Dr. England’s Healthy Lifestyle Advice
Someone much wiser than me once said, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the next best time is today.” I think of that saying every time I hear a patient tell me that they are too old to feel better, or it’s too late to try and improve their abilities. Of course it is easier to instill proper habits while one is young, but it is never too late to improve oneself. There are real issues that slow us down as we age, but we should never quit trying to stay active.
When we are young our bodies are pliable and designed to bend and absorb the falls and clumsiness of youth. As we age we trade that movement for strength and stability, but even that is lost as we become sedentary. Research has shown that lack of activity is a driving factor in many of the problems associated with aging. I don’t think that people hit a point of life and just decide to sit down and give up. Instead, what I’ve seen with patients is they avoid things that hurt until they have whittled down their activities to shuffling and reaching for the remote. It all starts with a little back pain after mowing the lawn, which leads you to hiring someone down the street to do it. Then you quit fight club because you get a little shoulder pain from dropping blows on your opponent. The achy knee stops you from walking the dog, and then the neck pain keeps you from windsurfing on the Hood River. Before you know it you consider walking around the store your weekly workout. You dread attending your granddaughter’s wedding because the standing and walking will kill you. This pattern not only leads to pain but also other complications like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and multiple chins.
How can this cycle be prevented or broken? The first thing is to try to move a little more than you are moving now. You aren’t going to become Jack LaLanne in a day, but you can commit to gradual improvement daily. After a few days has turned into weeks and a few weeks into months, you’ll start to see the difference. As you move you will start to remember why you stopped in the first place, especially the aches and pains. That is where chiropractic care is important. Those aches and pains that force you to the couch can be addressed and you can stay active or begin to become active. The more active you remain the better your chance to avoid assisted living or the nursing home in your twilight years.
Speaking of nursing homes, have you considered why people end up there? Not being able to care for oneself is the main cause outside of cognitive issues. That is why being active is not only about competing in the Olympics or impressing the ladies, it’s function. It is what helps you get out of bed in the morning, off of the toilet during the day and off of the floor after a tumble. Correcting the problems in your body that cause pain will improve your quality of life.
Start being active today, and if you did start 20 years ago make another commitment to stay active. Visit England Chiropractic to correct the pains and aches that try to plant you on the couch.
-Dr. Aaron England
