and your POSTURE is directly related to your overall health. The problem is that many postural distortions DON’T cause any pain.
Is your posture causing stress to your nerves and your body’s ability to heal itself? This is what we work to correct here at Movestrong.
You can drive a fancy car that looks beautiful, has leather interior, a high performance engine, and that runs on high octane fuel. But if the frame is bent or the wheels are misaligned, the tires and all sorts of mechanisms will wear unevenly.
Many people are just like this. Their bodies are wearing unevenly.
At Movestrong Chiropractic, we provide Spinal Corrective care to fix poor posture, which helps to solve your problems, rather than simply focus on what pain you may or may not have.
Which stage do you think you’re in below?
Say it with me: “Healthy spine, healthy body!”
Are you losing ground in your contest with the force of gravity?