Who likes getting injured? The answer is no one. Whether you play sport or not, injuries hold you back from being the best version of yourself, achieving your goals and fulfilling your potential. So, what if I were to tell you that many injuries can be prevented and even those ‘bad luck’ injuries will likely heal quicker if your body is in optimal shape. Whilst genetics and family history have a part to play, the truth is that how you look after your body is going to have far more influence on your likeliness to get injured and subsequent recovery.
How you move your body is directly related to the injuries you sustain such as how you lift at the gym, pick up your children, sit at a desk and sleep in bed. Over time your body adapts to these habitual postures creating imbalances and ultimately leading to injury over time, if these imbalances are not addressed.
The more stress you have in your life, the more work you will need to do to offset this stress in order to prevent illness and injuries. Stress is not just feeling stressed but also activities of daily living that are beyond your body’s natural daily activity ability. Examples include a manual job, a sedentary job, carrying children, breast feeding, wearing high heels, excessive exercise or exercise that is repetitive and beyond the way the body is designed to perform.
Stress doesn’t just come in the form of movement either. The progression of technology comes with it’s challenges such as EMF (electromagnetic radiation), WIFI and frequency type are all forms of stress your body was not designed to handle.
Just like a car needs to be serviced to run efficiently and prevent it breaking down, so too, your body needs that same servicing. When we started Health Space it was our dream to be that one stop body shop. For some people chiropractic works so well, whereas for others it may be osteopathy or physiotherapy. That’s why we have all these modalities at Health Space. Some people respond better to massage, others to acupuncture, some know if they eat well or have kinesiology or Bicom therapy they have abundant energy and less injuries.
For me a combination approach works best. I love to get adjusted weekly as I have scoliosis, I have a manual job and have been breastfeeding for 5 years and counting. This in combination with monthly acupuncture and massage works brilliantly for me. I like to throw in kinesiology and Bicom when I am working on specific health goals or recovering from illness or injury. I am someone who needs to eat well, exercise regularly (but not too much) and meditate daily to feel at my best.
What do you need to do to be at your best? Do you even know? It’s taken me years to get this combination perfected. There are so many other factors to consider too including cost, time and other family members health. As you get older you may find that this delicate balance changes as my beautiful husband is realising since he hit 40. He is no longer able to perform at his best if he skips a meal, doesn’t meditate regularly, doesn’t stretch enough or doesn’t get regular treatment. All things he could easily get away with in his 30’s.
Don’t forget about the kids. The best time to teach them about prioritising their health is from birth. Even the most straight forward birth can cause misalignments or injuries that if not detected and corrected early in life can become chronic issues later in life. Many of these issues in youth that lead to health issues as a teenager or adult could have easily been prevented. My kids love going to the chiro, kinesiologist, Bicom therapist, massage therapist and acupuncturist. At Health Space we have practitioners who are specially trained to look after kids. This means making the process fun and pain free, so they want to come back and feel great, function better and even sleep and behave better! Not to mention you are teaching them positive health habits that will influence the rest of their lives.
The key is to keep trying new things and see how it works for your body. If the stress in your life increases, then know that you will need to adapt your recovery and prevention techniques as well. So if you decide to run a marathon and you have never been a runner, or you go back to full-time sedentary work after being a stay at home parent for an extended period of time, or if you have had a chronic illness, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding; these are all examples of people who would likely need to change or increase the amount of recovery and preventative care they do/receive.
Many of my clients come in to have chiropractic and kinesiology with me every 4 weeks and offset that with a monthly massage and/or acupuncture. Maybe you respond well to energetic healing or reiki? Maybe you are on a tight budget and find stretching at home and meditating helps your body to recover and prevent injuries.
When I was really sick with Lyme disease there was no amount of money I wasn’t willing to spend to get my health back. That has taught me that spending money on my health now is the best way to get the most out of today, prevent injuries tomorrow and recover better if I do succumb to an injury which is rare. How much is your health worth?
Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “The first wealth is health”.
Enjoy your month.
