‘Back’ on Track
Summer means different things to different people. For some, it is a chance to reconnect with nature and enjoy one of our amazing local campgrounds. For some, it may look like spending as much time as possible poolside with friends and family. For others it may be as simple as enjoying quiet evenings in the backyard listening to the birds and the gentle crackle of the BBQ or fire. Regardless of what summer means to you, for most of us it offers a break from the routines of the rest of the year. Schools are out, vacations are taken and rest is finally taken. While these are all amazing things and taking breaks is necessary; our routines and habits set the trajectory in all areas of our life and thus why getting back on track is of the utmost importance.
This is why many people refer to the end of summer/beginning of September as the unofficial New Year. With school going back and vacations coming to a close, it acts as a natural reset for people’s habits and schedules. There have been many books, podcasts and TED talks surrounding the power of habit in recent years because we know now more than ever that consistency (establishing a habit) is the biggest factor in whether a person is successful or not in any area in life. We are what we repeatedly do. Having just gone through another Olympic year, this could not be more evident than in the lives of these amazing athletes. Don’t get me wrong, they are obviously amazingly talented in their specific sport, but behind the incredible performances we saw were years of hard work, dedication and you guessed it, consistency. That’s one or two-a-day workouts, eating the right foods, honing in technique and getting the right recovery over and over and over again.
The best example of this in the health world is dentistry. It is the only industry in health that has seen a positive reduction in disease they focus on which is dental decay. Why is that? For decades their message has been to maintain consistent simple habits, independent of how you feel, and your teeth will do great. Brush, floss, routine dental check ups and reducing intake of sugary/acidic foods. Very simple habits in and of themselves but when done together consistently over a long period of time, they produce huge results.
The same is true with caring for your spine and nervous system. While chiropractic has been seen by some as just a pain mediating strategy for times of crisis, we know that its true benefits are when it, like many other habits, is done consistently over time. Recent studies have shown that it only takes 3 weeks of a joint being misaligned and not moving properly for the degenerative process to start. This is why chiropractic wellness care is a necessary health strategy for everyone’s life just the same as regular exercise, a healthy diet and appropriate rest/sleep. Not only does regular chiropractic care help to reverse and stave off spinal degeneration but it also helps to support and regulate proper nerve system function and communication to every single organ and tissue in your body. Therefore it’s no surprise that most of the aforementioned Olympic athletes also have chiropractic as part of their regular health routines in order to perform at their best. Even though the vast majority of us will never go to the Olympics, chiropractic wellness care can help each of us be the best version of ourselves not only for us but for those around us as well. So if you or someone you know has been off track with their chiropractic care this summer, now is the time to get that back, back on track. What we do now will determine who we become down the road.
