Summer Health Guide
The summer sun certainly has everyone outdoors more, but enjoying the fresh air and increased temperatures requires habits promoting optimal health and well-being. The delicate balance of work and play during the summer can improve your mood, focus, productivity, and overall fitness.
Before you get out the beach towels and sunglasses, here are some tips to ensure your health is at the forefront of your summer habits:
- Stay Hydrated: Be sure to reach for water before you feel parched. Keep your water bottle handy (and full) so you can easily reach for it. Can’t stress it enough, but drinking enough water is one of the most important things you can do to optimize your wellness. So please, don’t skip this step.
- Snack Smart: Summer is the time to take advantage of homegrown produce. Please pay attention to when your favourite fruits and vegetables are at their best, and enjoy! In addition, protein-packed snacks are high value because they will give you the energy you need while ensuring you stay full longer.
- Get Outdoors: Take advantage of the longer, warmer days by having breaks and meals outside. Being outside in the fresh air is a great way to recharge, and if you have the opportunity – short outdoor naps are incredibly refreshing. Being close to a lake or any water is a bonus!
- Stay Active: Consider walking or biking to work. Park farther away from the entrance of the mall or grocery store. Go for walks, or plan some hikes with friends. Spend time swimming, gardening, or picking up an outdoor sport like pickleball or tennis. Increased daily physical activity will keep your body strong, make your sleep more peaceful, and improve your mood. Also, remember stretching!
- Unwind and Enjoy the Warmer Months: Summer feels like the shortest Canadian season. We squeeze in as many outdoor activities as possible, making summers hectic. Remember to slow down and take the time to enjoy the long sunny days and warm evenings. Mindfulness and gratitude are a must all year.
By not compromising your wellness during these sunny months, you’re soaking up much more than just the sun. Remember, small, consistent actions can significantly improve your overall well-being.
Focusing on chiropractic care is vital during the summer because you are moving more, so we should be extra diligent about it.
Moving our bodies differently, like bending while gardening or sitting in one position for too long during a long road trip can lead to sore muscles, misalignment, and joint pain. So, whatever you do, keep in touch, and let’s work together to maintain a healthy body and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Summer is here briefly; don’t spend it indoors with injuries.
What Chiropractic Thinks About Cycling
Whether you are an avid cyclist or enjoy a recreational bike ride with your friends or family, cycling is an excellent form of exercise. However, any form of cycling leaves you prone to injury. All forms of biking are not without the risk of injury – whether it’s from a fall, overused joints or muscles, improper balance, or poor posture habits. Cycling, like all forms of exercise, the physical stress can take a toll on ligaments, tendons, nerves, muscles, and joints. The crucial part here is that your spine is the part of your body that requires the most attention because all other cycling movements radiate from your core and spine, causing misalignment.
What is The Solution?
This is where Chiropractic comes in to help with preventative and reactive measures to existing injuries.
Chiropractic can help the most common cycling injuries, like:
- Wrist/Hand/Forearm: This includes numbness and pain, elbow dislocation, lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), ulnar neuropathy, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and Cyclist’s Palsy.
Shoulder: This includes AC joint sprains and clavicle fractures. - Back/Neck: This includes tightness in the neck and lower back pain, as well as piriformis syndrome, when the piriformis muscle cramps and presses on the sciatic nerve, causing buttock pain or sciatica.
- Knee/Leg: This includes Cyclist’s Knee (patellofemoral syndrome), patella and quadriceps tendonitis, medial plica syndrome, and iliotibial band friction, which affects the kneecaps or outer knees. It also includes Achilles tendonitis and thigh and hip flexor strain.
- Foot: This includes numbness and tingling, plantar fasciitis in the heel, and arch pain.
Muscles: Muscle pain includes soreness that lasts and goes away in 24 hours and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that lasts longer than 24 hours.
The truth is that all forms of activity come with long lists of potential injuries. Cycling also has a long list of significant effects on the body. Cyclists have reported improved overall cardio, range of motion, heart rate variability, muscle strength, and athletic ability. Essentially, people report becoming stronger and faster with ease.
Preventative Care
The best preventative work comes when you include a chiropractic care in your regimen. Regular chiropractic care can prevent many injuries due to falls or improper technique.
Here are some tips to help prevent some of these injuries:
- Always stretch before a ride.
- Adjust your seat height so it’s not too high or too low.
- Knees should be aligned with your feet at 90 degrees when riding.
- Make sure your bike fits you correctly. Everyone has a different arm length, leg size, and posture; try out several bikes of various sizes to determine which frame size and other features are a good fit.
- Avoid hunching your shoulders.
- Use the pedal stroke completely to avoid pointed toes and tired and cramped calves.
- Adjust your handle grip frequently.
- Don’t constantly tilt your head to one side.
- Stay hydrated.
- Stay warm in cold weather and cool in warm weather.
Cycling is an activity that can (and should) be enjoyed by the whole family. With the changing seasons, it’s something we can look forward to, and it often brings a refreshing start to spring after some long winter months.
Including chiropractic care in your cycling routine and ensuring you have correctly fitted safety gear is the most essential part of this journey, aside from the fun you will have!
