1. Why stretch? Stretching lengthens muscles and improves flexibility. Also, stretching the big leg muscles – the hamstrings, calves, and quads – simultaneously loosens and lengthens the muscles of your lower back. So, when you stretch, you’re helping your back!

2. When to stretch? Recent exercise physiology studies show that static stretching is best done after exercise. Pre-exercise “dynamic warm-ups”, such as torso twists, arm circles, and light jogging, prepare the body for work. Importantly, for those of us with back issues, it’s still a good idea to do the familiar static stretches even before the dynamic warm-up!

3. Don’t rush! Stretching is as important as what you’re going to do after you stretch. And, if you rush, you might pull a muscle or worse. Be sure to include 10 to 15 minutes of stretching as part of your exercise time.

4. Stretch gently and slowly. You’re not trying to accomplish anything while stretching. In other words, you are not trying to stretch “this much” or “this far”. Nice and easy does it. Stretching is a Zen activity. There should be nor “effort”.

5. Pay attention! If your mind drifts, you will pull a muscle.

6. Visualize! See (in your mind) what you’re doing. Hold a mental visual image of the muscle group, where it comes from, where it goes. Visualization helps establish a brain-muscle connection, making your muscles much smarter!

7. Stretch your hamstrings first! Lie on your back with one knee bent [start with the left leg bent; you'll be stretching the right hamstring]. The left foot is on the floor and the left knee is bent approximately 90 degrees. Holding behind the right knee, gently bring that knee to your chest. Alternate this chest movement with a movement that begins to straighten the right leg in the air. The eventual goal on straightening is to achieve a 90 degree angle (or close to this) between the leg and your torso.

8. CAUTION! Progress may be quite slow. Remember – you are where you are. Stretching is gentle and slow. Alternate the bending and straightening movements gently, achieving a slightly greater straightening each time. You should work each leg for between three and five minutes.

9. Calf stretches – face a wall and place both hands lightly on the wall. Keep both feet facing front, bend the front knee and place the foot of the leg to be stretched directly behind you. Your weight is being supported by the front leg. The back knee is pretty straight and the back heel is on or close to the floor. Maintain the stretch for 10 seconds, feeling the stretch in the calf as the back heel reaches toward the floor.

10. Quad stretches – stand on your left leg, placing a hand lightly on a wall to support the upright posture. Grasp just above the right ankle with your right hand and bring that heel close to the right buttock. The quadriceps is stretched by bringing the right thigh in line with the left thigh, just as if you were standing on both legs. The knees should also be close, in a line. You should feel a stretching sensation down the right thigh. Imagine a straight line running from your right hip socket all the way to the floor. Ferreira GN, et al: Gains in flexibility related to measures of muscular performance. Clin J Sport Med 17(4):276-281, 2007. Peeler J, Anderson JE: Effectiveness of static quadriceps stretching in individuals with patellofemoral joint pain. Clin J Sport Med 17(4):234-241, 2007. Behm DG, et al: Effect of acute static stretching on force, balance, reaction time, and movement time. Med Sci Sports Exercise (36(8):1397-1402, 2004.

Strong bones are important for all of us and not only for the aging baby boomers about whom we’re hearing so much lately. And, “strong bones” are much more than a marketing ploy cooked-up by the dairy industry and pharmaceutical companies.

Bones are incredibly dynamic, constantly reshaping themselves in response to physical forces. Bones provide structure for our bodies, and they carry our weight around as we move from place to place. Long bones such as the thigh bone act as factories to produce blood cells. So, bones are an important part of our overall health and well-being.

Lots can go wrong when your bones aren’t strong. If you suddenly fall onto an outstretched arm, you’ll probably be OK if your bones are healthy. If not, you’ll probably be in a cast for four weeks to help repair a wrist or forearm fracture.

When an older person falls, hip fractures are the main concern. A fit, healthy person can usually walk away. With weakened bones, hip fractures can result in many other problems, both immediately and long-term.

Bones lose their strength due to a calcium imbalance and/or not enough physical exercise. For most of us, these factors can be corrected. The best approach, of course, is to be proactive and ensure enough calcium in the diet and regular exercise.

How much calcium and how much exercise? Recommended daily calcium requirements1 vary, and 1000 mg per day is a good ballpark amount. Dairy products are the best natural source of calcium, and dark leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli, as well as dried beans, are also good sources. Vitamin/mineral supplements typically provide 25-50% of the daily calcium requirement.

Regarding exercise, both the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week. This maytake some effort and planning, particularly if regular exercise is a new addition to one’s routine. By making the effort and spending the time, we’re saying “yes” to health and wellness, empowering ourselves as well as our family and friends.

Importantly, regular exercise in combination with sufficient dietary calcium is the key. Taking calcium alone will not be effective in maintaining strong bones. Unless long bones are undergoing consistent mechanical stresses, as with exercise, there is no need for them to use the calcium that’s available. Exercise plus calcium makes the difference!

Core strengthening is a hot topic in the world of fitness – Pilates training and its offshoots. But the principles of core strengthening have been around for many decades – dancers, gymnasts, boxers, and wrestlers have been doing these things all along. Only the term “core fitness” is new.

As it turns out core fitness is critically important for all of us. By adding a handful of core exercises – 10 minutes at most – to your regular routine, you will profoundly improve the mechanics of your lower back, hips, and pelvis. And, these remarkable exercises improve the efficiency of your heart and lungs. A very big “bang” for your exercise “buck”!

Your chiropractor will be able to provide expert advice and guidance on these nutritional- and exericise-related topics. 1Daly RM, et al. Long-term effects of calcium-vitamin-D3 fortified milk on bone geometry and strength in older men. Bone 39(4):946-953, 2006. Haskell WL, et al. Physical Activity and Public Health. Updated Recommendations for Adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. American Heart Association, 2007. 3Akuthota V, Nadler SF. Core strengthening. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 85(3 Suppl 1):S86-92, 2004.

Renewability, sustainability, and energy conservation are all over the news. Every newspaper’s front page and every television nightly news program features sustainability daily. These are important issues, not only for the health of our planet, but also for our physical health and well-being.

Physical health depends on how we maximize our available energy resources – how we use our body’s stores of energy, how we replace and renew that energy, and how we practice conservation of our physical energy.

The interaction of all the elements of human physiology is exactly analogous to the interaction of ecosystems in the global ecology. It is an interesting and powerful comparison.

Energy resources in our body consist of nutrients obtained from food, oxygen, and stored energy in the form of sugars (glycogen) and fats. We gain energy by eating good food and balancing our nutritional choices from all the major food groups.1,2 We gain energy if we have efficient and well-toned cardiovascular and respiratory systems. We gain energy by having strong muscles. And we gain energy by getting sufficient rest.

How we use these resources depends on the instructions from the nerve system. Being able to use these resources efficiently depends on the underlying tone of our cells and tissues, which in turn depends on normal flow of information in the nerve system.

Hyperactive nerve systems and sluggish nerve systems – due to a variety of causes – create imbalances up and down the line.3 Systems perform abnormally. Your metabolism slows down or speeds up. You don’t digest your food properly. You use too many or too little resources for a given task, and the job doesn’t get done properly. Muscles get tight. Joints get stiff. You have pain. You get sick.

In these cases you’re using more energy – due to inefficient systems – than you’re taking in. You are not sustaining your resources, you’re depleting them. Sooner or later, your entire system will begin to breakdown. You have chronic pain, you’re tired all the time, you toss and turn when you should be sleeping, and you’re irritable during the day.

Energy is not renewed. Your body’s out of balance, physically and metaphorically.

Chiropractic treatment directly addresses these energy concerns. Chiropractic care is all about energy management and conservation of resources. Gentle chiropractic treatment focuses on restoring balance to nervous systems, muscular systems, and physical structure. Energy begins to flow to where it’s needed most, chronic pain begins to resolve, and you begin to sleep more restfully. You have a greater focus and get done the things you want to get done during the day. Your relationships with family and friends are more enjoyable, and life itself becomes much more fun.

Your chiropractor, your energy conservation specialist, is an important natural resource for your well-being and your family’s well-being.

1Katona P, Katona-Apte J: The interaction between nutrition and infection. Clin Infect Dis 46(10)1582-1588, 2008 2UNESCO, Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific: Population, nutrition, and health. Bull Unesco Reg Off Educ Asia Pac 23:260-268, 1982 3D’Melllo R, Dickenson AH: Spinal cord mechanisms of pain. Br J Anaesth April 15, 2008