Happy New Year! If you’re like most people, you probably have some health-focused resolutions in store for the new year, but we hope that you’ll also strive to have a stronger and healthier spine in 2024! We want to help with this process any way we can, so in today’s blog, we share some tips for developing a stronger spine in the new year!
Healthy Spine Tips For The New Year
If you’re planning to become a stronger and healthier version of yourself in the new year, we hope that you’ll keep some of these tips in mind and also work to improve the health of your spine. Here are some doctor-recommended tips for strengthening your spine in the new year:
- Make Time To Exercise – Getting more exercise is the most common New Year’s resolution, but in order to exercise more this year, you need to make time to exercise. Don’t assume that you’ll be able to find time to exercise every day unless you specifically carve out some time. Force yourself to wake up earlier or plan ahead and put your gym bag in your car so that you can easily stop to work out on your way home from work. You won’t exercise more if you don’t plan ahead and set aside some time for your workout.
- Conduct More Posture Checks – Posture-related spinal degeneration forces tens of thousands of people to undergo elective corrective surgery each year. While having poor posture may not send you to the operating table overnight, having bad posture while you’re young can contribute to significant issues as you get older. Make it a point to regularly check your posture when you’re seated or standing and make some slight adjustments to put your spine in a healthier position. Limiting stress on your spine when you’re in a seated position can go a long way in helping slow down natural spinal degeneration.
- Eat A Range Of Healthy Foods – We don’t expect you to start the year with a crazy diet that leads to major weight loss, but we do hope you’ll consider making some slight tweaks to your diet so that your spine and your whole body can be healthier in the new year. Try more new foods this year, and be cognizant of consuming a wide range of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients provide the foundation for a healthy spine, so make sure that you’re getting plenty of nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and iron in your diet.
- Treat Small Issues – One aspect of spine health that often gets overlooked is the treatment of minor issues. If you’re dealing with back pain or you have chronic spine discomfort, make it a point to treat these issues once and for all in the new year. Don’t just assume that daily discomfort is something you need to live with as you get older. Spine pain is never normal, and odds are treatments are easier than you imagine, so do right by your back and talk with your doctor about lingering back pain.
- Take On One New Active Hobby – Finally, we challenge you to take on a new active hobby this year. Find something enjoyable that doesn’t feel like exercise. Join a yoga class with a friend, swim laps at the pool or simply strive to walk your dog four times a week. Activities that get us moving and testing our muscles can help to keep us healthy without needing to go through a specific workout at the gym. Try to take up a new active hobby in 2024!
If you can do all of these things and you consult with Dr. Sinicropi in the event of back pain, we’re confident that your spine will be stronger and healthier in the new year. For more tips, or for help with a back or neck issue, give Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute a call today at (651) 430-3800.
