Avoid New Year, New Me Exhaustion
We just started a new year, and you may started a few resolutions or intentions. Here are some tips to help you keep your resolutions and improve your health in 2025:
Keep Drinking That Water
Sometimes we get so caught up in numbers that we give up. Going from two glasses of water a day to eight is a big jump. After missing a few days, it’s easy to give up because it can feel like a horribly big task. Stop counting and go back to always having some water accessible. Replace juices with water, or drink a glass of water for every cup of coffee per day. Getting enough water does not have to be an exact science. The goal is to keep your body hydrated.
Maintain Some Activity
Many people wait until the New Year to start working out five days a week. This is great if you don’t have a lot of responsibilities, but when you have a life that is busy with day-to-day duties, you can easily have a day or week that makes you want to give up entirely. If you can commit to 2-3 times a week to start, you’ll stay on the right track. Remember, the best workout for you is the one you enjoy.
Sleep Well
There will never be enough things I can say about the amount and quality of your sleep. Your body and brain need to rest to function optimally. Everything from your mood to your metabolism to your immune system requires adequate sleep. Make sure you have a sleep routine you can be serious about. Is your bedroom temperature what you need it to be to sleep? Do you have pillows that are meant for your type of sleep? Do you have a routine and a quiet place to sleep, or do you have earplugs? Every detail matters!
Avoid Alcohol
This is another intention or resolution many people have. There is not much I can say about this one other than reducing alcohol consumption can be pretty challenging for some, but it is a necessary step in your wellness journey. If you require support to reduce alcohol consumption, seek professional help. Otherwise, you can make this a more manageable task by removing alcohol from your home. Hence, it’s not easily accessible and commit to replacing alcohol with sparkling water while with friends.
Eliminate Sugar
Let’s be realistic with this one. Eliminating sugar in one day will undoubtedly set most up for failure. If you are not prepared, you could experience headaches, irritability, and restlessness. However, if you commit to reducing sugar over time by eliminating certain sweet treats, this task will be manageable. Reducing sugar is something that can add years to your life, so this step should not be given up on!
Making any changes to your lifestyle can be exhausting. Making several changes to your lifestyle suddenly because it is a new year can prove to be more than you bargained for. If you have made significant resolutions that you could not keep, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s time to dust yourself off and try again.
In addition, planning to remain on a consistent Chiropractic care schedule is a great way to be proactive about your health journey while having some accountability and practical advice. As a valued member of your health care team, there is nothing I want for you more than to succeed.
Should You See Your Chiropractor For a Stiff Neck?
You wake up, your neck is tight and sore, or you don’t have a full range of motion. We have all been there. Stiffness or pain in the neck is very common, and so is reaching for a bottle of OTC pain relievers. Treating a sore neck regularly with pain relievers does not treat the root of the pain, which can be considerably more concerning with injuries that create long-term pain.
The underlying issues need to be addressed because even a little tension can cause the joints and muscles to become stiffer, leaving you worse than how you started. The problem with overusing OTC medications for pain is that you can cause more damage due to your body thinking it is safe to overextend or overuse the muscles and joints in the neck. The pain is an alert system, so you don’t cause more damage. Turning this system off can have longer-term effects aside from the strain placed on the digestive system and organs.
How Chiropractic Can Help
Chiropractors can stretch the muscles, adjust your spine and loosen tension allowing for free movement. This prevention of stiff neck symptoms, stretches, and spinal adjustments can help treat the underlying causes and prevent further damage by stabilizing the muscles.
What Causes Stiff Neck?
There are a few common reasons people experience a stiff neck. These include muscle strains, spinal misalignment, and a pinched nerve.
Muscle strains are generally caused by things like sleeping with your neck at a strange angle or from stress by holding tension in the neck and shoulders.
Spinal misalignment can be caused by abrupt movements or repetitive motions, growth abnormalities, or emotional stress that causes you to slouch or slump over in an exaggerated motion, or feet dragging while you walk. Spinal misalignments result in your muscles being unable to provide adequate support for your neck.
Pinched nerves are caused by a misalignment in the spine that causes the spinal cord to be pinched by a protruding disc.
Other less common reasons are herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and osteoarthritis.
When Should You See A Chiropractor?
Immediately is best. The sooner the problem is assessed and care has begun, the faster things will heal and resolve. It’s important to see a Chiropractor as soon as possible if you are experiencing:
- Stiffness or pain that does not go away in a few days
- Stiffness or pain that is not alleviated by cold or heat therapy
- Severe pain that makes it difficult to look to the left or right
- Stiffness or discomfort following a traumatic incident such as a fall or car accident
When you visit us, we will examine your neck and work to determine the cause of the pain. If you have misaligned vertebrae, we may conduct a spinal adjustment to provide some relief. We will also walk you through neck stretches and light exercises to keep the joints and muscles strong and mobile.
Always Err on The Side of Caution
Your neck and spine are crucial to your ability to move through the day. Long-term pain in this area is also something that should be addressed. If you have had a stiff neck for more than 3 days, or if the pain does not subside with rest and heat or cold therapy, give us a call right away to be assessed.
