Happy father’s day to all the dads out there in our community! In this article I want to talk about a phrase that as Chiropractors at Canberra Spine Centre, we hear often – ‘I don’t have time’.
Now don’t get this article twisted, this isn’t a shot at anyone! In today’s world, we are often working so hard, commuting to and from work and every spare moment we want to spend with our family and kids.
However, when you say, ‘I don’t have time’, in effect, you are giving up. In doing this, a lot of people in our community end up neglecting their exercise and mobility goals, in turn neglecting our health.
So, let’s discuss how we can work on our mobility, strength and exercise when we are time poor!
Why is exercise important
This is a topic we have all read about, but it is still very important! Exercise helps us to manage weight, helps to improve brain function and health, strengthens muscles and bones, improves mobility and flexibility and improves our ability to do daily activities.
Mobility is important to correct our muscular imbalances, improves our posture, helps prevent injuries, allows us to move more efficiently, and gives us a better range of motion during everyday movements.
Every day at Canberra Spine Centre, we focus on helping people improve and maintain their health through spine and nervous system care.
When regular exercise is a part of your lifestyle, you’ll get more benefit from your chiropractic care, and probably need to see us less to get the same or better result!
Some tips for the time poor
Get it done early
Sometimes setting your alarm 10-20 minutes early can be a necessary evil.
As the day goes on, our motivation levels to exercise decrease. We have more responsibilities, and our excuses can pile up. The key is to get up and do something when the alarm goes off.
Exercise and mobility work doesn’t need to be long. In 20 minutes, we can get our heart rate raised, we can go through a stretching program or use bands for strength training.
If this is overwhelming and you’re unsure where to start, talk to one of our Chiropractors who can tailor a program to suit your goals.
Get workplace fit
Up your step count! One way for us to get more exercise is to walk more. When parking at work, park at the back of the car park to get 200 metres of extra walking done.
Take the stairs
Ensure that every hour you’re getting up out of your chair. The chiropractors at Canberra Spine Centre also have workplace exercise programs for stretching and mobility.
This is important not only for general health but to make sure when working we are functioning at our optimal level.
Poor posture and the strain this puts on your spine and nervous system influences your brain function. Taking the time to look after your body will help you work smarter and faster!
Home workout
We don’t all have time to get to the gym. So get a mat, and work out at home.
You don’t even need a set of weights – use your own body weight. One of the most important benefits of bodyweight exercise is its ability to improve your cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength all at once.
You get a cardio workout from changing positions and elevating your heart rate, while your bodyweight and gravity work together to help you build muscle.
There are also a number of amazing tools online with youtube that can help with mobility and stretching. 10 minutes a day of stretching can help improve muscle function, flexibility and body range of motion.
Involve the kids
No one likes to be alone and isolated when exercising. Make exercise fun and active and involve the family.
We are more likely to move and exercise more if we have others around us. We can look at increasing our step count by taking the family to a museum or aquarium.
Make your exercise goals a challenge for the kids or simply get involved with their sport.
If you cannot achieve the above, and are still simply saying you cannot find time for exercise and mobility you must then focus on what you can control.
2 key pillars of our health that are within our control are sleep and nutrition.
Seek help
For most of us, the thought of injury can be what is preventing us from getting back into exercise and mobility.
Many of us don’t know what’s causing our repeated injuries. Often, it’s our spine and nervous system – or control system – at fault.
Your Chiropractor can help with this. Chiropractic treatment can help ensure optimal function of your spine and nervous system, thus helping your body to regulate, control and coordinate itself.
A body in control is less likely to injure itself.
A weak structure can lead to back pain or discomfort. As time goes on, these imbalances can have a negative effect. Chiropractic treatments incorporate management, prevention, and rehabilitation of the neuromusculoskeletal system.
Patients utilize chiropractic adjustments as part of their rehabilitation.
Perhaps more importantly, ‘prehabilitation’ ensures proper motion, which leads to better sensory-motor integration, thus improving the overall performance of the body.
For more information on exercise and mobility or to book a consultation please call us on (02) 6257 9400.
If you would like some more information about the spine and nervous system and how it relates to your health, please check out the other articles on our Facebook page or go to our website: www.spinecentre.com.au.